In many cultures there are traditions and customs that are not intuitively obvious. Take for example the temples on the top of the hill in Athens. There are five beautiful women holding up a portion of the porch roof. I had always heard that these were supposed to be the five most beautiful women in the world and this was their gift to their god. I found myself trying to stretch my imagination to another place and time and imagine how one would make these choices.
As we walked and reflected on the scene in front of us, our guide broke up the quiet calm. She reminded us of the common interpretation and appeared to be reinforcing the myth. Then came those magical words; but the story just is not true!
“Don’t jump to conclusions—there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw.” (Proverbs 25.8)
When the Persians came to conquer the Greeks one city-state betrayed the rest of Greece. The Persians almost one, and in fact they had already destroyed Athens before they met their defeat in a famous sea battle. After they vanquished the Persians the faithful city-states turned on the betrayer. All the men died during or shortly after the battle and the women and children were brought back to Athens as slaves. The five women depicted on the temple were representatives of those women who because of their betrayal were forever bonded in service to another person and god. The particular place on the temple was a reminder to all of what happens when one betrays what is held in trust.
It is easy to look around and draw conclusions about others and about God as well. There is much that appears obvious to the casual observer. Conclusions are often drawn and relationships formed or ignored.
Are you really sure you see the world as it really is? Do you know what God is passionately trying to do in spite of the Adversary? Be careful with the obvious; the truth may be far more simple than you realize.
