Why doesn't my life make sense - part 2

Why doesn't your life make sense sometime? It's the same reason that scholars want a Jonah - part 2. You see, scholars want to look at Biblical stories the same way that they do modern stories. The problem is that the Bible uses a totally different system of storytelling. It sounds like a little thing. It's not.

You'll remember the modern system of storytelling from high school English. It goes like this:

Introduction -- here's where we meet the main character, the protagonist. In this phase the protagonist encounters a problem. This is called the conflict.

Rising action -- in this stage the protagonist tries to overcome the conflict, fails, and tries again. Here the writer uses elements of his or her craft to increase tension, build suspense, make the reader feel a connection with the protagonist.

climax -- finally, the protagonist resolves the conflict, win or lose. But something else happens here. This is the moment where -- no matter what happens to the protagonist -- the writer is vindicated. I'm going to say that again because this is the crucial element I want us to be aware of: the climax of the story is the moment when the writers says, "See, I told you so." If you know what to look for you can tell a writer's worldview simply by reading their stories. You can do this for anyone (There's one exception to the rule here, but he died four hundred years ago and this isn't an English lit course...).

Falling action -- a brief look at the protagonist after the conflict is resolved. The place for tying up loose ends in the story.

The above system works great for most stories. Even some Biblical stories can be made to fit the mold. For some of them like Job and Jonah, however, it just can't be done. That's because Biblical writers used a different system for story construction. It looks like this:

Introduction -- This is where the reader is introduced to a covenant. No, not a person, a covenant, a relationship between two people or, more commonly, between a person and God. The Bible never introduces you to its people. Think about the apostle Paul, for example. What was his marital status? Did you answer "single". Not so fast. Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin didn't accept unmarried men. Paul had to have been married at one time. Apparently he had children too, since he makes an offhanded reference while writing to the Corinthians, "I speak as to my children" (2 Cor. 6:13). What happened to his wife? He's clearly single by the time he's writing epistles. What happened to his children? The Bible never tells us. That's because it's not about the people, it about the relationships these people have with God and each other.

Decision -- here is where the member of the covenant not named "God" decides how to react to the terms of the covenant's contract. They can either accept or reject. For God there is no decision. He upholds His end of the bargain to the letter.

Consequences -- there is no climax, not for anyone except God. There are, however, consequences based on how a person reacts to the covenant. If they accept it, we see them thrive. If they reject it, the Bible stories will often give us a glimpse of the fallout. Again, there is no climax for a person. If the Bible follows a person throughout their life, the way it does with someone like David, it goes intro, decision, consequences, decision, consequences, decision... on and on. When David's decisions are good we see the joy and fulfillment. When his decisions are bad we see pain and regret.

This is how Jonah looks using the Biblical model:

Intro -- we are told that Jonah is a prophet. A prophet's job is to deliver God's mail. God gives the prophet a message. The prophet passes the message to the intended recipient.

Decision -- But Jonah wants to dispute the terms of the contract. He wants the covenant to read, "You only have to deliver the mail to Israeli zip codes. When God sends him to Israel's enemy, the Assyrians, Jonah balks.

Consequences -- fish food. Jonah gets swallowed, then regurgitated. This has the effect of motivating him to deliver the message.

But he's still not happy about it. You see, he didn't want God to forgive the Assyrians. The Israelites deserve God's mercy in his mind, not the Assyrians. Jonah heads east, then sets up shop to see what will happen to the hated Assyrians. A plant miraculously grows and provides shelter. The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away; the plant dies. Jonah gets angry over the fallen plant. And here the story ends. God finishes with a statement that basically says, "And that's the difference between you and Me, Jonah. You care about the plant. I care about the people!"

It doesn't matter how Jonah reacts to this statement. The point is made. The covenant is explained. His prophets are to go where, and to whom, He sends them. Not just to their favorites. God cares for all people. Not the Israelites alone.

So, what happens when you use the modern system of storytelling to try and explain your life. I'll show you. Next, we talk divorce.