PERHAPS THERE’S MORE TO THE STORY!
Have you ever wondered why Biblical characters conducted themselves as they did? Why did Joseph’s brothers grow angry over a simple coat? What happened to incite the residents of Jerusalem to move from adulation of Jesus on Palm Sunday to cries of “crucify Him” in a matter of days? Was greed over a paltry 30 pieces of silver the real motivation behind Judas betraying Jesus? Actions that were easily understood in the historical and cultural context of the story, often leave us scratching our heads in puzzlement as we attempt to grasp ancient occurrences through a modern filter.
Perhaps that puzzlement is a hint that perhaps there’s more to the story? More to the human reactions and responses than what we see on the surface or can filter through our own modern values? Perhaps there’s a backstory! And perhaps being introduced to those Biblical backstories helps us “connect the pieces of the puzzle” that time has scattered like a desert wind.
A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF A BACKSTORY:
As student at university, I learned about the importance and power of backstories when upon returning to campus from a holiday break, I spotted a close friend I’ll call “Bobby” across the quad. Knowing he had not yet seen me, I quietly made my way behind Bobby, grabbed him in a tight bear hug and lifted him off the ground with a loud “whoop.”
Bobby’s response was more than being startled, for when I sat him back on his feet, in a blind rage, he turned swinging. As his crazed look met my bewilderment, I had the feeling that at that moment, he didn’t know who or where he was. After being the recipient of a couple of well-placed punches, I was able to calm Bobby while profusely apologizing to him for whatever it was I had done. As the reality of where he was and what had just happened begin to settle in, Bobby begin to sob uncontrollably. I calmly pressed for an explanation. He shook his head while in a loud voice cried, “No! No! I can’t tell you.”
Not willing to accept those words from an obviously hurting friend as a reasonable answer, I continued pressing, sensing Bobby needed to address whatever deeply embedded trauma caused such a violent response. After a couple of more moments of gentle coaxing mixed with casual conversation, in a halting and shame-filled voice, Bobby shared his story:
For over eight years, well into his mid teens, he had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by an older family member. Two days after his sixteenth birthday, Bobby stood up to this predators advances. He told him that in no uncertain terms that this would never happen again. Bobby, emboldened by his new found courage, approached his parents with his story. Unfortunately their response did not go as he’d imagined. Rather than offering support, his parents charged Bobby with silence for fear that this information, if it became known, would destroy the family. From that day forward, those horrible eight years of sexual assault were never mentioned. Bobby tamped down his feelings and convinced himself that with the passage of time he had distanced himself from the pain and horror of the years -long inexcusable actions of a member of his family. He settled in to an uneasy acceptance, believing the nightmarish horror of sexual assault and rape were long buried - at least until our encounter on the quad.
That day, my actions in grabbing a college buddy in a bear hug and his overreacting taught me my first lesson in the power of how someone else’s story became my backstory, which in turn lead me into a deeper understanding of my friends life journey.
Our emotional, behavioral and spiritual responses to life’s circumstances are in part, conditioned by our past hurts and traumas. It’s not unreasonable to believe, that because we are basically the same, that in Biblical times people responded in similar manner. Like us, every character in the Bible dreamed, hurt, laughed, cried succeded and failed. No doubt their experiences impacted their lives and emotions and chartered their courses as much as ours experiences can determine our path. Human emotions, especially love, hate, rebellion and the desire to please God repeatedly play out in the stories that give us Bible history, (looking behind us) and prophecy, (looking ahead.)
In your study of God’s Word, focus on the characters and begin digging deep to learn their backstories, never forgetting that they were real people with with challenges - just like us!
