How Do We Interpret the Bible?

How exactly do we interpret the Bible? Some might say that we simply read a verse and then do what it says. Nothing more is needed. Let’s see how that works in practice.

Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

According this verse, we must hate our parents. The message is very clear. But you probably are not embracing this verse. We instinctively know that something else is going on here.

Instead of taking this verse in isolation, we need to look at the big picture of Scripture. Are there any other verses that can shed some light?

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-44)

Here, Jesus turns on its head the common wisdom that it is okay to hate our enemies. Surely we cannot be expected to love our enemies and hate our parents?

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)

In this verse, Jesus tells us that love is the mark of the true disciple. So why are we supposed to hate our parents? It would be helpful to look for other passages that deal with our relationship with our parents. One example would be the command to honour our parents that is found in the Ten Commandments.

One of the most relevant passages is this:

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37)

This verse seems to clarify what Jesus was saying in Luke 14:26. We are not supposed to hate our parents but our love for Jesus must be more than that of human relationships. We should love Jesus so much that everything else in comparison will seem like hate.

Why do I bring this up? It is easy for us to pull out a verse in isolation from the rest of the Bible to support a position. This is called “proof-texting.”

Instead, we should be interpreting verses in their context, especially within the big picture of what the Bible teaches. Taking verses out of context will always lead to trouble.