Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” –Matthew 11:28-30

I grew up in a strong Evangelical tradition. My early years were filled with wonderful memories of Sunday School, puppet shows, summer camps, and much more. Times spent colouring around a table in a church basement, and tattling on other kids who had their eyes open during prayer. My own mother played a key role in my own familiarity with fundamental Biblical stories–David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, The Red Sea, etc.

 It didn’t take long for my head to be filled with a lot of information. As I aged, the knowledge was often a huge help in how I navigated conversations and relationships. Like streetlights on a foggy night, it guided me down foggy roads safely.

What it failed to do was form me to be more like Christ. That required me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps and allow Him to shape me from top to bottom.

The Problem with Information Is…

It wasn’t uncommon for others to describe the Bible as a place where I could go for all the answers to life’s questions. This was God’s plan for my life, and if I had any question at all, the Bible had a ready answer for it. I could treat it like a textbook, scouring the pages for all that I might need in this modern life.

The problem with information is that it is simply knowledge. It has no framework for how to apply the information into the real stuff of life. It is data that is structured, giving context and significance. What it doesn’t do is guide us on how to apply the information to the situations of our day, or help us to form a consistent worldview.

That is wisdom.

The Path of Jesus

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. –Matthew 4:19-20

Wherever Jesus went, he invited the crowds to leave behind their expectations, lives, and relationships and follow him. At the start of his ministry, he called some men to leave behind their vocations, families, and comfort to come and follow him. There’s great fear in leaving behind what you know, even if you’re not satisfied with what it is doing for you. Jesus was paying these men a great honour by calling them to follow him, yet don’t discount the reality of walking away from everything.

Yet this is where formation begins. For years, these men spent day in and out with Jesus, climbing mountain sides, sailing across the seas, casting out demons, and managing crowds who had come to see and hear Jesus. They men slept in the countryside, stood beside Jesus as he confronted the religious leaders, and had their hearts laid bare as Jesus dissected their own worldviews, fears, and desires.

Jesus invited others to be formed in a truly transformational way. Reforming their worldview, laying down their hopes and dreams, and confronting their darkest inner realities. He laid in front of them a greater story of redemption and a Kingdom that could set them free.

The Story Formed Way

When we allow the Bible to speak on its own terms, we enter into a story that transforms our entire world. To experience how God created the world, brought justice on a fallen world, cast a vision of hope through an unlikely family, and loved that family through countless betrayals. There are laws that applied to an ancient nation, poetry that walks through honest grief, prophecy that looks hundreds of years into the future and so much more.

All of these stories are informed through the lens of Jesus himself. They invite us to learn the wisdom of God and allow God to form our worldview that is radically different than the world we live in. 

How has the Bible been presented to you? Do you read it for information, or do you allow it to form you?