Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Truth – firm as a rock and fleeting as the wind. Absolute, without compromise. No meddling, altering, blemishing that which is in its purest essence. More common, however, are our tainted thoughts, simpleton sayings, inaccurate interpretations, misguided misconceptions. What did Jesus say? What were his teachings? What are we suppose to get from the stories, the parables, the poetry expressed in words assumed to convey equivalent meanings in every native tongue unadulterated by the filter of a translator?
Many would find the sentiment “to each his own” uncomfortable, unscientific, unnerving in view of the bias implied. But the filters of genetics, environment, and experiences are impossible to negate. Thus the uniqueness of every line penned, the choice and placement of each word, the time, cultures, and technologies it spans, lends itself to misinterpretation, manipulation and sets itself up for mockery and mistreatment. And yet there is so much simplicity in the announcement “I am the way, the truth and the life” – and we are bidden simply to come.