We can never exhaust the meaning of Scripture - the mere fact of milions of sermons illustrates the inexhaustible nature of these texts. They generate meaning over centuries and all over the world. Scripture speaks to us in ever new ways. It mysteries are revealed to us time and again.
Spiritual hermeneutics or the spiritual reading of the Bible share with traditional readings of the Bible the conviction that we have to reflect carefully on Biblical texts in order to understand its meaning for our time and world. In Spiritual hermeneutics this attempt is called "meditatio" or the careful reflection on the text.
But, while traditional Bible reading speaks of "studying" the Bible, spiritual hermeneutics would rather speak of a dialogue with the God's word. God speaks to us in the human witnesses and we enter in a dialogue with them in order to fathom the mystery of the text.
The spiritual reading is not about understanding the "text." It is about a personal relationship. It is not merely a matter of studying letters and phrases and sentences. One is rather listening to Someone, to someone who is communicating with us through a text. It is about much more than understanding a text or its contents. We do not possess a text, we do not determine the meaning of a text. An author speaks with us and gives us clues to unravel the mysteries.
Look at the story of the Ethiopian in Acts 8 again. He is a believer who travels all the way to Jerusalem to pray in the temple. As a believer he then, on his way back, studies the Bible. He clearly desires to know more about his faith.
Luke emphasizes that he read the "prophet" Isaiah. He is not busy determining the contents of a book or a text. He asks in verse 34: "who is the prophet talking about - himself or someone else?" He is trying to understand the prophet.
From this dialogue with the prophet emerges a transformational experience. He takes the initiative and asks to be baptised. His faith is transfomed. What he read, changed his life forever. It is much more than understanding better. His reading set his heart aflame, like Scripture did to the Emmaus disciples (cf a previous blog). He desires to be baptized.
A spiritual reading of the Bible asssumes a relationship of faith with the One who is speaking in it. It is not the reading, but what happens through the reading which is important. The reading transforms, it reveals the mystery of God which creates new life.
The relational aspect is decisive because of what it implies. It is a risk to listen to God's word. It is not something which one can "understand" and which then leaves one unaffected. The Word of God can take one where one never thought one would end up. When God speaks, it can touch our lives in an awesome manner. That is why a spiritual reading assumes and promotes awe in the presence of God's mystery. Where God speaks, one stands in awe. Understanding is important, but it is only one dimension of the process of reading the Bible. More is at stake: what counts is also the "spirit" with which one reads the Bible. And how many ways are there in which we are reading the Bible: we read it "neutrally," "objectively," even patronizingly ("it is now so much more difficult to believe than in more primitive times....", etc).
A spiritual reading understands that the Holy Spirit who represents God's awesome, powerful presence in our midst, is at work the very moment we read the Bible. The Ethiopian had all sorts of questions. But ultimately he desired to be baptized, to be ingrained in the life according to the Spirit. Out of his reading of Scripture, his faith, came a transformative moment, a powerful conversion, which changed his life. No wonder he continued his journey with great joy (verse 39).
A spiritual reading reflects the desire to know more - more than mere knowledge. It reflects the desire to encounter the divine, transformative mystery. It is about transformation, about growing deeper in one's faith, about a closer relationship with God who speaks to us. And it reflects the conviction that the Bible plays a seminal role in this transformation and growth.
Traditionally we study the Bible to know more, to understand better. A spiritual reading would want to respond to this by saying it is not the understanding of the content of the Bible which is so important. What really counts is the difference this understanding makes in one's life and faith. That is why a spiritual reading is deeply linked with the desire to be with a powerful God.
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