The Whole Point

Years ago I attended a conference at a church in Riverside that boasted a terrific lineup of well-known and influential pastors.  One of them told a memorable story that always stuck with me.  He shared while he was in seminary, a notable day for each student came when they were called upon to preach during chapel with all students in attendance.  What made this an especially momentous occasion was all the learned scholars and professors who taught at the seminary were present and provided individual feedback.  Needless to say, for many budding pastors wanting to impress their cohort and professors with their Scriptural acumen and oratory skill, this was their time to shine.

The pastor said he spent a great deal of time preparing for his talk, and that there was one professor in particular he wanted to make a good impression on.  He prayed as he poured over the Bible and his notes for hours, and he spent a great deal of time and effort to perfect every aspect of his presentation.  When the big day came and his sermon was well underway, he caught sight of the professor he very much wanted to please in the back of the auditorium--shaking his head side to side emphatically.  After the sermon was over and professors handed him envelopes with their handwritten assessments, at the first opportunity he opened the letter written by his respected professor.  The only words written on the page were, "You missed the whole point!"  This ended up being a watershed moment in his ministry, and it taught him to never again allow the pursuit of clever interpretations or a desire to impress others distract him from holding forth the main point in God's word.  The point God makes in His word is more important than any point we can make.

Just this morning I was reminded of a conversation I once overheard in a Bible bookstore, when an employee passionately shared his views on the exact spot of the crucifixion of Jesus.  He excitedly explained how the real location of the crucifixion must have been a place where the centurion mentioned by Matthew had a clear line of sight through the temple doors and into the Holy of Holies to see the veil rip with his own eyes!  Matthew 27:51-54 tells us after Jesus breathed His last, "Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, ⁵² and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴ So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

While this interpretation may be compelling for some, I do not believe in any way the precise location of the crucifixion is in view here.  To make this our primary point of interpretation is to indeed miss the whole point, for all the centurion did see personally prompted him to exclaim:  "Truly, this was the Son of God!"  What does it profit to argue about the precise location of Golgotha outside the gate of Jerusalem when we can confidently proclaim Christ's deity?  Jesus Christ is the main point of Scripture, and His sinless life, death and resurrection reveals He is God in the flesh, the promised Messiah, the Son of David the psalmist addressed as his LORD.  Jesus is revealed as the only begotten Son of God, and all who repent of sin and believe in Him will be forgiven and receive eternal life.  Jesus is the central figure in the whole Bible, God who created all things and laid down His own life to redeem and reconcile mankind to Himself by grace through faith.

The Bible is full of interesting connections, interpretations that are new to us and mind-blowing revelations.  In our reading, study and teaching of God's word, however, let's make sure we don't miss the whole point.  If we miss the whole point, we miss what (and in some cases Who!) is most important.