Personal Benefits of Biblical Emotion Exegesis, Part 1
Benefits of Biblical Emotion Exegesis
Studying the Bible in different ways yields different benefits. Studying the Scriptures from a linguistic perspective gives us insight into how to translate from one language system to another. Studying the Scriptures from a historical-anthropological perspective gives us insight into translating from one culture to another. Studying the Scriptures from an emotion exegesis perspective… this gives us insight into translating from one heart to another.
On my personal journey of learning to exegete the emotions of the Bible, I have found five distinct benefits of such study:
- We see God more clearly
- We make valuable connections
- We tell the passage better
- We receive emotional healing
- We can model a lifestyle of transformative encounters with God
1. We see God more clearly
The greatest benefit of studying the Bible from the perspective of emotion is this: a clearer perception of God's character.
When asked by Moses to reveal His glory, the Lord passed by Moses, declaring: "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Ex 34:6 ESV). God used emotionally laden terms as the core of His self-description. What does this mean? It means that God shows His glory through His emotions (cf. Bickle 2007).
Since that revelation on Sinai, God continued to reveal Himself in emotional ways. He charged the oracles of the prophets with intense emotional expressions and actions (it's hard to get more emotionally gripping than Hosea). He attributed emotions to Himself through each of the Gospel writers. He expressed Christian identity in the New Testament through emotional language (e.g., 'accepted in the Beloved' Eph 1:6). Finally, He encapsulated His self-disclosure and the right human response to this self-disclosure with a single, emotionally laden word: love (ἀγάπη).
God is love. 1 John 4:8 ESV
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34 ESV
God shows His glory through His emotions. As we more clearly see the emotions in the Bible, we will more clearly see the glory of the Lord.
2. We make valuable connections
As I have said in a previous email, emotions only make sense within both their immediate and broader context. The process of understanding emotions causes us to make connections both within the scene and between the scene at hand and other scenes. Some of the connections we make will deeply impact us.
For example, in Mark 5:21-43, I did not think about the tremendous impact that the repetition of "daughter" might have had upon Jairus and how its repetition underscores the central message of the story. Mark uses the term in a dramatic twist to emphasize that faith in Jesus saves people. Jairus had asked Jesus to save his daughter. On the way to Jairus' daughter, Jesus pronounced that the faith of the woman with the issue of blood saved her, saying, "Daughter, your faith has saved you…" As Jesus spoke these words, messengers from Jairus' house told him "your daughter is dead." Within mere seconds, Jairus has heard of a "daughter" being saved by faith and heard that his daughter died. Jesus' words to Jairus would have been so powerful: "Don't be scared, just have faith."
When I first made this connection, it brought me to tears. When I told the story afterward, I started choking up again when I got to this line. Even writing about it reactivates how touched I am. The value of this connection lies in the way it makes me turn to God. Through this small connection, I more clearly see God's care for Jairus and, in turn, love Him more.
3. We tell the passage better
As illustrated by my experience with Mark 5:21-43, the process of emotion exegesis in a biblical passage may create strong emotional memories. These memories will, in turn, make us remember and retell the passage more convincingly. We can speak as those who have "heard" and "seen" the passage. This experience makes us much more convincing communicators. Through our prayerful, thorough study of the passage, the Holy Spirit can make us witnesses of Jesus' glory who have "heard," "seen," "observed," and "touched," just like John the Apostle wrote:
1 The Word of life existed from the beginning. We have heard it. We have seen it. We observed and touched it. 2 This life was revealed to us. We have seen it, and we testify about it. We are reporting to you about this eternal life that was in the presence of the Father and was revealed to us. 3 This is the life we have seen and heard. We are reporting about it to you also so that you, too, can have a relationship with us. Our relationship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:1-3, GOD'S WORD Translation
Benefits 4 and 5 will come out next week!
My challenge for you
Think about passages that have had a deep emotional impact on you. Did they help you see God more clearly, make valuable connections, and tell the passage better?
Sources
- Bickle, Mike. 2007. Passion for Jesus: Cultivating Extravagant Love for God. Revised edition. Lake Mary, Fl: Charisma House.
- English Standard Version (ESV). 2014. Large type / Large print edition. Crossway.
- GOD’S WORD Translation. 1995. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.