Interpretation
When I was about six, I had a good friend, Sergey, and we used to get in trouble. Actually, it was always his idea. Just kidding. One time, my parents had picked some apples and they left them in a basket in the breezeway. For some crazy reason, we thought it would be funny to take a bite out every apple in the basket, ruining the entire batch! When my dad got home, he took me in the breezeway and showed me the ruined apples. He said, “I don’t ever want to see you do this again!” I was seriously confused and said, “But you never saw me!” My dad couldn’t stay angry. He started laughing. So what’s the point? Interpretation matters. I took what dad said literally and didn’t get what he meant. Interpretation matters with scripture too.
Now I want you to imagine you’re in the science fiction world of the novel Dune. There is a meeting of forces. Soldiers in fire red garments, glistening armor and helmets meet desert nomads garbed in still-suits, equipped with filtering systems that recycle bodily sweat. The desert planet is harsh. They are desert warriors. But the soldiers of the emperor were trained on a prison planet, perfected to be the best. It is a pivotal meeting for the two to integrate or forever be foes. Stilgar, the leader of the desert nomads, approaches the Duke’s son. He spits on the ground before him. Everybody in the movie theater is silent anticipating conflict.
Instead, the Duke’s son thanks Stilgar for the gift of his water, a sacred offering on the hot desert planet. Who could have guessed? The movie Dune illustrates the importance of interpretation. This is true of the Bible as well. It is wise to research forms of interpretation. Culture, time period, faith tradition, writing style, language and lost historical colloquialisms can affect translation.
As the Church, we believe the Spirit of Scripture is without error. The Author is the Holy Spirit. Still, it is dangerous to take it literally all the time. The Holy Spirit speaks through a human filter. Are the experts always right? No. But it’s good to look to them for insight. Read the Bible. The Holy Spirit will speak to you in a unique and distinct way, unlike anyone else. You’re special. You make a difference. Believe it. But also, we need all the help we can get. Be humble, learn from experts too.
When I was about six, I had a good friend, Sergey, and we used to get in trouble. Actually, it was always his idea. Just kidding. One time, my parents had picked some apples and they left them in a basket in the breezeway. For some crazy reason, we thought it would be funny to take a bite out every apple in the basket, ruining the entire batch! When my dad got home, he took me in the breezeway and showed me the ruined apples. He said, “I don’t ever want to see you do this again!” I was seriously confused and said, “But you never saw me!” My dad couldn’t stay angry. He started laughing. So what’s the point? Interpretation matters. I took what dad said literally and didn’t get what he meant. Interpretation matters with scripture too.
Now I want you to imagine you’re in the science fiction world of the novel Dune. There is a meeting of forces. Soldiers in fire red garments, glistening armor and helmets meet desert nomads garbed in still-suits, equipped with filtering systems that recycle bodily sweat. The desert planet is harsh. They are desert warriors. But the soldiers of the emperor were trained on a prison planet, perfected to be the best. It is a pivotal meeting for the two to integrate or forever be foes. Stilgar, the leader of the desert nomads, approaches the Duke’s son. He spits on the ground before him. Everybody in the movie theater is silent anticipating conflict.
Instead, the Duke’s son thanks Stilgar for the gift of his water, a sacred offering on the hot desert planet. Who could have guessed? The movie Dune illustrates the importance of interpretation. This is true of the Bible as well. It is wise to research forms of interpretation. Culture, time period, faith tradition, writing style, language and lost historical colloquialisms can affect translation.
As the Church, we believe the Spirit of Scripture is without error. The Author is the Holy Spirit. Still, it is dangerous to take it literally all the time. The Holy Spirit speaks through a human filter. Are the experts always right? No. But it’s good to look to them for insight. Read the Bible. The Holy Spirit will speak to you in a unique and distinct way, unlike anyone else. You’re special. You make a difference. Believe it. But also, we need all the help we can get. Be humble, learn from experts too.