Jack Pelham

He is fooled by the familiar form
Into thinking that as he reads
He must also be understanding.

When reading a passage in the Bible
What person is there who can set aside
What he wants it to mean
Or expects it to mean
Or thought it meant yesterday
Or has always heard that it means
Or what his friends want it to mean?

Who is there among us
Who is truly free
Simply to listen
And consider?

Too few have any concept
That ideas need to be vetted—
Beyond the question of whether
They seem desirable to hold.

And of those who do perceive the need
Few have much skill at it.

There’s really no getting around
The fact that you are not listening—
Especially since what I’m trying
To talk to you about right now is
The fact that you are not listening.

I saw this meme on Facebook, and immediately liked it and disliked it!

It can take quite some time to learn how to work the Bible puzzle—and for many of us, one of the first steps seems to be coming to the realization that it is, indeed, a puzzle at all! I remember taking offense when I heard a certain author call it that sometime in the early 2000s. My view of it at the time went something like this:

• We’ve been “given everything we need” in the Bible, so it’s all in there.
• If we were just faithful and diligent, it would all make perfect sense. It’s very “clear”.
• The Spirit helps us understand it, so what’s to puzzle over? (The way I understand it, therefore, must be pretty close to being right.)

Some of the sheep say
That the greatest thing
A sheep can do is
To graze.

Always be prepared
For the fools to protest
That your wrestling them free
From the muck of stupidity
Is not love.

This is such a tough principle to navigate! How much should we “stand our ground”, and how much should we simply let people be the people they are, even if it steps on our toes?

I think this is one of the greatest philosophical questions we face as humans, and how we face it says a great deal about what kind of people we are. (And I don’t think I understand it all myself—just that it’s of huge importance.)