Introduction
A couple of weeks ago, when we were in here for our Pray Together service, I found a Bible that had been repaired with black and yellow striped tape. I commented that it was the most dangerous book in the world. It was kind of a joke, but there was a serious thought behind it.
The most dangerous book in the world
How would you respond to the question “What is the most dangerous book in the world?”
From a few internet searches two books vied for the title. One is Mien Kampf – Hitlers manifesto, carefully designed to appeal to all of Germany’s malcontents. It was undoubtedly responsible for many of the horrors of WWII. The other is Chairman Mao's Little Red Book. A collection of sayings designed to strengthen Mao’s cult of personality. It is said that there was one printed for each person, and one of the reasons it was so dangerous was that if you didn’t have your copy with you the Red Guard could arrest you. Then your future would be very uncertain indeed.
Both these books influenced many millions of people, but if read with an open mind and a critical attitude they are easily dismissed. Their influence was greatest in their own generation.
A more dangerous book
Those books were dangerous because they corrupted people. The Bible is dangerous for a very different reason. It challenges us, changes us, and refuses to leave us as we are. It isn’t a manifesto, it is probably not going to appeal to malcontents, you don’t have to carry it with you, although you will. It isn’t about a cult of personality, and if it is read with an investigative mind, it might just change your life. If it does genuinely change your life, you will be immune from the influence of books like Mein Kampf and The Little Red Book.
PP 2026 theme
The theme for Pensioners Praise for 2026 is ‘To know Jesus better and to make Jesus better known’.
We can get to know Jesus in three ways: through the Holy Spirit, through the witness of other Christians, and through Scripture.
For me, the Bible is the first place I would turn to get to know Jesus.
Some people affected
I’m going to look at some of the people who were affected by reading the Bible. These are just a few of the ones we know about, there are, of course, many many more that we don’t know about.
St Augustine (354-430 AD)
The first is St. Augustine. As a young man Augustine lived a hedonistic lifestyle. He was highly intelligent, but he felt empty and restless. In his book “Confessions” he tells of his conversion. He was in a garden, he says “Suddenly, I heard the voice of a boy or girl chanting over and over again, ‘pick it up, read it; pick it up, read it.’”. The book was the Bible, he opened it and read “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness...” (Romans 13). He said of that experience “all the darkness of doubt vanished away.”
That was just one line from the Bible, but he did have a Christian Mother, so would have been aware of Christian beliefs.
John Newton (1725-1807)
Newton was a slave trader whose language and behaviour was notorious even among sailors.
After surviving a violent storm at sea, he began reading Scripture seriously. Over time, passages about God's mercy convicted him deeply. His life gradually changed, and he eventually became an Anglican minister.
He later wrote the hymn:
"Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me."
The man who once profited from slavery became an advocate for its abolition.
Nicky Cruz
Nicky Cruz grew up in Puerto Rico and eventually led the violent Mau Maus gang in New York City.
When evangelist David Wilkerson preached in the streets, Cruz initially threatened to kill him. Wilkerson replied:
"You could cut me into a thousand pieces and lay them in the street, and every piece would love you."
Those words stayed with him. As he later read the Bible and heard the Gospel explained, he became a Christian. He left gang life and spent decades helping troubled young people.
His story was told in The Cross and the Switchblade.
These last two, show the power of the Bible more directly:
Rosaria Butterfield
Rosaria Butterfield was a university professor and outspoken critic of Christianity, she once wrote against evangelical beliefs.
A pastor wrote her a thoughtful letter, and she began reading the Bible in order to critique it more effectively. Instead, she found herself challenged by Jesus' words and the Bible's claims.
What began as research gradually became faith. She often says that Scripture "got to know her" as she read it.
Frank Morison (Albert Henry Ross)
Albert Henry Ross, better known to us as Frank Morison, was a sceptic who sat down to write a book disproving the resurrection. Halfway through, he discovered he couldn't honestly write the book he had planned. Instead, he wrote Who Moved the Stone?. It became one of the most influential books defending the resurrection.
Summarise
Some people open the Bible to judge it, only to discover that it is judging them, which is what Hebrews 4:12-13 is saying. Others open the book and read just a little. They find that all scripture is useful for teaching, which is what 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is about.
Ways to Read the Bible
If you want to know Jesus better, the study of the Bible is a good way to get started, but there are other ways to use the Bible to achieve that aim. Here are some of them.
Devotional Reading
The first is a devotional reading. This will help our personal development, and help us understand Jesus a little better.
