Sunday, April 23, 2023
Sunday Reflection: Truth in the scramble
I do, of course, know some people who are skeptical of how seriously I take the Gospels-- that is, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. (I don't pay much attention to the other books except as context-- I'm a Christian, so it is Christ I am really interested in the most). "Hey!" some of them say. "You don't really think that an oral history transcribed by others much later then recopied is really some kind of exact transcript of what Jesus said, do you?"
And the answer is that I don't. I'm not someone who thinks that God wrote the Bible or guided the translators-- there is too much variation between their outcomes for that to be true. I do think there was a Jesus and that his central teachings-- humility, for example-- come through. In those stories there are certain consistencies that (even if imperfectly described) really shine through.
I find this with my dad these days-- since his death, many people have been telling me stories about him (which I love to hear). Some of them, including some that I tell, vary from others recollections. But the spirit and persona described are very clear, even with those mis-rememberings. We knew the same person, and saw the same things. In forty years, when people tell stories about him, that will still be true.
My faith is built on a perfect narrative, and I'm ok with it-- the story rests with us humans, and we are talented at telling truths deeper than perfection allows.
