Advice for new Bible-readers
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
John 10:1-6
Being fairly new in the flock, it´s sometimes hard to know one´s way about. As the promise says, the voice of the Lord can hardly be mistaken. But for a newcomer, it´s hard to tell which instructions are meant for you, and which for my other woolly neighbours. It is indeed one flock, but many sheep, all called by Jesus personally with a personalized agenda. This means that the word of God not only is a statement of things godly, it has a distinct purpose and direction. If philosophical terms help, we can call it “dialectal”. It´s the shepherds staff pushing, shoving and pleading the flock in the right direction. Sometimes it even becomes a sword and spiritual bloodshed ensues.
Now, being one of the newcomers, Bible-reading can become a trying experience, with all the “dialectal swords” flying about in the texts. If I let all of them draw blood, pretty soon I´ll fall to pieces. But one will eventually discover that spiritual warfare isn´t wild carnage (and let´s not use the US spinster euphemism “surgical warfare”), the recipient always has a clear address. Not that some of them aren´t coming my way, but that all of them should be meant for me, now that´s plain silly (and rather egocentric).
One of those 100% crazy, 100% holy desert saints once said that all exaggeration is of the devil. It´s completely true, and quite an exaggeration. Another mark of the devil: He can´t keep two things in his head at once. So let´s not be afraid of dialectism in the Bible, or feel the need to balance it. After all, a blunt sword is of no use to anyone. But let´s be aware it´s there...
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