In the case of the Qur’an, the compilers gathered Muhammad’s sayings within the first few years after the death of the Prophet. Hundreds of people who heard him teach on some topic offered what they remembered. Memories often differed and so, written notes were given a greater emphasis. However, the notes would have been a bit ambiguous because the written language was somewhat primitive at that time. Diacritical marks which pinpoint word pronunciation and meaning were not yet fully developed; and judgment was needed to define the most accurate sayings. Some that were not substantiated were discarded while some that were validated by two different people (even if erroneous) were possibly included.

The Tanakh was composed from four different sources which had their own focus. (For reference, they are J, E, D and P (which stand for the Yahwistic, Elohistic, Deuteronomic and Priestly sources). The different focuses of these sources resulted in Scripture that can sometimes seem contradictory. By including material from each source, we sometimes have two different accounts of a story such as Creation (Genesis 1:1–2:4 and Genesis 2:5–23) and Abraham’s Covenant (Genesis 15:1–21 and Genesis 17:1–22). These different accounts often lead to confusion.

In this chapter, the goal is to exemplify how easy it is to misunderstand Scripture. There is no attempt to cast doubt on Scripture—and there is no reason to do so. However there is reason to cast doubt on our interpretation and our understanding of Scripture. To highlight how we might misunderstand, some important passages from each religion’s Holy Book will be questioned here.

Why would I do such a thing? I do it to show how each religion could be in error proclaiming some truths that they think are absolute truths. I do it to encourage a deeper search for Truth, and to help all of us to obtain a better understanding of God. There will be few answers to questions that arise, but hopefully this evaluation will give us all reasons to scrutinize what we read and what we are told and what we believe. One might ask, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Paul gives us the answer in 1Thessalonians 5:19–21, which states: “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good.”

In the many years that I have been reading the Bible, I have learned a few things about God and His Word. In the many different Bible Study Groups that I have participated in or led, I have learned something new in each one. In listening to the many different readings at church, the many different homilies (commentaries on the Word), and to many different religious speakers, I have gained new insights and understandings that I did not have before. Through all this, I realize that I do not have a complete understanding of God—and I never will.

One thing that I have learned is that the meaning of His Word is often hidden. It is often subtle. It is often multilayered. It is often complex. When we read a passage in a group, each person may hear something different. One person may understand the reading to mean one thing while another may understand something quite different. Is one right and the other wrong? Maybe one is right. Maybe the other is. Maybe each is right but in a limited way—each recognizing a different layer of the complete message. God’s Word is that way. Why? YHVH gives us the answer in Isaiah 55:8–9, “My plans are not your plans, nor are My ways your ways—declares the Lord. But as the heavens are high above the earth, so are My ways high above your ways and My plans above your plans.” If His ways are so much higher than our ways, how could we possibly think that we absolutely understand what He means throughout Holy Scripture?

Another thing that I have learned is that if two passages in the Bible seem to contradict each other, I probably have made a mistake in hearing or interpreting or understanding. Likewise, if a passage from the Bible (Christian Scripture) contradicts a passage from Tanakh (Jewish Scripture), I probably have made a mistake in hearing, interpreting, or understanding. If the Word of God is really the Word of God, then it must be consistent. A God that knows all things, existed before time began and created everything in the universe surely would not give contradicting messages to His followers. If He wanted to communicate His Will and His Word, He would do it. As often as He wanted to speak that Word, He could get it right. He could be consistent …and I dare say that He does get it right, and that He is consistent. That leaves us who read and hear His Word to do our part.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, Matthew 13:13 gives us Jesus’ thought on the matter. When His apostles wanted to know why He spoke in parables, He said, “because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.” This seems to be the human condition. My wife would certainly say that about me. She can say something and I may think that I understand; but frequently, I do not. I may hear the words but fail to hear the message. In fact, most men and women experience this failure to communicate every day. There was even a very good book written about this situation a few years back entitled Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. Men and women don’t usually think alike, so each filter what he or she hears differently. Sometimes, we need to ask follow-up questions and have a conversation to have both people understand the intended message.

