Have you ever had someone explain that what they said they meant literally? “He literally fell of his seat he was laughing so hard”. “She literally kicked him on the shin.” So, a fall and a kick really happen. And, there were times when my mother told me something as a child that she meant to be taken literally. “If you touch that you will get burned” and I do have the scar.
There are times when literal is important, like when a car is coming, or a tornado, or the boss. But, there are lots of other times when literal doesn’t help and just might make things worse. In the New Testament, Jesus says if “your right eye offends you, pluck it out”. Take that literally and you have a real problem. There are other times, again my dear mom said “shake a leg” when she wanted me to hurry. It only took the smart alecky kid about twice of getting swatted for literally shaking a leg instead of hurrying up. Thing is, I knew what she meant and chose to be silly.
Sadly, this doesn’t seem to apply to church folk. There are people who believe all scripture is literal and inerrant, not open for interpretation. They say this and then cannot possible live it out. The eye for an eye verses or sacrificing lambs on the alter, which would be very messy in a modern church. You see even those who say they are literal, really aren’t, what they are, truly, are people of convenience. I am not condemning folks that believe this way or are taught to believe this way. I am saying that it is a tough position to take.
Today is Easter Sunday and one of the scripture that is read is the road to Emmaus story. I never noticed until today that Jesus tells the two disciples about being literal. He tells them they are slow of heart to “believe all that the prophets have declared”. I never noticed that this was stated in this way. The next sentence he interprets things about himself, starting with Moses. So, these two disciples got it wrong because they took every word of the prophets literally and did not think of what was meant.
Faith is not a matter of convenience, or taking things literally, or following the letter of the law. It is a matter of paying attention to the signs and world all around us. To listening to and following our hearts. We don’t have to follow all the rules, we just have to follow one law, the law of love. Taking things literally, when it involves faith, only ever causes division and hurt feelings and confusion. On this day, when we are all given a new way to see things and a new way to understand things, let’s become like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who “felt there hearts burning within them” because they listened to what Christ’s life really meant, to Love.
TMM