This is a really big picture concept. As you may have picked up from my various writings, the use of typology as a hermeneutical foundation is a regular practice for me. The really encouraging part about this is (as I found out fairly recently), typology is the regular interpretive methodology of the early church fathers. This is good news, as it is a tool that I have been steeped in for quite some time. I must give a big thank you to Dr. Peter Leithart and Rev. James Jordan, for their methodological guidance.
Over the past while, the concept of the butterfly effect has come up, in a variety of situations and conversations. If you are not familiar with the idea, it goes like this. Any singular event in history may, without our realizing or understanding it, have a considerable impact on future events. For example, as the name suggests, the beating of the wings of a butterfly, on the other side of the world, may directly impact the temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona.
I have been thinking about this in theological/philosophical/hermeneutical ways. If we consider that everything that is said or done, will, to some degree, affect everything else, the way we approach life should be radically different. Of course, the ramifications of such a philosophy are overwhelming. There is an entire spiritual realm, that some claim to be aware of, but that 99.9% of men really know next to nothing about. The church teaches that the sins that one of us does, has a direct impact on those around us. In spiritual terms, it very well could be that when we sin, we open ourselves and those in communion with us, up to further demonic influence. In allowing sin a measure of influence upon us, we may be exposing or making vulnerable some aspect of our spiritual life. The strands between us and all of those in our lives may very well be tied to one another in a way that our spiritual actions directly influence all others.
And even just in a simple physical manner, sin has ramifications. If we allow sin into our lives and it begins to form our thinking in a particular way, that sin will begin to direct how we think, speak and act. This, of course, will have an obvious impact on others.
Now, if we take this concept and extend it over the entire course of human history, the possibilities are truly frightening. It very well could be that the sins that we allow into our lives, become part of our makeup, which then is passed down as a weakness to our descendants. Have you ever wondered why some races of people often appear to tend to be a certain way? Like having a short temper, or externally vain, or inclined to alcoholism? I might suggest that these supposed tendencies are actually long lived, deeply rooted, very ancient sins. Sins that have literally become part of our genetic makeup.
In terms of typology, the picture becomes even more amazing. The use of typology is really an acknowledgement that God, not chance, is the author of history. When we begin to obtain a grasp of all the inner weavings of typology all throughout the Old and New Testaments, the picture is truly stunning. Since God did all of that, through the first 10,000 years (give or take) of history, why would we think that it is still not taking place? Why would think that God suddenly becomes like the watchmaker, who only starts the machine and then steps back to let it run?
Of course, this picture is much, much too large to even begin to wrap our understanding around. But the concept is intriguing. Imagine that everything that happens, every event that we freely involve ourselves in or choose to ignore, are actually part of a very large story that is intricately intertwined with everything else.
For me, this is exciting. To try to learn as much as I can, to find the pieces, try to fit them together and gain understanding about how things are, why things are and how I fit in, to make it all really good. We should never approach life in a fatalistic manner. Instead we must approach life like a grand symphony of which we can be a part. Some are the first chair violins, some are the guy on the triangle, that has three notes in the whole movement, but those three notes are important to a beautiful whole. And the amazing thing is that we will never know exactly how wide or deep or long lasting our part may be. What we choose to do tomorrow may change the life of someone else forever, in a really amazing way.
Since we serve a God of love, we cannot even begin to imagine just how beautiful and amazing this work of art actually is. But we can know that we are a part.
Play your part well.
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