Wayne Jackson wrote this outstanding piece. It appeared in the December 1974 edition of The Christian Courier, published by the East Main Street Church of Christ in Stockton, California and edited by Jackson.
One of the very important rules of Bible interpretation suggests that passages be studied in the light of their historical backgrounds. Indeed, there are many verses that can scarcely have the meaning for us that they ought, unless we are aware of the historical or cultural situations from which they take their rise. A few examples will help to illustrate this vital concept.
Jesus once described certain Jewish leaders (the Scribes and Pharisees) as "like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness." (Matthew 23:27) The Lord's allusion relates back to an Old Testament practice. According to the law of Moses, anyone touching a grave was to be considered ceremonially "unclean" for a week. (Numbers 19:16) Thus, the Jews white washed the grave markers of their dead (usually each year after the heavy spring rains) to prevent anyone from accidental defilement. Such graves were of course rather paradoxical since they outwardly appeared so sparkling and bright but inwardly were filled with rot. They were thus an apt and bold figure for the outwardly appearing religious Jews who literally reeked with hypocrisy. In a similar verse Jesus described these leaders as "tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over them know it not." (Luke 11:44) This is a reference to the poorer type of grave which had no marker and it suggests the spiritual defilement which the Pharisees and others exercised upon unsuspecting victims.
Our Lord sought to encourage generosity when He said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure , pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom." (Luke 6:38) What does the word "bosom" denote in this verse? The dress of the working class in Palestine provides the background for understanding this expression. the everyday garment was a coarse shirt reaching down to the hells, with a sash which was secured firmly around the waist. The Palestinian citizen would go to the market to buy grain and the merchant would pour it into the top of his shirt; his shirt thus became his grain sack and he literally carried his groceries in his "bosom." And so Christ taught that when we are liberal with our possessions, God will never short-change us, rather, He will bless us with an abundance that has been pressed down, shaken together, and is running over.
In describing the phenomena which accompanied the death of Christ, Matthew says: "And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in tow from the top to the bottom..." (Matthew 27:51) We may better appreciate this dramatic event when we study the background and learn that the temple's veil (between the holy place and the most holy place) was some thirty feet wide and sixty feet long, and was a hand breath (approximately four inches) thick. According to the Jewish Talmud, it took three hundred priests to manipulate the veil. The tearing of that gigantic curtain (from top to bottom) was not a natural occurrence. It was the work of God! That partition had served as a separation between God and man; a separation which, as far as the Israelites were concerned, could only be bridged with a physical priesthood. Henceforth, all those who obeyed God were to be priests (I Peter 2:5) and to have access to Jehovah's presence through Christ, the one mediator. (I Timothy 2:5)
In view of the foregoing, one is reminded of Paul's description of the abolition of the law of Moses in Ephesians 2:14, where he declared that Christ, "brake down the middle wall of partition." In the temple of Paul's day, there was a stone wall approximately five feet high that separated the Court of the Gentiles from the sacred buildings of the temple itself. Along this wall at various points were pillars upon which was inscribed (in Hebrew, Latin and Greek) a warning of death for any Gentile who should venture beyond that wall. One of these ancient pillars was actually discovered in 1871, and the inscription (written in capital Greek letters) is as follows: "No man of another nation to enter within the fence and enclosure round the temple, and whoever is caught will have himself to blame that his death ensues." It is very possible that Paul bases his figure on this situation, and thereby shows that a barrier between Jew and Gentile does not exist in Christ. The law of Moses, which was that barrier, has been removed by the death of Christ and thus both Jews and Gentiles are to be "one" in Christ. (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:11-22)
These few examples surely illustrate some of the rich dividends that will be paid to those who have the patience to dig deeply into the sacred text. The discovery of colorful background material can make verses which have perhaps seemed obscure, literally become alive on the pages of your Bible. The Bible is not a mere musty book of centuries gone by; it is truly as thrilling today as when it was first penned.
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