When I am in Church listening to what is being read from Scripture, I hear the words, but what do they really mean? I do not really comprehend what I hear. There just is not time to absorb it. In order to understand God’s Word, we need time to absorb it. We listen but we don’t really hear; or we hear but we don’t really understand—at least not right away. When we spend time contemplating His words, reading them over and over, searching for His message, and looking for the common ties between the various passages in Scripture, we can begin to understand; and I have come to believe that that is exactly what Jesus meant with His Word (above). Since we are slow to hear or understand, He purposely spoke in parables to force us to search for His meaning. Those of us who put forth the effort will eventually get it.

I have often been told that the Bible is a living document. It is alive because it speaks to us the words that we need to hear at various times in our lives. It is alive because it reveals different messages, as we are able to receive them, or when we are ready to receive them. You can read a passage when you are young and inexperienced in the ways of God and hear a very clear message for you. You can read that same passage a few years later and hear something deeper. It is alive because God speaks to us in ways that we need Him to speak to us; in ways that we can comprehend at any specific moment; in ways that address any particular need that we have at the time. Other meanings or messages could very well be included in His Word, but we are not ready to receive them or to understand them. Consequently, the Word of God appears to be living, changing as our ability to understand develops. In reality, Scripture does not change. The Word of God is constant. We are the ones who are changing. We are the ones who are growing, developing, and learning how to better listen to Him and understand His deep and complex Word.

While we are speaking of the Bible, I would like to ask a simple question. Which one is the Word of God? Frequently in Bible Study Groups, the participants have different versions of the Bible. Each one is slightly different from the others. They use different words and different phrases and sometimes seem to have different meanings. These differences often lead to confrontation about which Bible is right. I always encourage participants to look beyond the words and try to hear the message—that the message is the same regardless of the words that are used. Sometimes, by reading the different texts and discussing them, we are able to see the intended message better than if we had only read one version. In other words, the Word of God becomes clearer when more than one source is explored. Unfortunately, we sometimes can become so focused on the words in our Bibles that we miss the message. It’s like the old phrase ‘you can’t see the forest for the trees’. Worse yet, if we are so petty to think that the Holy Book that our religion espouses is the only right one and that the words in our Book are the only right ones, then we have become arrogant and self righteous. This is true in a Christian Bible Study Group. It is true in a Jewish Tanakh Midrash. It is true in a Muslim Qur’an discussion.

With this in mind, I will share with you a little tidbit of information. I recently discovered that there are nearly 600,000 words in the Jewish Bible, the Tanakh. There are nearly 200,000 more words in the King James Version of the Bible—with the addition of the Protestant New Testament. That adds up to about 800,000 words in one of the most well known Christian Bibles. The Catholic, New American Bible has over 1.1 million words—since it includes some books that are not in Jewish or Protestant Bibles. The Qur’an is much shorter—only about 80,000 words. Now, brace yourself. I am going to say something that few people will accept. Every one of these Holy Books contains the Word of God, but not every word is the Word of God. While there are nearly a million words in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Scripture, there may only be 30 or 40 Words of God in these Holy Books. For example:

1. There is one God.
2. God is the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
3. God calls people to know Him and to follow Him.
4. God gives people instruction, guidance.
5. God is faithful to all who are faithful to Him.

You get the idea.

Beyond these basic Words, the rest is supporting documentation or rephrasing, or repeating the Word for different people in different situations. Please note that the Holy Books were given at different times in history to different people who needed to hear God’s Word spoken to them in the context of their lives. If we recognize the common Message in these words, then the differences in the words should not (and would not) matter so much. When we sort out the Word of God from all the other words, then we can focus on what He intended to convey to us. If we focus on the Word of God, on His intended Message, we will be on the right path to understanding.

