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There is an old story, attributed to writers in several different eras, from several different beliefs. In each, the number of men varies, and the descriptions of the elephant’s limbs are relative to the tellers’ background, but in essence, it is the same story. The stories also differ on the resolution of the issue.One version goes like this:
There are four blind men who discover an elephant. Since the men have never encountered an elephant, they grope about, seeking to understand and describe this new phenomenon. One grasps the trunk and concludes it is a snake. Another explores one of the elephant’s legs and describes it as a tree. A third finds the elephant’s tail and announces that it is a rope. And the fourth blind man, after discovering the elephant’s side, concludes that it is, after all, a wall.
The story has been used to describe various ideas – man’s conception of God, the different perspectives of a culture, the different sides of any dispute. Same story, different interpretations, different outcomes. In each story there is an extra person involved – a wise man, a sighted man, a religious scholar – who can see the whole elephant and interprets the ‘big picture’ for the blind men.
One interpretation, the one I like best, draws an analogy to the Bible. However, the extra Person is all of the above: wise, perceptive, and all-knowing. He is the Holy Spirit, manifested through Jesus Christ. In John 14:16-17, Jesus makes this promise, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” Verse 26 continues, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
Unfortunately, many people take words from the Bible out of context in order to make a point, or to say that it contradicts itself. The Spirit of truth knows all and sees the big picture. If you only see the trunk, a leg, or a tail, ask the Spirit for guidance. Believe in Jesus, who sent the Spirit, and the truth will be revealed.
~Frank Noto
