As humans, we tend to contrast truth with beauty, with the proviso (unspoken) that we retain rights to identify just what constitutes both. . . In brief, we flounder, just "here". Truly enough, we are (to some extent) able to identify or "find beauty-in" various things, or persons, but to people like me (at least) "truth" tends toward the "axiomatic". Blast it! It's the principle of the thing. . . I rage, as I once again am proven unable to demonstrate the truth of things.
Truth per-se ends up sounding rather like a freshman course in formal logic, or the study of rhetoric? We introduce second graders to addition, and counting, but we are careful not to assert that such knowledge is all there is to math. Yet, over in truth-land, this type of proviso appears frequently A.W.O.L. ? Such stuff sounds to many, far too rigid, just more rules! Newsflash, this just in: "Humans are not fond of 'just more rules'. . ." Who knew? The missing ingredient might best be spoken in our tongue, as the "romance of truth". This utterly crucial vitamin, this necessary food of a romantic-true; appears in our land to be mighty scarce stuff!
Dave M., our Sunday-school instructor; mentioned recently that the early Christian believers were called by some "The haters of Mankind". What a lovely ring to it! Hey, now; that I like! The empire (recall) was not based upon credo nor upon locale. Nor was she united by "race", kindred or religion. . . unless we resort to the Imperial cultus, as the religion in question! One thing (precisely), built and welded that crazy international contraption together. . . that being, the "genius of Caesar"!
Our modern and slovenly usage of the word "genius", tends to overlook the basic idea involved, i.e., that of a "genie", or more revoltingly, a "tutelary spirit". To be blunt here, we moderns might best analyze the situation then as; Caesar was (best case!) simply delusional, and no real harm done. . . but the other option is that the creep was either oppressed or possessed by (perhaps more than one?) demonic intelligence(es?). Not, I say Not; a wholesome cult-tural development, that!
The romance of truth, the poetry of faith resides, think I, over somewheres in this region. . . Enter "Speculation-ville". Let's trace out the Lord's prayer for a moment.
1. Father (ours) > Thine the Power < I AM, the life
2. Heaven (You seated-in) > Thine the Kingdom < I AM, the truth
3. Name-Thine Holy-is-was-shall be > Thine the glory < I AM, the way
Okay, okay; so I tossed in John 14 too. Deal with it, and move on. My brainwave here is that we keep popping up with "threes". In this formatting, we derive; Father-Life-Power, next we find Seated-King-Heavenly-Kingdom (itself)-Truth, yielding a final triad of Name-Holy-Glorious-Way. ya dig?
My drift here (in case I am am being obtuse) is that in this scheme, truth is "naturally" linked to to "domain". Truth, and "turf" in this view, are "cousins", perhaps? The sanely legal dominion of the High King somehow or another "connects to the true". See? I keep on thinking that "truth" is a bit like 2+2=4, so learn the pattern and save to memory. . . Here, we get instead, something like, "The actual truth of the matter is His assertion; 'I just happen to own numbers, hence all of them work by My rules, and there exists no abstract truth, true of it's own self'. . ." The Bible is saying "Truth" and "King", always, always "intersect". There is no such thing as "impersonal truth"!
Think back with me on John 18, for instance. Good King Joshua is saying: "If My kingdom was based down here, then My folks would be rioting" (or to that effect?). Later on, He clearly says to ratface, "I came to bear witness of truth". Pilate responds; "Truth, schmooth, what's that racket all about?", or some such noise.
Do you sense a problem here? Mr. glossy-shiny, big-shot "looks down upon" this flat-broke Hillbilly from nowheres-ville, and (in effect) is asserting: "Truth? Hey Yokel, you got none!" Ergo, truth in Pilate's estimate at least; appears to be a type of "swagga", the look, the shine and gravitas of power and influence. You know the drill here, is Josh a man of influence, does He have "important" friends, and more crucially; is He "connected"? And in old Pie's estimation, this Hick from tiny Nazareth just ain't got the stuff of power, or of real authority, and thus, He "cannot" be a man of truth! Gee, how did I miss that gem all these years?
