Just as baptism leads to identification with Jesus’s divine Sonship, making us by adoption what belongs to Jesus by nature, so too in John this baptism-like scene provokes an understanding of our ongoing identification with and consideration of our life in Christ.
While the decline of contemplative reading is a problem for the professor, it’s a threat to the Christian, especially those of us operating within a sacramental tradition.
Reading the Bible is often a challenge. It can be confusing and troubling, and it is easy to be deceived. These ten guidelines are not the Alpha and Omega of successful biblical interpretation. But perhaps they are useful touchstones.
