Messages that influence us come in many ways. A text, a call, a dream, a kiss—any of these could bring a message that changes the course of life. The message that comes to me may reveal more about me than it does about the sender!
The wonderful museum at Heraklion, Crete, carries the observer back thousands of years to the Minoan civilization. This advanced culture dominated much of the Mediterranean world 6000 years ago. The museum holds the enigmatic Phaistos Disk. As I stood in front of this dinner plate sized relic, covered with hieroglyphics, I wondered what it communicated to the people of long ago.

The clay disk was discovered in 1908 in the ruins of the Minoan palace. It has 242 symbols arranged in a circular pattern on both sides. It clearly tells a story. There is no consensus about the message, however, with scholars proposing a magical incantation, a religious hymn, a sacred narrative, and even a board game![i] Writers have speculated it is a prophecy for the end of the world to be revealed at just the right moment!
Mysteries dominate publishing and media today. We want them to come to a tidy conclusion that brings a twist and a resolution. We treat the stories of the Bible the same way. There is comfort in the preacher revealing the truth from the puzzling narrative. But most of the Bible narratives provoke more questions than provide answers. We don’t know what happened to Jesus’ body, who wrote the Gospel of Mark, or when the world will end. Could that be a part of the plan, that we are challenged to seek more about ourselves than we are how many animals were on the Ark? Is the greatest mystery what I make of my life amid all the unknowns that fill this world? Rather than frustration, the sacred stories seem to carry a message across the centuries that provoke new discoveries of faith. We may find the message in the mystery.
The Disk may have more questions in its ancient, mysterious script than it does answers, as well.
[i] “What is the Phaistos Disk and What does it Mean?” Discovery Channel, United Kingdom. https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/what-is-the-phaistos-disc-and-what-does-it-mean/
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