Welcome to Part 2 of the Beatles-themed devotional
series. This being the second
devotional, I thought it fitting that this one should center on The Beatles’
Second Album which was creatively titled “The Beatles’ Second Album”. After finding such massive, early and almost
sudden success and popularity, the record company wanted to get another album
out for release as quickly as possible.
The only problem with that plan was that the songwriting team of Lennon
and McCartney hadn’t had time to come up with an album of new songs just yet. Which, just as a general observation, makes
it difficult to release an album…when you don’t have any songs for it. So obviously, the only thing to do is get
them to sing somebody else’s songs. So
they did. The Beatle’s Second Album
(named “The Beatles’ Second Album) was released in April, 1964, and is an album
full of The Beatles covering other people’s songs. Technically, there IS original Beatles
material on the album, but it’s mainly regarded as a cover album. The Beatles covered everything from Chuck
Berry’s rock and roll “Roll Over Beethoven” to Motown’s “You Really Got a Hold
On Me” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (the Miracles isn’t the Bible
tie-in, just to let you know on the front) with even a little bit of Girl Group
music included with “Please Mr. Postman” originally released by the
Marvelettes.
I have to be honest, a song sang by girls who are begging
the postman for a letter from their boyfriend sounds a lot better than a song sang
by boys who are begging the postman for a letter from their girlfriend. Girls longing for their boys seems sort of
romantic, like “awww, she really loves him and wants him to write to her while
he’s away.” Boys longing for their girls
while they’re away is more a needy, lonely, needs a hobby or possibly just “Dip
dip dip dip dip dip dip dip Mum mum mum mum mum mum…GET A JOB!” kinda vibe
(might as well throw in a Silhouettes reference while we’re dropping all the
Golden Oldies songs). But it’s not just
“Please Mr. Postman” that sounds quirky to me.
Most of them do. But depending on
the person listening, that person may very well love those versions…solely
based on the fact that The Beatles are the guys singing them. And depending on the person listening, they
may very well loathe those versions…solely based on the fact that The Beatles
are the guys singing them. Because
honestly, there are a FEW people out there that just don’t like the Beatles. But some people like the original songs. Some people like The Beatles’ versions. To some, maybe The Beatles’ version IS the
original version to them. But it
basically boils down to the fact that it’s the same song but depending on who’s
singing it, it’s either loved or hated.
And it’s that way for almost every song.
“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John is iconic, but to me Tim McGraw’s cover of
it is far better. On the other hand, the
original Dolly Parton “I will always love you” is nearly the perfect song. Whitney Houston had a very popular cover of
that song – and I refer to it as “the bellowin’ cow” version because of all the
yelling she does…and I can’t stand it.
In Mark 9 the apostles come to Jesus – well, let’s back up. In Mark 8, Jesus feeds the 4,000 and Peter
confesses that Jesus is the Son of God.
Then we get to Mark 9, and we see the transfiguration and when Jesus
comes back to the discples, we see that they have been out teaching and healing
and spreading the word of Jesus. And
then they come to Jesus tattling, “We saw this other guy teaching and healing
in your name, but we told him to stop!”
And Jesus tells them, “It’s the same song…it doesn’t have to be your
group singing it.” In 1 Corinthians 3,
Paul admonishes the Corinthian church because some of the members are saying
they like Paul’s version and some are saying they like Apollos’ version. And Paul tells them, “It’s the same song…it
doesn’t have to be your group singing it.”
This is right after he’s gotten onto them in Chapter 1 where they’re
throwing in Cephas and even “I like Christ’s version better” in their lists of
version bragging. And Paul tells them that
it doesn’t matter where you heard it, it’s all the Gospel…in other words, “It’s
the same song…it doesn’t have to be your group singing it.”
Listen for the Whisper that tells you that if it’s the
Gospel, it’s the Gospel. Some people
like listening to Adrian Rogers. Some
people like listening to Joel Osteen.
Some people like listening to Alistair Begg (and he’s a great preacher,
but he’s fun to listen to simply for the accent). But we’re told to test it all for the
truth. It’s not simply a matter of
liking a preacher because he’s energetic, therefore all he says is true. Is he speaking spiritual truth? I’m not trying to cast aspersions on any of
the three preachers I just listed, but we we’re supposed to cross-reference
everything we hear with the Bible to see if it’s biblically accurate. Not just, “It’s true, because I heard Adrian
say it.” We’re not to be lazy with the instruction
we receive – we have homework! Acts
17:11 “Now these were more noble-minded than those in
Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the
Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” They heard the teaching and then examined the
scriptures to verify the truth of what they were told. They weren’t just accepting it because they
really liked the speaker.
On the other hand, we don’t need to
ignore sound instruction based solely on the person delivering the
message. Bible truth is Bible truth
regardless of who sings it. Some people
really like reading my devotionals (or so they’ve told me), but I would be
willing to bet that some people have never read a single word of a single
devotional simply because it’s ME that’s writing them. Take my same devotional and slap a Max Lucado
or Beth Moore name at the bottom and some of those same people would gobble it right
up.
Much like the songs on the Beatles’
Second Album, some people will love them or hate them simply because the Beatles
are singing it. Some however, see them
for what they are: Songs originally recorded
by another artist that were later recorded by the Beatles. It’s the same song…just someone else putting
their own twist on it to open it up to a different audience. Like the song “Unchained Melody” is most
notably performed by the Righteous Brothers, but also performed very well by
many others. But there’s one version where
the truth is not in it. There’s one
version where they’ve taken the same words and twisted them into something completely
and almost unrecognizably different.
They’ve twisted them into something seemingly very wrong. There was a group called Vito and the
Salutations who, in the summer of 1963, released an up-tempo version of
“Unchained Melody”. In that case, it’s
the same words, but it’s not at all the same song. Because it’s not just the words that make a
song any more than it’s a speaker that makes teaching true.
We have to be careful and diligent in what we take in as
truth. The Holy Scripture is truth. Our duty as believers is to listen to a
lesson and then check the Scriptures to see if it’s true. And, by the way, just dropping a few verse
references into a sermon doesn’t make it Scripturally true. Some people try to discredit the Bible we believe. And how do a large number of them do it? By taking Bible verses and twisting them to
say something they don’t say. They take
the “Unchained Melody” and twist into something that it’s not. So how are we supposed to know? You have to read your Bible. Sure there are some people that you can
usually trust more than others, but that’s not to say that you don’t still have
the responsibility. Don’t take a message
for an absolute truth just because Adrian Rogers said it (although it might be),
but don’t immediately discredit a message simply because I’m the one who said
it (although I could be mistaken on my interpretation of a passage).
So don’t like a song simply because the Beatles sing
it. And don’t hate a song simply because
the Beatles sing it. Hate the “Unchained
Melody” by Vito and the Salutations. And
I don’t mean to keep demonizing Vito and the boys. It’s actually a quirky little version that,
personally, I find entertaining. But
it’s not “Unchained Melody” as it’s intended to be. But don’t accept everything you hear simply
based on who it is saying it. But on the
other hand, don’t hold a grudge against a preacher or dislike the way he
dresses and discount his teaching. Don’t
hear a preacher on the radio and be annoyed by the way he says, “Gawd” or “The
LOW-ered” and discount his teaching.
Don’t see Baptist Church or Methodist Church or Church of Christ on the
sign in front of the building and immediately discount their teaching. Their methodology and traditions might be different
from what you’re used to, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ means the same thing
to you as it does to them. Bible truth is Bible truth regardless of who sings it…or like I said
earlier “it’s the same song…it doesn’t have to be your group singing
it.”
~Dwayne
