The bible in five scenes
From the beginning God made it clear that he intends for us to be key players in his story. But we can’t passively sit back and just watch what happens. At every stage God invites humans to participate with him. The brief overview below is an invitation for us to engage more earnestly in God's story.
Scene One: God's IntenT
The drama begins (in the first pages of the book of Genesis) with God already on the stage creating a world. He makes a man and a woman, Adam and Eve, and places them in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. The earth is created to be their home. God’s intention is for humanity to be in close, trusting relationship with him and in harmony with the rest of creation that surrounds them.
In a startling passage, the Bible tells us that human beings are God’s image-bearers, created to share in the task of bringing God’s wise and beneficial rule to the rest of the world; we are significant, decision-making, world-shaping beings. This is our vocation, our purpose as defined in the biblical story.
An equally remarkable part of scene one is the description of God as coming into the garden to be with the first human beings. Not only is the earth the God-intended place for humanity, God himself comes to make the beautiful new creation his home as well. God then gives his own assessment of the whole creation: God saw all he had made, and it was good. Scene one reveals God’s original desire for the world. It shows us that life itself is a gift from the Creator. It tells us what we were made for and provides the setting for all the action that follows.
In a startling passage, the Bible tells us that human beings are God’s image-bearers, created to share in the task of bringing God’s wise and beneficial rule to the rest of the world; we are significant, decision-making, world-shaping beings. This is our vocation, our purpose as defined in the biblical story.
An equally remarkable part of scene one is the description of God as coming into the garden to be with the first human beings. Not only is the earth the God-intended place for humanity, God himself comes to make the beautiful new creation his home as well. God then gives his own assessment of the whole creation: God saw all he had made, and it was good. Scene one reveals God’s original desire for the world. It shows us that life itself is a gift from the Creator. It tells us what we were made for and provides the setting for all the action that follows.
Scene Two: Separation
Tension and conflict are introduced to the story when Adam and Eve decide to go their own way and seek their own wisdom. They listen to the deceptive voice of God’s enemy, Satan, and doubt God’s trustworthiness. They decide to live apart from the word that God himself has given them. They decide to be a law to themselves.
The disobedience of Adam and Eve—the introduction of sin into our world—is presented in the Bible as having devastating consequences. Humans were created for healthy, life-giving relationship: with God, with each other, and with the rest of creation. But now humanity must live with the fracturing of all these relations and with the resulting shame, brokenness, pain, loneliness—and death.
Now God is hidden. Now it is possible to be in our world and not know him, not experience his presence, not follow his ways, not live in gratitude. As a result of this rebellion, the first separation in the story takes place. The humans are driven away from God’s presence. Their offspring throughout history will seek to find their way back to the source of life. They will devise any number of philosophies and religions, trying to make sense of a fallen, yet haunting world. But death now stalks them, and they will find that they cannot escape it. Having attempted to live apart from God and his good word, humans will find they have neither God nor life.
New questions arise in this scene: Can the curse on creation be overcome and the relationship between God and humanity restored? Can heaven and earth be reunited? Or did God’s enemy effectively end the plan and undermine the story?
The disobedience of Adam and Eve—the introduction of sin into our world—is presented in the Bible as having devastating consequences. Humans were created for healthy, life-giving relationship: with God, with each other, and with the rest of creation. But now humanity must live with the fracturing of all these relations and with the resulting shame, brokenness, pain, loneliness—and death.
Now God is hidden. Now it is possible to be in our world and not know him, not experience his presence, not follow his ways, not live in gratitude. As a result of this rebellion, the first separation in the story takes place. The humans are driven away from God’s presence. Their offspring throughout history will seek to find their way back to the source of life. They will devise any number of philosophies and religions, trying to make sense of a fallen, yet haunting world. But death now stalks them, and they will find that they cannot escape it. Having attempted to live apart from God and his good word, humans will find they have neither God nor life.
New questions arise in this scene: Can the curse on creation be overcome and the relationship between God and humanity restored? Can heaven and earth be reunited? Or did God’s enemy effectively end the plan and undermine the story?
Scene Three: Israel's Letdown
We see the direction of God’s redemptive plan when he calls Abraham, promising to make him into a great nation. God narrows his focus and concentrates on one group of people. But the ultimate goal remains the same: to bless all the peoples on earth and remove the curse from creation.
When Abraham’s descendants are enslaved in Egypt, a central pattern in the story is set: God hears their cries for help and comes to set them free. God makes a covenant with this new nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai. Israel is called by God to be a light for the nations, showing the world what it means to follow God’s ways for living. If they will do this, he will bless them in their new land and will come to live with them.
