Missing the Point

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15) 

My first experience with Don Quixote was when we read the stage musical Man of La Mancha in high school. The plot of the musical borrows a few incidents from the lengthy work by Miguel de Cervantes and weaves them into a plot that spans just a few weeks. It is a story about the triumph of dreams and in its signature song, “The Impossible Dream,” encourages all “to follow that star, no matter hopeless, no matter how far.” 

A few years later, I made the “mistake” of reading the book. While Man of La Mancha romanticizes the daft but harmless Alonso Quixono in his imaginations as Don Quixote, Cervantes’ work paints him as a dangerous, senile fool. At the end, his sanity returns, he renounces all pretense of knighthood, and he dies a broken man. 

We have all seen a movie or play that takes such great liberties with the original book that we are disappointed (for example, I can never again enjoy The Wizard of Oz movie after reading the much superior book). But Man of La Mancha completely misappropriates the story of Don Quixote to the point it gives the story a meaning that is 180 degrees away from the original. Cervantes would not have been pleased. 

This has much to do with the way we handle the Bible. It is amazing how many can read the Word and completely misunderstand its purpose. And not just the extreme examples of how people can pick and choose verses to defend a plethora of various sinful practices. I also mean the sincere believer who picks a particular verse out of its context so that the meaning of a particular phrase is made to mean something different than the message of the surrounding context. 

The Scriptures are powerful. By them we are encouraged, admonished, and changed. But we must first devote ourselves to determining its proper meaning. This means more than just careless reading; it also means careful study. As you read the Word today, don’t look for support for your pet beliefs; allow it to challenge you, and change you.