20. Into Revelation
Ten Bible stories AIO should dramatize.
By David Hilder | October 25, 2014
Ten Bible stories AIO should dramatize.
By David Hilder | October 25, 2014
Adventures in Odyssey has told a lot of Bible stories over the years, and not just the ones you hear in Sunday school. Stories like Jael stabbing General Sisera in the head with a tent peg or Jephthah vowing to sacrifice the first thing to come out of his house, which happens to be his daughter, usually aren’t the ones people focus on. And yet AIO has told these stories well, even when it can be difficult. Bernard Walton tackled both the book of Job and the book of Jeremiah. Recently in Album 57: A Call to Something More we heard the story of Samuel’s childhood for the first time on AIO and it immediately reminded me that there are many more stories from the Bible left to tell. And if anyone can do it right, it’s the Odyssey team. So that’s why I’ve assembled a list of ten Bible stories that I think should be made into their own episodes. They are listed in order of their appearance in the Bible.
1. Cain and Abel
In Genesis 4 the effects of the Fall are hammered home when Adam and Eve lose both their sons. Cain murders Abel, and then is forced to flee. AIO has told about the struggles between brothers before, such as Jacob and Esau, and Joseph and his brothers. So this wouldn’t be anything new. But it would be valuable because it would give us a chance to hear from Adam and Eve, who have only shown up before in things like comedic B-TV sketches. The closest they have come to being taken seriously is in the episode Hide and Seek where we hear a brief scene with Adam as he describes his sin. An episode about Cain and Abel would be great because it could have Adam and Eve telling their children the story of creation and how they got themselves kicked out of the Garden of Eden. And then we would soon see how their choices have negatively affected their children. The most powerful scenes would be the Lord confronting Cain twice, first before the murder and then after. There are lots of good opportunities for conflict and drama, and emotions run high. This wouldn’t be a happy story, but it could end on a hopeful note, with God placing his protection over Cain and then giving Adam and Eve another son.
2. Abraham and Isaac
In Genesis 22 God tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac, but at the last minute God stops him and Abraham sacrifices a ram instead. The symbolism in this story is quite rich. God repeatedly calls Isaac Abraham’s “only son” and Abraham is confident that “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering.” The background to this story is vital to understanding it. Abraham and his wife Sarah were old and could not have children. But God came to them and promised them a son in their old age. And so, Isaac was born. God said that he would make Abraham a great nation with countless descendants. Now, how could that happen if their only son Isaac was killed? Abraham had to trust that God would somehow keep his promise. God provides a ram in Isaac’s place, a symbol of Jesus, and Isaac is given back to his father alive, symbolizing Jesus rising from the dead. This again is another powerful encounter with God where the characters go through some trying times. This would be a perfect occasion for AIO to reiterate how the Old Testament points to the coming of Jesus in the New Testament.
3. Moses: Bread from Heaven
It’s time to return to the Imagination Station to tell Moses’ story. In Album 14 we heard the two-parter called Moses: The Passover. Those episodes deal with the plagues in Egypt and the Israelites’ rescue from slavery. It ends with the parting of the Red Sea and their escape from the Egyptian army. But there was no follow-up adventure to explain what happened next. AIO should do a sequel about Moses leading the people through the desert. Soon after singing praise songs, the Israelites start complaining. The Lord rains down manna and provides quails for the people to eat. Then the people ask for water and Moses strikes a rock, causing water to flow out. At every point the Israelites doubt and question Moses but the Lord continues to provide for them. God also helps them to win a battle against the Amalekites. A nice ending point would be Moses’ meeting with his father-in-law, Jethro, to whom he tells the story of the plagues against Pharaoh and how the Lord led the Israelites to freedom. Jethro says, “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods.” This episode would show God’s continued faithfulness to his people long after they had left Egypt behind.
4. Moses: The Ten Commandments
A follow-up episode to that could be about the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. It is a very dramatic moment when the mountain is covered in smoke, thunder and lightning. This episode would encompass the creation and worship of the golden calf. The story also features conflict between another set of brothers. While Moses is getting the Law from God, his older brother Aaron is the one who tells the people to give him their golden jewelry so he can construct a golden calf for them to worship. The people claim that it was this idol that brought them out of Egypt, not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses is so angry that he breaks the stone tablets and grinds up the golden calf into powder, and then forces the Israelites to drink it. Then the story turns violent and 3,000 unrighteous people are killed for turning against the Lord. Like the story of Cain and Abel, it doesn’t have a very happy ending. It shows people’s capacity to disobey God and do evil. But it’s an important message to remember. And God continues to show his faithfulness as he leads his people onward, towards the Promised Land.
