As some people grew up in church, they became familiar with the well-known Bible stories. In the Old Testament they heard of Noah’s floating zoo on an ark hovering over choppy flood waters. There was the ultimate underdog story of David taking down a giant with his sling shot and a well-placed stone. A favorite is Daniel standing up to a pack of hungry lions. In the New Testament people learn about a generous little boy who fed thousands with his modest lunch of loaves and fishes. And yes, there is Jesus, who went around helping people with miracles and teaching a higher way of love. But many of these same people are somehow left with the impression that the Bible is really just a collection of well-meaning morality tales and inspiring fables. After all, in the Bible don’t you find far off kingdoms, magical encounters, talking animals and of course the theme of good versus evil?
“It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.”
Mark Twain
So, is the Bible a collection of morality tales and inspiring fables? The answer is a loud and clear, NO. Those who view the Bible as a patchwork of moral lessons and inspiring fables are misunderstanding and misreading the Bible in significant ways. Rather than a stitched together collection of imaginative stories, it is a single story with one epic purpose: the restoration of a broken world through Jesus Christ. To understand the stories of the Bible, we must first grasp the story of the Bible. And this story, from Genesis to Revelation, though for us, is not ultimately about us. This entire story centers on one person—Jesus Christ.
Old Testament
In the previous blogs in this series, the story of the Bible has been broken up into six acts. (see below) Now we are on the height of the story which is Act 4: The King’s Arrival. We will explore why this fourth act is central to opening up all of the meaning of the Bible and can in no way be understood on the level of fables.
“To understand the stories of the Bible, we must first grasp the story of the Bible.”
New Testament
Act 4: The King’s Arrival
Act 5: The Kingdom Coming
Act 6: God’s Homecoming
Act 4: The King’s Arrival
Shortly after his resurrection, Jesus appears unrecognized to two of his followers on a road to Emmaus. Bewildered, they relay all of the buzz surrounding the many unanswered questions of the empty tomb. This prompts Jesus, still unrecognized, to say:
“’How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.“
Luke 24:25-27
Astoundingly, Jesus could point to all of the Scriptures as pointing to himself. Soon thereafter, Jesus revealed himself to his eleven disciples, making a similar point:
“This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.“
Luke 24:44-45
Before his death, Jesus had explained to the Pharisees, the “Bible experts” of the day—his central place in the Scripture:
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.“
John 5:39-40
All of the Bible testified about him, he claimed. In another place he claimed to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Matthew 5:17
“…in the Old Testament Jesus Christ is concealed, in the New Testament Jesus Christ is revealed.”
It was claims like this that were not well-received and got Jesus into significant trouble. If these claims were not true, this would make Jesus a deranged narcissist on a pathological level. If true, then Jesus is the key to unlocking the story of the Bible that is beautifully epic and world altering in nature.
It has been said that in the Old Testament Jesus Christ is concealed, in the New Testament Jesus Christ is revealed. A sweeping view of the Bible’s topography from 20,000 feet would look something like this:
- Old Testament: anticipation of Jesus
- Gospels: manifestation of Jesus
- Acts: proclamation of Jesus
- Letters: explanation of Jesus
- Revelation: consummation of Jesus
And why is Jesus so ultimate and unequaled in the Bible? Because only he came to earth, truly God and truly man, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death; rose to vanquish sin and the darkness of evil. Jesus was everything humanity has failed to be. He succeeded where we have not. He created us with a life-giving purpose to flourish—and we have rebelled against that purpose—Jesus stepped into his own story to save it. The Bible does not claim this story to be fable; it proclaims it to be fact.
Differences Between the Bible and Fables
1. Fables are stand-alone stories with a single author. The Bible is completely different.
- It is a library of 66 books of various styles. (poetry, history, prophecy, etc.)
- It has 40+ authors from a variety of backgrounds and occupations.
- It is written over a period 1,500 years in 10 civilizations and 3 continents.
- It has one unified story centering the restoration of a broken world through Jesus Christ .
2. Fables do not claim to be historical with actual dates, places, and people. The Bible speaks of many verifiable dates, locations, people, and events which coincides with the world’s historical framework of empires like the Egyptians, Persians, Babylonians, and Rome. It involves world historical figures like Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, Cyrus, Herod, and Pilate. Its events take place in geographical areas like Canaan, Syria, and Mesopotamia. All of this has many confirmations archaeologically. It consists of actual recordings written and referenced within the Jewish nation and eyewitness accounts later shared among the first-century church. All of this took place in our own “time and space,” as Francis Schaeffer used to say.
The apostle John writes of his encounters with Jesus in our own time and space:
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.“
1 John 1:1
The apostle Peter builds a sharp contrast to the idea that the apostles made their stories up in a fable-like manner:
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2 Peter 1:16
Peter says those who proclaimed the life of Jesus were “eyewitnesses.” Luke asserted his gospel was based on the highest levels of historical research:
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.“
Luke 1:1-4
Did Luke include miracles in his account? Yes. But they were miracles verified by eyewitnesses. Two thousand years later, one can claim that Luke’s account are “fables, ” but this runs contrary to Luke’s claim of history. This is nowhere on par of a rabbit and turtle running a race or a goose that laid golden eggs.
3. Fables are not prophetic and do not predict the future. Unlike fables, the Bible contains an astounding number of fulfilled prophecies. The Bible contains over 1,800 predictions concerning more than 700 separate subjects found in over 8,300 verses. The Old Testament contains more than 300 prophecies concerning Jesus Christ alone, many with amazing specificity. Numerous prophecies have already been fulfilled, and they have come to pass precisely as foretold. The sheer odds of someone making this number of predictions and having every one of them come to pass are light-years beyond the realm of possibility.
“Through trust in Jesus Christ, you will find that God’s story in the Bible connects and transform your own story today.”
4. Fables are intended for entertainment purposes. The Bible’s content was always written for practical purposes and never for entertainment value. Unlike fables, the Bible has transformed countless numbers of lives. As people follow Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness, they see how it can mend broken relationships. Apply its principles of financial stewardship and watch God provide for all of your needs in surprising and often miraculous ways. Place your faith in Jesus through troubled times and feel a calming presence guiding you as you navigate through a difficult hardship. Through trust in Jesus Christ, you will find that God’s story in the Bible connects and transforms your own story today.
Story of Grace 