Luke 4:14-21 | Caleb Martinez | February 15, 2026
OVERVIEW
The Scroll: Why We Read the Bible
In October 1536, William Tyndale was executed by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. His crime? Translating the Bible into English so common people could read it for themselves.
Tyndale smuggled English Bibles into England, experienced condemnation and exile, and was eventually betrayed by a friend. He was arrested, charged with heresy, executed by strangulation, and his body burned. His alleged last words were a prayer: “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes!”
Three years after his execution, the English Bible was officially authorized by King Henry VIII.
The reason you have a Bible in your lap or on your phone is because Tyndale was so committed to his conviction that God’s Word belonged in the hands of every Christian that he was literally willing to give his life for it.
How did we get from there to here?
Today, the Bible is the best-selling, least-read book in all of human history. As Western society has shifted from Authority to Authenticity, orienting your life around ancient religious texts seems absurd at best, dangerous at worst. Add the digital age that’s drained our attention spans, and few of us can honestly say Scripture functions as our daily bread.
Even fewer would be willing to die for it.
What Is the Bible?
When Jesus preached in the synagogue in Luke 4, he didn’t hold a leather-bound book. He held a scroll—part of a collection of scrolls that told the story of God and His people.
So what exactly is the Bible? Let’s start with what it’s NOT:
Not a Textbook. The Bible contains timeless truth, but it’s not designed to answer every systematic theology question. Its primary job isn’t to give you information. God’s wisdom and will are revealed in Scripture, but you won’t find answers to every question about heaven, hell, or how divine sovereignty works with human free will.
Not a Storybook. We can’t treat the Bible like children’s stories with simple moral lessons. Much of the Bible—legal codes, genealogies, historical accounts—has no clear moral takeaway. All of Scripture is good for teaching and correcting, but not the same way a bedtime story is.
Not a Rulebook. The Bible isn’t “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth.” Its main goal isn’t to get us to behave better so we’re ready for heaven. Treating it primarily as a behavior manual invites confusion: Which rules do we follow? Why rules if we’re saved by grace?
The Bible is a Story. It’s a complex collection of scrolls, letters, poems, records, and legal documents that tell a unified story leading to Jesus. It’s more of a library than a single book—66 documents across different genres that work cohesively.
The Bible is both human and divine. It’s “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16)—like a sail moved by wind. Something supernatural happens when we submit ourselves to its story. But it’s also written by humans—at least 40 different authors over roughly 4,000 years, each with their own personalities, experiences, and writing styles.
What Story Does the Bible Tell?
Neurologist Uri Hasson discovered that when one person tells a story, listeners’ brainwaves slowly align. By the end, their minds are centered around that story. As journalist Joan Didion wrote, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”
The story you live in is the story you live out.
So what story is the Bible telling? Here’s the arc:
Creation: You were designed by a transcendent God who is love. Your purpose is loving communion with Him and others.
Fall: Sin breaks God’s law and infects our souls, ripping humanity apart and pushing us away from God. In the Garden, humanity seizes control from God, and violence and chaos spread.
Israel: God chooses a family to become a nation that will bless the world. But Israel repeats the Fall’s pattern. Still, God remains faithful, promising a future King who will defeat Satan and break sin’s bondage.
Jesus: The King arrives. But His rule doesn’t look like Israel hoped—it looks like a disgraced rabbi dead on a cross. Yet this is how God saves the world. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus defeats sin and brings the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. He invites us to follow Him and discover life as it was meant to be lived.
Church: Jesus’ disciples launch communities of Kingdom participants. This is the chapter we live in today—learning how to love each other, make peace, survive persecution, and invite others into the Kingdom through teaching, community, practice, the Spirit, and both moments and marathons of faithfulness.
New Creation: The Bible ends where it began—in a Garden-City full of God’s presence. Heaven and earth reunited. Sin, Satan, and death forever defeated.
The Question That Matters
What story are you living out? Who is the hero you’re counting on? What does your final chapter look like?
The Bible offers something better than the story we’re writing for ourselves. It’s a story of God entering into our broken narratives and offering redemption. It’s a story of Jesus coming to free us from whatever holds us captive and showing us a better way to live.
William Tyndale died so you could read it. The question is: will you?
Group Guide
Looking for community? Join a Together Group!
Begin with Communion.
As your group gathers together, begin by sharing communion as a meal. Feel free to use the following template as a way to structure and guide this time:
- Pass out the elements. Make sure everyone has a cup of juice and bread. Consider just having one piece of bread that everyone can take a small piece from. If you don’t have bread and juice, that’s okay. Just make sure everyone has something to eat.
- Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Once everyone has the elements, have someone read this passage out loud.
- Pray over the bread and juice. After the reading, have the Leader or Host bless the food and pray over your time together.
- Share a meal. Share the rest of the meal like you normally would beginning with the communion elements.
Teaching
Review the teaching from Sunday by reading this recap together and answering the questions that follow:
For most of church history, access to the Bible came at great cost. William Tyndale gave his life so ordinary people could read the Bible in their own language. Today, we carry it in our pockets and have it in our homes,yet the Bible often sits unopened. From the life and teachings of Jesus we learn that the Bible is not a textbook, storybook, or rulebook. It’s a library of writings that together reveal God and tell a unified story leading to Jesus. It is both fully human and fully divine, “God-breathed,” and when we submit ourselves to its story, it does more than inform us, it transforms us. To become formed by Scripture means we must learn to both read the Bible, and submit ourselves to its story.
- If you were able to attend the Sunday gathering or if you listened to the teaching online, what stood out to you?
- Have someone read 2 Timothy 3:14-17 — what stands out about these instructions from Paul?
- How often do you think about Scripture as a Story? If you had to explain the story of the Bible in your own words, how would you describe it?
Community
Now discuss these questions connecting the teaching from Sunday to your weekly Together Group:
- What role does Scripture realistically play in your daily life? If you currently have a regular Scripture reading rhythm, what does it look like?
- Do you tend to approach Scripture as a textbook, storybook, rulebook, or something else?
- What difficulties do you face when it comes to the Bible (fear, confusion, boredom, skepticism, etc.)?
- If Scripture is “God-breathed,” where do you most struggle to believe that?
- When was the last time Scripture actually rebuked you, not just encouraged you?
- What do you think Jesus is inviting you into through this Practice?
Practice
Our practice for the next few weeks is simple. There will be a Base Practice that’s accessible for everyone, as well as a Reach Practice for those wanting to go deeper.
- Base Practice: Follow this reading plan through Ephesians with a daily Psalm.
- Reach Practice: Memorize Ephesians 4:1-16.
Before you close in prayer, have everyone discuss the following question:
- Reflecting on your daily and weekly habits, what might you need to abstain from during Lent in order to make space for regular Scripture reading?