When I was a late teenager (not dead, just about eighteen) I discovered a fascinating book written by J. R. R. Tolkien ‘The Lord of the Rings’, perfectly translated into Polish. Since then I’ve read it several times – but for all those years I’ve had an ambition to read it as it had been written – in English. I bought it in the spring of this year and… stopped reading it just after two or three chapters. The book was not as fascinating as when I was younger. Perhaps it happened because I got to know the plot so well that it couldn’t hold my attention any more.
A similar problem can appear with the Bible. Personally I’ve been reading it for over twenty years. As a priest I’ve been delivering sermons on a regular basis for over fourteen years. Sometimes when I open the Bible and see the same well known story I have a thought: ‘Oh, I know it; I cannot find anything new in it’. However there is a big difference between ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and the Bible. But this difference does not concern the books itself. The difference is in a reader.
Some time ago there was a TV series on the BBC about secrets of the Bible, presented by a young, attractive and well-educated scientist. The programme was really good and I personally regretted there were only three episodes. The presenter was revealing the background of some the most popular stories from the Bible. She compared those stories with archaeological discoveries and the knowledge about other cultures of that region. Although she had studied the Bible she declared herself an unbeliever. And she’s not alone – there are many people who know the Bible very well but don’t believe in it.
The parable in today’s gospel tells the same story. The grains cast by the sower fell on many different sorts of ground: the tamped down path, rock, among thorny bushes or fertile soil. Only the latter supported the growth of the seeds. The same grain grew up or didn’t do so – the difference was not in the seeds, but in the conditions of receiving them.
The book of the Bible does not contain the word of God. It contains biblical stories, proverbs and other kinds of written texts – but not God’s word. Before you throw stones at me, let’s think about a CD with music or a DVD with a film. A CD or DVD is a medium, a way of delivering some content; but the content is something much greater than a plastic disc covered with some chemicals. The Word of God existed before the Bible was written – in fact the biblical authors tried to record God’s word like modern musicians record their music.
The Bible becomes the Word of God when it is read with personal effort and faith. Usually when I read a biblical text I wonder what God wants to tell me by it. I’ve read the entire Bible several times in my life. But I always find something new in it, because my life is changing; I have to face different challenges, problems, and circumstances. In all these changes God’s word shows me the way, gives hope, brings faith and teaches love.