As a Christian living in a western Greco-Roman culture, it is often difficult to see or perceive beyond a literal interpretation of scripture. This is in part due to our western lens and to the idea that we need to narrow down to a defined answer for each situation if we are to be mature Christians. One could also say that this process will lead us to the right answer. Here within lies the problem.
So today I will attempt to bring forth some information that I believe may be of benefit to those who are looking for more. This information can be a tool to aid in our understanding and perception of scripture. I will warn you ahead of time that this information comes from an eastern Hebraic culture which is quite different to that which we are accustomed.
Life began in a garden. We call this paradise, which comes from the Persian “pardes” which means garden. This word made its way into the Aramaic and Hebrew, written PRDS (remember that the ancient Hebrew had no vowels). Later on the Rabbis created a teaching from the word PRDS on the “Four Layers of the Word of God” in an acronym form.
- P = pschat, the literal sense of the Word
- R = remes, the allegorical, parable sense of the Word
- D = drasch, the moral sense of the Word, what it teaches us
- S = sod, the hidden layer of the Word
The Rabbis defined the fourth layer “sod” as Kaballah, what we would call Bible Code. The New Testament word would be “Revelation”.
We can do the same in English and create an acronym we can remember. We know that Jesus Christ is the “Word of God” and He is the “Lamb of God”, therefore we can use the acronym LAMB.
L – Literal interpretation
A – Allegorical interpretation
M – Moral interpretation
B – Bible Code or Revelation
Before we go any further, please understand that all four layers are required for our lives. These layers produce progressive understanding and allow for a proper theological perspective in our viewing of scripture. What we want to avoid is becoming “parked” on a certain layer and viewing our Christianity from a limited perspective.
Read: Mark 4:1-20
L: Literal Interpretation
Mar 4:4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
Mar 4:15 “These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
These are people that take the word literally (letter of the law). They do what the Bible says but it is not part of their journey of life (beside the road). They are more concerned about being right in their doctrine than they are of discovering life along the journey. Thus they tend to be harsh and critical of others.
A: Allegorical Interpretation
Mark 4:5 “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
Mar 4:6 “And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Mark 4:16 “In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
Mar 4:17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.
These are people that I would call “heady”, always looking for the “new teaching” or the “new revelation”. They sound good but their lifestyle disqualifies their teaching. They will have intellectual understanding but will not be able to process this understanding into a lifestyle of reality.
2Timothy 3:7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2Timothy 3:7 (CEV) These women always want to learn something new, but they never can discover the truth.
M: Moral Interpretation
Mark 4:7 “Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
Mark 4:18 “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
Mar 4:19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
These are people that on the outside live a moral life. They do the right things and avoid the wrong things. The problem here is that there has not been a death to self. The issues of the heart are not yet dealt with, and a struggle continues in regard to the internal lusts of the heart and mind. Remember that lust is nothing more than wanting what you want for yourself and allowing that want to affect your life and judgment. Therefore, these individuals produce an external Christianity but do not produce the fruit, of life of the Christ (Galatians 5:22-24).
B: Bible Code or Revelation
Mark 4:8 “Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
Mark 4:20 “And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
In this verse the word “accept” means to take in and be part of your life, contrary to the word “receive” in verse 16 which means to take hold of externally.
Revelation is more than seeing something new or understanding something new, revelation is only revelation when it is processed in our lives. It is this process that allows the fruit to bear which is the life of The Christ!
The idea of these four layers can be found in various places in scripture. In one place 1John 2:12-14 we find four stages of human growth and maturity. Here we find little children, children, young men (youth), and fathers. This can be a picture of the four perspectives of scripture. Remember that there is no wrong in each perspective but each perspective associates in relation to their level of development and maturity. It can be charted as such:
- Pschat (Literal Interpretation): Little Children – we teach little ones on the surface
- Remes (Allegorical Interpretation): Children – as children grow in understanding they become able to see a metaphorical meaning (Jesus explaining to His disciples)
- Drasch (Moral Interpretation): Young men – begin to see beyond and get over oneself (ego) and begin to understand the need to treat others in the way one wants to be treated. (Life isn’t all about me)
- Sod (Bible Code or Revelation): Fathers – begin to know God. The word “know” does not mean intellectual knowledge or know about God, but it indicates intimate knowledge. The word in Hebrew gives the picture of a sexual union as between a husband and wife. In other words, the two becoming one, having one mind and one heart.
What I have come across over the years is that often, we in the west give the greatest value to the literal. We will acknowledge the other three levels but would put them of a lessor importance. I believe that this would be contrary to the teaching of Jesus. He was often confronted with the literal (little children) and would do his upmost to take people a little deeper to get to the heart issue.
So, what about us? Are we willing to move forward beyond the literal, to expand our horizon? Our God is an ever-expanding light, a continual becoming. Perhaps we could journey with Him into the beyond and see what He sees, go where He goes and do what He does. Wait a minute! That sound like the life of Jesus! (Selah)
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