100 Prison Meditations: Cries of Truth from Behind the Iron Curtain (10 page)

Anohi and Ani

There is often little resemblance between peoples and the languages they speak. Missionaries who have lived among primitive tribes sometimes found, to their surprise, that the native languages were far ahead of the natives. The language bore the stamp of thought and development.

The grammar of the Ambrim tribe in the New Hebrides is more precise than that of English.
Ire
is an “inclusive we,” comprising both speaker and the person spoken to.
Komai
is an “exclusive we,” in which the person spoken to is not included. In a sermon, “Our Father” would be used with the inclusive pronoun, to include the congregation; but when the preacher prays, “Our Father,” he would use the exclusive pronoun so as to exclude God, the person addressed.

The uncultured, degraded Jews, who had emerged from 400 years of slavery, had a highly developed language, such as you would not have expected in a nation at that level.

There are two Hebrew expressions for “I”:
Ani
and
Anohi
.
Ani
emphasizes the pronoun. It is used when one boasts “
I
did it.” When attention is focused on the action rather than on the person who performed it, the expression
Anohi
is used, in the sense “I
did
it!”

The Ten Commandments begin with the words
Anohi Adonai Eloheiha
(Exodus 20:2), which shows that the sentence is to be read, “I
am
the Lord thy God.” The emphasis is not “I” but that the Lord
is
our God, a God who has freed people from slavery and wishes to free us too, a Lord on whom we can rely.

The words of Cecil Rhodes, the founder of the British Empire in Southern Africa, were, “So much to do; so little done.” He had been a man for whom it was important that great achievements of the English should be accomplished through
him
. Although he had had forerunners, and others would continue his work, this could not satisfy him. He passed away feeling that
he
had done little. Rhodes would have used
Ani
to refer to himself.

The Christian or divine manner of thinking is just the contrary. The
Ani
disappears in
Anohi
. The self is denied (Luke 9:23). The work to which we are called is what is important. We do our little part. We are happy if others do even more and better than we.

The whole structure of the Hebrew language de-emphasizes the role of the individual, putting the accent on the deed performed. The English phrase “Moses guarded a horse,” which tells us what Moses did, can be translated in Hebrew only as
Shamar Mosheh sus
—“Guarded Moses a horse.” The important thing is the guarding of the horse. That this was done by Moses was of secondary importance.

Even the first verse of the Bible sounds different in Hebrew than in English. In English the emphasis is on God. “In the beginning
God
created.” We are meant to know that the universe is His doing and we should adore Him. In Hebrew the emphasis is that in the beginning God
created
the heavens and the earth. The order of the words in the original Genesis 1:1 is “In the beginning created God.” Rejoice in the beauty of creation—this is the primary meaning. The Hebrew text satisfies also one’s curiosity about who is behind it. It was created by a God who keeps Himself in humility.

Such nuances as
Ani
and
Anohi
or putting the verb before the subject show how important the manner of reading the Bible is. It is obviously not the same thing to read “
I
and the Father are one,” “I and the
Father
are one,” “I and the Father
are
one,” “I and the Father are one,” and “I and the Father are
one
.”

In reading the Bible, much depends upon the voice and intonation. I have met only once in my life (in Finland) a pastor who recited from memory the Bible text for the sermon so convincingly that the sermon which followed was superfluous. The Bible reading had already brought souls to conversion and illumination.

Let us learn to think in the Hebrew manner even though speaking another language. De-emphasize the self; focus on the action performed.

The Keri and the Ketib

In the 10th century a.d., the Masoretes, a number of authoritative rabbis, established rules in writing for the proper transcription and reading of the Old Testament. Besides certain alterations in spelling and wording due to the addition of vowels which did not originally exist, the present text also contains the musical notations for chanting the Scriptures, along with some strange annotations called
Keri
, or “the reading,” as distinguished from
Ketib
, “the writing.”

The Masoretes established that certain words were to be written one way, but read another. The written text veiled certain mysteries of the Bible. Often a simple story contains details which seem irrelevant, but are actually secret meanings which lie beneath the surface in coded language. The
Keri
is the key for unlocking the code and revealing the deeper meaning of the story.

A case of
Keri
versus
Ketib
is found in 2 Kings 5:12 in which Naaman the leper asks, “Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?” It would be difficult to prove any sort of qualitative difference between the rivers of Palestine and Syria, nor can we definitely identify any Syrian rivers by these names. But the
Keri
of the Masoretic text soon reveals the hidden meaning by changing the spelling of the “rivers” to read: “Are not Amanah and Parpar better?” Soon the hidden meaning becomes clear.

