I learned something interesting this week. Did you know that chapter and verse numbers weren’t a part of the Bible until the 13th to 16th century? It’s hard to imagine referencing the Bible without the chapter and verse numbers, but that’s the way that early Christians did it for centuries. Of course, the numbers make a lot of things easier. Can you imagine a Zoom Bible Study if there were no numbers and everyone had a different edition of the Bible? It would be really difficult to get everyone looking at the same passages! The numbers help us break the books of the Bible down into pieces that are easier to study and digest. It’s also fun to be able to cite chapter and verse when someone asks us about our favorite verses.

Our Lectionary and Daily Office readings also rely heavily on the numbers. Because we can reference chapter and verse, it’s easy for all the churches that follow the lectionary to read the same passages each week. My small group has members that live in multiple states and countries, but when we meet to discuss that Sunday’s readings, we know that we will have heard the same passages.

But there’s a downside to numbering chapters and verses. It also makes it easy for people to lift single verses out of their greater context and weaponize them to support non-Biblical principles. Over the years this has been done to justify brutalities like the enslavement of African people, the subjugation of women, the abuse of children, and the persecution of LGBTQ people. Even in more innocent mistakes, lifting single verses from the bible can lead to misunderstandings, like the story of the little boy who thought that God created the universe using only his left hand, because “Jesus was seated on his right hand!”

The good news is that we don’t have to fall victim to mistakes like this, because the Bible is more accessible than ever before. Hard copies are plentiful, and there are digital and audio versions galore online. We can always find the context for single verses or for our Sunday readings. I highly encourage you to give it a try. For example, the first reading this Sunday is Isaiah 1:1, 10-20, skipping over verses 2-9. Do you wonder what’s being skipped and why? You can read them and decide for yourself why they may have been omitted from the lectionary.

As always, it is my joy to preach for you this Sunday!
Jeff