Metaphors In The Bible ~ Do They Invalidate Or Enhance The Bible?

Years ago, when we first established our Bill & Dory Gray Christian Ministries blog site, the first item I posted was our Statement of Faith.  Why?  Our Statement of Faith defines what we believe concerning Jesus Christ and our Christian faith.  It defines what we share with others about Jesus Christ.   The Bible guides our Christian walk, it is the foundation of our Conservative Christian Faith, and it guides what I write in our blogs.  And the foundation of our Statement of Faith is how we view God's Written Word, His Bible. 

The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and authoritative Word of God.  The Bible is the sole authority for our Christian faith and our Christian life.  The Bible is God's authoritative written revelation to man.  We believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of Scripture and that all 66 books of the Bible are without error in the original manuscripts.

We believe Scripture should be interpreted according to its historical, grammatical, and literal sense.  We believe that Divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts and words of the Bible, so that the whole Bible, in the original manuscripts, is without error in its moral and spiritual teaching and in its record of historical facts.

Note:  Verbal Plenary Inspiration of Scripture means:  "Verbal" means that every word of Scripture is God-given.  "Plenary" means that all parts of the Bible are equally authoritative.  "Inspiration" means that every word in the Bible is divinely inspired.

Over the years many have asked me, "Bill, are you saying that you believe that we should read every single word of the Bible literally?  If that is true, then is Jesus teaching us in John 6:53-55 that we should literally eat His body and drink His blood?  Isn't that rather grotesque?"

If that is what Jesus really meant, yes that would be very grotesque.  This is the passage you have suggested:

John 6:53-55 (nkjv), "Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  (54) Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  (55) For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.' "

First let me assure you that Jesus is not asking us to practice cannibalism.  So, no, that is not what He meant.

Let's take a moment and review how we interpret Scripture. 

Do we interpret and read the Bible as the "literal" written Word of God, His sole authority for our Christian faith ~ OR ~ do we read the Bible as the "symbolic" spiritualized Word of God, i.e., a book of symbolism, myths, metaphors, and fictional stories used to illustrate and teach the thoughts of God? 

Is the Bible only a good guideline for Christian living?  But NOT the literal, inspired Written Word of God?   Liberal Theology believers lean toward a spiritualized symbolic view of Scripture - while we Conservative Theology believers fully support Scripture as the Holy Spirit inspired, Holy Spirit inerrant, Holy Spirit literal Written Word of God.

Is every word of Scripture to be read literally?  No.  In the Bible we find that much of it is literal, but we also find symbolism, metaphors, teaching parables, and poetry.

"So, Bill, how do we know when to read the Bible literally - and when to apply one or more of these figures of speech to what we are reading?" 

Glad you asked.  First let's recognize and agree that God is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).   He wants us to understand His Christian Users' Manual, the Bible.  So He is not going to make it a book of puzzles, pitfalls, and traps.  When we read a passage of Scripture, a good rule of thumb is to read it literally, in our normal everyday natural language.  If it makes sense reading it this way, that is His meaning and His message to you.  If a literal reading does not seem to fit - try one or more of the figures of speech to see what He is teaching us. 

So basic rule of thumb in reading Scripture:  Try the literal reading, if that fits you have His message.  If the literal reading does not fit, then look at another reading.

Let's dig a bit deeper in understanding the interpretation of Scripture.  Three words, or methods, which you will encounter in an expositional study of Scripture, whether you are looking for them or not, are:  Hermeneutics, Exegesis, and Eisegesis.  Why are these words, or more accurately the processes they describe, so important to understand?   These processes describe how we study, understand, and teach the Bible.   So, what do they mean?

Hermeneutics -  Biblical hermeneutics defines the principles and methods used in interpreting the text of the Bible.  The Bible should be interpreted literally.  We are to read the Bible in its literal meaning, unless the passage is obviously intended to be symbolic, or if figures of speech are employed.  In other words, when we read a Bible verse or passage literally, if the meaning fits, that is what God intended.  If a literal reading does not seem to fit, then we look for a symbolic or metaphorical meaning.  Most of the time, the literal reading fits perfectly.

Another aspect of Biblical hermeneutics is that passages must be interpreted historically, grammatically, and contextually.  Interpreting a passage historically means we seek to understand the culture, background, and the time period of the writing.  (see more at "What Is Biblical Hermeneutics?" - GotQuestions.Org)

We know that understanding a writing in its historical and grammatical sense is important, but why is context so important?

Taking verses out of context can lead to errors in interpretation and misunderstandings.  The Biblical context of a verse or passage is affected by the verses immediately preceding and following it in that chapter, book, and even the entire Bible - and can impact the meaning of that writing.  Your interpretation and understanding of a Scripture verse must not contradict, or be contradicted, in other parts of Scripture.

Hermeneutics tells us how we should interpret Scripture.  The actual process of doing the interpretation is called Exegesis and Eisegesis - the Yin and Yang of Bible interpretation.   One method gives us the message God wants us to find in His Written Word, i.e., Exegesis (Yang?).  Using Exegesis we read FROM Scripture God's message to us. 

The other method gives us what man wants the Bible to say, i.e., Eisegesis (Yin?).   Eisegesis allows man to read INTO Scripture what he wants it to say.

Exegesis -  The process of reading FROM the Bible the meaning and understanding of the message given to us by God in that Scripture verse or passage.

Eisegesis -  The process of reading INTO the Bible what man wants it to say, so that it supports his predetermined theology.

Let me paraphrase an old 1897 newspaper editorial written by an atheist newspaper columnist in response to an 8-year old girl's question, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."  

