ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 2, 2022
On occasion, the Judge next door to the church will invite one of the ministerial staff over to do a wedding when he’s unavailable. I appreciate the relationship we have with the county, and I also want to be as supportive and helpful to the county as the county is to us. But I’ve discovered that I never know what unusual thing will happen at those weddings. Some times it is just a couple, and other times we cram 20 people into the Judge’s office. Sometimes it is quiet and everyone is very reserved and serious. And other times, there is laughter, children running around, and a sudden interruption when someone in the wedding party believes there is a detail about the couple’s life that I should know. There are times when translation is required, and quite often it is done by the family. Recently, I did two weddings where a number of the family members were participating in the translation and there were some differences of opinion. It became quite humorous as they debated how best to express a phrase I shared. On one occasion, it even got a little heated over who had best translated the simple phrase: “I promise to encourage you.” It makes me realize the challenge involved in translating anything, including scripture. When an expert is translating the Ancient Hebrew of the Old Testament or the Ancient Greek of the New Testament, there are decisions to be made. Should it be a simple word-for-word translation, or should the translation seek deeper meaning, especially if it is poetry or metaphor? Or what happens when there is slang or a colloquialism that is completely meaningless apart from the original cultural setting? When people say to me, “I just believe every word of the Bible,” I’m not too sure what to think. Do you know Hebrew? Do you understand the uniqueness of ancient Hebrew poetry? Do you know that certain words are euphemisms and they do not mean what you think they mean? And then there are the times when it is hard to know whether the original author was being sarcastic or serious, using hyperbole or if it was an embellishment that happens whenever a story is told again and again. The study of scripture may not necessarily be about answers. Instead, it might have more to do with the questions raised, the emotions evoked, and the mystery that entices while evading capture. Tomorrow, we will explore a Psalm that has some unexpected offerings that are not necessarily seen at first glance but are provocative to our imagination.
Living Word, continue to invite me into the ancient world of words that seeks to elicit a response that resembles the Jesus I meet on the pages of scripture and in the prayers I offer. Amen.