This may be a good place to introduce to you a remarkable (and easily accessible) Biblical source for those who are interested in Holy Scripture. Nearly 50 different English translations of the Bible have been compiled in one place and made available to us on the internet. The web site is www.biblegateway.com. (Note that there are also many translations in other languages as well.) These different versions have been written by various Biblical Scholars, knowledgeable Bible historians and expert linguists, but as one might expect, they are all different. One good example is a passage from the Prophet Jeremiah (which is a book that is included in all Jewish Tanakhs and all Christian Bibles).

The Jewish Study Bible (JSB) gives this passage, Jeremiah 33:15, which speaks of the coming Messiah as follows: “In those days and at that time, I will raise up a true branch of David’s line, and he shall do what is just and right in the land.” The New American Bible (NAB) gives it as, “In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land.” The King James Version (KJV) gives it as, “In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.”

As we can see, different translations of the Bible and Tanakh use different terms for this passage. Some use ‘of David’s line’ (as the JSB does) which indicates that the ‘true branch’ will be a descendant of David. Some use ‘for David’ (as the NAB does) which indicates that the ‘just shoot’ would be for the benefit of David, the House of David, Judaism. Still others use ‘unto David’ (as the KJV does) which indicates that the ‘branch of righteousness’ will be like David, raised to the status of David and be as important and effective and as esteemed as David.

Which translation we read significantly affects what we believe about this Word of God—especially if we read it literally. I use this example to point out that we may not know YHVH’s true intention in this Word. God may have had only one meaning in mind or He may have meant all three. We may not fully understand the truth of God’s Word—because we may only see a part of it—the part that was included in our version of the Bible. Because it is given to us in various ways, with different likely understandings, we need to search for the Truth. In this case we might be wise to conclude that this true branch, this just shoot, this branch of righteousness (i.e., this Messiah) will be like David, from the lineage of David and for the House of David. All three interpretations of God’s Word could be right; and the Truth, God’s intended message, may only be seen when we look at all three together. When we realize that the written words in our Bible may not contain the full story and may not be the complete Word of God, then we can open our eyes and begin to see the Truth that God has given us.

In the case of the Bible, we should realize that different translations have been made periodically throughout the last 2000 years. Many different people utilized different sources that were written in different languages at different times in history. We have to realize that mistakes can occur—both in translation and in content. I am sure that the people who put together the different versions, who made these translations, all had the best intentions; but they may not all have had the same understanding or knowledge about a language or a writing style or a tradition that existed hundreds or thousands of years before.

Additionally, there has been a flurry of new translations in the last 100 years as new archeological discoveries have become known, and the disciplines of linguistics and Biblical analysis have developed. It should not be a surprise that various interpretations of the Word of God may be different. Nevertheless, we should also realize that each new version is written to help us understand the intended Word of God. We just need to keep in mind that God, YHVH, Jesus, Allah has given His Word, and it is up to us to try to understand it and to put it into practice in our lives.

Unfortunately, it is not easy and that reality is exemplified in the four Gospel accounts. Repeatedly, in Christian Scripture, we hear how Jesus speaks and the people do not understand. His own disciples who had traveled with him and had been present throughout His ministry did not always understand. Luke 9:45 says, “They did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it.” Consequently, it should not be surprising that we may not properly understand. But fortunately, with God’s help, we can understand.

Here is an example. One morning, I was given understanding of a passage that previously had not made sense to me. Mark 4:11–12 gives us words that Jesus told His Apostles: “The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that ‘they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven’.” After reading this passage, we must ask ourselves some questions. Doesn’t God want us to understand? Doesn’t He want us to be converted to Him, and doesn’t He want us to be forgiven? Why would God give us His Holy Word but not want us to understand it? This seems to be completely contrary to everything that Holy Scripture proclaims. Throughout the Tanakh and the Bible, God has called people to Himself, called them to convert their hearts, to turn to Him. He has constantly offered His forgiveness. How could He possibly be doing this if He really does not want us to be converted or forgiven? Honestly, this has been a big stumbling block to me.

