Psychology and the Bible
Some might wonder, “What does the Bible have to do with psychology?” Or, “What does psychology have to do with the Bible?” The answer to these questions depends on how one chooses to view psychology. So, what is psychology? People will have varying opinions of what psychology means, but may not realize the full scope of what psychology entails. Ask a person, born in the 1920’s, what psychology is, and you will most likely get a response different from someone born in the 1980’s.
A person’s opinion of psychology will depend on their understanding of what psychology means. Most people think of psychology as the professional field of taking care of the mentally ill. Many people think only someone who is crazy (their definition) needs use of psychology or the aid of someone in that profession. Though these opinions are easily within the realms of psychology, there is still a vast area of our lives that involves psychology. It is my intention to give Bible examples of psychology in use, and show that all of us use psychology in some form or fashion in our lives.
What is psychology?
The question that begs to be answered is, what is psychology? Psychology is knowledge of the mind and the behavior in the mind, in relation to the mental and behavioral characteristics of an individual or group. Psychology tries to explain why people act, think, and feel as they do. With this definition of psychology, let’s look at some occurrences of psychology as used in the Bible.
The Adulteress Woman
(All scripture readings are from the Revised Standard Version)
John 8:1-11: Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. [2] Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. [3] The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst [4] they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. [5] Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?”
The members of the Sanhedrin, had been disappointed from just the day before unsuccessfully trying to snare Jesus. This time they were no less diligent and determined in their wicked way. They were seeking all opportunities, and taking all advantages against Christ. The Scribes and Pharisees now thought they had something with which to ensnare him, and bring him into disgrace in the eyes of his followers or to put him in danger with the Roman authorities.
The woman, as some speculate, might have been taken in the act of adultery the day before, in one of their booths. She may have been drawn into it through drunkenness and merriment, only to find herself having been set up by the Scribes and Pharisees. During this feast it was customary to greatly indulge themselves in drunkenness and celebrations.
This shows the Scribes and Pharisees were far from drawing the Holy Spirit at this time upon themselves; that on the contrary, they fell into their own lusts of self pleasure and personal gain. It is obvious, by their addressing Jesus as Master, in the KJV, and Teacher, in the RSV, that they were mocking him. The Scribes and Pharisees were falsely humbling themselves before Christ, with intent to entrap him. One would be correct in saying they were wolves portraying themselves as sheep before the Christ.
Verse [6]: This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
You can imagine the delight of the Scribes and Pharisees. Just imagine the thoughts or murmurings that may have been going on between them. They had silenced the great Jesus. He was not responding to their question. They felt they had succeeded in trapping Jesus with their account of this woman. Please make note, that the phrase, ‘as though he heard them not’, has been added in the KJV of the Bible. In reading verse seven, it appears that Jesus was ignoring them. But was he really? Perhaps, Jesus was thinking of the words he had read in Ecclesiastes 5:2 where it reads, “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few.”
Jesus was being placed between a rock and a hard place by the Scribes and Pharisees question. Should Jesus agree with Moses’ law, the Scribes and Pharisees would send him to the Roman governor, for taking it upon himself to condemn a person to death. The process of condemning a person to death was the task of the Roman governor only. The Scribes and Pharisees would have charged him with severity, and acting inconsistently with himself. This was the man who received sinners amongst him and ate with them. And that he had declared, that publicans and harlots would enter into the kingdom of God, when the Scribes and Pharisees would not. Imagine the Scribes and Pharisees anger of hearing such a statement.
On the other hand, if Jesus should disagree with Moses’ law, the Scribes and Pharisees would slander him among the people, as an enemy to Moses and his law, and as a patron of the most scandalous enormities. This, they thought, would put an end to the people following him. Then the people would come back and listen to them orate the great law. The scribes and Pharisees were persistent in getting a response from Jesus. Jesus responds, not with an answer, as they had wanted, rather he makes a statement.
Verse [7]: And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
For observing that he put himself in such a posture, they concluded they had puzzled and perplexed him. His hesitation, indicated to them that he knew not what to say. Therefore they were more urgent for a speedy answer. They were hoping to keep the advantage of him; and that they should be able to expose him. That his confusion would appear to all the people present.
Christ’s response was not to mean one who was entirely free from sin, in heart, in lip, and life; to throw a stone. For there is no such person to be found. The most holy man in life is not, in such sense, free from sin. I believe Christ meant, he that was without any notorious sin, or was not guilty of some scandalous sin, and particularly of adultery; which was in this age a prevailing sin. Let him, throw a stone. Hence our Lord calls the scribes, “an evil and adulterous generation”, in Matthew 12:39. Which was literally true of them; compare this with Romans 2:22, where Paul says, “You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?”. Because this sin was so common, Jesus well knew; and perhaps none of those Scribes and Pharisees were free from it, in one shape or another; and therefore bids him that was free of the sin to throw the first stone.
