Access to the Bible in our own language should not be a luxury that some enjoy while others don’t.
In a recent prayer letter, one woman who serves with Wycliffe Bible Translators reflected on the isolation Jesus must have felt in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. In light of social distancing over the past months, she shared that being ‘without the possibility of physically going to church … is a very real kind of isolation.’
For many of us, it has been comforting in this strange and painful time to remember that we have a Saviour who knows what it is to be human and alone.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Heb. 4:15–16).
So what did Jesus do when He was lonely and in pain? In Gethsemane, He prayed using a familiar image from the Scriptures, the cup that could represent blessing (Ps.116:13) or curse (Isa.51:17) – and in this case, the very judgement of God for the sin of the world. And even in the throes of death, at His most anguished and desperate, He quoted Scripture: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Ps.22:1).
Jesus’ life was full of Scripture, as we might expect from the one called ‘the Word of God’: His life was the fulfilment of prophecies. He exemplified Paul’s advice to Timothy about using Scripture for teaching and correcting. And when He was tempted in the wilderness, he defended Himself with verses from Deuteronomy and the Psalms. ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,’ He quoted, ‘but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ (Deut. 8:3)
At times like this, many people are searching for encouragement, comfort and truth. We can lean on Scripture just as Jesus did, and people around the world are doing just that. While we can’t meet in person, church members are meeting virtually and sharing Bible verses on Facebook and WhatsApp. But not everyone can.
After talking about the challenge of not being able to attend church in person, the writer of that prayer letter went on to add: ‘The isolation of not having the Bible in the language you understand best may be different, but it’s just as real.’ Having to read the Bible in a language you don’t really understand puts up barriers to relationship with Jesus. ‘I can understand French with my ear and Swahili with my mind, but my own language I understand with my heart,’ explained one pastor from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And what about those who don’t have the opportunity to hear the hope of the gospel at all?
‘People have the right to know about what God says,’ declares Ibrahim, a Bible translator from South Asia. ‘How will they know that God loves them if they do not have the message in their language?’
Worldwide, one in five people don’t have the Bible in the language that speaks to them best. That is why Wycliffe, along with many partner organisations, is working to help people translate the Bible into their own languages: so that they will be able to know that God loves them, understand what Jesus has done for them, and choose to follow Him.
In April, the Flame* Bible translation team in West Africa launched the New Testament and Genesis in the Flame language, but because of the coronavirus, they had to reduce their plans for a big celebration to a small, virtual one. That hasn’t stopped them from reaching out with the good news, though. ‘Right now, people here are looking for God, so there’s a wide opening to talk about God,’ they said. ‘We will broadcast radio programmes and announcements … As people are confined, they listen more.’
We look forward to the day when everyone who listens will hear God speaking their language.
*Name changed for security reasons
