They Received the Word Gladly

I. Introduction:

II. Text: 2 Timothy 3:13-4:4

III. Truth appeals to the common man who wants to serve God

A. John the Baptist

B. When John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus by preaching in the wilderness of Judea, multitudes emptied the surrounding cities to hear him. John rebuked the religious leaders—Pharisees and Sadducees—because they would not bring fruits of repentance. Jesus rebuked them for they did not receive John as a prophet.

C. Jesus

D. As with John, multitudes loved Jesus and eagerly wanted to hear him

E. Mark 12:37: The common people heard Him gladly

F. No one spoke like Jesus, John 7:45-49. He spoke with authority, Matthew 7:28-29

G. The religious leaders rejected Jesus

H. Did not receive the words of Jesus, John 8:42-47 They were more concerned with their power than with the truth, John 11:45-53 (quickly reference)

IV. Throughout history, religious leaders have often been the enemy of truth

A. Jesus rebuked the Jews for keeping the truth from those who desired it or corrupted the message so that it did not benefit the hearer, Matthew 23:13-15

B. Of course, like many religious leaders throughout history, they thought that the “rabble” could not comprehend the depth of truth.

C. In fact, the common people often understood the truth when the religious elite did not.

D. Thankfully, the gospel is a simple message that is readily available to the masses.

V. The gospel among the common people in the early church

A. There was no clergy and layperson distinction as is common in the modern religious world.

B. God intended his message to be circulated among the churches.

C. The word of God was not restricted to a chosen intellectual, spiritual elite.

D. The early church copied and circulated the message of God.

E. Colossians 4:16 – Read their epistle and the one to the Laodecians Peter recognized the epistles as scripture, 2 Peter 3:15-16. The word was spread among all Christians to free godly men from false teachers and prepare them for their work as Christians, 2 Timothy 2:13-17 Paul told the Thessalonians to keep what they have heard directly and what was written in the epistles, 2 Thessalonians 2:13

F. Historical record

G. The historical record shows that the word was freely available to Christians in the early period of the church. The Old Testament had been translated into Greek about 200 years before Christ (the Septuagint) and was accessible to all literate people. The Christians did copy the letters and gospels and send them to fellow Christians for their edification. One of the oldest portions of a New Testament book is a papyrus fragment of the book of Colossians written in Egyptian Coptic language dating from the 3rd century.iEXTENSIVE USE OF MacGREGOR AS SOURCE MATERIAL i Dead Sea Scrolls to the Forbidden Book: A History of the Bible . Exhibit Guide, author not listed. His Story, LLC., 2003. p.10.

H. This shows that in a short time from the writing of the epistle, Christians copied it in another language to distribute to other Christians.

I. Map Egypt/Colosse: These regions are not close together. Even though the epistle was written to the Colossians, its principles are applicable to all Christians.

VI. Keeping the Bible from the common people

A. Though the early church circulated the word freely among themselves, in time, only the spiritual elite had direct access to God’s word.

B. Progression of events

C. As the Western Roman Catholic church gained power, the Latin language began to dominate and, by the seventh century, became the only accepted language of Scripture in the western church—widespread knowledge of Greek and Hebrew was gone.iii The Forbidden Book . Dr. Craig Lampe. Craig Lampe: Publishing site unknown, 2003. p. 3. Constant warfare and barbarian invasions obliterated any real intellectual life outside of the monasteries.iiii A Literary History of the Bible . Geddes Mac Gregor. Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1968. p. 18ii During the Middle Ages, the Bible was read to the people in schools and on Sunday services because many people were illiterate—it was unnecessary for them in their roles.iiv Ibid , p.19.

D. Eventually, the church began to view itself as the guardian of God’s word and, though the layman might understand much of the Bible, he would not understand the discussions among the professional Biblical students—the priests, monks, bishops, etc.vv Ibid . p.20

E. However, during the Middle Ages, many of the clerics were not very literate, so much that they often stumbled through Mass because of their ignorance of Latin.“The people had to depend, for the most part, upon priests who could hardly read the Bible themselves, let alone expound it to the people.” –Geddes Mac Gregorvvi Ibid . p. 75

VII. The Bible for the common man

A. Despite these difficulties, spiritually minded people wanted to hear and know the word for themselves.

B. Many were disgusted with abuses and excesses within the Catholic Church. They wanted to know the Word of God themselves.