The romance of truth might appear as you informing your two year old. . . "Because, young man, I Say So!". And then setting back to observe where, or how the message "takes". Does the kiddo "buy it"? We shall see, surely we shall (indeed) see! In this type of format, you are doing the little stinker a huge favor, and linking (for him) truth-to-person, and never truth-to-axiom. And as things turn out, you are correct to do so, in that Truth (Herself!) always, always links to "Person" (Himself!). Ergo, we safely infer same of the sister in question, Beauty. His Truth therefore, is not a flat nor static assessment of "is", so much as a glad song of friendship and welcome! It's an "invite" not an announcement!
This (somewhat) established then, the message He sends the 70 out with is. . . plainly weird, unless we use this type lens to see-by, "Say to them, the Kingdom is at hand!". This, my friend, is "the truth of gospel". Do the tykes "buy it"? We shall see, we (indeed!) shall see.
We skinny mortals keep imagining truth to be "dull". In reality, such an estimation is at best, an analysis of my dullness; and my stubborn refusal "to buy". Witness; The all-time, all-out slam-down, cage match of W.W.F.! "In this corner, the entire. . . freaking world (!) wearing the black mask, and purple trunks. . . and in this corner, the Challenger (singular?) that un-armed Hillbilly from who can recall where? Him wearing the white trunks, and that oddly ring-shaped white Stetson. . I object! Such a fight cannot be possibly be "fair", and especially so, when we consider that against all "odds", against all expectations, hey; against even basic "decency(!)" that Dude is mopping the floor with those cats! Further, not only is He winning,. . in some faith-sense, it's already over! Wow, talk about a mismatch! Those guys never even "stood a chance" of winning.
Truth-wise thus, we thereby infer that there can be no final dispute between science and faith. That was yet another of our dull-wit abstractions friend. The actual grudge-match has always been about our miserable, and self-contradictory "authorities" down here (and below) vainly attempting to duke it out with King Yeshua. Such an unfair fight! He, the 'Underdog" (at alarming levels of 'under dogginess') consistently thumps them all-combined!
We observe there-by, that Truth-enforced by King is contrasted with truths (plural) foisted-upon us by frauds, fools, and perverts. Or at minimum, it's much more like that, than 2+2, ever was. Neither Joseph Smith, nor Mohammed shall ever "equal" the least-of the "lessor prophets", flatly contrary to their demented claims. King Jesus wins. . . by going "lower" yet! Did you see that one coming?
Or think of that hayseed, that rube, the Tishbite Elijah. Talk about "country"! Yet, in that viewing, we are forced to admit that Eli was a downright sophisticated celebrity, Mr. socialite jet-setter-pants in person, compared to the Ultimate "Nobody", the King of Jews! And to Him (?), All Dominion, in Heaven and upon the Earth, be rightfully His-Own-Ever? Beautifully, we learn to shout; "Yes Sir!".
Penniless, naked, and battered beyond recognition (and He wasn't much to look at, to start with?), friendless, alone He dies condemned a "traitor" to the empire. This Guy, if ever in history anybody; has "Zero-Status" nailed, or perhaps it's running in negative numbers(?); His gravitas, a null set! And just "here", the poetry of faith demands that the Most-High kiss the Lowest-of-Low. Truth meets Beauty, with a big hug, and a kiss! View then, the One sane Man, fully God, fully Human, in His body, He holds together what would tear asunder the "greatest" mere creature. . . available!
We obey because we love, not in order to gain acceptance. Or better, we love in that first, He loved! Truth said; "Jesus, (indeed!) is Lord (to the glory of the Father Almighty!). In the long haul, it don't really matter much about your opinion on the matter, whether you agree or not; because, truth said; "You certainly Shall!". . . Our truth, our faith-romance says that He has, centuries-ago taken up The Sceptre. Today, all reality, is His lawful domain. You don't "make Him" Lord, you (with Holy Aid) acknowledge it. It's not for the parent's good, it's in the kid's best interests, that; they acquire the habit of believing what they are told!
After all, we may as well begin today, this-here is the permanent arrangement of affairs, and best we walk awake, than sleep-walking unto a rude awakening . . . yonder-when!
Note to reader: You guessed, I quit!
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