You know there is a second part to the story of the five blind men and the elephant. Remember that the men are arguing and fighting over their perspectives about the elephant. They are punching off into the air and into each other as they are driving home their particular points of view.
Now this scene would have been very amusing to the casual – sighted – observer. However, the next person to happen upon the five fighting men is a wily old woman, who is also blind. In the midst of all the confusion and arguing about the elephant, the woman decides to go & find out for herself what all the fuss is about.
So she gently and perceptively begins examining the elephant. Instead of feeling in just one place, the touch of the woman moves over the whole wondrous animal, from the long sinuous trunk all the way around to the tail, which feels like a gnarly piece of rope.
Then the blind woman turns around to the five blind men and shouts, “Enough ! I have discovered the truth. I know who is right.”
Shocked by the presence of a woman and the confidence in her voice, the five blind men stop their fighting and arguing at once.
“Tell us!”, they exclaim in one voice.
“I have examined this elephant with mine own two hands,” she says, “and I have decided that you are ALL right.”
“How can this be ?”, the blind men ask. “How can an elephant be a wall and a fan and a tree and a spear and a snake?” And they are all sorely confused.
The wily old woman explains, “You see, an elephant is a wondrous creature that is like a great tree. On this tree grows leaves like huge fans, giving the most wondrous shade and a continuous breeze. Then the branches of this tree are like long spears protecting it. For this is the Tree of Creation and of Eternal Life, and a great talking Serpent still hangs upon it”.
“Unfortunately, you have not known of this tree until today because it is usually hidden behind a great wall, that cannot be reached, save by the most worthy Son of Man”.
“However, with my wisdom & great insight, I have discovered a most holy rope, by which the wall may be climbed. And if one touches the tree in the correct manner which I alone have come to know, you will gain Eternal Life.”
The five blind men all become very interested in this, of course.
And the wily old blind woman then names an extremely high price for her services – Eternal Life doesn’t come cheap you know! – And she walks away wealthy & smiling from the five foolish blind men.
How easy it is for a woman to pull the wool over the eyes of a man… How easy it is to take dimly perceived notions and turn them into some grand systematic theology. How easy it is to live in this world and to not see. How easy it is to become so immersed in our own point of view, that we become blind to truth…
Oh to live life with our eyes wide open, steping forward into a greater awareness of God’s reality moment by moment… It reminds me of Paul’s words in Corinthians, ‘Now I only know in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known’ (1 Cor 13:12b).
It is ensightful that the blind women can represent the full counsel of the word. When we come on our limited sight of the Word without the Holy Spirit being our teacher we only see partially as Paul said “we see as in a glass darkly..” So how do I presume to know the mind of Christ with my measly little pea brain. Thank God for revelation for it is only from faith to faith that i begin to understand with the eyes of my heart and not my mind only.