5. Ezra
Ezra is an important biblical figure but we don’t often hear his story told. An episode about Ezra would dovetail nicely with the AIO episode Bernard and Jeremiah, because in the book of Ezra the Jews return from exile in Babylon just as the prophet Jeremiah said they would decades earlier. The priest and scribe Ezra returns with the Israelites to Jerusalem and helps restore worship in the Temple and the teaching of the Law. What is particularly notable in this book is that God uses the Persian king Cyrus the Great to free the Jews so they can freely worship in their homeland. The rebuilding of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem was a very emotional event and not without conflict. People who claimed to worship the same god as the Jews wanted to infiltrate the rebuilding project, but were not allowed because they had mixed with the Assyrians and worshipped idols and built pagan shrines. According to Ezra 4, “the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” When Ezra arrives from exile, he finds that the Israelites have been marrying unbelievers who worship idols, the very sin for which God sent them into exile in the first place. Because Ezra is so knowledgeable of God’s Law, he immediately prays to God for mercy and the people join him in confessing their sins and repenting. Ezra, like Moses, instills in the Israelites God’s Law after their release from a foreign land. That’s already a good ending point for an episode, but if it isn’t enough material the book of Nehemiah could also be drawn on to continue the story. Nehemiah continues the work of rebuilding Jerusalem in the face of outside opposition.
6. Elizabeth and Zechariah/Zacharias
In the episode The Big Deal in Album 35 we got to hear John the Baptist in action preparing the way for Jesus’ coming. But we haven’t heard the story behind John’s birth. In the first chapter of Luke we meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, who are old and unable to have children, just like Abraham and Sarah. They were both righteous followers of God and were probably devastated for being childless. But then an angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah and says he will have a son who shall be named John. Zechariah does not believe it at first so he is unable to speak until the baby is born. This story ties in perfectly with the arrival of Jesus not only because John the Baptist later speaks of Jesus, but also because during Elizabeth’s pregnancy she is visited by Mary, who has just been told by an angel that she will be the mother of Jesus, the Son of the Most High. This story is another example of God’s faithfulness. Not only is he remembering Elizabeth in her old age, but he is remembering his promise to Abraham and the nation of Israel by sending the Messiah.
7. The Transfiguration
Remember in the episode Connie Comes to Town when Mr. Whittaker is having a conversation with Marianne on the phone? Whit says, “I'll talk about Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Ok? …Well, you can take your pick of Scripture references. The story is in the book of Matthew, Mark and…Freddy, I’ll be right with you. Marianne, no, I know Freddy isn't in the Bible, he's right here. Luke, that's what I meant. Luke is in the Bible. And Tom is in the hallway!” Well, apparently Whit forgot because he never does tell us the story of the Mount of Transfiguration, the place where Jesus is transfigured and shines like the sun. Moses and Elijah appear and talk to him and then God speaks from bright cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” The disciples are filled with fear but Jesus tells them not to be afraid. The vision they see is a foretaste of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. There is deep symbolism in this story and this amazing mountaintop experience harkens back to the Old Testament. Moses represents the Law, which Jesus fulfills, and Elijah represents the Prophets, who foretold Jesus’ coming. Such a significant moment in Jesus’ earthly ministry should definitely be represented in an AIO episode.
8. Nicodemus
As a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, you would expect Nicodemus to be jealous of Jesus and suspicious of his teaching. But Nicodemus’ story goes against your expectations and corrects your misconceptions, which is a big reason why it needs to be told. He meets with Jesus to better understanding his teaching, he cautions the other Pharisees against rejecting Jesus, and he later goes with Joseph of Arimathea, another member of the Sanhedrin, to bring spices for Jesus’ burial. Another reason the character of Nicodemus needs to be focused on is the fascinating conversation he has with Jesus in John 3. Jesus explains that to enter the Kingdom of God you must be born again through the power of the Holy Spirit. He also references the Old Testament when he says, “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” And then he speaks the famous verse, John 3:16. This would be a perfect entry point into telling this story. Everyone knows John 3:16, but do they know who Jesus told it to? Probably not. Nicodemus is the man who hears it and his life is forever impacted by the encounter.
