Not everything given to us in revelation is meant to be easily understood. There are several simple lessons which we can learn from Holy Scripture, but that does not mean everything contained in it is meant to be interpreted or engaged so simply. Scripture presents to us, through various genres of texts, the greater truth of God, the truth which transcends human comprehension; this is why we must not expect everything in it to be simple. God transcends our comprehension, and so the truth of God will not limited by comprehension; anyone who would try to limit the truth in such a fashion ends up making something which is mundane, and of little value, and that would lead us to question why we should put any effort into learning it.
If there is something difficult for us to understand in Scripture, if some of it appears to be vague, or if some of it seems to be self-contradictory, we should not use that to shrug off the text; rather, it should suggest there is something for us to explore, some hidden mystery for us to ascertain. We should not expect everything to be simply handed to us. It is not meant to be taken lightly. The more we struggle to understand the truth revealed to us in Scripture, the more we understand its depth and its value. Now, to be sure, in our attempt to understand Scripture (or any form of revelation), we do not have to do so without help; we can (and should) look to and rely upon those who came before us, especially those exegetes who have proven to be credible, and use what they tell us to help us better understand what Scripture wants us to know.
We are not spoon fed the great mysteries of the faith. We must prepare ourselves for them. Some of what is found in Scripture might not be meant for us in a particular time or place in our life. Jesus suggested this is one of the reasons why he could be vague and speak in parables; he wanted to make sure the right people, those ready for the greater truth, will be the ones who receive, while others, who are not ready, who will misunderstand it if they are told it, will have it hidden from them:
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand” (Lk. 8:9-10 RSV).
We must not think this means Jesus did not want to teach everyone, for indeed, he came to do just that, to teach us all. But how he teaches us will depend upon us and our abilities. He taught people based upon what they were ready to know as well as to what they were ready to do. This is why, when he taught some of the greatest mysteries of faith, he did so in a way which was not always obvious; only those who were invested in what he had to say and ready to act upon what they learn were given the key needed to receive those mysteries. To be sure, thanks to the long history of the Christian faith and the theologians talking about those mysteries, we can now find what we need to have the explanation provided for us, but if we are to do this, we still have to find out who they are and take the time to study what they taught.
It is fitting that Jesus said this after giving the parable of the sower because the parable speaks of the way Christ is at work in the world planting the seed of grace all around, allowing those who receive it to either nurture it and attain all that such grace is meant to bring to them, or to trample upon it and cut themselves off from the fruit of that grace:
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience (Lk. 8:11-15 RSV).
We all need the seed of grace. Thankfully, Christ has planted it throughout all creation. It is already within us. What we need to do is help it grow. Grace does not force itself upon us, which is why having it in us does not guarantee our salvation. We need to nurture it, to water it with penitence and love. Without the seed of grace, we will be spiritually desolate, but without our cooperation with grace, we will also be spiritually desolate. This is why both “faith alone” and “works alone” are invalid. Salvation requires grace. We are taught through our faith to cooperate and nurture it. While we are not “not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (cf. Gal. 2:16), we must recognize faith is more than just belief, faith is about our whole orientation and way of life, which includes our beliefs as well as those actions which reflect those beliefs. A living faith is revealed by our works while a dead faith is shown by us doing nothing, We must not let the devil make us think we should do nothing; if we do so, our heart will not be with Christ and Christ’s ways, and the seed of grace will not be allowed to grow – it will be, as it were, taken away from us (though, in reality, it will always remain in and with us in potentiality). If we follow the ways of the fallen world with its unloving, hateful ideologies, turning away from the path of love, we will prevent the seed of grace from attaining its proper potential in our lives. Only if we seek to remove all the spiritual weeds within, if we constantly prune ourselves, seeking to overcome our selfishness and all that flows from it, will our internal soil be the kind in which the seed of grace can properly bloom.
Christ taught with parables. He shows us that the ways of truth can and sometimes must be presented in confusing, and sometimes, vague ways. There is value to be had in this. Even the most vague presentation of the truth presents an element of the truth which someone can engage, and when they have the proper key, they will find what seemed to be vague is no longer vague and they will understand how and why it was able to point them in the right direction so that they could discover and realize more of the truth for themselves. That is, those willing to engage it will follow to where it points, and learn the deeper mysteries being presented by it, until, at least, they find the seed which has been sowed within has produced the fruit of salvation in their lives.
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N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.
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