Wading Children and Swimming Elephants

I was operating a TV camera in our worship service this morning, so I didn’t catch much of what the pastor said in his message entitled “Who is Jesus Christ?”, but this phrase did stick with me:

The Gospel of John is like a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant may swim.

This quote is attributed to Dr. Leon Morris. It captures the truth that John’s account of the Good News can speak to us on many levels. It can communicate the simplest, most basic truths of sin and salvation to the unsaved “seeker.” It speaks of the nuturing love that moves the new Christian along the path of discipleship. And it contains deep philosophical and theological statements that can challenge the most studied and mature believer.

I think this applies to the entire Bible. We began a study of the book of Proverbs this morning in Sunday School, and verse 7 of the first chapter contains this familiar statement:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…

To me, this means that the most educated and knowledgeable person is still not truly wise until he or she can use that knowledge within the context of God’s will. And the ability to understand God’s will is given to each of us, regardless of IQ or bank account or the plethora of initials after our names. It’s in the words of Scripture, which are as deep as the Marianas Trench, and as transparent as a child’s wading pool.

As Steven Curtis Chapman put it:

The river’s deep, the river’s wide, the river’s water is alive
So sink or swim I’m diving in.

The Living Water is fine; come on in!