When I read this same thing in the Qur’an, I was even more perplexed. Surah 18:57 states: “Verily, We have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this and over their ears, deafness.” Surah 17:45–46 further states: “We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they should understand.” According to both the Bible and the Qur’an, God has purposely blocked our view of His Word. But why?

My new understanding came with a dream about a jigsaw puzzle; and now, it all makes sense. God has given us His Word at various times, in various places to various people in various languages; and each Word is unique—like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle. God has stored them in a Book called Holy Scripture. When we open His Holy Book, His Word is before us but it is not easily recognized—it is in pieces. We need to pour those puzzle pieces onto a table and we have to sort through them, and then search for pieces that fit together. As more and more puzzle pieces are connected, the Word of God begins to come into view. It is as if God has supplied the pieces of His jigsaw puzzle, His Word, and left it up to us to find them and put them into place. To make it more difficult, we don’t have a picture on the box and we do not know what the completed puzzle will look like. Through this process, God is essentially asking us, Do you want to hear My Word, or not? Do you want to see Me, or not? Do you want to know Me—or not? Will you put forth the effort—or not?

Jesus speaks in parables to sort out the wheat from the chaff—those who are intent on hearing and understanding His Word from those who are not. God places this veil over our eyes, ears, and hearts because He wants us to make the effort to search Him out. He wants us to discover His messages for ourselves. As Matthew 13:44 states: “The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” When we find His Word, it is a treasure and we are filled with joy; and that joy becomes more complete as we put more and more of His puzzle pieces together—and begin to see His Word more clearly. It is a great gift—more valuable than anything else we own.

When I think about it, this is also great wisdom. God is not going to waste His breath, telling millions of people the secret of life just so they can ignore it, let it go in one ear and out the other. He purposely put that veil over our heads so that we would have to discover its presence and then ask to have it removed, and then strive to see and hear more clearly. I believe that this is what Allah meant when He said in Surah 5:35, “O ye who believe! Do your duty to Allah, seek the means of approach unto Him, and strive with might and main in His cause: that ye may prosper.” Proverbs 2:1–5 states it beautifully as follows: “My son, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments; if you make your ear attentive to wisdom and your mind open to discernment; if you call to understanding and cry aloud to discernment, if you seek it as you do silver and search for it as for treasures, then you will understand the fear of the lord and attain knowledge of God.”

I now believe that God hides His messages to test us. In essence, God is asking, Are you interested in finding Me, or not? He places that veil over our hearts to see if we are sincere in loving Him. Do we want to be converted to Him; and do we want to be forgiven and accepted into His family—or not? Psalm 119:95 speaks for me when it states, “I seek to understand your testimonies.”

In the Jewish faith, (at the time of Jesus), some of the Religious leaders (the Pharisees) believed that there was life after death. They were listening to the most recent prophets who had presented this teaching. Others who were more conservative and Orthodox (the Sadducees) did not believe in this new teaching. Their focus was on the Mosaic teaching, the Mosaic Law that came early in the lives of the Israelites.

In the early years of the Christian faith, many of the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus believed that Gentiles needed to be circumcised and become Jewish to be accepted into their community. Others opposed that approach, believing that having the Spirit of God within us was more important than adhering to a Law that demanded circumcision.

In the Islam faith, most consider jihad to be an internal struggle to do what is right and just in the world and to remain faithful to Allah. Others consider jihad as a command to repress and subdue unbelievers and to spread their faith— even with physical fighting and military aggression.

We all have a history of divergent beliefs within our religions, and even more significantly, different beliefs between religions. Even though we all have the same Word of God as the source of our religions, we have differences of opinions about what that Word is.

Let’s take a look at some Scriptural passages that could be misunderstood and why we sometimes misunderstand.

