Some people like to think they have things in common with Bible characters. I now believe that I share traits with two Bible characters.
The first is probably beyond most people's wildest imaginations. He wasn't even a Jew. He was Nebuchanezzar, the supreme ruler of Babylon. And before you start to think I've gone crazy, it's neither his power nor his wealth I lay any claim to. It's his stroke.
Of course, they didn't have the term "stroke" when the Bible was written, but it's clear he had a stroke. For seven years, he was reduced to eating grass. At the end of that time, his mind came back, and he was restored to his previous role. The big thing that was different this time around was that He acknowledged the God he had previously mocked.
I only had 2.5 years without my mind, and was basically a vegetable by the evening. (I only got five or ten minutes' use of my mind early on.) I was watching the final of a short British drama, featuring one of my favourite British actors of that period. He was playing a cleric and each week conducted an exorcism. Unlike US dramas, it wasn't melodramatic with lots of overacting (I wouldn't have wasted my time with that).
When the show finished, I took my glass to the kitchen, and then realised I was thinking about the show I'd just seen. I realised that wasn't my new normal - I simply didn't think at that time of day. I called my wife and got her to test me. Obviously, it wasn't a scientific test, but I seemed to have much of my mind return.
A friend / client had been asking me for a while to take on the accounts of a charity he was involved with. I had always said no. I was trying to keep my work very simple, but finally I said I'd take a look. I was shocked. My mind obviously wasn't well enough for this because so much didn't make sense. It was only talking with their new auditor that I found that she was not happy with their accounts either. I did them properly, which she was happy with,
I've yet to find another stroke survivor who has experienced such a dramatic improvement. As with much of my recovery, it's been little by little, but it's good to know I'm not alone.
The second probably sounds less dramatic, but is, to me, perhaps more significant. For those who haven't seen it, The Chosen is about Jesus' disciples. It's not so much what the Bible says about them - it's more the filling in of the blanks that aren't in the Bible. A lady called Farmer Girl is a bit like (when she's not talking about Jersey calves). She often lets her imagination run with what she imagines. A recent series about aspects of the crucifixion shows just what people with more imagination than I can come up with.
With The Chosen, things said in the Bible are still there, with every effort to convey the true meaning. It's the things that aren't there that give cause for disagreement. For example, one issue jarred with me, so I did some research, and much to my surprise, found that not everyone agrees with me.
The character of Matthew is portrayed as autistic. The Bible was written before we had the word autism. But when doing the research, the team found various clues that suggested Matthew could well have been on the autism spectrum. They ran with it, and it was one of many areas that provoked discussion.
One day, my wife and I had just watched an episode (I think from series five). I said to my wife, "I wonder if I'm on the spectrum". I can't remember her exact words, but obviously, this was not a new idea to her. A bit later, I was emailing a friend. Now we'd never met her in person. We first met online in homeschooling discussion groups, and knew she had some experience with diverse thinking. She has seven children, and between her own experience and that of her children, she has more experience than anyone I know.
When I told her of my brief discussion with my wife, she told me that back in the 80s, she had recognised me as likely being on the autism spectrum.
Since I've realised that I am on the spectrum, so many events from the past make so much more sense. One example is from the 6th for. I went for a week to Whenuapai Air Force base to compete with 200 others for a cadetship. One exercise that made me mad was a table exercise where teams of eight were given a military situation. Two of our eight opted for one strategy, but couldn't persuade the others. We took the other strategy, and our team was wiped out. That wasn't what made me mad. It was the penalty we got for being unable to convince the others.
That has been part of my life - being able to see the bigger picture, but unable to persuade others. Of course, I'm not always right, but I often stop arguing because I'm not going to get anywhere at this time with this audience.
So that's my similarity to aspects of two Bible characters. Probably not many identify with either, and none with both. But wherever you are, I hope you realise that almost all of the famous people in the Bible were far from perfect people. From Abraham to Moses to David to most of the prophets and most of the NT characters, they all fell short of God's standard. that's something we all share, and yet He still loves each and every one of us.