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2. The culture

The cultural gap must be bridged, because cultures can be very
different. If we don’t understand the culture of the time in which
the Bible was written, we’ll never understand its meaning. For
example: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). What does that
mean? Why didn’t he say, “In the beginning was Jesus”? Well, he
used “the Word” because that was the vernacular at that time.
To the Greeks the term Word was used to refer to a floating kind
of cause, a kind of ethereal, spatial kind of energy that was floating around. John said to the
Greeks that that floating cause, that thing which caused everything, that spatial energy, that
cosmic power, is none other than that Word which became flesh (1:14).

To the Jew, the term Word was always the manifestation of God, because “the Word of the
Lord” was always God emanating His personality. So, when John said, “the Word was made
flesh and dwelt among us,” he was identifying Jesus Christ, the incarnate Christ, as the very
emanation of God. In the text, therefore, he meets the Greek mind and Hebrew mind with
the right word that grabs both at vital points.

And this goes on all throughout the Bible. If you don’t understand the Gnosticism existent at
the time of the writing of Colossians, you may not understand the purpose of the book. If
you don’t understand the culture at the time the Judaizers were moving into the Gentile
churches, you will find it difficult to understand the book of Galatians. If you don’t
understand the Jewish culture, you will miss the subtle undertones of the book of Matthew.
There must be cultural comprehension to fully understand the Bible. Knowing the culture
gives depth and broadens understanding.
Some books that would help you in this area are The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by
Alfred Edersheim (Eerdmans, 1974) and Barclay’s Daily Study Bible Series by William B.
Barclay (Westminster, 1975). Barclay’s insights into culture are very good even though his
theology is askew in some areas.
3. The geography

There are geography gaps that must also be bridged. When we read in
the Bible that they went down to Jericho, what does it mean to go
down to Jericho? Well, when you go into Jericho you go down in
elevation. Jericho is 258 meters or 846 feet below sea level. When it
says that they went up to Jerusalem it is because Jerusalem is definitely
up. It’s on a high plateau at 754 meters or 2,474 feet above sea level.
In 1 Thessalonians 1:8 it says, “For from you sounded out the word of
the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God is
spread abroad.” What’s amazing is that it was sounded out so fast. Paul had just been there,
and when he wrote the letter, very little time had passed. Paul had been with them for a
couple of weeks, but their testimony had already spread far. How could that happen so fast?
If you study the geography of the area, you’ll find that the Ignatian Highway runs right
through the middle of Thessalonica. It was the main concourse between the East and West,
and whatever happened there was passed all the way down the line. Do you see how a little
bit of understanding of the geography enriches the comprehension?

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