I did not know that the Eastern Orthodox Church maintains that Christ was born in a cave. Though this is not found in the Bible, ancient iconography nevertheless makes this assertion. One might be tempted to dismiss this claim as trifling; however, when we look at Christ’s mission as a whole, we see common bookends: His earthly life began in a cave, and His glorious resurrection occurred in a cave.
But what of it? Why might this be significant?
In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” we find a group of individuals chained in a cave, forced to look at shadows on the wall, created by another group of individuals behind them. If you have ever made shadow puppets on the wall, you understand what is going on. The reality of these chained individuals is completely shaped and determined by others, which amounts to a very sad state of affairs, indeed. It is hard not to see the comparison. Not a day goes by without me seeing somebody glued to a screen, imbibing vast quantities of content and, no doubt, being manipulated by it. They are chained and do not know it. Perhaps they are even chained and do not care. Apathy. An ill of our day, to be sure.
How would it look if the critical part of the allegory extended into our society right now? In Plato’s story, somebody breaks free and manages to climb out of the cave and into the sunlight. At first, he feels discomfort. His reality has changed, and it does not sit well with him. But gradually … over time ... he acclimates. In a phrase, he becomes enlightened. This is where we get the word, after all. But he is morally obligated to go even further. He does not flee from the cave’s mouth. No. He descends back in. On mission to rescue the others and bring them into the light as well.
Any educator knows this process, but it is fallacious to believe that this mission remains with those officially named as such. Everybody is ethically bound to be involved – to pull others into the light, to free them from lies.
This is a story that came out of ancient Greece. But the event that came out of first century Israel is infinitely more liberating. The Logos Himself stepped forth from the cave and into the Light of Lights. Love and truth incarnate. Love and truth resurrected.
Even in a culture removed from Old Testament prophecy, thinkers were able to intuit how truth operates – indeed, how we are all meant to respond to what is true and, from there, how we are meant to treat each other. The free man steps into the light. The freer man steps into the Light of Christ. In both cases, the story does not end there, for caves abound, and there is no short supply of puppeteers.
