HIDDEN

The brightness of the sun almost blinds us; as it is slowly disappearing. The darkness desends and with it comes the beauty that was hidden; the stars and the moon but also the hidden night sounds around us seem to come alive.

This week for me is a time to study and search for deeper meaning in the words of Jesus. Jesus spoke in a middle Eastern language that changes the meaning of some words as we translate them. For example "Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." {Matthew 7:17} How can a tree be evil one asks? Aramaic ears would hear ripe for good and unripe for the word corrupt. So" instead of imposing an external standard of goodness, the lesson has to do with time and place, setting and cirsumstance, health and disease." In the introduction of the book "The Hidden Gospel" we find Hebrew interpretation allows for more discusion and freedom to explore the words to produce thoughts of contemplation, devotion and spiritual practice. The Hewish scholars call this Midrash a type of spiritual-interpretation that uses the possible meaning of the words in an attempt to make a scriptural passage or a saying of a holy person into a living experience that can meet the challenges of the present. Consider the possibility of many multiple meanings. We bring to anything we are studying our own preconceived ideas and this holds true whether the person is an ignostic academic or a fundamentalist Christian.

I believe that the words and teachings of Jesus contain truth that may seem hidden but in reality they may be too honest and too strong but the truth often is.