9. Peter and Cornelius
Cornelius, a Roman centurion, is a significant character because he is one of the first Gentiles, or non-Jews, to become a follower of Christ. In Acts 10 he has a vision of an angel who tells him to talk to Peter. Meanwhile, Peter has his own vision of a large sheet coming down from the sky filled with all kinds of animals. A voice tells him to eat them, but as a Jew, Peter will not eat unclean animals. The Holy Spirit then tells Peter to visit Cornelius’ house, which he does, even though it is against Jewish law to enter a Gentile home and eat with them. Peter then has the opportunity to preach the Good News to the Gentiles and baptize them. This is a major turning point because now Jews and Gentiles are equal in Christ. But we heard in the episode The Perfect Church the beginnings of conflict regarding Gentile believers, and the story of Cornelius is a continuation of that because Jewish believers start to criticize Peter for reaching out to the Gentiles. An AIO episode on Cornelius could build on that theme and give some more solid answers to questions about the acceptance of the Jewish Messiah by the Gentiles.
10. Revelation
Revelation, the last book of the Bible, records the visions of the future shown to John. It’s a tough book to understand because of its complicated apocalyptic imagery. But it’s important for Christians to be familiar with what it talks about. And there are some essential overall themes that the book presents which could theoretically be explored in an AIO episode. Revelation reiterates once and for all God’s victory over sin, death, and the devil. The unbelievers are cast into hell but the believers are saved and enter the Kingdom of God through Jesus. The new heaven and the new earth are reunited with the new Jerusalem as the major focal point. An episode on Revelation could correct some misconceptions people have. The endgame God has in mind is not to hit the restart button—it is to save his fallen creation. God is reaching down to us and will make both heaven and earth into a new creation, redeemed and sanctified. Now, it seems to me an Imagination Station adventure about this topic might not be the best approach. But somehow the story of Revelation and the conclusion of the Bible need to be told in the context of Adventures in Odyssey because it is such as fundamental part of Christianity.
Could some of these stories be more difficult than others? Yes. But they’re not anything AIO can’t handle. In the episode Bernard and Jeremiah, the great storyteller Bernard admits that he doesn’t fully understand the story of Jeremiah. At the end Marvin says, “All that stuff—the preaching, the suffering—it never seemed to make any difference…Are you saying that the point of all that was so he could be there to give God’s promises to people who were about to be captured?” Bernard replies, “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I don’t know the point of what Jeremiah did.” Then Bernard says, “I’m not saying I understand Jeremiah’s story, but I am saying that if God calls you to something you have to keep at it even if you don’t understand why. He knows the future. We don’t. So we don’t know the impact our actions will have.” That’s powerful. And it’s an incredibly humble position to take. Odyssey needs to be able to tell stories which may be challenging to explain, especially to kids. The show has always been great at sharing God’s truth with its audience, and the Bible is the best resource for doing that.
1. Cain and Abel
In Genesis 4 the effects of the Fall are hammered home when Adam and Eve lose both their sons. Cain murders Abel, and then is forced to flee. AIO has told about the struggles between brothers before, such as Jacob and Esau, and Joseph and his brothers. So this wouldn’t be anything new. But it would be valuable because it would give us a chance to hear from Adam and Eve, who have only shown up before in things like comedic B-TV sketches. The closest they have come to being taken seriously is in the episode Hide and Seek where we hear a brief scene with Adam as he describes his sin. An episode about Cain and Abel would be great because it could have Adam and Eve telling their children the story of creation and how they got themselves kicked out of the Garden of Eden. And then we would soon see how their choices have negatively affected their children. The most powerful scenes would be the Lord confronting Cain twice, first before the murder and then after. There are lots of good opportunities for conflict and drama, and emotions run high. This wouldn’t be a happy story, but it could end on a hopeful note, with God placing his protection over Cain and then giving Adam and Eve another son.
2. Abraham and Isaac
In Genesis 22 God tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac, but at the last minute God stops him and Abraham sacrifices a ram instead. The symbolism in this story is quite rich. God repeatedly calls Isaac Abraham’s “only son” and Abraham is confident that “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering.” The background to this story is vital to understanding it. Abraham and his wife Sarah were old and could not have children. But God came to them and promised them a son in their old age. And so, Isaac was born. God said that he would make Abraham a great nation with countless descendants. Now, how could that happen if their only son Isaac was killed? Abraham had to trust that God would somehow keep his promise. God provides a ram in Isaac’s place, a symbol of Jesus, and Isaac is given back to his father alive, symbolizing Jesus rising from the dead. This again is another powerful encounter with God where the characters go through some trying times. This would be a perfect occasion for AIO to reiterate how the Old Testament points to the coming of Jesus in the New Testament.
