Images

Somewhere along the way here, I came to a place of loving images.  Some may like language to very precise and exact leaving no room for any possible misunderstanding or error in interpretation.  I guess I am just not one of those people.  Images intrigue me.  I like the way images do not do all the work of thinking for me, but require a moment of slowing down and giving some thought to what the writer might be trying to convey.  Perhaps, this is a part of the appeal of good poetry, but it can also be true of good prose.     

The Gospel of John is an example of a writing which is filled with images that are rich in meaning and do not demand to be seen only in one way.   Images abound in those verses and chapters as John remembers Jesus talking about water, and light, and something as ambiguous as the way.  When we come to such places in our reading, be it in the gospel of John, or in some other writing it requires us to slow down and pay closer attention to what the words are trying to say to us.  I had an old friend years ago who was an Episcoplian priest who often said that Jesus was always saying "Go figure," and while he never gave me the chapter and verse, I think I, too, have heard Jesus saying these words between the lines, or in the midst of some teaching which was not as straightforward as his listeners and we might like it to be.   

Those who want someone do their thinking for them will never be comfortable with a lot of image nonsense, but for those willling to take the time to pause, and sit, and ponder the Word for more than a minute or two there is more to see than meets the eye at first glance.  Images point us.  They do not tell us.  They are not tutorial.  They are suggestive.  They give the Spirit room to wander in the deep places of our soul where memories are stored, hopes are dreamed, and holy work is taking place.