Lost in translation

I've been thinking about communication recently. How I can say something which makes perfect sense, only for it to be utterly misunderstood. After the event it can be completely obvious why. It seems the problem has many roots. Cultural variation on word meanings. Contextual elements that I am aware of that others are not. Preconceived ideas about my opinion or position. A poor choice of words on my part. And so on. It happens with my closest family and friends. If those who know me best do not understand; what chance a stranger?

This problem seems all the more important in matters of faith. Words I intend to comfort or reassure can unsettle or disturb. Words I read in Bible translations have changed in meaning since the time of the translator. W H Vanstone reveals in The Statue of Waiting the word used of Judas almost exclusively in all the gospel accounts should be rendered "handed over" not "betrayed".  A subtle change - but a profound shift in emotional energy in the accounts of Jesus' last days.

When all we have of our saviour's message are translations of words written 2000 years ago in a language he himself wasn't speaking, how can we be assured that we truly grasp his meaning? Perhaps not at all. NT Wright's assessment of Paul sees him at the pinnacle of first century theology, in a sudden realisation that the Old Testament was fulfilled in the person of Jesus, but not at all in the way his theology would have predicted.

In such a context, I have no choice but to find ways of letting the Bible surprise me. Keeping my mind open to reinterpreting the message of the kingdom as my understanding of the context broadens, or my appreciation of the character of God grows.