John 2:18–22 speaks of Jesus kicking merchants and moneychangers out of the Temple. The Jews wanted to know by what authority Jesus did these things. He said, “Destroy this Temple and in three days, I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This Temple has been under construction for 46 years, and you will raise it up in three days?” Certainly, Jesus did not mean the Temple in which they were standing, the glorious stone Temple where the Jews gathered to praise YHVH and offer sacrifices to God—but they thought He did. Jesus used the well-known word ‘Temple’ in a different context; but they did not understand and He did not explain it to them.

Later, in 1Corinthians 3:16–17, Paul gives the Corinthians the meaning of Jesus’ statement: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.” Jesus had not been speaking of the stone building, the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, but the temple of His body. Looking at one passage alone like this in Scripture can truly be misleading. Looking at all of Scripture and understanding how it ties together clarifies the Word of God.

A misunderstanding like this is unfortunately common. We frequently take Scriptural passages as they appear—even when Scripture is not always clear in meaning. In addition to using words that can have different meanings, it has been said that Scripture has four separate and distinct meanings. (For reference, they are literal, allegorical, moral, and anagogical. If you want to know more about these, I will leave it to you to find their meanings.)

Ezekiel 34:1–31 is a scathing condemnation of the Jewish leadership in which YHVH tells them very clearly that they have shepherded His people poorly, and that this poor shepherding was the cause of their exile. Ezekiel says, “Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel, who have been tending yourselves! Is it not the flock that the shepherds ought to tend?” YHVH complains: “My flock is scattered.” This 34th chapter of Ezekiel goes on to relay a very important message. The words ‘I will’ are used 11 times to reveal what YHVH himself will do to shepherd His people rightly. God says: “I will look for the lost, and I will bring back the strayed; I will bandage the injured, and I will sustain the weak”, etc. This passage clearly states that God will shepherd His people Himself.

Looking at the commentary in the Jewish Study Bible (called annotations), this condemnation is downplayed, and God’s promise to take over the leadership of His people is watered down. It is interpreted and presented to the Jewish people to be YHVH’s speaking of a shared leadership. Maybe they are right …but maybe not. Christians see this passage as a Messianic prophesy. Maybe they are right …but maybe not. Maybe both are right …but not completely right.

The inclusion of this story is not a condemnation of the Jewish leadership or of Judaism. It is simply an example of how we, in all faiths, look at Scripture with an eye to support our beliefs and teachings. Sometimes we fail to see the true meanings of God’s Word. Sometimes we need to review our teachings with unbiased eyes or with ‘other biased eyes’. Maybe it is for this reason that we should read and contemplate the Holy Books of all three faiths. If we were to do that, we could all find some truth that was previously unseen or misunderstood.

I can say without reservation, that my reading and reflecting on the Holy Qur’an during the past four years has opened my eyes to new understandings. My reading and reflecting on the Tanakh over the last 15 years has opened my eyes to new understandings. In many ways, my reading these other Holy Books has deepened my Christian faith. These new understandings of God have brought me closer to Him; and this is exactly what YHVH, Jesus, Allah has wanted for us in every age.

A third example could be taken from the Qur’an. Surah 3:85 may be one of the most insightful passages in any of the Holy Books but it may also be one of the most misunderstood. It states that “If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good).”

Since Islam is the religion of Muslims and this passage is written in the Holy Book of Islam, most people who read this passage or hear it proclaimed would interpret it as a rejection of Judaism, Christianity and all other religions except Islam. However, there is overwhelming evidence within the Qur’an that should reveal that this is not the intended message.

Throughout the Qur’an, Jews and Christians are honored as People of the Book (as we saw in an earlier chapter). Throughout the Qur’an, Allah professed to have called the Holy Ones from each religion just as He called Muhammad. A total rejection of the Jewish and/or Christian people is completely contradictory to the many other passages in the Qur’an.

