Digging Deeper – Hyperlinked Text

Popular philosopher and professor Jordan Peterson recently called the Bible “the world’s first hyperlinked text.” While explaining the magnitude of cross-references (instances where a text refers to another text, either directly or by allusion), he said the more a text is cross-referenced, the more pathways through it there are. You can imagine that this explodes exponentially. You might say, “What does a Bible verse mean?” and the answer is that it means whatever it means in reference to all of its cross-references, and then each of those cross-references has cross-references.

It has been posited that there are over 63,779 cross-references within the Bible. Computer scientist Christopher Harrison and Pastor Christoph Römhild teamed up to compile a graph that beautifully shows the interconnectedness of these cross-references (it can be viewed here). While the sheer quantity of textual relationships may seem daunting, I believe the opposite is true. It simplifies the Word. The Bible, though the work of many authors from many periods across many places and written in various languages, becomes the unified work of a single God, summed up in the person of Jesus Christ.

I was reminded of the richness of cross-references while reading our text for the week. In Jeremiah 6:16, Yahweh tells the Israelites, “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” If you have read the Gospels, you probably notice something familiar in these words. Take a moment and try to spot it. Do you see it?

Jesus quotes part of this verse while speaking to a crowd in Matthew 11:29. He says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” In the Old Testament, following the “good way” of Jeremiah provides rest for the soul. In the New Testament, following Jesus, who called himself “the way” (John 14:6), likewise leads to soul rest. Why? Because Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets and is himself the good way (Matthew 15:7). It is no wonder, then, that the earliest Christians called themselves followers of “the Way.”

As you read today’s verse, look up the cross-references in your Bible. If your Bible does not have them, try a Bible app like BibleHub. Take a moment to follow a few of them.