Meditations from Zion

We see every day with our eyes. And we interpret. But how much do we really understand about what we see? How much is true and pure and how much is affected by our past experiences, our former seeings, our expectations?

Revelation 4:6-7
And in front of the throne there was also what looked like a transparent glassy sea, as if of crystal. And around the throne, in the center at each side of the throne, were four living creatures (beings) who were full of eyes in front and behind [with intelligence as to what is before and at the rear of them]. The first living creature (being) was like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature had the face of a man, and the fourth living creature [was] like a flying eagle. [Amplified] [emphases mine]

Some years ago, I was the victim of a theft at an ATM. Although it was terrifying, my first instinct was to give chase (too many television shows?). In the end, the purse snatcher realized I had the wallet under my arm and the bag was rendered useless. He stopped and tossed it back to me. Later, I sat on a short brick wall, nursing my scraped knee and listening to the various witnesses who “saw” what happened. Not one of us could agree on the clothing, the race, the height, the weight or anything else of the thief. We each saw and yet didn’t see at all.

In Revelation, John is in a spiritual trance of some kind and has visions. He is describing to us what he sees as best he can with an understanding born of his era. I cannot help but wonder how I would describe the same scene. Would the beings look “like” animals or something else? Would the images become a movie set? Would my love for fantasy enhance and exaggerate my imagination? Would my love for science fiction give me Star Trek interpretations?

How many miscommunications do we have every day? How many times do we misinterpret what we see in a gesture or a facial expression?

The other day, I was looking at a newspaper photograph and it actually took me a full thirty seconds to see the picture and understand its content. It was in a group of “art” photos and so I must have assumed it was something with deep meaning and ethereal intentions. Finally, my mind collected itself, and I realized I was looking at a ballet dancer’s shoe on point. That’s all. Why couldn’t my mind understand this image initially? Was it truly a “senior moment?” Is this how people who have suffered strokes experience the world? Inside, we know it’s something familiar but we cannot seem to process it.

I believe we are all doing this through the day: many assumptions, many judgments.

It’s one of the reasons people struggle with modern and post-modern art. Their minds are trying to “understand” what they are seeing. They want a label. Instead, I think these artists are calling us to simply see without words, to allow colors and shapes and densities to open up new synapses.

I am just about sick to death of the phrase, “out of the box” thinking. Most people can’t “think” or “see” out of a box because those things defy easy description or understanding. Creativity demands a certain amount of sustained chaos.

The things of God, of Spirit, are no different. There is no single interpretation or understanding. God is fluid. Faith is a moving target. The Holy Spirit is outside of time. And the images that John saw in Revelation were his way of describing a vision, a vision of adoration and worship.