Frans Bauer: in the Bible it is….

A folk singer who reaches the general public with the message of the Bible. That seems to be the success of Frans Bauer. His hit is “in the Bible it is written”. What more could you want?! It is a happy song and if you’ve heard the chorus once, you can sing along.

In the Bible it is written On one day water was changed to wine Why would drinking it now be a sin You only live one time Then, we will see again Go partying and enjoy Forget your worries and grief Alleluia for life Do not wait for paradise Heaven is on earth Do not wait until your last trip So go out of your sphere Add a little fun Life is a party

The message is (unmistakably) clear: let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

You only live one time. Then, we will see again.

How ever cheerful the song may sound, the message, itself, is rather sad. Why celebrate today? Because tomorrow we die. Is that not a pessimistic motive? Why “Alleluia for life …”, if life really is but a process of dying, “a constant death”? Whoever is sober can not see any fun in this. It is perhaps for this reason that Bauer advises to take a hefty swig? To be desensitized? How different and more beautiful is what really “is written in the Bible”! Indeed: “on one day, water was changed to wine”. The message that Bauer gets from this is: “why would drinking it be a sin for us, now?”. That’s right … but he misses the point. For on which day was water changed to wine? That was not merely “on one day”, but “on the third day” (John 2:1). The third day in the Bible always refers to the day when the stone was rolled away from the tomb and death was overcome. Since then, there is LIFE! Life beyond the reach of death. Alleluia for that life!! Of this speaks the miracle that water became wine. Wine is an emblem of joy. As a rule, after the harvest the grape juice goes down, into the basement, as in a funeral. But when it comes up, out of the basement… it has become wine, SPIRIT-rich liquid! Again: life from the grave. That life is stronger than death. The guarantee is: death will be nullified for all of mankind (1Cor.15:22-28)! But yes, which “Mr. Pastor” will tell you this? The Evangel is Good News! It gives reason to celebrate; to enjoy; to forget your worries and sadness. Absolutely! Not after having first numbed yourself with alcohol, but while poised and wide awake. For in the Bible it is written: on the third day, water was changed to wine! … Alleluia for that life!

Delen: