Excerpt from Riddle of Cornerstone
Belle had to endure another lecture from this frumpy old man. She did not like Scriptures class. Studying make-believe stories and ancient myths was for people who were weak. She wasn’t weak. This class was structured to make you one of them. She had decided to keep her mouth shut, head down, and give the teacher what he wanted. She hoped by doing that she would keep her sanity.
Dr. Tallis Rowentree stroked his dark gray hair back and fitted his dark blue beret upon his head. He tried to smooth out his rumpled trench coat and spoke, “A text can never mean what it never meant.”
Now that makes sense, Belle sarcastically thought to herself. It’s going to be a long class.
Dr. Rowentree wrote the word “Exegesis” on the board. Placing the chalk down, he rambled on, “As teachers, our job is to impart knowledge or skills. We are to instruct or tell you the meaning of things.” He raised his eyebrows and scanned the room, “What if I told you, I was not going to teach you, but you would, in a way, teach yourself?”
“Then, I’m in a heap of trouble, mate,” Xerxes shouted out as he slouched in his chair. The class laughed and so did Dr. Rowentree.
“Mr. Xerxes,” Dr. Rowentree held up his tattered brown leather Bible. “This is all you need for Scriptures class. God’s Truth.” He shook his head, “Do not put your trust and faith in the teaching and words of men. You will be disappointed.”
Dr. Rowentree carefully placed the Bible on his desk. Underlining “Exegesis” on the board, he continued, “If you unload what you have been told about the Bible and let it speak at face value, God will teach you.”
He started to use his hands as he talked, “God will teach you through His words, His truth. Don’t make the Bible say what you want it to say.” He pointed to his head, “Don’t let people put ideas into your head. Let the Bible speak to you. Read it for yourself.”
What? Belle could not believe this rubbish. She used every bit of her strength of will to stop from exploding. This was lunacy.
Dr. Rowentree looked at the board, “Exegesis is from the Greek word ‘to lead out.’” He swept his hands straight back toward his body, “To draw the meaning out of the given text of the Bible. You do not give your interpretation of the text, you extract the meaning out.”
Dr. Rowentree could see the confused looks of the class, “Let me give you an example. Let’s say you go to a swimming pool and the sign reads:
When lifeguards are not present, children cannot use the pool unless accompanied by an adult.
You’ve come with your friends and no lifeguard is present.” Dr. Rowentree twirled a finger, “You don’t consider yourself a child, so you figure you must be an adult.” He made a broad motion with his arms, “You and your friends decide to use the pool.”
Dr. Rowentree shuffled his short and squat body to the front of his desk. Leaning against it, he asked “So, did you follow the rule?”
The class responded, “No.”
“Why?” Dr. Rowentree asked.
Chloe raised her hand. Dr. Rowentree called on her, “Ms. Silkwood?”
“Well, we might not think we are kids, but we are definitely not adults. So, we shouldn’t use the pool.”
Dr. Rowentree cocked an eyebrow, “So did the people in this example ‘draw the meaning out’ of the rule or introduce their own ideas into the rule?”
Kaden blatantly answered, “They presented their own ideas. They considered themselves as adults.”
“Very good, so can someone define children and adult for me?”
Firenze Kettle offered a definition, “Children would be kids less than 12 years of age.”
A girl in the first row added, “And adults would be someone who had graduated High School, like 18 years old.”
Firenze offered, “I’ve seen those signs before and they aren’t that vague.”
“You’re right, Ms. Firenze. Why do you think they are more prescriptive in the pool rules?” Dr. Rowentree kept on his questioning.
“So people don’t interpret the rule to their desires?” Firenze guessed.
Dr. Rowentree smiled and leaned toward the class, “Exactly. That is what too many people do when reading the Bible.” Dr. Rowentree stood and walked to the left side of the classroom, “They take the parts they like in the Bible, and throw away the parts they don’t like. That’s very dangerous, much like swimming alone without an adult.”
Dr. Rowentree walked back to the center of the room, “I will teach you to read the Bible from the exegesis perspective. You will learn to ‘draw out’ the meaning of the text.” He put his hands in his trenchcoat pockets, “Especially, you will learn to understand the meaning of the verse by understanding the verses around it, its context.”
West Ackland raised his hand, Dr. Rowentree acknowledged him, “Go ahead, West.”
West spoke with bewilderment in his voice, “Help me out here, please. How can I learn by this exejesus thing?”
Dr. Rowentree chuckled to himself, “It’s exegesis, West. Of course, I will help you out.”
Dr. Rowentree picked up a piece of chalk and went to the board. He wrote “WORD” in bold letters then listed four steps,
1. Worship
2. Observe
3. Reveal
4. Determine
Pointing to random areas of room with the chalk, Dr. Rowentree taught, “Exegesis study examines the details of Scripture to understand its context.” He walked fervently back and forth in front of the class, “In practice, we will first prepare our thoughts and minds for study. We will Worship God in prayer. Pray that God will open your eyes, cast away your preconceived notions, and will eliminate distractions. Pray that you will seek Jesus, not yourself.”
Dr. Rowentree began walking amongst the tables in the classroom, “Second, Observe what the Scripture says. List the facts in the passage: people, events, places, etcetera. Ask questions about the text. Who wrote it? When was it written? Where does it occur? How? Why? What? Examine the Scripture carefully and objectively. Is it poetry, like Psalms? Does the scripture tell a story or provide guidance for our lives?”
Belle was frustrated, “That’s an awful lot of work and we haven’t even got to the other steps? How much time is this going to take? What does it matter anyway? You are portraying the Bible as fact!”
The class grew silent; they sensed the hostility. Dr. Rowentree didn’t act surprised or get angry, “I will be with you each step of the way, Ms. Belle. We will take our journey slowly so no one is left behind. I assure you. If you read the Bible objectively and not use the lenses of the world, you might be surprised on what you discover.”
That didn’t satisfy Belle in the least. When was this class going to end? She yelled in her mind.
Dr. Rowentree continued, “Thirdly, taking your observations, facts, and evidence, you will expose the relevance of the passage, you will Reveal what the text means. You will learn to examine the context of the passage; the immediate, chapter, book, testament, and Biblical context. With the help of your Greek class, we will examine word meanings and grammar. All in an effort to interpret or ‘draw out’ the meaning of the text.”
“Finally, you will Determine how the text applies to your life. You will find wisdom. Through class exercises and homework (personal Bible study), I will teach you the tools and skills to observe the Scripture, reveal or dig out its meaning, and determine how your life should change because of the wisdom found. The Bible is its best interpreter and teacher.”
The end of class chimes stopped Belle’s torment.
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