3. Moses: Bread from Heaven
It’s time to return to the Imagination Station to tell Moses’ story. In Album 14 we heard the two-parter called Moses: The Passover. Those episodes deal with the plagues in Egypt and the Israelites’ rescue from slavery. It ends with the parting of the Red Sea and their escape from the Egyptian army. But there was no follow-up adventure to explain what happened next. AIO should do a sequel about Moses leading the people through the desert. Soon after singing praise songs, the Israelites start complaining. The Lord rains down manna and provides quails for the people to eat. Then the people ask for water and Moses strikes a rock, causing water to flow out. At every point the Israelites doubt and question Moses but the Lord continues to provide for them. God also helps them to win a battle against the Amalekites. A nice ending point would be Moses’ meeting with his father-in-law, Jethro, to whom he tells the story of the plagues against Pharaoh and how the Lord led the Israelites to freedom. Jethro says, “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods.” This episode would show God’s continued faithfulness to his people long after they had left Egypt behind.
4. Moses: The Ten Commandments
A follow-up episode to that could be about the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. It is a very dramatic moment when the mountain is covered in smoke, thunder and lightning. This episode would encompass the creation and worship of the golden calf. The story also features conflict between another set of brothers. While Moses is getting the Law from God, his older brother Aaron is the one who tells the people to give him their golden jewelry so he can construct a golden calf for them to worship. The people claim that it was this idol that brought them out of Egypt, not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses is so angry that he breaks the stone tablets and grinds up the golden calf into powder, and then forces the Israelites to drink it. Then the story turns violent and 3,000 unrighteous people are killed for turning against the Lord. Like the story of Cain and Abel, it doesn’t have a very happy ending. It shows people’s capacity to disobey God and do evil. But it’s an important message to remember. And God continues to show his faithfulness as he leads his people onward, towards the Promised Land.
5. Ezra
Ezra is an important biblical figure but we don’t often hear his story told. An episode about Ezra would dovetail nicely with the AIO episode Bernard and Jeremiah, because in the book of Ezra the Jews return from exile in Babylon just as the prophet Jeremiah said they would decades earlier. The priest and scribe Ezra returns with the Israelites to Jerusalem and helps restore worship in the Temple and the teaching of the Law. What is particularly notable in this book is that God uses the Persian king Cyrus the Great to free the Jews so they can freely worship in their homeland. The rebuilding of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem was a very emotional event and not without conflict. People who claimed to worship the same god as the Jews wanted to infiltrate the rebuilding project, but were not allowed because they had mixed with the Assyrians and worshipped idols and built pagan shrines. According to Ezra 4, “the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” When Ezra arrives from exile, he finds that the Israelites have been marrying unbelievers who worship idols, the very sin for which God sent them into exile in the first place. Because Ezra is so knowledgeable of God’s Law, he immediately prays to God for mercy and the people join him in confessing their sins and repenting. Ezra, like Moses, instills in the Israelites God’s Law after their release from a foreign land. That’s already a good ending point for an episode, but if it isn’t enough material the book of Nehemiah could also be drawn on to continue the story. Nehemiah continues the work of rebuilding Jerusalem in the face of outside opposition.
6. Elizabeth and Zechariah/Zacharias
In the episode The Big Deal in Album 35 we got to hear John the Baptist in action preparing the way for Jesus’ coming. But we haven’t heard the story behind John’s birth. In the first chapter of Luke we meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, who are old and unable to have children, just like Abraham and Sarah. They were both righteous followers of God and were probably devastated for being childless. But then an angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah and says he will have a son who shall be named John. Zechariah does not believe it at first so he is unable to speak until the baby is born. This story ties in perfectly with the arrival of Jesus not only because John the Baptist later speaks of Jesus, but also because during Elizabeth’s pregnancy she is visited by Mary, who has just been told by an angel that she will be the mother of Jesus, the Son of the Most High. This story is another example of God’s faithfulness. Not only is he remembering Elizabeth in her old age, but he is remembering his promise to Abraham and the nation of Israel by sending the Messiah.
