Two travelers met going along the same path.
One of them bore an austere countenance, carrying a large scroll held by a heavy chain around his neck. He greeted his counterpart, saying, “Repent you, lacking in virtue. We all stink of sulfur, sinners condemned to a life of eternal suffering. All are wretched, but I alone hold the key to salvation.”
This was, no less, one of the interpretations imposed upon the narrative contained in his beloved scroll.
The other said in reply, “Ah, yes. Just as your God—the one you keep contained in that scroll case—I too believe we are in need of a deliverer. But as for me,” said the sage, looking again at the weight around the adherent’s neck, “not nearly as much salvation is required when compared to you.” He continued his trek at once, not stopping to listen to the holy man's retort.
Postscript:
Not until you’ve gone shopping and happen upon a display of new white shirts, do you then realize just how dingy the one you are wearing has become.
Now imagine if one’s shirt has not been washed for thousands of years while yet believing it has remained clean. Would you even recognize a white shirt if you saw one?
In the book of Mark, Jesus said, “the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” Read him today as saying, “the scripture was made for man, not man for the scripture.”
Just as the Pharisees in his time, how dingy must your teaching now become before you fail to recognize the voice of God?
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