Scripture’s task is to tell people, at the risk of their displeasure, the mystery of God and the secrets of their own hearts””to speak out and make a clean breast. There are many ways to say and write these truths: in oracles, in poems, in novels, in sermons, in satire, in journalism, in drama. Honestly written and courageously presented words reveal reality and expose our selfish attempts to violate beauty, manipulate goodness and dominate people, all the while defying God. Most of us most of the time, whether consciously or not, live this way. Honest writing shows us how badly we are living and how good life is. Enlightenment is not without pain. But the pain, accepted and endured is not a maiming but a purging. “Every significant utterance is a wound” but ”˜faithful are the wounds of a friend.’”
–Eugene Peterson, Run With Horses (Downer’s Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1983), p.128
Perspicacious blog readers will know that the second half of the last sentence is a quote from Proverbs 27:6. The last sentence in full is from R.E.C. Brown’s The Ministry of the Word (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1976), p.23
The Mystery of God is revealed in Jesus Christ and all of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, points to that same Revealed Mystery. As Christians we are uniquely equipped to understand Scripture. We alone see that it all points to Jesus.
Take the unified witness of the water, the spirit and the blood, the 3 constants from Genesis to Revelation. They testify to Jesus Christ.
Rarely is a blog comment as beautiful and full of meaning as its object…but yours is, Alice, and I appreciate both very much.
Eugene Peterson is an old friend and mentor who I have appreciated very much during the thirty or so years I have known him. Eugene seldoms speaks publicly now, but if you would like an opportunity to learn from him, then during the first week of September he is leading the RESTORING PRAYER international prayer and the spiritual life conference at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, England. Details can be found on the Ridley Hall website: http://www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/scprogramme.html. Also speaking are Alister McGrath, Paula Gooder, and Anne Dyer.
Thanks Alice. We believe in order that we might understand. Bet you did not learn that in seminary.