As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
How do you like to study the Bible? Through tapes and teaching? Reading alone in a quiet place? That describe me - and most of the people I know. Sometimes we gather in a small group but that is usually just to share what we learned on our own.
Only in recent history have Christians begun studying the Bible privately. A personal copy of scripture was only for the extremely wealthy. This was also true for the Jewish study of Torah. There would have been a community copy for all to share. As books became more commonplace, our Western culture of individualism naturally resulted in people beginning to study on their own. But our Eastern Jewish friends have not moved as quickly in this direction.
The importance of learning together is highly valued in Jewish settings – having someone to challenge you, debate, bring new perspective and even encourage. Life long relationships form over a well-matched pair or group. This method of study is called chavrusa – meaning friendship or companionship.
We celebrate the example of the Bereans mentioned in Acts for receiving and studying the Word. What we shouldn’t overlook is that they searched the scriptures together, as a community.
Chavrusa can be a single study partner or a small group of people committed together to learn scripture. This was rigorous work to know, understand and apply the text. And it doesn’t happen over night. Iron isn’t typically sharpened with a single swipe. It’s a patient process of honing over time, coming into regular close contact to achieve the goal.
While not precisely conforming to a chavrusa, I marvel at the conversations over scripture that were had at the White Horse Inn. The early reformers, including William Tyndale and Thomas Cranmer, gathered together to wrestle with what God had said about Himself and His Word – and they changed the course of the church. Or the close friendship of J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, who regularly met together to challenge each other’s ideas and writings as they reflected God’s truth in their stories.
For sure there is value in personal study (or any study) of the text. But let’s not neglect learning together. Unchallenged beliefs can be weak – susceptible to hidden error. Let’s be diligent in searching the scripture with one another, bold in our discussions and, as Jesus, loving in our applications.
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11
