I would like would like to begin with a couple of illustrations that will serve as reference points for our journey together. The first one is about identity and is from the Disney movie, The Lion King, and the second is about how we discover the meanings of words.
Simba was born the son of the great King Mufasa. As a cub, Simba becomes convinced that he is responsible for his father’s death, and so, in shame and regret, he runs away from home. He grows up in a jungle oasis, in a self-imposed exile far from the pridelands. He spends his adolescence with friends, Timon and Pumbaa, who teach him the carefree life encapsulated in the motto Hakuna Matata. When he learns that the pridelands have fallen into ruins, he shrinks from the idea of returning home and taking his place as king.
During a midnight visit from Rafiki, the sage baboon, Simba sees a vision of his father who implores him to “remember who you are”. After this nocturnal encounter and a few whacks from Rafiki’s staff, Simba decides to embrace his true identity, return home, and fight for his rightful place as ruler and defender of the pridelands.
With the help of his motley crew, Simba defeats the evil despot, Scar, claims his throne and his place in the circle of life, and in doing so, sets in motion the restoration of the peace and prosperity of the kingdom.
The story is as inspiring as it is old, and serves as a reminder of ancient truths so often embedded in folklore and legends cleverly disguised as children’s stories.
Our second illustration is about how words are ascribed meaning.
Imagine you are watching a movie about an organized crime and drug smuggling ring. The mob boss discovers that one of his men is also working for the federal drug enforcement agency, giving them information and planning a sting operation. He calls calls upon the services of a famed hitman named Johnny. They set up a meeting in a dusty back office, illuminated only by a flickering lamp, slowly losing its battle for its feeble existence. In this meeting he places on the desk between them a stack of cash and a file folder containing a photo of the mole who has infiltrated his organization. After a very brief exchange, the boss asks the hitman, “So, can you take care of him?” To which Johnny replies, “Sure, I can take care of him.”
Now imagine you are having lunch the next day with your friend, Bill, who is going out of town for a two week vacation with his wife. Since you live close by, he is wondering if you can check on the house, water the lawn, and feed and walk his 3-year-old golden retriever named Sam. In the course of the conversation he asks, “So, can you take care of him?” To which you reply, “Sure, I can take care of him.”
It is always important to interpret the meaning of a word by the context of the word. We do this intuitively and we also learn this in English and literature classes in school. We are also taught this in church and Sunday school when it comes to interpreting the Bible. The same principles of interpretation are in play during conversations, while reading literature and when we study the Scriptures. We interpret a word based on its context within a sentence, and we realize that the same word can mean two different things depending on the rest of the sentence.
But wait. When we look at the words used in the two conversations described above, we notice that the sentences are exactly the same. The mob boss and Bill asked the very same question, word for word, but we all knew the meaning was very different. We didn’t interpret the words in each of the sentences based only on the sentence itself, but on many other elements of the interaction. The verb “care” in the question being asked got its meaning not just from the sentence, but from the whole surrounding situation. When we talk about interpreting a word according to its “context” it is important to note that the “context” is much more than the surrounding words or sentences, it also includes the entire narrative with all of the literary elements and semantic dimensions inherent within that narrative.
What does it look like for Johnny the hitman to “take care” of the mole in the organization of the mob boss? What does it look like for you to “take care” of Sam, the golden retriever while Bill is away on vacation? There is a whole entire picture that is drawn in your mind for each of these scenarios, and each of these is informed by the characters, plot and storyline from which they originated.
We will refer back to these two pictures as we move forward in our adventure together. A picture of identity lost and then found, and a destiny based on that identity. And also a set of pictures: each with a very different color and shape but using the exact same words, a parable, if you will, for the importance of looking carefully at the context of the whole story when trying to interpret important words in the Bible, or any other text or written communication for that matter.