Hebrew words often have male and female forms, like the male and female substantives in German and Latin.
Amanah
is the female form of Amen. It connotes complete female submission, saying “
Amen
” to all the divine spouse has decided.
Par
is an animal brought as sacrifice and
parpar
is thus superlative sacrifice. Naaman’s question may now be understood in its deeper sense: “Are not saying a superlative “Amen” (complete submission to God’s will, as exemplified by the virgin Mary’s acceptance of the angel’s decree that she become the mother of the Lord), and offering valuable sacrifices—are these not more worthy than washing in the River Jordan?”

The most obvious answer is “yes.” But when God commands something ordinary or common, simple obedience assumes a higher aspect, and may become worthier in God’s eyes than an action that may seem more valuable. Many would be ready to do great works for the Lord, but would not be willing to humbly scrub the floor of an orphanage or mission office. Naaman was not required to seek a high spiritual action, such as the saying of
Amanah
or bringing of
Parpar
. The leper had to do something common: to wash himself in the Jordan, because that was God’s will for him. May we learn from the revealed meaning of this story!

How to Speak

I regretted in jail the manner in which I had previously preached. The Hebrew word for “to speak,”
leomer
, implies the notion “to speak excellently.” The speech of a child of God cannot be other than excellent. Hence, the expression “to speak excellently” would be redundant in biblical Hebrew.
Leomer
is also used in biblical Hebrew for “to command.”

When Jesus spoke He spoke excellently, commandingly, whereas most men only chatter. He spoke in beautiful parables, in a noble manner, and His followers spoke nobly also. The following parable illustrates how believers learned the secret of
leomer
from Christ.

A wise king asked a renowned painter whether he could paint a dragon for him. Happy to serve the king, the painter replied, “Certainly.” The king then asked him, “But have you ever seen a dragon?” As the painter had not, the king advised him, “Seek first to see a dragon and paint it afterward.” The painter knew that dragons were mythical figures, and reflected about the meaning of the king’s order. He thought, “The king must have meant I should first look for a man as evil as a dragon.” So we went from jail to jail until he found a fierce criminal, whose very appearance breathed murder. He returned to the king and told him, “I am ready to paint. I have seen a dragon.” The king inquired, “Does this dragon appeal to you?” “No,” replied the painter. “Go again,” said the king, “and find a dragon which attracts rather than frightens you.” After years passed in meditation, the painter returned to the king and said, “I found the dragon you mentioned in my own bosom. It is my own wicked heart. I will paint it.” And he painted his self-portrait.

The beauty of this parable shows that those who understood it had learned from Jesus to comprehend the Hebrew manner of speaking exquisitely.

Jesus
says
(meaning that He spoke the following words in the most beautiful and compelling way), “From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:21,22). Christ said this long before the psychoanalysts and more beautifully and powerfully than they. And in the same sublime manner, He said that the remedy for the evils within the human heart is the “blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28).

It was said about Jesus, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46). He spoke excellently, in accord with the genius of His language. Let us also learn to speak exquisitely and in a manner that gives pleasure.

Jesus’ Multiple Crucifixions

Several places in Jerusalem are shown as having been the site of Golgotha. This is as it should be, for there have been a multitude of Golgothas. Jesus was not crucified only once.

Sculptors and painters have tried to help us encounter the crucifixion that occurred 2,000 years ago. But Jesus suffers even more cruelly today when those who were once enlightened fall away and “crucify again for themselves the Son of God” (Hebrews 6:4–6).

A mass falling away, the great apostasy, is taking place today, just as was prophesied for the days before Christ’s coming again. Today’s crucifixions occur as a mass phenomenon. It is not just a few hundred people shouting, “Crucify Him,” not just a small band of soldiers flogging Him and hammering nails into His flesh. Now millions participate. And they are crucifying a glorified Lord, one who is in heaven where the anguish of heart for the eternal fate of mankind is much more intense than on earth.

Charles Gardiner, famous mining engineer in South Africa, once refused to dismount from his horse to examine some gold that was being shown to him. He said, “Earth of this chemical composition cannot contain gold.” Walker, a carpenter who discovered a reef whose contents in gold and diamonds was assessed at $3 billion, died in poverty because he thought the diamonds were merely shining toys for children. Unenlightened men often pass by things of great value without giving them due importance. This is forgiven without much ado.