I will say with confidence, "Yes, Virginia, there are Figures of Speech in the Bible!  But they do not change God's message to us."   One of the most useful and at the same time, misunderstood, Biblical figures of speech might be the metaphor.  So, let's talk about metaphors.  What is a metaphor?

A metaphor is a figure of speech which relates two objects that are dissimilar.   In other words, it describes one object in terms of another.  "George is a couch potato!"  George may be passive, but he is not a potato.    A metaphor describes one object as being or having the characteristics of a second object, as when Jesus tells tells us in John 6:48, "I am the bread of life."   He is God, He is human - but He is not bread.

Metaphor:  "Your eyes are pools of liquid love."

Simile:  "Your eyes are like pools of liquid love."

Similar but different.  Both are used in Scripture.

METAPHORS IN THE BIBLE:  JESUS, THE BREAD OF LIFE http://www.hopefromthebible.com/bible-metaphor-jesus-bread-of-life

There are many metaphors in the Bible that help us to better understand God.  One example is Jesus comparing himself to bread.  He called himself the "bread of life" that came down from heaven.

"For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. .  .   I am the bread which came down from heaven."    (John 6:33, 41 NKJV)

Jesus Gives Life:  One way that Jesus and bread are alike is that they both sustain life.  By eating bread, we gain strength that we need to stay alive and thrive in our work or ministry.  Similarly, but to a much higher degree, "eating" Jesus (using His comparison to bread) gives us the strength and endurance that is necessary to live a productive and successful "spiritual" life that brings glory to God.

How Do We "Eat" Jesus?:  In John 6, after Jesus told the crowd that He was the bread from heaven.  He then told them to eat His flesh, and that, "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life,.  .  ." (v54).  While it's obvious that Jesus wasn't asking them to literally eat the flesh of His body - at first glance it may not seem obvious what He really meant by "eating His flesh."  But if we look back a couple chapters in John, we get a hint to His real meaning.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14).  I would suggest that the "eating of Jesus' flesh" is referring to absorbing the Word of God.

When Jesus tells us to "eat his flesh" - He is urging us to partake of the Word of God.  This of course involves reading the written Word of God, the Bible, but goes far beyond just reading words on a page.  Partaking of God's Word involves a radical change in lifestyle, a shift in thinking that puts God and His desires first.  It compels us to act as Jesus acts, to demonstrate His love in all that we do, to live in the fullness of Christ.  To live in Christ's fullness - is to truly live eternally.  For eternity begins here and now.

In Remembrance of Jesus:  How can we be sure to remain conscious of Christ, the Word of God?  When Jesus gave bread to his disciples to eat, he told them to, ".  .  . do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19).  We, too, can remember Jesus every time we eat bread, and even every time we eat anything.  As we eat, we can remember that just as we partake of bread (or food in general) in order to live - so also we partake of the Living Word of God to live spiritually now and throughout eternity.

About The Author:  Jonathan Hostetler lives in southern Pennsylvania.  He grew up in a strong Christian family, dedicated his life completely to Jesus at the age of 9, experienced a spiritual breakthrough at the age of 15, and is now in his mid twenties, joyfully serving God and sharing God's message of salvation and hope both on the internet and in person.

Following that train of thought, that Jesus is really telling us to be very intimate with the Word of God, both Living and Written -  in John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that we must be born-again of the water and the Spirit.  The water being the Living Water which we also find in John 4, when Jesus tells the woman of Samaria that if she drinks the Living Water she will never thirst again, i.e., she will live eternally.   That Living Water is the Written Word of God, the Bible,

Other metaphors in the Bible:  As you can see, figures of speech such as metaphors are literary tools God has used to make His Written Word come alive for us as we read and study His Word:

• Isaiah 64:8  ~  "But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our Potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand."

In this metaphor, God is compared to a potter who molds clay.  God’s followers are the clay and are subject to his design and influence.

• John 8:12  ~   "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’ "

Jesus calls himself “the Light of the world.”  In The Bible, light refers to salvation, and darkness refers to sinfulness.

• John 15:5  ~  "I am the Vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing."

Jesus compares Himself to a Vine and calls His followers branches of the Vine, i.e., extensions of Himself. 

•  Revelation 5:5  ~  "But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, . .  ."

•  Revelation 5:6, "And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb. . ."

•  Revelation 5:8-12  ~  "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.  .  ."

Jesus first came in human form as the Lamb of God - our sacrificial Lamb.  Just as the lamb that was sacrificed in the temple, Jesus was crucified on the cross symbolizing His "once for all" sacrifice for humanity. 

But when He returns, His Second Coming, He will come as the Conquering Lion of Judah, Lord of lords, King of kings.  And as the Root of David, He will sit upon the throne of David in Jerusalem ruling the world for 1000 years, the perfect theocracy, His Millennial Kingdom on earth.

• 1 Peter 5:8  ~  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"

Notice that Satan is also compared to a fierce and a dangerous lion.  But he is the "roaring lion" - the blood thirsty, crafty, and deceitful serpent which deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden

In closing let us keep in mind that God's perfect plan of salvation includes all of us.  We are told in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

God has created the perfect plan of salvation for you and me.  His Son, Jesus Christ, has come into our Sin Prison and "paid in full" our debt to God, He has purchased our Full Pardon.  Now it is up to each of us, individually, to get up and walk out of the Sin Prison Cell which has held us captive for so long.  On the cross Jesus paid our Death Penalty in full and then announced in John 19:30, "It is finished!"  Meaning there is no more to be done for us to gain our freedom - except for us to receive, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, His perfect gift of eternal life.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge: