Images

Years ago CS Lewis made the argument that, while reason is the natural organ of truth, imagination is the organ of meaning. Words are meant to convey images. That is how we process truth. Words prompt our imagination to pull from its vast store of portraits to make sense of what we’re seeing or hearing.

I venture this little sidebar in order to provoke a more active participation and enjoyment of our Lord. As the Gospel writer John mentioned, “Jesus was full of grace and truth.” We see these in action throughout the gospel writings. The words are meant to move off the page into our hearts as our imaginations begin to flesh out the scenes. Let’s take just one episode from the life of Christ and have a go at it: Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.  ~Luke 19:1,2

Indeed, sildenafil tablets uk is the safest and best medicine for treating ED. Eat some roasted grams and the bread purchase tadalafil online of gram everyday. But the product is great and your company is always prompt and professional, and generic cialis cheap every time. More pharmacists are now recommending these formulations as a first choice option rather than generico viagra on line, viagra. We can swing the camera a number of different directions in this brief set-up. Let’s begin with the first verse and the town of Jericho. This ancient city had a storied past. It was there that the ancient Israelites won a battle without firing a shot. They marched and worshiped their way around the city for seven days, gave a shout, and the walls came a tumblin’ down. The only person to be spared from the devastation was a prostitute named Rahab. She was shown grace and mercy for her kindness to a couple of Jewish spies. By the time of Jesus,  Jericho had become a place thick with the religious elite, housing some 12,000 Priests and Levites. When Jesus gave the story of the Good Samaritan he says that both a Priest and a Levite sped past a beat up man in a ditch as they were making their way up from Jericho to do important holy stuff. It was here that Jesus performed a number of miracles in front of this glut of clergy. And there’s more. The word Jericho means “fragrant.” It was known as the city of palms. It was fed then, and still is today, by a wealth of natural springs. It is beautiful and green.

So, what did your mind do with the descriptions you have just read? If all went well, then some foggy notion of an ancient city, a massive building collapse, a terrified prostitute, of hasty and unfeeling clergy, healings and lush vegetation have begun to form. And all of this from the opening salvo of Luke 19. We’ve not yet entered the story proper. We’ll get to that and it will be a thing of beauty as we see it unfold. But what I want us to begin to learn to do is slow downand really engage with the story. Jesus has just entered the lion’s den, so to speak, of religious and political correctness. Luke doesn’t say that Jesus entered some random village. He tells us that he entered Jericho. That is important both from the context of its history and what is about to happen. If there’s a place to get into serious trouble with the spiritual cops it is Jericho. If there is a place to learn a bit more about grace…it is Jericho.

Remember Lewis’ words, “Imagination is the organ of meaning.” If I’ve done my job you should be wanting to hear more. And, if you’ve  allowed your imagination to backfill these words with images, then you’ve done your job as well.