In Chapter 3 (“The Lost Miracles”) of The Grave Robber, Mark Batterson notes that Thomas Jefferson invented his own abridged version of Scripture- The Jefferson Bible. Jefferson’s version reflected his life biases as a child of the Enlightenment. Because logic and reason were the ideals of the Enlightened mind, miracles had no place in Jefferson’s Bible and were cut out.
While we find taking scissors to Scripture’s sacred texts hard to imagine, Pastor Batterson asserts that we cut and paste nonetheless:
“We pick and choose our favorite verses while ignoring the texts we cannot comprehend or don’ particularly like. We rationalize the verses that are too radical. We scrub down the verses that are too supernatural. We put Scripture on the chopping block of human logic and end up with a neutered gospel.”
By creating God in our image, we commit intellectual idolatry. Rather than living a life resembling the supernatural standards of Scripture, like Jefferson we subscribe to an abridged version of the Bible bearing a remarkable resemblance to us.
Pastor Batterson emphasizes that we need to follow Jesus’ teachings as well as experience His miracles. If we follow Jesus, we’ll do what He did, as Mark writes:
“You’ll seek to please the heavenly Father first and foremost. You’ll care for the poor, you’ll wash feet, and you’ll offend some Pharisees along the way. You’ll also traffic in the miraculous. and it won’t just be as an eyewitness. It’ll be as a catalyst. . . . you are someone else’s miracle! To God be the glory.”
Today’s question: How have you been a catalyst of the miraculous? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Two trip wires”