However, God also warns them that if they are not faithful to the covenant, he will send them away, just as he did with Adam and Eve. In spite of God’s warnings through his prophets, Israel seems determined to break the covenant. So God abandons the holy temple—the sign of his presence with his people—and it is smashed by pagan invaders. Israel’s capital city Jerusalem is sacked and burned.
Abraham’s descendants, chosen to reverse the failure of Adam, have now apparently also failed. The problem this poses in the biblical story is profound. Israel, sent as the divine answer to Adam’s fall, cannot escape Adam’s sin. God, however, remains committed to his people and his plan, so he sows the seed of a different outcome. He promises to send a new king, a descendant of Israel’s great King David, who will lead the nation back to its destiny. The very prophets who warned Israel of the dire consequences of its wrongdoing also pledge that the good news of God’s victory will be heard in Israel once again.
Scene three ends tragically, with God apparently absent and the pagan nations ruling over Israel. But the hope of a promise remains. There is one true God. He will return to his people to live with them again. He will bring justice, peace and healing to Israel, and then to the world. He will do this in a final and climactic way. God will send his anointed one—the Messiah. He has given his word on this.
When Abraham’s descendants are enslaved in Egypt, a central pattern in the story is set: God hears their cries for help and comes to set them free. God makes a covenant with this new nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai. Israel is called by God to be a light for the nations, showing the world what it means to follow God’s ways for living. If they will do this, he will bless them in their new land and will come to live with them.
However, God also warns them that if they are not faithful to the covenant, he will send them away, just as he did with Adam and Eve. In spite of God’s warnings through his prophets, Israel seems determined to break the covenant. So God abandons the holy temple—the sign of his presence with his people—and it is smashed by pagan invaders. Israel’s capital city Jerusalem is sacked and burned.
Abraham’s descendants, chosen to reverse the failure of Adam, have now apparently also failed. The problem this poses in the biblical story is profound. Israel, sent as the divine answer to Adam’s fall, cannot escape Adam’s sin. God, however, remains committed to his people and his plan, so he sows the seed of a different outcome. He promises to send a new king, a descendant of Israel’s great King David, who will lead the nation back to its destiny. The very prophets who warned Israel of the dire consequences of its wrongdoing also pledge that the good news of God’s victory will be heard in Israel once again.
Scene three ends tragically, with God apparently absent and the pagan nations ruling over Israel. But the hope of a promise remains. There is one true God. He will return to his people to live with them again. He will bring justice, peace and healing to Israel, and then to the world. He will do this in a final and climactic way. God will send his anointed one—the Messiah. He has given his word on this.
Scene Four: The Redeemer
“He is the god made manifest…the universal savior of human life.” These words referring to Caesar Augustus (found in a Roman inscription from 4 BC in Ephesus) proclaim the gospel of the Roman Empire. This version of the good news announces that Caesar is the lord who brings peace and prosperity to the world.
Into this empire, a son of David is born, and he announces the gospel of God’s kingdom. Jesus of Nazareth brings the good news of the coming of God’s reign. He begins to show what God’s new creation looks like. He announces the end of Israel’s exile and the forgiveness of sins. He heals the sick and raises the dead. He overcomes the dark, spiritual powers. He welcomes sinners and those considered unclean. Jesus renews the nation, rebuilding the twelve tribes of Israel around himself in a symbolic way.
But the established religious leaders are threatened by Jesus and his kingdom, so they have him brought before the Roman governor. During the very week that the Jews were remembering and celebrating Passover—God’s ancient rescue of his people from slavery in Egypt—the Romans nail Jesus to a cross and kill him as a false king.
But the Bible claims that this defeat is actually God’s greatest victory. How? Jesus willingly gives up his life as a sacrifice on behalf of the nation, on behalf of the world. Jesus takes onto himself the full force of evil and empties it of its power. In this unexpected way, Jesus fights and wins Israel’s ultimate battle. The real enemy was never Rome, but the spiritual powers that lie behind Rome and every other kingdom whose weapon is death. Through his blood Jesus pays the price and brings together everything in heaven and on earth. "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them." (2 Cor. 5:19)
God then publicly declares this victory by reversing Jesus’ death sentence and raising him back to life. The resurrection of Israel’s king shows that the great enemies of God’s creation—sin and death—have been defeated. The resurrection is the grand sign that the new creation has begun; the old covenant served its purpose, but has been replaced by "a better covenant." (Hebrews 7:18-22)
Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s story and a new start for the entire human race. Death came through the first man, Adam. The resurrection of the dead comes through the new man, Jesus. God’s original intent is being reclaimed.
