Biblical references to technology

Biblical References to Technology
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SERMONS, ESSAYS AND OPINIONS
CONTENTS

Many verses throughout the Bible assume a degree of technology and technique: that is, the existence of tools and the processes for their manufacture and use. Common examples include iron, bronze, gold, silver, refine, metal, tool, instrument, wheel, cook, wine, craft, build, cloth, city, shield, helmet, armor, arrow, sword, weapon spear, chariot, boat, ship, door, chains. Each of these imply that people created technologies to augment their abilities, to control the environment, to improve their lives, to communicate, etc.

The following tables collates more significant references to technology:

New Testament

Verse	Summary of Content	Observations and Implications
Matthew 2:1 - Matthew 2:11	The Magi follow a star.	Putting aside the unscientific notion of stars heralding a new king, the Magi were clearly both knowledgeable and observant about the night sky. They were presumably not Jewish (i.e. not one of God's people) and yet God used their pre-scientific astronomy to draw them into God's plan. Is there any reason why we should not expect the same today -- that people who study the created world are drawn towards the Creator, even those who are outside the Christian faith?
Matthew 7:24 - Matthew 7:27 Luke 6:46 - Luke 6:49	Wise and foolish builders	An engineering metaphor. Every wise builder understands the need for a solid foundation, just as every software engineer needs a solid development platform, every scientist needs a well-formed experimental method, every mathematician relies on the axioms of set theory, every mobile phone carrier needs a solid infrastructure, etc. Do we build our worldview with the same attention to the foundation?
Matthew 9:16 - Matthew 9:17 Mark 2:21 - Mark 2:22 Luke 5:36 - Luke 5:39	New cloth to patch old clothes; new wine in old wineskins.	I don't know if there is any spiritual lesson here about technology, but the principle is certainly still true: don't try putting new software onto an old computer!
Matthew 10:9 - Matthew 10:10 Mark 6:8	The disciples are sent out, without money or luggage or shoes or walking stick.	Christians do not need technology or any other baggage to carry out God's work. Like the birds and the lilies in Matthew 6:26 - Matthew 6:30, all we need is supplied by God. That does not mean that accessories such as technology are not helpful: just not necessary. And note that later on, Luke 22:36 records Jesus telling his disciples that they should now take money and a bag and even a sword.
Matthew 26:51 - Matthew 26:53 Luke 22:50 John 18:10	During Jesus' arrest, one of his companions cuts of someone's ear with a sword, but Jesus rebukes the use of the sword.	Like the comment on Matthew 10:9 (above), Jesus does not need technology to achieve his goal.
Matthew 27:60	Jesus is buried	Is the stone that was rolled across the tomb's entrance "technology"? It is no barrier to God.
Mark 3:9	Jesus plans ahead by having a boat ready.	Nothing special here, but this is obviously one of many time that Jesus happily used technology.
Matthew 13:55 Mark 6:3	Jesus is the son of a carpenter.	As a carpenter he would have used tools frequently. According to W.E.Vine's Expository Dictionary of New testament Words these are the only two occurrences of the Greek word tektōn (τέκτων) – from which we get the English "technology".
Mark 4:21 Luke 8:16, Luke 11:33	Metaphor: you don't put a lamp under a bowl.	Jesus draws on his audience's knowledge of common technology. Here and elsewhere he seems happy to accept our attempts to make life easier via technology. It is also testament to his communication ability that he makes such effective use of concepts with which his audience is familiar to draw them towards a new idea.
Mark 13:1 - Mark 13:2	The disciples marvel at the magnificent Temple, but Jesus is not impressed. The Temple will be destroyed.	No building (or anything else built by people) is as magnificent or as sturdy as God. From John 2:19 we see that it is only the Temple of Jesus' body that can be destroyed and yet remake itself.
Luke 1:63	Zechariah uses a writing tablet
Luke 2:1	Roman census
Luke 2:7, Luke 2:16	Manger
Luke 3:17	Winnowing fork used metaphorically for sorting wheat from chaff
Luke 5:1 - Luke 5:11	Boats and fishing nets	Jesus honours the work of Simon and other fishermen, but calls them to leave their technology in order to follow him. Jesus is happy to make use of boats for his own purpose of teaching. Jesus also shows that nets and boats are not enough: not even enough to catch fish -- you also need knowledge and, by implication, spiritual insight.
Luke 5:31	Jesus likens himself to a doctor.
Luke 9:62	If you put your hand to the plough, don't look back. See also Luke 14:28 - Luke 14:30 about the need to plan before building a tower.	What's wrong with looking back? It makes it impossible to plough a straight furrow. So don't start working for God if you're going to be distracted with other concerns rather than concentrating on the goal.
Luke 12:16 - Luke 12:21	The rich fool who builds big barns to store his wealth but then dies	A lesson in priorities: spiritual wisdom over wealth. But also a comment that technology (barns) cannot satisfy life's real needs.
Luke 12:35	Keep your lamps burning	Metaphor for being alert and prepared. But also an acceptance that it is quite appropriate to use artificial light sources. Thus nothing earth-shattering, but it is one of many examples where God accepts and even commends the use of technology. God does not expect us to just take the world as it is, but encourages us to create technologies to help us.
Luke 13:4	A building accident causes 18 to die, but it is not because the victoms were evil.
John 1:3	Through him all things were made	The Word of God, i.e. Jesus, was the tool of choice for God.
John 2:1 - John 2:10	Water into wine	The process of making wine usually requires substantial technology: agricultural implements, irrigation, fertiliser, grape press, chemistry, temperature-controlled vats, etc. But Jesus gets a better result by his own authority.
John 2:15	Jesus makes a whip to drive the animals out of the Temple grounds
John 6:19	Jesus walks on water	Even though Jesus frequently uses boats, he actually doesn't need them. Jesus can achieve his purpose without any need for technology of any sort.
