What if Judas didn't do it?

[John 6IX Breezy]

I think this is crucial. It also pinpoints the difference between those who are comfortable with narrative literature and those who feel that only science can tell us things worth knowing. 

Exactly, choosing narrative instead of exposition for sacred text is incredibly powerful. The fact that not very many intelligent people realize that, almost lends credence to a divine wisdom from a Christian perspective.

There's a lot that could be said about this from a psychological standpoint. But here's one of them: There is a powerful, if not direct, connection between narrative and behavior.

What connects the two is memory. Narrative is deeply connected with our memory systems. You could argue that narrative evolved as part of our episodic memories. Our autobiographical memories construct our narrative self. Narratives are also a lot easier to remember than any other form of information. You can remember stories in ways that you cannot remember a textbook, so our memory system has a bias towards encoding stories.

Now, how does this lead to behavior? Because the whole purpose of memory is to guide future action. You store things in memory to help you navigate the future.

Here's how this connects to the Bible. It is very clear when you read the Bible that God is interested in one thing only—your actions. Not whether you believe the Earth is flat or round. Behavior is what the bible is concerned with, and getting you to choose one set of behaviors over another. Talk to any Christian and they'll tell you the point of Jesus becoming a man wasn't just the crucifixion, it was to provide the template of how to live a holy life.

And so, every story in the Bible is designed to teach an object lesson in a way that guides behavior and can be easily recalled. The focus isn't on the details or their accuracy. The goal is far deeper than that, and a Bible written like a textbook would have never become as successful and widespread as it did.