With this response, Jesus at once steered himself out of the dilemma, they thought to distress him with. Jesus passed no sentence upon the woman, and so took not upon him the judiciary power, with which they could accuse him to the Roman governor. Yet, Jesus, manifestly appeared to agree with Moses, that such a person, like this woman, deserved to be stoned. With his apparent agreement on this matter they could not charge him with being contrary to Moses’ law. With Jesus appointing him that was without sin, to cast the first stone at her, he showed himself merciful to the woman, and to them, to be the searcher of their hearts and mind.
[8] And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. [9] But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. [10] Jesus looked up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” [11] She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.”
The Scribes and Pharisees were not without sin, nor free from this. They had a beam in their own eye, and were very forward to observe the mote in anothers. In this case the woman. Oftentimes so it is, that those who are most forward to reprove, and bear hardest on others for their sins, are as guilty in another way, if not in the very same sin. The Scribes and Pharisees, seeing there was no way out for themselves, left discreetly, from the temple, in a private manner, and as unobserved as they could.
Note the Scribes and Pharisees left Jesus’ company from the eldest to the youngest. Perhaps in that very order was the most guilty to the less guilty. Or perhaps, the eldest scribe was the first to understand what Christ was teaching them with his words. Christ knows the inward heart of man. Likewise, he knew, if they were convicted by their own conscious, they would leave with embarrassment.
Was Christ using a form of psychology? I believe he was. Christ knew the action of the Scribes and Pharisees was evil in its intent. Christ easily could have rebuked them by stating exactly what sins they were guilty of. But he chose not to. Christ made a choice. In his love and mercy, Christ chose the less humiliating method towards the Scribes and Pharisees to get his point across. The Scribes and Pharisees, after examining themselves, realized they too were guilty of sins, perhaps even of adultery itself.
The Greatest Commandments
Matthew 22:34-40: When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. [35] And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. [36] “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” [37] And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [40] On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
One of the scribes came. He was evidently elected by those who counseled to ask Jesus this question. “What commandment is the greatest of all?” According to Jewish writers, there had been an old and dispute among the rabbis as to which was the greatest commandment. Some held that it was the law which commanded sacrifices. Others, held that which commanded the wearing of phylacteries. Phylacteries were four sections of the law, wrote on parchments. The parchments were then folded up in the skin of a clean beast, and tied to the head and hand. Those that were for the head, were written and rolled up separately, and put in four distinct places, in one skin, which was fastened with strings to the crown of the head, towards the face, about the place where the hair ends, and where an infant’s brain is tender; and they took care to place them in the middle, that so they might be between the eyes. Those that were for the hand, were written in four columns, on one parchment, which being rolled up, was fastened to the inside of the left arm, where it is fleshy, between the shoulder and the elbow, that so it might be over against the heart.
These, they imagined, were commanded them by God. They believed, that the goodness of God in delivering them out of Egypt, and the words of the law, should be continually before them, in their minds and memories. They would use them in time of prayer, and look upon them as useful, to put them in mind of that duty. They thought they kept them in the fear of God, preserved in them the memory of the law, and them from sin; from evil spirits, and diseases of the body. They imagined there was a great deal of holiness in, and valued themselves much upon the use of them. The Pharisees, because they would be thought to be more holy and religious, and more observant of the law than others, wore these things more often than the rest of the people;
Still others contended for those about purification. Others, for those about the great feasts. The Rabbis reckoned that the Law contained 613 precepts (248 affirmative, 365 prohibitive), some “heavy,” some “light”. So there was plenty of room for argument as to which law was the greatest.
Human nature, once again, acting in the desire to place the law in a hierarchy. Knowing which was the greatest commandment, one would then assume breaking it would be the greatest sin. James has this to say about the breaking of the law, in James 2:8-13. If you really fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. [9] But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. [10] For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. [11] For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” said also, “Do not kill.” If you do not commit adultery but do kill, you have become a transgressor of the law. [12] So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. [13] For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy; yet mercy triumphs over judgment.
James indicates any person breaking any part of the law was guilty of breaking all of it. In God’s eyes sin is sin. There are no levels of one sin being worse than the other. Man is the one who places God’s law, and likewise with sin, in a hearty. Just looking at the laws that man has created gives evidence to this. Murder is murder. It involves taking the life of another human being. Yet man gives hearty even to murder. 1st degree murder is worse than 2nd degree murder. Likewise, 2nd degree murder is worse than 3rd degree murder. Each having a penalty that is lessened as the degree is lessened.
In the passage of Matthew 22, Jesus once more, teaches that life is more than creed and conduct more than ritual. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All of our love is too little to bestow upon him. To love our neighbor as ourselves, is the second great commandment. There is a self-love which is corrupt, and the root of the great sins, and it must be put off. But there is a self-love which is the rule of the greatest duty. We must have a concern for the welfare of our own bodies. Are our bodies not the temple of God? Therefore we should care for ourselves in that manner. And we must love our neighbor as truly and sincerely as we love ourselves; in many cases we must deny ourselves for the good of others. By these two commandments let our hearts be formed.