We will look at this in more detail in a future chapter, but for now, suffice it to say that the word Islam in this passage does not mean the Islam religion. It uses the word Islam by its definition, (submission to Allah), as the parenthetical descriptor in the passage indicates—submission to the Will of God.

Another easily misunderstood passage within the Qur’an has to do with the taking of life. Surah 17:33 states: “Take not life—which Allah has made sacred—except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, We have given his heir authority (to demand Qisas or to forgive); but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life.” What does this mean? Some people might understand this to be a call for revenge or vengeance. In other words, Allah is giving permission (or even instruction) to kill a murderer—just as He had in the Tanakh. Others might understand this to be an injunction not to kill—just as He had instructed in the Bible— because Allah has made all life sacred. Still others may see it as something in between, a call for restraint because Allah has given authority to forgive and a command to not exceed bounds in taking revenge—just as He had in each of the earlier Holy Books.

All three understandings could be justified because this passage includes three phrases that are ambiguous. First, what life has Allah ‘made sacred’? Some people would say that every life that Allah has made is sacred. Others might say that only Muslims are made sacred, or that only Jihadists are made sacred. Next, how would a person define a ‘just cause’ for murder and what action would ‘exceed bounds’ in taking revenge? These are purely subjective phrases that could mean different things to extremists than they do to moderates—in any religion. To understand this passage properly, we must learn what Allah intended with these words. To define the meaning properly, we must look further into the Word of God. (Note that a chapter is devoted to Jihad later in this book—to explore God’s teaching on this subject more fully.)

Now, let us go back to the Tanakh where YHVH meets Moses. Exodus 33:20–22 states: “He said, you cannot see My face and live …you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.” It is easy to see how Jews have taken this text at face value (no pun intended) and remained adamant that Jesus could not be God. If Jesus was God, then those who would have seen His face would have died. Still, another passage in the Tanakh, Exodus 33:11 states: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another.” YHVH Himself even states this in Numbers 12:7 as follows: “Moses … with him I speak mouth to mouth, plainly and not in riddles, and he beholds the likeness of the Lord.”

With these seemingly contradictory passages, how can we so surely state that you cannot ever see the face of God? Maybe He simply did not want Moses to see His face when He first called him. Maybe it is only in God’s normal state that we cannot see Him (whatever His normal state is). Maybe God can take on other personas or manifestations, which we can see and still live. Do we really know God so well that we can say without doubt that we can never see the face of God or that He cannot be seen as a human being?

Before we move on to deeper topics and more probing questions, I would like to speak of something that you might be thinking or feeling right now. Throughout this chapter, I have presented well-known Scripture passages, which we think we understand; but suggested that we may actually not understand them correctly. I have offered alternate interpretations; and reading these alternate interpretations may be making you feel a bit uncomfortable. Rest assured; you are not alone. Most of us, generally, do not want to hear Scriptural interpretations that conflict with or contradict what we believe to be true. We do not want to listen to any understanding of God’s Word that brings our understanding into question. That reality reveals something about us: that we believe that we have the truth in our faith and no one else can have the truth. We are certain that their different understanding cannot be correct.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, this book is all about searching for Truth, God’s intended message—that is present in His Word. Many Scriptural passages will be explored; and many of our understandings will be brought into question. Please recognize that this is not intended to refute your understanding, but to reveal that there may be a more complete understanding waiting to be discovered. The Word of God has been given to each of the three great monotheistic religions and this book explores them together. It takes a fresh look at scripture with a willingness to question the teachings of the past and presents the idea that this new and different approach could lead to new understanding, a better understanding of God and His Word. It is my hope that this fresh look at the totality of Holy Scripture will illuminate the Truth that God has given throughout the years, truth that we may have failed to hear. It is my hope that these alternate interpretations help open our eyes to the possibility of errors in our belief and help us hear the Word of God in new ways that help open our hearts to Him.