Bible Insights

The Bible's book of Job, with its themes of suffering, divine justice, and the influence of evil, has long been referred to as a study guide for the human condition. In light of the evil that the world has seen surface in the last year—9/11, the suicide bombings, all the other causes for unrelenting fear, Job's story may offer insights to a world seeking spiritual answers.

THERE ARE TIMES when I read the Bible when I like to stop and think about whether a certain word could be a symbol or a substitute for something else. Not long ago I read the narrative of the man lame from birth who was carried daily to the gate of the Temple.

"As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. " ( Prov.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

The Scriptures are living words, and words to be lived. Their voice can't be locked into the past tense.

Christ Jesus made a statement, recorded in the book of John, that I find to be one of the most thought-provoking verses in the Bible: "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.