Into this empire, a son of David is born, and he announces the gospel of God’s kingdom. Jesus of Nazareth brings the good news of the coming of God’s reign. He begins to show what God’s new creation looks like. He announces the end of Israel’s exile and the forgiveness of sins. He heals the sick and raises the dead. He overcomes the dark, spiritual powers. He welcomes sinners and those considered unclean. Jesus renews the nation, rebuilding the twelve tribes of Israel around himself in a symbolic way.
But the established religious leaders are threatened by Jesus and his kingdom, so they have him brought before the Roman governor. During the very week that the Jews were remembering and celebrating Passover—God’s ancient rescue of his people from slavery in Egypt—the Romans nail Jesus to a cross and kill him as a false king.
But the Bible claims that this defeat is actually God’s greatest victory. How? Jesus willingly gives up his life as a sacrifice on behalf of the nation, on behalf of the world. Jesus takes onto himself the full force of evil and empties it of its power. In this unexpected way, Jesus fights and wins Israel’s ultimate battle. The real enemy was never Rome, but the spiritual powers that lie behind Rome and every other kingdom whose weapon is death. Through his blood Jesus pays the price and brings together everything in heaven and on earth. "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them." (2 Cor. 5:19)
God then publicly declares this victory by reversing Jesus’ death sentence and raising him back to life. The resurrection of Israel’s king shows that the great enemies of God’s creation—sin and death—have been defeated. The resurrection is the grand sign that the new creation has begun; the old covenant served its purpose, but has been replaced by "a better covenant." (Hebrews 7:18-22)
Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s story and a new start for the entire human race. Death came through the first man, Adam. The resurrection of the dead comes through the new man, Jesus. God’s original intent is being reclaimed.
Scene Five: The Good News People
If the ultimate victory has already been secured, why is there a scene five? The answer is that God wants the victory of Jesus to spread to all the nations of the world. The risen Christ says to his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” So this new scene in the story tells of how the earliest followers of Jesus began to spread the good news of God’s reign.
According to the New Testament, all those who belong to Israel’s Messiah are children of Abraham, heirs of both the ancient promises and the ancient mission. The task of bringing good news to the peoples of the world has been given again to Abraham’s family. Their mission is to live out the liberating message of the good news of God’s kingdom.
God is gathering people from all around the world and forming them into communities of faith—his church. Together they are God’s new temple, the place where his spirit lives. They are the believers who have pledged their allegiance to Jesus as Lord. They have crossed from death into new life, through the power of God’s spirit. They demonstrate God’s unconditional love across the usual boundaries of race, class, tribe and nation.
Forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God can now be announced to all. Following in the steps of Jesus, his followers proclaim this gospel in both word and deed. The power of this new, God-given life breaking into the world is meant to be shown by the real-world actions of the Christian community. But the message also has a warning. When the Messiah returns, he will come as the rightful judge of the world.
The Bible is the story of the central struggle weaving its way through the history of the world. And now the story arrives at our own time, enveloping us in its drama. So the challenge of a decision confronts us. What will we do? How will we fit into this story? What role will we play?
God is inviting us to be a part of his mission of reconciliation—of bringing restoration, justice and forgiveness. We are to join the task of making things new, to be a living sign of what is to come when the drama is complete. In Jesus' name. Amen.
According to the New Testament, all those who belong to Israel’s Messiah are children of Abraham, heirs of both the ancient promises and the ancient mission. The task of bringing good news to the peoples of the world has been given again to Abraham’s family. Their mission is to live out the liberating message of the good news of God’s kingdom.
God is gathering people from all around the world and forming them into communities of faith—his church. Together they are God’s new temple, the place where his spirit lives. They are the believers who have pledged their allegiance to Jesus as Lord. They have crossed from death into new life, through the power of God’s spirit. They demonstrate God’s unconditional love across the usual boundaries of race, class, tribe and nation.
Forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God can now be announced to all. Following in the steps of Jesus, his followers proclaim this gospel in both word and deed. The power of this new, God-given life breaking into the world is meant to be shown by the real-world actions of the Christian community. But the message also has a warning. When the Messiah returns, he will come as the rightful judge of the world.
The Bible is the story of the central struggle weaving its way through the history of the world. And now the story arrives at our own time, enveloping us in its drama. So the challenge of a decision confronts us. What will we do? How will we fit into this story? What role will we play?
God is inviting us to be a part of his mission of reconciliation—of bringing restoration, justice and forgiveness. We are to join the task of making things new, to be a living sign of what is to come when the drama is complete. In Jesus' name. Amen.
