This article is about mystery and to what degree reason or reasonable is related to mystery.
Most of us have heard or said, in giving Christian counsel or encouragement to another, “God works in mysterious ways.” Atheists, as you might imagine, leap on this phrase and respond, “That only means you don’t have the slightest idea.” Yet, there are mysteries, not merely in Christianity but just in life.
Before we go any further, we need to define mystery; for the word is used in a range of meanings: something unknowable and inexplicable, something that has raised curiosity, secret rites, a sense of wonder that cannot be expressed.
Since the word mystery is an abstract word (i.e., it cannot be perceived as matter or energy by our senses), then my first interest is always in the original meaning of the word as a concrete object. The word mystery is a transliteration from the Greek word, μυςτήριον. It meant secret religious rites that were only revealed to members. These rites and the teaching behind them enabled the initiate to understand the times and the seasons. The rites provided the why behind the what of life. Essentially a mystery was something unknowable except by those who were on the inside.
Because of books, TV, and movies the verbs we usually associate with a mystery is “solved” or “unsolved.” Behind this solving is figuring out what happened, who did it, when, and why. This is quite different from the mysteries of ancient Greek religions in which a mystery was known, but only by a few who would pass on the secrets (the mysteries) after due commitment and process.
Between these two extremes, do we arbitrarily pick which one we wish to use for the Bible? One way to answer this question is to consider the verbs that are used in the Bible with mystery: know, do not be ignorant, revealed, was kept secret, did not speak in mystery, may understand, may see.
The primary meaning in the New Testament for mystery is something that was unknown but is now known. In what way are the mysteries known? Typically when we say we “know” something, our three primary sources are experience, reason, and faith (we believe what we read or are told, hopefully by competent authorities). Are these the tools that help us to understand the mysteries of God?
Faith would be the means by which we understand. In the same way that an author will reveal “who-dun-it” in a mystery by his characters and plot, so God reveals to us in the Bible His mysteries. Once revealed they are no longer a mystery.
Let’s return to the mystery writer. A means of interacting and having fun with a mystery is trying to figure it out with the clues that the writer leaves. The best mysteries are the ones in which all the clues were given, but the user interprets them incorrectly. After the story is over, we can see how we let ourselves be misled. Though reason may not figure out the mystery, after the mystery is revealed, then it needs to be reasonable. Once the writer has revealed that the murderer was Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick, then it is not reasonable if Colonel Mustard was somewhere else on the night of the murder or if he had died the day before. This principle is important. Though reason may not be able to determine a mystery, a revealed mystery should still make sense, it should still be reasonable AFTER the fact.
I can use all the reason I wish with the Old Testament, even as the Jews have for centuries, and I cannot come up with a replacement for the mission of the Jews called the church. The church was a mystery as stated in the New Testament … UNTIL God revealed it. After that it is no longer a mystery. Yet, after it is revealed, it still needs to be reasonable, to make sense. Once the church has been revealed, there are passages in the Old Testament that I read differently. The connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament make sense in a new way.
There is another use of mystery and a misuse that I wish to discuss yet. Let’s consider the misuse first.
Mystery is often used as unquestionable. “There are issues we cannot explain in the Bible; they are mysteries and simply must be accepted.” The implication is that reasons and questions are to cease.
My response to that is, “It depends.” I agree that I cannot use reason to discover new spiritual truths like I can use reason to discover new laws of physics, but I can use reason to find new perspective and new application for revealed spiritual truth.
When people ask the question, “Why would God send people to hell who have never heard the gospel,” the reply, “We do not understand God’s justice,” is not an answer or even helpful. The question is being asked because there are hundreds of examples in Scripture of what God calls just; beyond this justice is God’s mercy, again with hundreds of examples. It is precisely because of all this revelation of justice and mercy that the hell question arises. Sending people to hell because they were born in the wrong place at the wrong time is not reasonable in comparison to all the other examples of justice and mercy. There has to be an explanation. Justice is a revealed truth; it is not a mystery.
Another proper use of mystery is the idea of wonder or awe. Wonder is always something we can’t fully comprehend … but we comprehend it some. It is the shortfall in comprehension that creates the wonder. The impression is usually given that a mystery means we understand nothing, whereas I maintain that we can understand something. Frankly, what do we comprehend fully in nature? Comprehension is not either-or in color; it is a gradation of color.
In summary, what we do understand, regardless how little, needs to be reasonable. That doesn’t meant that reason had to be used to discover it. Revelation is God’s granting of discovery to us, in the same way that the secret ceremonies of the ancient mysteries reveal new thoughts to the initiates. The issue is this: whatever God does reveal, whatever He does give to us has to be reasonable.
A final illustration: I do not understand the mystery of suffering. Yet, God has revealed SOME truths about suffering. Those truths, as we reflect on them, are reasonable when we compare them with other revealed truths. What He reveals to us has to make sense with other truths He has revealed. If not, then there is nothing to discuss. All there is, is nonsense (i.e., non-sense).
