Research | Writing | Digital Humanities | Biblical Studies

Lazy Bible Study: Pastors and the Tool Shed

The Pastor's Tool Shed
The Pastor's Work Will Show

A couple of friends of mine told the following story from an experience on the mission field in Mexico:

As Samuel was preparing to set up a plastic table for the youth lunch we were hosting, I mentioned to him that the table’s “piernitas” (little legs) were in the next room. He smiled, and I knew that I had used the wrong word. “So they’re not called ‘piernitas,’ are they?” I asked him. “No,” he said, (really laughing now), “only humans have ‘piernas’. Animals and tables have ‘patas’ (paws). But calling them piernitas sounds curious.”

…A great example of how the Spanish idiom is ‘funny’ (or foreign) to the native English speaker. We don’t call table legs ‘paws’, but they do in this area of Mexico.

Biblical Languages Work the Same Way

For example, in the New Testament, the Greek term meaning word (logos) can refer to a variety of things, including a simple statement, a command, the Scriptures, the Gospel message, etc. So how do you know which it means? Context!

Take the following English example: “Load the trunks.” What does it mean given the following contexts?

  • At the zoo, load the elephant trunks with medicine.
  • In the living room, load the chests for storage.
  • In the parking lot, load the cars with groceries.
  • At the swimming pool, fill your swimming trunks with candy.
  • After cutting down some trees, load their trunks on the trailer.

Lazy Interpretation

We know language works this way; It’s obvious. The friends I’ve mentioned above are working diligently to understand local idioms in the spoken language. They make mistakes, learn the language better, and then move on with greater precision. The same should be true with those who study the Bible. Unfortunately, I’ve known many who receive training and acquire tools to accurately study and teach the Scriptures, but later they leave their tools in the tool shed to rust and deteriorate.

Pastors are called to build up the church. Use the best tools you can afford. Not all will be scholars. Not all will have the time or money to acquire degrees. But most possess tools that must not be shelved. Polish the square, the measure, and the level. Sharpen the saw blade. Do the hard work of building…no shortcuts. Working harder now will prevent the number of necessary repairs in the future. The greater the precision in studying and teaching the Word, the greater the conviction will be in the lives of your hearers.

9 Responses to Lazy Bible Study: Pastors and the Tool Shed

  1. you don’t always need to spend money to find the best Bible tools. Many websites, such as biblestudytools.com offer tools like commentaries, concordances, lexicons, and apocrypha for free.

    • I agree. There are many inexpensive (or free) ways to dig deeper (like this site!). I suppose my main concern here is for those who teach the Bible, that they are to be working diligently in the study of the Scriptures.

  2. Pastors have a lot of demands on their time and need resources that are ready to go for sermons, Bible studies, etc. I wrote Getting To Know Jesus for small group study as a turnkey Bible study of every event in the life of Christ. Each lesson contains the Bible text, lesson commentary and discussion questions. Getting To Know Jesus covers every event in Jesus’ life as Lord, Savior and role model. I’ve done the work of preparation so you can focus on ministry and serving your congregation.

    • Yes, pastors have a lot of demands on their time. But I have a fundamental disagreement with you. I wholeheartedly believe the hard work and time that it takes to study and prepare biblical teaching is part and parcel of ‘ministry and serving [the] congregation.’ I think too often the ‘ready to go’ resources promote laziness. (I recognize there are exceptions, but I think we often times misunderstand what a ‘pastor’ is called to do from a biblical perspective).

  3. Great post! I am not a pastor but I occasionally preach for my church. I have found that as I use the tools I have (language knowledge, commentaries, dictionaries, etc.), I am able to better understand the ideas communicated in a verse or passage. This makes communicating the message of the text to my hearers much more effective. Thanks for the reminder and the challenge.

Leave a reply