C. There were some Bibles in the common language

D. The Bible—Jerome’s Latin Vulgate—was translated into German, Spanish, French, Italian, and even Anglo-Saxon without controversy.vvii Ibid . pp.67-72ii However, a great struggle began in the attempt to bring the Bible into the English language.

VIII. The Wycliffe English Bible

A. In the fourteenth century, the Roman church was in turmoil and England sought to break the hold of the Roman church.

B. In 1309, the papal authority moved from Rome to France—the traditional enemy of England. In the middle of the century, the English government passed laws restraining papal authority in England and prohibiting papal bulls—official commands from the pope. In 1338, this cumulated in England’s assertion that it could choose its king without the necessity of papal confirmation. (all from Mac Gregor) The English government’s resistance emboldened some to speak out against abuses in the Catholic Church—though the historical Reformation Movement was still 200 years away.

C. Onto this stage stepped John Wycliffe.

D. Though Wycliffe lived before the formal Reformation movement, he wanted to correct many abuses and excesses in the Catholic Church. In order for believers to live by faith, he believed and taught that they must have access to God’s word in their own language—English. He began the work of translation that his followers, the Lollards, finished. As the pope pressured England to repent of its insubordination, the Lollards actively taught the common people from their English translation of the Bible and protested the Catholic abuses.

E. The Lollards popularity grew and their struggle against the political and religious powers led to their great persecution.

F. Those who had a Wycliffe Bible could lose their “land, cattle, life, and goods,” Mac Gregor, p.79. Archbishop Arundel quote. Mac Gregor, p.79 Some Lollards were burned at the stake for their preaching. So great was the hatred of Wycliffe that forty-four years after his death, Pope Martin V ordered Wycliffe’s bones to be exhumed, burned and dumped in the River Swift as condemnation of his work.vviii Lampe, p.37.

IX. The Reformation English Bible

A. The real struggle over an English Bible came during the Reformation movement.

B. Those who protested abuses in the Catholic Church—the Protestants—wanted to abide by scripture alone (therefore needing the scripture in the hands of the common people) The Catholic Church felt that the ignorant masses would not properly interpret the scriptures, which would give rise to many diverse heresies. This conflict exploded with the work of William Tyndale.

C. William Tyndale

D. Tyndale, and Oxford and Cambridge trained scholar, was moved by scholars who quoted from the Bible and explained the passages to students. Tyndale’s ambition, p.111.

E. There was a great obstacle to Tyndale translating the Bible into English.

F. In 1408, there was a law preventing anyone from translating the Bible into English unless authorized by a bishop. Tyndale sought authority from the Lord Bishop of London, but was rejected.

G. Tyndale went to the European continent and sought secret sources to print an English translation of the New Testament.

H. Some printing was successful in Cologne but talkative printers revealed the plan. Tyndale escaped to Worms where, a few years earlier, Martin Luther defended himself before the Roman church.

I. In 1526, Tyndale succeeded in smuggling copies of the English New Testament into England which could be purchased for a crown—a mason’s wage for five days.

J. The English bishops raised money and purchased many copies which they burned. This worked for the good because with the money raised, Tyndale could print even more New Testaments! When, under Henry VIII, England repudiated the pope’s jurisdiction, the English translation came into greater favor.

K. Tyndale’s death

L. The enemies of Tyndale, kidnapped him and took him to Belgium where he languished in a cold, dark cell poorly dressed and suffering sickness. On October 6, 1536, Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake. Before he died, he cried out, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.

M. Miles Coverdale

N. A contemporary of Tyndale, Miles Coverdale produced the first complete Bible in English in 1535. England, no longer under the influence of the Roman Church, cautiously accepted the English translation, fearing that widespread acceptance might lead to anarchy in the religious world leading to political struggles. Coverdale’s Bible, based on Tyndale’s translation, was reluctantly approved by the King of England because he modified objectionable terms used by Tyndale.

O. John Rogers

P. In 1537, the Matthew Bible, named from John Roger’s pseudonym Thomas Matthew, based on the Tyndale and Coverdale translations, appeared on the scene. The English Archbishop, Thomas Cramner, was impressed with this version and requested that the Henry VIII license it freely; which he did in 1537. However, upon the death of Henry VIII, Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scots, a.k.a. “bloody Mary,” ascended the English throne. Eighteen years after the release and acceptance of his translation, Rogers was burned at the stake, the first of 300 martyrs to die under her brief reign.

