Big Questions: What Am I Being Called to Do?

This series in my broader “Reading the Bible Better” project is all about the big questions I have become convinced are important for us to ask as we engage with the Scriptures. The other day, we looked at the first question under the ‘Experience’ category, ‘What am I feeling?’ We saw that it’s about intellectual honesty, bringing our whole self into the arena of Scripture-reading, and identifying where the energy is for us in a given passage. Today for the second part of ‘Experience’, we go to the other end of the spectrum and ask ourselves ‘What am I being called to do?’ How we answer this question at the start of our interpretive process becomes our working hypothesis that may either be supported or challenged as we go on.

Any and every text as a ‘call to action’. Sometimes these can be clear, like a stop sign, an advertisement, or political brochure. Other times they are more subtle (say, a character-driven historical novel with complex themes), but there’s always something a text wants us to do. That’s why it exists. This is even more important to think about when it comes to sacred texts. For these are the writings that our faith community has curated and kept for us as being the most revelatory and useful for our spiritual instruction, formation, and growth. And, as people of faith, we are going to be particularly motivated to act on the calls to action from the Scriptures — certainly more than we are when we read an ad for jeans (hopefully).

When we think of the calls to action in the Bible, the easiest to understand are things like laws, commandments, and other forms of instruction. Obviously, the call to action for “Thou shalt not bear false witness” is for readers to be truthful in their speech (especially when giving official testimony), and for “Love your neighbour as yourself,” it is to care for your ‘neighbour’ as you care for your own life, possessions, health, and success. But stories too have calls to action. So for example, the story of the Hospitality of Abraham wants its readers to show hospitality to strangers, or the story of Peter and Cornelius, written in the midst of a controversy about whether Christianity would be primarily a Jewish phenomenon or should incorporate Gentiles freely as they were, wants its audience to understand that God shows no partiality based on heritage and therefore to welcome non-Jews into the community of faith. There are times when the call to action is a lot more subtle — it may just be to convey information or to inspire faith in God — but the point is, texts aren’t written for nothing. And when it comes to the Scriptures, they were written and ultimately received by the Church as divine revelation for the transformation of our hearts, minds, and lives. And so asking ourselves what a given passage is calling us to do is a critical step in helping us understand and apply it well.

Reflection Questions

1. Think through the following verses and reflect on what the call to action might be for each. (They get progressively harder. And remember there aren’t right or wrong answers at this point; the goal here is to form a hypothesis to be tested as your study of a passage continues):

a) “So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2.3)

b) “‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also” (Matthew 5.38-39)

c) “The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord strengthened King Eglon of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. In alliance with the Ammonites and the Amalekites, he went and defeated Israel; and they took possession of the city of palms. So the Israelites served King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years” (Judges 3.12-14)

c) “In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  “To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,] praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours “(Luke 2.8-14)

d) Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; /
according to your abundant mercy /blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, / and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions /and my sin is ever before me. (Psalm 51.1-3)