Don’t Dissect the Butterfly

My kids are at an age where they are fascinated by the little things. Right now they both love bugs. For his birthday and Christmas my son Ezra received a variety of magnifying glasses, bug catchers, and small containers to observe and admire little bugs. Both my kids squeal with excitement when they see a caterpillar, run to get the bug catcher, carefully put the critter into the container and then loudly describe and exclaim the little things they notice.

I love studying the Bible, from the interesting and the technical to the debates and textual criticism. Throughout 2022 I listened to a lot of audiobooks and podcasts, read a lot of content about the Bible, and completed various online theology courses. This was done with the goal of completing a broad sweep of big ideas so I can plan out what sort of personal Bible mapping (see my post “Bible Mapping”) I’d like to pursue in the coming year.

But at the back of my mind, I’ve had the constant voice of the Holy Spirit ensuring that I’ve not lost a childlike fascination with the Bible. I’ve been careful to not simply pull apart the Scriptures at a textual level, but ensure there is a level of personal intimacy with God through the Scriptures too. In Wayne Grudem’s book on Systematic Theology, he puts it like this:

“The study of theology is not merely a theoretical exercise of the intellect. It is a study of the living God, and of the wonders of all his works in creation and redemption.”

I’d like to share with you what the Holy Spirit has taught me this year that has allowed me to keep my personal Bible studies in the realm of exploring the wonders of God rather than just a theoretical exercise.

At the start of 2022, I finished the BibleProject Classroom course “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible”. It is a deep dive into the structure, genre, layout, and traditional understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament). I learnt a lot from it about how the Bible was formed and a significant amount of technical information as well.

But one thing that surprised me what the deep appreciation and reverence that lecturer Tim Mackie had for the scriptures and how that has developed a form of intimacy for his relationship with God. About halfway through the course he is teaching how to read the Psalms and says:

“You can dissect the butterfly, it's a very different experience than watching a monarch butterfly go through the sky. So, what I'd like to do is actually first just watch a butterfly fly through the sky…”

That's when I felt God say to me “don’t dissect the butterfly”.

And that word has been resonating in me all year.

Rather than allowing what I’m learning to dominate my Bible roadmapping and risking pulling apart the relational aspect of my devotions, I’ve been trying harder to listen to the Holy Spirit teach me to focus on appreciating the design and beauty of the Scriptures too.

Here are some things that I’ve done this year to ensure I don’t dissect the metaphorical butterfly.

1) Take time to meditate on the Scriptures

This has meant there are times I simply close the Bible itself and just reflect on what it says. I try not to only study, but read it as a narrative as well.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and pastor who was executed by the Nazis at the end of World War 2. He was known for his work emphasising that the Scriptures are the Word of God that can actively speak to us today, rather than isolated texts to be studied. In his seminary he would encourage the students as a part of their devotions to just read a Psalm and not consult any extra academic texts to aid them in understanding it - just let the Holy Spirit talk to them.

This has been something I’ve found harder than initially realised - to take the time to simply let God talk to me and highlight aspects of Scripture rather than trying to decipher it.

Practices such as “Lectio Divina” (Divine Reading) have become a part of my daily devotions and something I’m encouraging more Christians to practice.

2) Have an active imagination

I am a big fan of the TV series “The Chosen”. Do I think it’s completely accurate in all areas of the Bible - of course not! But I do think it has accomplished something innovative by filling in the imagination of what the life of Jesus and the disciples could have looked like.

Rather than obsessing over what I think should be correct theology and pointing out errors I see, I’ve chosen to have an active imagination of the Scriptures that fills my mind with how the stories in the Bible could have played out.

I’m in the midst of reading a book called “The Good News of the Return of the King” by Michael T. Jahosky. It is an overview of the Biblical aspects of J. R. R. Tolkien’s writings, but the author’s primary argument is that the Lord of the Rings is not a simple allegory of the Bible; it falls under the category of a “supposal” - a narrative story based on the principles of a worldview. The parables that Jesus told could be understood in this way - they weren’t fictional worlds designed to be an allegory but meant to reveal a greater reality. This would mean that The Lord of the Rings is a supposal of the Kingdom of Heaven. Tolkien puts it this way:

“Myth is at its best when it is presented by a poet who feels rather than makes explicit what his theme portends; who presents it as incarnate in the world of history and geography”.

I’m trying to not get caught up in the rules and systematic theology of the world I’m a part of but living out the reality God has put me in and how I can play my role in it.

3) Open up the conversation

Don’t keep this journey to yourself.

When you keep all your thoughts and questions and observations to yourself, you’re only engaging the conversation with your inner monologue. This can sometimes lead to unhealthy and unhelpful places and hasn’t been the way that people have wrestled with the hard questions of life throughout history.

Start conversations with close friends or mentors about what you’re processing.

Throughout 2022 I’ve made time to talk to friends who are on a similar journey either over coffee or on Zoom about what they’re learning and how it's challenging us.

This has done two things. Firstly it has forced me to vocally articular what I’ve learnt and what I’m challenged by. This is both humbling and enlightening - if I’m unable to put words on a new lesson then I probably haven’t thought it through as much as I assumed I have. Secondly, it has helped me process the areas I’m challenged with by getting them out of my head and getting more perceptions of them.

This has been a great way to kill my pride by allowing myself to look foolish or that I may not know everything I’m talking about - which can then leads to more areas for me to grow in.

I’ve also been presented with opportunities to share what I’m learning with other small groups of young adults who are wanting to learn more about the Bible. Creating content for presentations is another great way I’ve been forced to articulate what I’m learning and be prepared for questions and queries on it.

So what does this mean for you?

You may be in a place of bliss and enjoyment when it comes to studying the Bible and going deeper into the Scriptures.

You may be in a place of doubt and challenge.

Wherever you are on that scale, I want to help you ensure that your orientation is pointing towards having a healthy relationship with God through the Scriptures and living out the life of Jesus that you’re seeing in the Bible.

If things are started to become a bit complicated and you’re concerned that what you’re learning is undoing some fundamental beliefs, take a step back as you may be killing something that is meant to be observed and appreciated.

Don’t dissect the butterfly. Learn to observe it and learn from its movements while cherishing the intentional design and beauty behind it.

Put the insects in the bug catcher to observe and enjoy them, you don’t need to stomp on them to see their insides.