Q. The Geneva Bible

R. During Mary’s reign, many scholars fled to Geneva, Switzerland, to escape persecution. In 1560, the exiles produced the Geneva Bible.

S. It was a significant translation

T. It was written in Roman type which was extremely readable to those with poor eyesight It was divided into verses as well as paragraphs It was the most popular translation of the Bible It was the Bible of Shakespeare and the Mayflower Pilgrims One significant problem was its copious Calvinistic and anti-Catholic notes in the margins; officials of the English Church objected to it and commissioned a Bible—the Bishop’s Bible—to unseat its popularity. It did not.

U. The Great Bible

V. Though the Matthew’s Bible was permitted for reading, a Bible authorized for reading in all the churches was needed. Thomas Cromwell, the King’s Vicar-General, commissioned a Bible to proved an authorized Bible for the churches. They sought help from French printers to make sufficient copies but had to abandon the effort when Roman Inquisition demanded the printers cease their work and charged them with heresy. When the Great Bible was published, only the power of English law could command its placement in churches over the protests of the bishops. This made the Bible freely available to all who could read or who could find someone to read to them; some were motivated to learn to read so they could read the Bible for themselves. Some preachers of the time complained because people chose to read the Bible instead of listening to their sermons. The Lord had opened the King of England’s eyes.iix How We Got The Bible . Neil Lightfoot. ACU Press: Abilene, TX, 1986. pp. 78-79 x

W. The 1611 King James Version

X. Finally, in 1607, King James of England commissioned a translation of the Bible for public and private use that did not have the objectionable notes of the Geneva Bible and would be acceptable to all people. Around 48 Hebrew and Greek scholars, working in groups which would translate and evaluate the work of other groups, produced the translation in just under three years. The King James Version was authorized to be read in all churches and printed in 1611. Since then, many revisions of this Bible and completely new translations are available in English.

X. The English Bible’s Value

A. How much did your Bible cost?

B. You can order them for a few dollars or spend a hundred dollars for a nice leather one. The Tyndale Bible cost a week’s wage for a mason. That same amount, would allow you to borrow a Wycliffe Bible years before Tyndale.

C. But the cost of the Bible is much more than this.

D. Countless men and women suffered cruel treatment and horrifying agonizing deaths to translate, print, and distribute the Bibles to the common people. Add to the cost of your Bible, the blood required to fight religious and political powers determined to take it from your hand.

E. Of what value is your Bible?

F. The value of your Bible is not on what you could sell it for today, but for the value you place on it. Is it something precious to you, words of life that you eagerly seek so that you can be a workman who will not be ashamed in Judgment? If religious leaders tried to keep the Bible out of your hands, how would it affect your attitude? How much more should we seek it when it is freely available to us. Are the words “Holy Bible, book divine, precious treasure, thou art mine. Lamp to my feet and a light for my way to guide me safely home” merely lyrics or do they represent your feeling towards God’s word? Our Bible should be our most valued possession and a constant companion.

G. What will you do?

H. “And the common people heard Him gladly,” Mark wrote.

I. The Bible is our access to the Savior. Do we sacrifice time and seek opportunities to read His word as the multitudes forsook the cities and sought the truth in the wilderness? If you love to read your Bible, continue in it: it contains the words of life. If you do not read your Bible regularly; develop this habit which will deepen your love for God, open your eyes to God’s way, and illuminate a path through error and false doctrine.

XI. ________________________

XII. EXTENSIVE USE OF MacGREGOR AS SOURCE MATERIALi Dead Sea Scrolls to the Forbidden Book: A History of the Bible. Exhibit Guide, author not listed. His Story, LLC., 2003. p.10.

XIII. ii The Forbidden Book . Dr. Craig Lampe. Craig Lampe: Publishing site unknown, 2003. p. 3.

XIV. iii A Literary History of the Bible . Geddes Mac Gregor. Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1968. p. 18

XV. iv Ibid , p.19.

XVI. v Ibid . p.20

XVII. vi Ibid . p. 75

XVIII. vii Ibid . pp.67-72

XIX. viii Lampe, p.37.

XX. ix How We Got The Bible . Neil Lightfoot. ACU Press: Abilene, TX, 1986. pp. 78-79