Synonyms for "Light"

4-24-2017

(The Mission of St. Clare Lectionary uses the NRSV)

Daniel 1:1-21

12 "Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe." 14 So he agreed to this proposal and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was observed that they appeared better and fatter than all the young men who had been eating the royal rations. 16 So the guard continued to withdraw their royal rations and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

So Daniel didn’t want to eat the king’s rations (presumably because they included pork and other taboo foods under Jewish law) and begged to be given vegetables instead. Do you suppose this verse could be used to justify not eating processed, packaged food full of toxic additives, but eating fresh whole foods instead? (I am being considerably facetious here…..) I don’t have any deep insights on this verse, but instead find myself distracted with silly notions of starting a fad called “The Daniel Diet.” I’ll stop right here.

1 John 1:1-10

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.

Okay, now I’m officially all snarled up in looking up the context and meaning of the use of “light” metaphorically to describe God. I am totally certain that the author of John is NOT talking about the world’s daylight and night. The natural darkness that comes of the world’s turning is not the darkness that John is talking about. It isn’t the light that our bodily eyes see, or the darkness that brings us to our night’s rest, that this writer is talking about. So, the metaphor of Light in Isaiah seems plainly to mean understanding, freedom, ease, and delight. The word “Clarity” springs to my mind. So, maybe a paraphrase or two would be useful right now: “God is clarity, and in him is no obscurity at all.” “God is freedom and in him is no coercion at all.” “God is ease and in him is no strain at all.” “God is delight and in him is no worry at all.” “God is understanding and in him is no confusion at all.” 

John 17:1-11

NRSV: 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

RSV: 3 And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.  4 I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do;  5 and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.

Can’t help it, I like the RSV better. “The glory I had with thee before the world was made.” Shivers.

Anyway, getting to the point, the plain meaning of the first sentence is that knowledge of God is eternal life. Eternal life is the condition or state of knowing God. Insofar as we know God, we gain entry to eternal life. I am reminded of all the words in the New Testament related to “enter.” Even Jesus calls himself “the gate” and says we need to go in by the gate, and not sneak around and try to climb over the wall.

That brings me to Dharma Gates. The Zen understanding is that these Gates are innumerable, uncounted, myriad and, in short, everywhere. So in my quirky, Zen Miscreant’s version of it, that means that there really is only one Gate. It just shows up everywhere, in all times and in all places, and it looks different every time. Why do you suppose that the disciples didn’t recognize the Risen Jesus?

Hah! Gotcha!