Scripture: Revelation 22:21 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” (NRSVue)
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings, the wise wizard Gandalf the Grey confronts his superior, Saruman the White, who out of his lust for power has decided to call himself “Saruman of Many Colors” as a sign of his glory and magnificence. Gandalf says, “I liked white better.” Saruman sneers in reply, “White! … It serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The
white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken.” Gandalf says, “In which case it is no longer white… And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.”
Unlike the clear allegory of C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, written at about the same time as The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien’s novel is much more subtle in its Christian themes. I think about this passage when I think about biblical criticism and interpretation. In the academy, bible scholars at least begin their study by noticing the gaps and working to recognize the historical context of a text or how it may debate another text elsewhere in the Bible. Such work recognizes the Bible as a document with many voices that developed over time and which contain a rich sense of not only the faith of a people, but their values and history, something unparalleled in the ancient world.
Pastors, on the other hand, are invited to break up the bible into small, digestible chunks to expound upon in sermons and the like. Even if we know the historical background, we need to make that passage relevant to the moment, to speak to the present situation.
But as Gandalf said, “He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.” Therefore, both pastors and scholars, even when atomizing the Bible, are encouraged to look at the big picture, at the Bible as a united whole. This is what the people who edited the Bible together into a canon did. In the Christian Bible, we first read the words of Genesis, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth…” The story begins with God creating what we know as the universe at the beginning of time. The story ends with the Revelation to John, a vision of the last days and the end of time. The final part of the story is a coming together of the saints in heaven.
But the final verse is a benediction. “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” Throughout the whole epic story of creation and destruction, or hope and despair, of war and peace, there is an underlying sense of blessing, of God’s presence in it all. God blesses the first creation and calls it “good,” and God blesses the saints at the end and God blesses us all the way through.
It is important sometimes to stop, get some perspective, and look at the big picture. Thanksgiving provides us with an opportunity to do that, even when we are overwhelmed with dinner preparation, football games, and family squabbles. Give thanks to God, because God is with us, and when we look forwards and backwards, inwards and outwards, God is always with us. Pay attention to the little things, to the pearls of wisdom in a single phrase or to the secrets of the past revealed in an obscure Hebrew word, but never “break” the Bible by reducing it to its parts. Always recognize how God holds the Bible together, holds truth together, and ultimately holds us all together in love.
Prayer: Dearest Lord, we give thanks this week for all you have given us. Help us to see you blessings today and always. Amen.
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