The furnace begins to groan and rattle. A billow of ugly black smoke emerges from the heat register. The Old Man (Ralphie’s father) declares: “It’s a clinker! That blasted stupid furnace dadgummit!” Ralphie narrates: “In the heat of battle, my father wove a tapestry of obscenity that, as far as we know, is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan.”
A Christmas Story is one of the classic Christmas movies that we watch as a family each year. It’s the movie where the main character, Ralphie, wants a 200 Shot Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
Ralphie is a nine-year-old boy living in the context of a small town in Indiana towards the end of the Great Depression.
I watched the movie shortly after college with friends. Later on, I watched the movie again with my father. He explained more of the film’s context to me. What is a clinker, why would people be driving around on bald tires in the snow, did you ever stick your tongue to a flag pole on a winter morning?
My father, like Ralphie, was a young boy growing up during the Great Depression. His boyhood circumstances were similar to Ralphie’s. My father was able to explain more of the film’s context to me and answer my questions. As a result, I understood the story and the characters more deeply. I also enjoyed the film more.
When I watch the film with my daughter, I pass on some of the context I learned from my father. But some of it is lost. One day, when she watches A Christmas Story with her children, a bit more of the context will be lost.
Reading the Bible is critical to Christian growth, but it is a bit like watching a movie like A Christmas Story. Context is important.
Consider Jesus’ parables. Perhaps one third of Jesus’ teaching recorded in the Gospels is in the form of parables. Luke and Matthew are especially saturated with parables.
The parables of Jesus are brief, engaging stories spoken by our Lord. They are excellent. But they were initially spoken to a first century Palestinian audience. What did the parables mean to that audience, what was the setting in which they heard the parable.
One of the most helpful suggestions for understanding Jesus’ parables is to learn their context. Why did the Gospel writer put that parable into his narrative in that particular place? What was the setting in which Jesus used the parable and what was its meaning to his first century audience? For example, the travelers, the terrain, and the known dangers of the road between Jerusalem and Jericho would have been familiar to the first century Palestinian audience hearing the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
How am I to know anything about the road between Jerusalem and Jericho in the first Century, and its relevance to Jesus’ story?
Bible commentaries. Throughout history, there have been, and continue to be, inspired scholars, filled with the Holy Spirit, who have written Bible commentaries to help us more deeply understand Scripture. Essentially, they provide context and answer questions similar to what my father did for me while we watched A Christmas Story. Bible commentaries give me greater insight into Scripture. I learn more, I have new insights, and I am able to apply Scripture to my life.
When you can’t figure something out, like why your laptop crashed during the install of Windows 10, or why you are running a fever, you go to an expert. When you can’t figure out a piece of Scripture, go to a Pastor, or read a commentary.
One of the miracles of our age is Internet. With a single click you can have access to the wisdom of the greatest Biblical Scholars throughout the ages.