But once you have been enlightened, be careful; tremble once you have tasted the heavenly gift, fear once you are a partaker of the Holy Spirit. To taste the Word of God and the powers of the world to come is a great responsibility. Henceforth, by abandoning your faith, you become one of the henchmen who crucify the Son of God afresh, this time a glorified Son of God (Hebrews 6:6).

The first crucifixion, though a horrible crime, brought salvation to mankind. Your fresh crucifixion of the Lord may also prove beneficent in some way—everything concurs for the good in the wise plan of God—but it will be impossible to renew you to repentance. Beware!

While others crucify Him afresh, my aim in life is to de-crucify Him. Will you join me in this?

In order to de-crucify Him, you must forget about yourself.

Once there was a saintly monk who prayed a great deal but also spent much time caring for the beard of which he was quite proud. An angel appeared with the message that this was displeasing to God, and that the beard should be sacrificed. The monk was humbled and immediately accepted the reproach. Carefully he plucked out his beard, hair by hair. Now, every time he prayed, he thought with satisfaction about the fact that he had given up his beard. The angel appeared again and told him sadly, “Nothing has changed. Your mind still dwells upon your beard.”

Abandon what is good within you as utterly as you forsake the evil within you. May He, and only He, live in you. By so doing, you de-crucify Jesus.

The Jesus

One of the strange things in the Gospels is that the definite article is sometimes placed before the names of Jesus, Peter, and other personalities, as if these were not proper names.

It is most irregular to place the definite article before a proper name. I would not refer to my wife as “the Sabina” or to my son as “the Michael.” Usually an article is placed only before a generic name, such as “the Christian” or “the believer.” It is as if the Gospel writers intended to portray certain types rather than real persons.

“The Jesus” (
ho Iisus
in Greek) is the prototype of “the Jesus-type man,” who responds to certain circumstances in a certain manner according to a spiritual law. Similarly there is “the Peter-type man” and the “Pilate-type.”

In Hebrew, even the spelling of the name changes when the definite article is placed before it. “The” in Hebrew is
ha
. After this prefix the first letter of a name or noun is doubled. Jesus in Hebrew is
Yeshuah
; “the Jesus” would be
Ha-Yyeshuah
. “The Peter” would be
Happetrus
.

The Greek article and this little prefix
ha
in Hebrew have great depth and can be a matter for much fruitful meditation.

In his collection of Sufite stories, Muslim Indries Shah tells of a Muslim monk who attended religious discussions, listening attentively to all that was said, but always remaining silent. People wondered why he came and considered him too stupid to understand their debates. One day the monk invited the others to visit his monastery. They were brought to a grand marble building, splendidly carpeted, with dervishes everywhere in meditation. These rose and bowed respectfully when the monk appeared. The guests realized how they had erred in thinking disdainfully about their host. After a good meal, the guests were given pleasant rooms for sleep. When they awoke, the monastery was gone. They had been sleeping on a mountaintop, on stones, and were half frozen. They cursed the monk who, through some magic, had made them believe in the existence of the luxurious temple, and they worried about how to get down from the mountain. But all at once they found themselves at their usual gathering in one of their homes, where religious matters were heatedly being debated. The monk sat in the corner as usual, without saying a word.

The people fell upon him, demanding an explanation. He said, “You are caught in deceit. You are not able to distinguish truth from falsehood. Otherwise you would be quiet and sure, knowing the truth only for living, and not as subject for debate. Would you debate 2 × 2 = 4? You have accepted one illusion after another, a monastery all of marble, then a hostile mountaintop. Perhaps even this room and your religious discussions are simple illusions like the others.” Having spoken these words, he disappeared.

Those who belong to “the Jesus,” to “the Jesus-type,” to what the Bible calls the body of Jesus, belong to it now as much as did Jesus of Nazareth 2,000 years ago. A foot is as much a part of the body as a head, requiring no discussion or debate to bring them together. “All the tribes of Israel came to David…saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh” (2 Samuel 5:1). Christians can say the same words to Jesus Christ. When they suffer, Jesus suffers. When they are received and helped, Jesus is helped. They belong to the
ho Iisus
. They are no longer spectators of the life of Jesus, another person than themselves, but actors in the drama of
ho Iisus
.