Through a glass darkly

For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face… 1 Corinthians 13:12

Some wise person once said, “The more I know, the more I realise how much I don’t know”.

I imagine that most of us can identify with that. When we’re young, brimming with life and energy, there’s a temptation to think we “know it all”, and to set about putting the world to rights. But as time goes on we learn it really isn’t quite that simple: there are things we just don’t understand; there are questions we don’t know the answers to. Welcome to the real world!

It can be specially difficult if we’re Christians. We have, in Jesus, the living word of God, and, in the Bible, the written word of God. We have, in the Holy Spirit, the very wisdom of God. Surely that should set us up for life? Yes, indeed. Being in a loving relationship with God – a Father who speaks and who deepens our understanding of life – makes a massive difference in all sorts of ways. But the fact is that we have no choice but to live our lives with unanswered questions.

I remember, as a young minister, feeling I was under an obligation to have an answer for any questions people might put to me; I, after all, was the “expert” on such things (ha ha). It came as a real relief to realise that sometimes I just had to say “Sorry, I don’t know the answer to that”. I learned that sometimes we just have to live with mysteries – and I think that fact came as a relief too to the person asking the question.

1 Corinthians 13 is Paul’s great passage on love. His chief point is that, whatever we have by way of knowledge, wisdom, wealth, power, spiritual gifts, even a generous and sacrificial spirit, if we don’t have love we are “only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal”, ie, we are all wind and emptiness. And then comes his famous statement that “we see only a reflection as in a mirror”. (Remember that in Paul’s day mirrors were not made of glass, like today, but of burnished metal: hence the poetic translation in the King James Version of the Bible, that “we see through a glass darkly”).

If Paul, the man who probably had a deeper insight into the things of Jesus and a firmer grip on them than almost anybody else (he wrote more of the New Testament than other single person, after all) could say that, well, surely there is hope for all of us!

What does this mean for us in practice? I offer a few suggestions…

First, accept such limitations cheerfully as a fact of life.

Certainly, let’s do all we can to grow in knowledge and wisdom – God expects that of us. But let’s accept too that there is a limit, and that that is nothing to ashamed of.

Second, be wary of people, especially preachers and teachers, who give the impression of “knowing it all”.

They may be well-qualified in theological terms, with letters after their names and impressive titles, but, again, that may mean nothing. I always feel a slight sliver of fear when I read James 3:1: “Not many of you should become teachers… because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways”. God help us to be humble, not arrogant!

Third, take pleasure in the mysteries of the world in which we live.

One of my regrets as I look back is that the glories of the night sky – those vast distances, those circling planets - or of a magnificent natural scene – mountains, lakes, trees - were pretty much lost on me. I could use as an excuse the fact that I grew up very much as a city boy, but I wish now that I had taken more advantage of such opportunities as I had, and I see it as a pretty feeble excuse.

Modern psychologists tell us that developing a sense of wonder and awe, perhaps by looking seriously and attentively at the structure of a leaf or the movement of a tiny insect, can benefit our mental health, and I can well believe it. Many of us grew up with the idea that “science” and “religion” are at loggerheads, contradicting one another. But many leading scientists are religious in various ways, and they are often the first people to recognise that, in spite of all they know, the gaps in their knowledge remain massive.

I like the quotation of Albert Einstein (who, I am led to believe, knew just a bit about science): “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind”. What exactly Prof Einstein meant by that unsatisfactory catch-all word “religion” I don’t know (I don’t think he was an orthodox Christian), but never mind!

God’s world is full of wonder. Sometimes it’s a wonder that leads to fear, even pain. But in spite of the sadnesses and tragedies that dog our existence, not least the reality of death itself, there is also much beauty, much to provoke a gasp of awe (have you looked recently at the face of a new-born baby?). And this is so for the Christian, the same as everybody else. The heavens really do “declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19); they have been doing so since the birth of creation; and they will continue to do so until Jesus returns. If only we have eyes to see…

But let’s not overlook the second part of Paul’s statement. Now, it’s true, “we see only a reflection in a mirror; but… “then we shall see face to face”.

That’s a sombre but wonderful thought. What shall we see? Who knows what wonders! But at the heart of them all, “we shall see Jesus as he is” (1John 3:2).

Christian, live daily in the light of that great truth!

Father in heaven, this world in which you have placed us is truly a wonderful yet mysterious place. Thank you for all you have shown us of yourself and your glory, whether in nature or, supremely, in Jesus, God-in-the-flesh. Help me to live gladly with the mysteries I cannot grasp, and to look forward to the day when, by your kindness and grace, I shall see Jesus as he is. Amen.