When traveling, one will find that although people may speak the same language, there are many different accents and pronunciations.  It’s true even here within the United States.  Someone from northern Minnesota speaks differently than someone from Louisiana or Jersey.  It can make it difficult for us to understand one another.

One summer during my college years, I taught vacation Bible schools throughout Venezuela.  Venezuelans are known for dropping the “s” sound at the end of words.  For example, the capital city is Caracas.  Only outsiders call it “Caracas,” insiders pronounce it “Caraca.”

One afternoon I was playing catch with a little girl.  When it was about time for me to leave, she excitedly repeated, “Unvema! Unvema!”  I had no clue what she was saying and paused to process it.  I filtered it through the context and accent, then realized she was saying, “Una vez mas,” which means, “One more time!”  Since I had paused to figure out her words, the little girl was delighted when I didn’t walk away, but played another round.

Reading the Bible can be a lot like this experience with the Venezuelan girl.  We read a passage and think, “What does that mean?”  Scripture can be confusing and difficult to follow at times.  But don’t walk away!  Take a moment to consider and process the passage.

John 1:51 is a great example to consider.  Jesus spoke to Nathanael as he became one of Jesus’ disciples.

He [Jesus] then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open,^(A) and the angels of God ascending and descending^(B) on’ the Son of Man.”^(C)  (NIV)

    Cross-References:
A. See Matthew 3:16
B. Genesis 28:12
C. See Matthew 8:20

This is a disorienting comment.  What does Jesus mean?  The angels will ascend and descend on Him?  It doesn’t quite make sense, but makes just enough sense that we’d dismiss it and keep reading.  What if we’d stop and consider it?  Now is the time to use an invaluable tool; a study Bible.  If you don’t have one, get one or ask for one in your favorite translation for your birthday or Christmas.  In the meantime, you can use online tools like Biblegateway.com.  (I’ve included some “how-to” helps at the end of the post.)

A study Bible provides helpful information, notes, and cross-references.  For example, a study Bible will have a little letter next to the word “descending” to indicate a cross-referenced verse.  If you look at the cross-reference list, you’ll find that the letter refers to Genesis 28:12.  When looking up cross-referenced verses, read not only the indicated verse, but the surrounding verses as well.  This will provide a wider context, and a better grasp on the connections.  Genesis 28:10-13a:

¹⁰Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran.  ¹¹When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set.  Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.  ¹²He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD…”

Think about what Jacob saw in his dream.  There was a stairway, or ladder, that connected the world with God.  Angels ascended and descended on that stairway.  Now plug in what Jesus said in John 1:51, that angels would ascend and descend on Him.  Jesus was saying that He is that staircase.  He is the connection between God and the world.  He is the fulfillment of Jacob’s dream.

When we pause to understand, we connect the dots, see a bigger picture, and grasp a deeper meaning.  What we find can delight us and strengthen our relationship with God.  And that’s what God’s all about: relationship.  Pausing to understand is key to the health of any relationship.  The next time something doesn’t quite make sense, don’t just shrug and walk away.  Pause to understand.  Ask for understanding and use available resources.  God just might have a surprise waiting to delight you.

This week’s scriptures pause to understand John 1:51 in context, and its reference to “heaven open” and “Son of Man.”  Consider these verses together to connect the dots.

– John 1:45-51
Heaven open
– Matthew 3:13-17
– Revelation 19:11-16
– Acts 7:54-60
Son of Man
– Daniel 7:13-14
– Revelation 1:12-18

*Using Biblegateway.com
Use the Biblegateway.com search bar to lookup a passage (or keyword).  Once the text is displayed, a menu bar of red icons will be located above and to the right of the text. Select the circular gear icon.  From here you can select or unselect boxes to display footnotes, cross-references, verse numbers, headings, and red letters.  Select the box for cross-references.  This displays the cross-reference letters in the text with the corresponding verses at the end of the text.  The letters and list are clickable, displaying the cross-referenced verse(s).  However, the verses are not displayed in context.  Exploring the surrounding verses is invaluable!