Acts 7:48	"The Most High does not live in houses made by man"	God cannot be contained by anything humans construct. We cannot limit God, nor can we exceed or control God with technology or anything else we create.
Acts 8:26 - Acts 8:40	Philip ministers to the Ethiopian eunuch in his chariot.	The chariot is a symbol of affluence and authority rather than war. Perhaps like a Rolls Royce car today. But that doesn't daunt Philip! The pedestrian jogs along, hears Isaish being read through the window and offers advice. He gets to sit in the Rolls and preach to the rich and famous! Apart from Revelation 9:9, this is the only chariot mentioned in the NT.
Acts 18:3 - Acts 3:5	Paul, Aquila and Priscilla were all tentmakers.	When necessary, they earned money by their trade to support their ministry. But when others were able to support him, Paul would devote himself exclusively to preaching.
Acts 19:23 - Acts 19:41	Riot in Ephesus	Silversmiths (and perhaps other craftsmen) see their livelihood threatened by the Gospel
Acts 21 Acts 27 - Acts 28 and numerous other passages in Acts	Paul travels by sailing boat	As a principle, Paul tries to become "all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Corinthians 9:21). So it is not surprising that he would use whatever technology was available to further his cause.
Romans 6:13	Our bodies can either be instruments of wickedness or instruments of righteousness.	In the Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vine says the meaning of "instruments" here is most likely as a weapon. We as people are like tools that, in the cosmic war, are used to advance one side or the other. Our bodies, as technology, are not neutral, nor mindlessly forced into service: Paul calls us choose to which purpose we will offer ourselves.
1 Corinthians 3:6 - 1 Corinthians 3:15	In rebuking divisions in the church, Paul points out that we are God's co-workers. It matters not whether we plant or water: it is God's work that matters. It doesn't matter who laid the foundation and who builds on it, as long as the foundation is Jesus Christ. Whatever the building is made of -- gold, silver, wood, stones, or even straw -- will all be tested by fire.	Interesting mixing of metaphors, from agricultural to construction engineering. In our context, Paul could have written that the technology does not matter, only that our joint work seeks a common purpose and a common foundation, that of Christ. Paul returns to that theme in 1 Corinthians 15:58, assuring us that such labours are not in vain.
1 Corinthians 9:10	Ploughs and threshers
2 Corinthians 4:7	"we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all‑surpassing power is from God and not from us"	This strange technology -- the clay jars that are our bodies -- are very fragile and yet they contain the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 5:1	Our body is merely a tent, but will be replaced by an eternal house in heaven.
2 Corinthians 9:9	God supplies seed to the sower and bread for food	It is easy to see that God provides seed -- that's just part of what he created. But here it says he also supplies bread. Even though humans manufacture the bread (using a lot of technology by the way) even the results of our creative act ultimately come from God.
2 Corinthians 10:2	The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world
Ephesians 2:10	"we are God's workmanship"	God crafts us with the tools of love, grace, relationships with others, suffering and the Spirit of Christ Jesus within us. We have been manufactured for a purpose.
Ephesians 2:20	Christ Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.	Who is the builder? See Hebrews 3:4. Compare with 1 Peter 2:4 -- we, like Christ, are living stones, and we are being built into a spiritual house.
Ephesians 6:13 - Ephesians 6:17	Put on the full armour of God
Colossians 4:14	Luke the beloved physician
2 Timothy 2:20 - 2 Timothy 2:21	All sorts of artefacts may be used for good or evil. Even people can become "an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work".
2 Timothy 4:14	"Alexander the metalworker..."
Philemon 1:13	"in chains for the gospel"	Compare with Ephesians 6:20 where Paul describes himself as "an ambassador in chains". But no chains can constrain God's work.
Hebrews 3:4	"God is the builder of everything"
Hebrews 4:12	"The word of God is ... sharper than any double-edged sword"
Hebrews 11:9 - Hebrews 11:10	Abraham was content to live in tents even though he looked forward to living in a city whose architect was God.
Hebrews 13:16	"But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."	Maybe it's not to much of a stretch to apply this to communication technology. (King James is the only one to mention "communication" in this verse, so I don't think this inference works. The Greek implies sharing rather than communicating. -- Matt)
James 3:3	Putting bits in horses' mouths
James 3:4	Steering a ship by a rudder
James 4:3	Moths eat clothes, and gold and silver corrode.	The stuff we create with technology and all our material wealth is ephemeral.
1 Peter 1:7	Faith is of greater worth than gold
Revelation 1:12	Seven golden lampstands represent the 7 churches
Revelation 3:18	God recommends that the Laodiceans buy salve to put on their eyes
Revelation 5:7 - Revelation 5:8	Throne, scrolls, harps, bowls of incense	Evidence of technology in heaven?
Revelation 6:1 - Revelation 6:5	Horse riders carry a bow, a sword and a pair of scales
Revelation 8	Seven angels each sound a trumpet
Revelation 9:2	"like the smoke from a gigantic furnace"
Revelation 11:1	A measuring rod
Revelation 14:14 - Revelation 14:19	One "like the son of man" and an angel wield a sharp sickle
Revelation 18:11 - Revelation 18:13	Merchants try unsuccessfully to sell precious metals, silk, linen, etc
Revelation 18:21 - Revelation 18:23	When Babylon is thrown down, there will be no more sound from musical instruments in her, nor tradesmen, mills or lighted lamps.
Revelation 21 (see also Revelation 3:12)	The Holy City -- the city of God, the new Jerusalem -- comes down out of heaven. It is huge and shines with God's glory. High walls. Twelve gates. Streets of gold like transparent glass.	Cities are not necessarily an evil created by humans: the history of creation will end with a city of God's creation.

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