August 23, 2024
Text: Mark 4.24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your
standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.
Thesis: We all have our standards. It’s important to keep them in mind.
I recently learned something very interesting from one of my children. If you’re not
careful that will happen quite often.
I was having a discussion with one of my three beautiful children and the word “canon”
came up. As a pastor I have this automatic response that kicks in with certain
theological words. When they come up I feel compelled to explain them. It’s like
explaining to Christians why the Greek Text of Scripture is important to us. They are
supposed to know but many don’t. No judgement here, just an observation.
So I began to explain to my child that the term “canon” did not, in this context, refer to a
really big gun, but rather a standard, like the phrase “the canon of Scripture.” The
Canon of Scripture, for those who do not know (no judgment here, just covering our
bases) refers to the accepted standard of the Bible, the Text of the Bible that the church
has recognized and accepted for centuries.
This is actually a big deal and a bit more complicated than many followers of Christ
realize. The New Testament did not, as some appear to believe, suddenly show up at
the front door of the apostle Paul, or Peter or John. It wasn’t delivered by UPS or
FEDEX, convenient as that would have been. Instead there were centuries of research,
debate, discussion, heated arguments, until the Bible, as we know it, was agreed upon.
It should be noted that the Text of Scripture, or the Canon, as it is properly known, was
“recognized” by the church, not chosen. The Bible was given by God through the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the role of the church was to acknowledge what was given.
That’s important.
But back to my children. In our chat I started my “this is what the word ‘canon’ means”
lecture and was abruptly informed that they already fully understood what the word
meant. I was further informed that the word, as in the usage of the theologians, was
quite well known today. This surprised me. I didn’t know that my child’s circle of friends
included linguists and Textual critics.
I was further informed however that the term ‘canon’ as used by Biblical scholars is
widely used outside of theological circles. This was unexpected. It was explained to
me that the term is now used by the fans of fantasy fiction. In the community of fantasy
fiction fans there is a recognized canon, the original published version of whatever
fantasy fiction is involved, and then there are the “non canonical” versions. It’s
important to note that the canonical version doesn’t need to be factual, just the original.
For example, many, myself included, were deeply concerned when the remake of The
Magnificent Seven came out. How dare they! Who does Chris Pratt think he is?
Of course we were quickly reminded that The Magnificent Seven was actually a remake
of a Japanese film The Seven Samari. In today’s terminology, The Seven Samari was
canonical.
The point in all of this is simply to say that even with its confusion, today’s generation
understands the idea of originality, that even in the world of fantasy fiction it is important to know what the authentic version is. Strange as it sounds this discussion gave me hope. There is still an understanding that there are such things as standards, as the genuine article. This gives me hope that the generation that is coming behind us may yet discover a genuine understanding of and desire for the truth.
In Mark 4.24 we read of our Lord, And He was saying to them, “Take care what you
listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given
you besides.
The moment comes when, if we are blessed to hear It, the truth comes into our mind.
We hear it or read it. It comes to us with the resonance of truth. It is the Truth. At that
point we have to decide what we do with it. That decision is the standard by which we
will be judged.
We can offer the Truth to our world. What we offer isn’t a make-over, cover, adaptation
or paraphrase. We can offer the Truth. Our task is to live It with honesty and clarity.
Then the authentic will do Its work.
Comentários