Episode 147 – Lenses of Context Pt 4: Visual
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” “Seeing is believing.” “I saw it with my own eyes.” We humans are deeply visual creatures. In fact, mirror neurons in our brains give us the unique capacity to empathize and embody what we see. Unfortunately, many of us fail to engage the visual aspect of the Bible. In order to understand the original context of the bible in a new way, we need to visualize what the original authors and readers were seeing. Simply seeing photos, videos, or artist renderings of Bible stories can unlock a depth of understanding we can’t access any other way (outside of traveling there). By the end of this episode, you’ll have a list of visual resources and key questions to help you see the Bible in a whole new light, literally!
Discussion Questions
- What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?
- Of all the visual examples shared in the episode, which one stood out to you most? Why?
- Think for a moment about the image of the Nubian Ibex standing confidently on the dangerous heights. What thoughts or sensations did that image bring to mind from your life?
- When most of us think of the “green pastures” from Psalm 23, the image we imagine is nothing like the image in this episode. How did the image of “green pastures” in this episode challenge your understanding of “green pastures?”
- What are one or two passages/stories from the Bible you’d especially like to see? Why?
- How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?
For Further Study
- Archaeology Illustrated (Balage Balogh) – Encompasses the most stunning and helpful artist illustrations of the biblical world.
- Bible Places (Todd Bolen) – Encompasses the most comprehensive and spectacular library of biblical photos.
- Holy Land Photos (Carl Rasmussen) – Encompasses a fantastic library of free, biblical photos.
- iBibleStock.org (Andy Cook) – Encompasses both biblical photos and drone footage from the land of Israel.
- Biblical Israel by Air (John Delancey) – Encompasses drone footage from more than 55 sites in Israel and Jordan.
- Walking The Bible Lands: Virtual Tours (Wayne Stiles) – Encompasses an immersive-virtual experience of Bible Lands.
Fantastic episode! I hope pastors and Bible teachers everywhere take advantage of the amazing resources that are now available to help us “see” the Text. Thanks, Brad!
Really appreciate you sharing that, Andy!