Scripture Meditation: Gregory the Great: Scripture as a River

Gregory the Great (d. 604) used a beautiful metaphor for Scripture: "Holy Scripture is like a river, broad and deep, shallow enough for a lamb to go wading, but deep enough for an elephant to swim." He meant that Scripture is accessible to the simplest believer yet inexhaustible for the most learned theologian.

Gregory taught that the same passage of Scripture yields different fruit at different stages of the spiritual life. "The divine discourse grows together with the one who reads it. The less experienced reader discovers something in it suited to his or her own measure; the more advanced reader always finds something new." Scripture is a living word that meets us where we are.

Practical application: Return to a passage you read years ago and read it again with fresh eyes. Notice how your understanding has changed as your life experience has grown. Gregory teaches that Scripture is inexhaustible: the same words speak differently to the young convert, the mature believer, and the suffering saint.