7. The Transfiguration
Remember in the episode Connie Comes to Town when Mr. Whittaker is having a conversation with Marianne on the phone? Whit says, “I'll talk about Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Ok? …Well, you can take your pick of Scripture references. The story is in the book of Matthew, Mark and…Freddy, I’ll be right with you. Marianne, no, I know Freddy isn't in the Bible, he's right here. Luke, that's what I meant. Luke is in the Bible. And Tom is in the hallway!” Well, apparently Whit forgot because he never does tell us the story of the Mount of Transfiguration, the place where Jesus is transfigured and shines like the sun. Moses and Elijah appear and talk to him and then God speaks from bright cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” The disciples are filled with fear but Jesus tells them not to be afraid. The vision they see is a foretaste of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. There is deep symbolism in this story and this amazing mountaintop experience harkens back to the Old Testament. Moses represents the Law, which Jesus fulfills, and Elijah represents the Prophets, who foretold Jesus’ coming. Such a significant moment in Jesus’ earthly ministry should definitely be represented in an AIO episode.
8. Nicodemus
As a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, you would expect Nicodemus to be jealous of Jesus and suspicious of his teaching. But Nicodemus’ story goes against your expectations and corrects your misconceptions, which is a big reason why it needs to be told. He meets with Jesus to better understanding his teaching, he cautions the other Pharisees against rejecting Jesus, and he later goes with Joseph of Arimathea, another member of the Sanhedrin, to bring spices for Jesus’ burial. Another reason the character of Nicodemus needs to be focused on is the fascinating conversation he has with Jesus in John 3. Jesus explains that to enter the Kingdom of God you must be born again through the power of the Holy Spirit. He also references the Old Testament when he says, “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” And then he speaks the famous verse, John 3:16. This would be a perfect entry point into telling this story. Everyone knows John 3:16, but do they know who Jesus told it to? Probably not. Nicodemus is the man who hears it and his life is forever impacted by the encounter.
9. Peter and Cornelius
Cornelius, a Roman centurion, is a significant character because he is one of the first Gentiles, or non-Jews, to become a follower of Christ. In Acts 10 he has a vision of an angel who tells him to talk to Peter. Meanwhile, Peter has his own vision of a large sheet coming down from the sky filled with all kinds of animals. A voice tells him to eat them, but as a Jew, Peter will not eat unclean animals. The Holy Spirit then tells Peter to visit Cornelius’ house, which he does, even though it is against Jewish law to enter a Gentile home and eat with them. Peter then has the opportunity to preach the Good News to the Gentiles and baptize them. This is a major turning point because now Jews and Gentiles are equal in Christ. But we heard in the episode The Perfect Church the beginnings of conflict regarding Gentile believers, and the story of Cornelius is a continuation of that because Jewish believers start to criticize Peter for reaching out to the Gentiles. An AIO episode on Cornelius could build on that theme and give some more solid answers to questions about the acceptance of the Jewish Messiah by the Gentiles.
10. Revelation
Revelation, the last book of the Bible, records the visions of the future shown to John. It’s a tough book to understand because of its complicated apocalyptic imagery. But it’s important for Christians to be familiar with what it talks about. And there are some essential overall themes that the book presents which could theoretically be explored in an AIO episode. Revelation reiterates once and for all God’s victory over sin, death, and the devil. The unbelievers are cast into hell but the believers are saved and enter the Kingdom of God through Jesus. The new heaven and the new earth are reunited with the new Jerusalem as the major focal point. An episode on Revelation could correct some misconceptions people have. The endgame God has in mind is not to hit the restart button—it is to save his fallen creation. God is reaching down to us and will make both heaven and earth into a new creation, redeemed and sanctified. Now, it seems to me an Imagination Station adventure about this topic might not be the best approach. But somehow the story of Revelation and the conclusion of the Bible need to be told in the context of Adventures in Odyssey because it is such as fundamental part of Christianity.
Could some of these stories be more difficult than others? Yes. But they’re not anything AIO can’t handle. In the episode Bernard and Jeremiah, the great storyteller Bernard admits that he doesn’t fully understand the story of Jeremiah. At the end Marvin says, “All that stuff—the preaching, the suffering—it never seemed to make any difference…Are you saying that the point of all that was so he could be there to give God’s promises to people who were about to be captured?” Bernard replies, “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I don’t know the point of what Jeremiah did.” Then Bernard says, “I’m not saying I understand Jeremiah’s story, but I am saying that if God calls you to something you have to keep at it even if you don’t understand why. He knows the future. We don’t. So we don’t know the impact our actions will have.” That’s powerful. And it’s an incredibly humble position to take. Odyssey needs to be able to tell stories which may be challenging to explain, especially to kids. The show has always been great at sharing God’s truth with its audience, and the Bible is the best resource for doing that.
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