PART 2 – EXPLORE THE CHARACTERS
​
Chapter 5 - WHAT'S THE BACK-STORY?
There are some well-accepted methods to help us explore and understand a given passage from the Bible. These would include, for example
-
Read the context in which the passage (or story) occurs
-
Study the historical background
-
Examine the Biblical culture that is relevant to the passage (or story)
These are very good and sound strategies, but they may seem quite academic and technical, especially for those of us who have limited Biblical knowledge.
​
But there is another way of looking at the Bible passage (or story) that may be more appealing and make more sense to those of us who are more right-brained, and prefer a less academic approach. This is to ask ourselves the question: “What's the back-story?”
So what is a "back-story"? Let's look at a couple of examples...
​
1. The spy thriller
Those of you who read or watch spy stories on film or TV will be familiar with the dangers and perils of spies who operate behind enemy lines. They will frequently be provided with false passports and identities which give them a cover for being where they are and performing the task required of them. But in order for them to be able to answer questions, or face interrogation, they must have a solid and convincing "back-story" to support their false identity...
-- Where were you born?
-- Who were your parents?
-- Which school did you attend?
-- What's your job experience?
.... and so on, and on, and on.
If the back-story doesn't hold up under questioning, the result could be fatal!
2. Acting the part
David Suchet, who did a wonderful job of acting the part of Hercule Poirot in the TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's detective novels, describes in fascinating detail the process of exploring and portraying the famous detective. You can watch the documentary on YouTube.
​
​
David Suchet describes how, as soon as the make-up person fixes his distinctive moustache, he puts on the character of Poirot and remains consistently and solidly in character until the make-up comes off. But how does David Suchet manage to portray the character so faithfully and consistently? One of the secrets is building up a solid "back-story".
​
In order to understand and represent Poirot as he is portrayed in Agatha Christie's novels, he needs to understand how Poirot came to be the kind of person he is. Where did he come from?... what kind of upbringing did he have?... how did this young Belgian man come to be in England anyway?... and what gave him the kind of mentality and skills to be such a successful detective?
​
These are fictional examples. But the same principle applies to the Biblical stories. In the case of the Joseph story, we normally think of the Joseph narrative starting at the beginning of Genesis 37, with Joseph's coat of many colours, and his dreams, which cause so much tension and jealousy between Joseph and his brothers. (Especially if you are familiar with the ever-popular musical, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat")
​
But the tension and rivalry goes back much further. There is a history of rivalry and jealousy that goes back to the story of Jacob, Leah and Rachel, and Leah and Rachel's struggle to gain Jacob's favour. We need to understand this "back-story" to appreciate why Joseph was so favoured by his father Jacob, and why his brothers were predisposed to envy and hate him as they did.
​
So we have begun our story of Joseph, not with Joseph's coat of many colours, but with the relationship between Leah and Rachel, and with stories of Joseph's elder brothers that must have had a profound effect on Joseph as he was growing up, and explain why their family relationship turned out to be so dysfunctional.
But this question is one we can ask when looking at ANY Biblical story
-
What has happened in the larger Biblical narrative up to this point?
-
How did we get to where we are?
-
What has happened to the characters in the story so far to make them the kind of people they turned out to be?
It's not just narrative portions that can be treated in this way. It's also a relevant question to ask when looking, for example, at Paul's Epistles. We might ask the question in relation to Paul's letter to the church in Galatia. Paul begins his letter with the very critical comment:
​
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- which is really no gospel at all. (Galatians 1:6-7 NIV)
​
This begs the question, what has happened in the church up to this point to make Paul so concerned? In other words, what's the back-story?
​
There are clues in the letter itself which can help us piece together the answer, but we also need to put the letter into the context of the book of Acts, which tells us about certain "Judaisers" - who were teaching the new believers that they had to follow Jewish rules and regulations - who had been thrown out of the church in Jerusalem and were now travelling through the churches in Asia Minor teaching a "false gospel".
​
Understanding the background, and the events that led up to Paul's critical comments, can really improve our understanding and help us to benefit more effectively from studying the Epistle.
​
The first two studies on the life of Joseph should help you to appreciate how important this question is.
__________________________________________________
​Some questions for thought or discussion
​
Before you go on to the first episode of the Joseph story, consider, or discuss in your group, what you already know (or think you know!) about the character of Joseph…
​
-
What kind of character did he have?
-
How did his family background affect his character?
-
What were his good traits?... his bad ones?
-
How do you think his character changed during the course of the story?
Make a note of your ideas so that you can compare them with your conclusions at the end of Part II.
​
​
​
