You will find a copy of the Bible in ninety-two percent of American homes. In a recent study done by the American Bible Society, seventy percent of teens surveyed within those homes said that they believe there are correlations between the messages of the Bible and their lives. Six out of every ten surveyed reported reading the Bible "somewhat regularly." But how many of those teens can say with confidence that they understand what they read in its pages? The Big Buts of the Bible demystifies the life and teachings of Jesus simply by following the appearances of the word but in the Gospel of Matthew. The result is clarity—the old, old story made fresh and accessible in everyday language for the contemporary teen reader.
For most teens, the thought of reading or studying the Bible is imposing. Over twenty-five years of ministry I’ve had many teens voice their frustrations to me—they’re confused about how one passage relates to another, how each part is related to the whole, or they struggle to make sense of difficult words and phrases. Thee, Thou and verily aside, many contemporary teens approach the scriptures from a skewed vantage point—think of the teen trying to understand that God is her loving heavenly father when the only father she has known abandoned her family. The expectation that they should be able to sit, read and take-away leaves most teenagers overwhelmed. The Bible is a hard book.
Consider the word but for a moment. Not very imposing, is it? It’s a little three letter conjunction we use every day in virtually every conversation. "Thank you, but" is the polite rejection of an offer. "I’m sorry, but" may cause you to question the authenticity of an apology. Even in traffic court, a Judge is likely to give you three options: a plea of guilty, not guilty, or guilty but with an explanation. Yes, I’ve been to traffic court—what can I say? Sometimes when you work for the Lord you have to go very fast! I briefly considered the ‘guilty but’ option, but I thought better of it. The point is, the word but functions as a great clarifier. It lends to our understanding of what’s being communicated every day. The same is true where the written word is concerned; the same is true of your Bible.
A very complex passage on the conception of Jesus Christ is clarified a bit when we consider a statement like, Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. The teachings of Jesus Christ are filled with paradoxes and buts. "You’ve heard it said," Jesus tells us again and again, "but now I say to you…" The utter simplicity of the gospel becomes clear when we read that he who believes is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already.
The word but often calls us to act. The remark "last but not least," for instance, alerts us to give renewed attention, for although this information comes later, it is as important as that which came earlier. But often calls us to respond. Consider the examples I gave—Do we believe that Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus? Do Jesus’ teachings call us to abandon the old ways in which we’ve viewed things? Which side of this fence called belief do we stand on? But beckons us to choose.
For many years I’ve joked that I should write a book called The Big Buts of the Bible. As often as that word appears in scripture it brings added clarity to the text. As I tell my parishioners, wherever you see that little three letter conjunction in your Bible, highlight it. It’s going to help you get more out of the passage. In working with teens, I’ve seen this transform their Bible reading experience.
So why just the Gospel of Matthew? There’s an old children’s riddle: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! The Bible is made up of 66 books, each chock-full of important appearances of the word but. To undertake a consideration of each of those and the light that they shed on important Bible passages and truths is a monumental task. Just like eating an elephant, it would be best to proceed one bite at a time.
The Gospel of Matthew is a great starting place because it stands as the first book in the New Testament. It offers the Bible’s first account of the entire life of Christ, his ministry and his teachings. Because it was written with primarily a Jewish audience in mind, much of Matthew’s content serves to tie Jesus in across the whole of Biblical history and as the culmination of God’s ancient story. With teens this is especially important—God’s redemptive story can unfold before their eyes; those important connections between the parts and the whole, one passage and another, and an understanding of words, phrases and doctrines is simplified.
Big Buts of the Bible: Gospel of Matthew is organized around the 176 appearances of the word but in the first book of the New Testament. Each of this book’s 28 chapters corresponds with the chapter divisions in Matthew’s gospel. As such, you may find added enjoyment in reading the passages I’ve referred to in the full context of their Biblical setting. Big Buts will help students recognize the Bible is more than the best-selling book of all time—that it is God’s word, for them. It will help them recognize Jesus is more than a good moral teacher from long ago—that He is God the Son, their Lord and Savior.
an excerpt from the Introduction of Big Buts of the Bible: Gospel of Matthew