To do this, choose a relatively short passage, read it slowly, out loud, listen to your words. Listen for what stands out. Repeat the phrase and ask “Why is this resonating with me today?” Pray to God about the text and the thoughts it has raised in you. Then spend some time in quiet, let the text settle in you.
Historical and Contextual Reading
The second is a historical and contextual reading. For this you will also need a commentary. Then ask 3 questions:
Who wrote it, and for whom?
What is the cultural setting?
What did it mean for the original readers?
This can sometimes be difficult, but the work is worth it for the reward of the better understanding you will get.
Narrative Analysis
The third is Narrative Analysis. With this approach the books that make up the Bible are read as literature. Look for the character development and the story structures. Also look for repetition and keywords. Ask what is the literary genre – maybe Poetry (Psalms), Wisdom Literature (Proverbs), Apocalyptic (Revelation), Narrative (Acts), or Discourse (Romans).
This approach takes more time, but also means you have read more of scripture.
Thematic Reading / Character Study
The fourth is thematic reading. In this type of reading we trace themes through the Bible. You will need commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and concordances. They are all available on-line if you don’t have the books. Pick a concept, like “Covenant” and follow it through the Old and New Testaments. See how the ideas around it develop, and which characters are involved throughout history.
A similar approach can be used to study different people, like Peter or David.
Summarise
Each of these approaches will help us to understand how Jesus interacts with different people in different ways, and what it meant to those in the stories and the people who first read about them.
Meditation
Rather than simply talking about reading the Bible, I'd like us to spend a few minutes doing it together. Christians have often used a prayerful imagination when reading Scripture, placing themselves in the scene and asking what they notice. Let's try that now with Mark 11:15-19, which you’ve already heard read. We will try to put ourselves into the story. Let me re-read the passage so it’s fresh in our minds:
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and
began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He
overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those
selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry
merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them,
he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of
prayer for all nations’?
But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
18 The
chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began
looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole
crowd was amazed at his teaching.
19 When
evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
Some of these details I will talk about are not recorded in the passage. We are simply using our imagination to enter the scene and pay closer attention to what Mark tells us.
So, imagine that you are either, someone in the crowd, one of the disciples, one of the traders, or perhaps a Jewish official.
I suggest you close your eyes to avoid distractions, and see what images come to mind as we run through the events one more time.
We start in the temple courts, it’s hot and dusty, full of people. Perhaps you can see the walls of the temple, a marvellous building. Traders are everywhere, there’s the noise of conversation as deals are done or argued over.
Jesus enters. Did you see him come in, or do you only notice Him as he starts turning over tables? How does he look? – madly angry? Determined? Apologetic? Is he shouting?
How are people reacting as the tables are turned over?
What are the traders doing?
Is it frightening as the crowd starts to react?
Do you have to move?, Why? Where do you go?
Are there doves flying away? Coins rolling on the ground? People trying to retrieve them? People trying to steal them?
How is Jesus stopping people carrying goods through the temple?
Where are the chief priests and teachers of the law? What about the temple police?
How do you react to what Jesus is saying? Do you respond? Does anyone around you?
Now, do you think He is going to lead an uprising, or is this a one off?
It has been going on for a long time, hours maybe. How have things changed over that time?
Now it’s calming down, and Jesus is leaving. You see him go, perhaps he passes close to you, or is he difficult to see?
What’s His body language now? Is he tired? Still Angry, Still determined? Does He look back?
Now you to have to leave. Maybe to push through the crowds. What sort mayhem is left behind?
How will you tell your friends about what happened?
[pause, longer]
Conclusion
The people we have thought about today, Augustine, Newton, Nicky Cruz, Rosaria Butterfield, Albert Ross and many others, all encountered God through the Bible. They came with different questions, different backgrounds and different attitudes, but none of them left unchanged.
Our theme is "To know Jesus better and make Jesus better known", so perhaps the simplest place to begin is to open the Bible and read.
You do not need to be a scholar. You do not need to understand everything. Augustine's life changed through a few verses. Others began with a single Gospel. The important thing is to begin, and to keep going.
Read on your own. Take a few verses and ask what they tell you about Jesus. Read with a friend. Read with your family. Join a Bible study group. Talk about what you discover and what puzzles you. We often see things together that we never notice on our own.
The Bible may be the most dangerous book in the world, not because it harms people, but because God uses it to change people. It challenges us, comforts us, corrects us and points us again and again to Jesus Christ.
So if you want to know Jesus better, open the Bible. And if you want to make Jesus better known, help someone else open it too.
Amen.
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