Its OK to interpret bible stories alternatively. Some bible stories have an accepted, often repeated, interpretation. But it’s a worthy exercise to think of an alternate interpretation. Indeed, you may have never really accepted the “usual” way. For example, there is a “standard” way of perceiving Job's friends. The usual is to say the "Friends" are not really friendly. In fact they are glad about Job's calamities. They are really competitive fault-finders. They are seeking Job's downfall and don’t mind disheartening him.
If that’s true why would they sit with him for seven days? Why would they come to see him at all if it was only to find fault? They could find fault with Job easier by staying at the market place or at the bar.
But there is an alternate way to view Job’s situation. Let’s suppose the friends are real and are concerned about his calamities. Not knowing about Satan’s involvement they assume Job has responsibility. They want to warn him. By guessing at what may be Job’s faults they are really seeking to find a solution and rescue and uplift Job.
The story of Zacharias also has a standard interpretation. People usually suppose he is a tax collector and therefore uses his position to rob others. They say he is a sinner because they assume all tax collectors rob. They extend this assumption toward Jesus. They think Jesus ought to know who and what this man is and therefore avoid, or even admonish him.
The alternate is to say, yes, he is a tax collector but that's just his job. It’s a job like a farmer or a shop keeper has a job. Being a tax collector does not automatically make him a robber. Jesus knows that he is a man like any other and knows (because God knows these things) this man has a softer heart than most of the others standing about.
Sometimes it’s good to investigate an alternative view of the “usual” interpretation. It may help us to expand our thinking. But our motivation for this ought not to be for the purpose of making ourselves stand out from most other people in a thrust to be noticed.
Often the “usual” interpretation is usually the best.