Galatians 5:14 reads, For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And Romans 13:10 reads, Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
The ability to love our neighbor involves the use of psychology. We should all have a good understanding of what love is. Do we have an understanding of what might make our neighbor angry? Christ is not speaking of those we live next door to. Our neighbors are the people everywhere in the world. Do we have an understanding of what another person does or does not like? By using our own or knowledge of others experiences, we can determine what others will probably like or dislike.
Do we like to be humiliated by others? Do we like to be called names by others? Do we like to have things stolen from us? Most of us have been victims to circumstances like these. We remember the feelings we felt after such things happened. Does it not make sense, that others, like yourself, would experience the same feelings if these same things happened to them?
We speak of our feelings being hurt by others from something they did or said. By a show of hands, how many of you have had your feelings extremely hurt by someone saying something to you or about you? Now, HOW did that person hurt you that bad with the use of mere words. There is a much deeper meaning to, “Sticks and stones may break my bones; but words will never hurt me”, than just being an old saying. How many of you have heard this saying, by a show of hands? How many of you believe it to be a true statement, again with a show of hands? How many of you who just raised your hands; also raised their hand when I asked if your feelings had ever been extremely hurt by something said about you or to you?
Think again, how did they do it? They never touched you, yet you say you felt pain. Voila, psychology at work. Though, in this case, you might say a form of negative psychology. You hurt yourself. You caused the intense pain by using the power of your mind to create negative thoughts around what you heard. In many instances you literally make yourself believe or confirm that which you just heard. I am not trying to discredit the feeling of hurt. I am merely saying that we increase or add to the initial hurt. Making it into something more than it really is.
Because this is the typical nature of man, we should consider our actions carefully and consider how another person may feel about themselves before we act upon impulse. What would we think if the same happened to us? Are they like to think the same thoughts? Would we appreciate someone doing the same to us? If not, then we should reconsider our impulsive action before inflicting hurt upon another.
More negative or bad things are to numerous to mention here. But I think my point is made. Our bad experiences should make us more sympathetic to others who are enduring similar situations. Likewise, we should make every effort to be empathetic of others with tragedies that we have been fortunate enough to not experience.
Do we like it when others compliment us on a job well done? Do we enjoy the company of others who are pleasant to be around? Do we not appreciate help from someone without having to ask them too? These are reflections of good or positive events that occur every day for some of us. There are persons we look at as being someone that never lets anything get them down. A person who cannot be provoked by another. A person who doesn’t know a stranger. A person who couldn’t possibly have any enemies. How do they do it? What is their secret? James 1:2-7 reads, Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. [6] But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord. We are to put our faith and trust in God. He will take care of each of us. David wrote in Psalms 56:11, In God I trust without a fear. What can man do to me?
A follower of Christ makes use of psychology, whether they realize it or not. Matthew 10:16 says, `Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.’ How do we know what this verse is telling us? Are we sheep? Where are the wolves? How wise is a serpent? And are doves innocent? Christ uses the character traits of these animals as a comparison of the way man acts, and should act. How are we to know what the character traits of these animals are like? Don’t we need an understanding of the animal? By knowing the animal traits we acquire an understanding of what Christ is speaking of. Likewise, if we have an understanding of the nature of man we acquire a better understanding of ourselves and of our fellow man.
One law of physics, which is another science of its own, states for every action there is an equal an opposite reaction. Similarly, the same can be said of the nature of man. If a particular action occurs then a mans reaction will usually be a particular action. For example: If you were to strike a man across the face... (the action) his reaction is likely to be... strike you back. But what if the man does not strike you back? What restrains him from striking you back? He made a choice. His alternative could have been to strike you back. His will to choose not to strike back was stronger than his will to give into the nature of man and strike back. Still, what convinced him to not strike back. His will is most likely being reinforced by his love and understanding of God’s word. God’s word tells us to love our enemies. Do good to those that persecute us. And to turn the other cheek. To accomplish this takes an understanding of the nature of man. With this understanding, and God’s word, we can accomplish the correct course of action.
The key thing to remember, we are human and we will make mistakes. Mistakes are made so we can learn from them. In addition to this, remember, just as you make mistakes, others around you make them too. Sometimes these mistakes will involve you. Before being to judgmental or acting out spontaneously, put yourself in their shoes for a moment and think how it would feel to receive what you are about to unleash upon them, perhaps in your haste or anger. Think of the words of Peter in 1 Peter 4:8, Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Being a follower of Christ is a daily struggle against our very nature, the nature of man. We use a knowledge of psychology to aid us in the battle between the nature of man and doing that which is pleasing in God’s sight, on a daily basis. Give this a thought the next time you act on something. Perhaps it will help guide you in making the correct choice.
