“No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar or puts it under a bed; rather, one puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.” -Luke 8:16
Dear members and friends,
Jesus used many parables as he was teaching. As to why he used parables, one reference we have from Jesus is, “The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’” (Matthew 13:13) One commonly mistaken assumption is that people will know and understand something because we have informed them of it. However, as hearing and listening are two different matters, being informed does not necessarily mean understanding the information. What makes the matter even more complex and challenging is the very selective and subjective nature of how we process information.
In Mark 8, Jesus used the example of the lamp to symbolize truth. Just as it would be very silly to hide a lamp after lighting it, so too is it illogical to hide the truth from our own minds after learning it. According to Swedenborg, a lamp symbolizes ‘being enlightened by God.’ This enlightenment is not the kind of enlightenment that completely transforms a person into an all-knowing and wise human being. Rather, this enlightenment, according to Swedenborg, is an acknowledgement of truth within one’s heart. What this means is that your heart perceives and acknowledges a certain matter as undeniably true. Now the question is what you are going to do with such acknowledgement. The advice from Jesus is to live it out in your life.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a moment this week to sit quietly and reflect upon matters that we believe to be true. When the time is right, let us ask, “Am I living these truths?” May the never-ending love of God be present in your spiritual journey.
Blessings, Rev. Junchol Lee