Viable Interpretations

John 12: 23-33 [for our benefit]

      Christ appeared in the open 

   “violence and fortune had its end in you 

      all you would enter therein 

         the soul, like me, will never 'die'.”

These words are my best interpretation of the singing I hear from a song I like.

I have yet to find the actual lyrics, and the singing 'sounds' (to me) like what I wrote.

Interpretation is key.

People are interpreting things all the time, mostly by default, according to their programming, their preconceived notions and their upbringing (cultured strata).

And one's interpretation of the world, of the things they believe, of what they perceive as ethereal and inspired from Above, has the power to build or destroy, plant or uproot, eventually fully live or fully die.

You've noticed the image included in this particular blog post.

What do you see?

How do you see that picture?

It is a digital code made visible, correct?

The photons used to interpret the actual image that was captured is very different from what your eyes are telling you you see.

Digital's predecessor was film.

By light and shadow being somehow 'imprinted' on a piece of film, a 'negative' image is realized.

Then light is shown through that negative image to reveal the 'positive' representation of what was initially 'seen' by the camera (or the person capturing the image).

I'm speaking about more than mere photography's science.

I explain all this not to say that these are the initial thoughts that passed through my particular mind when I saw the concrete imprint.

I initially see the obvious: an imprint of leaves on branches from a stem that fell on freshly laid concrete.

I placed the fallen leaves and branch to stage the picture for the sake of this writing.

As for what I see, my interpretation is according to my previous thought processes, my learning (what I've been taught, actually), and my choices in thinking about certain things and not about others.

We individually do this all the time, right?

It seems like second nature, a manner of default activity, what we do.

But we can always go further...and that, I think, is what we were made to do...if we choose to.

I see and think of Christ.

I can't help but go further into processing such thoughts and notions.

I wonder if I've always been like this, or maybe it is more often due to my age, life's new chapters opening up before me.

Only He can firmly give the precise answer whereas I may simply arrive at a close conclusion.

Looking at that piece of ground, I see how Christ appeared in the open.

I see how the leaves, branch and stems had their time of life hanging from a tree, much how Christ also had his time sojourning on the earth...and also hanging from a tree.

For our benefit Christ appeared and lived, and died a violent death...which was also provided towards our eternal benefit.

So also will violence and fortune end in you.

We, like those leaves, will also enter therein...our journey on earth will have its end; a fulfillment.

Notice how the imprint of the what was living is left in the cement for all to see, and for perhaps a time much longer than the leaf actually lived.

This is also what has occurred through the world Christ left in His wake.

Practically all the world has heard the testimony of Christ's Gospel, and for those who have heard and believed the good news of what Christ accomplished on our behalf, we are grateful to find that the soul, like you and me, will never die...although the leaves, stems and branches will surely perish as will our fleshly bodies.

In your observing of life, the world and even yourselves, consider the manner of interpretation you are processing within yourselves.

For those who've been gifted the faith that allows you to accept that Christ died and rose again to life, this is the Power that has been vested in you:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

- 2 Corinthians 10: 5