You’ve
probably heard the saying, “three’s the charm” or “third time’s the charm.” It
commonly refers to attempting something several times, finally succeeding on
the third try. Maybe this is because when we fail twice in succession, we’ve
learned enough through the process to get it right on the third attempt.
A
fascination with threes is manifested in other ways, including sports. In
hockey, a player scoring three goals in a single game is said to have recorded
a “hat trick.” In football, a field goal is worth three points. If three
players reach base in a baseball game, we say the “bases are full.” And in
basketball, offense changed dramatically with the creation of the three-point
shot.
Musicians
and singers frequently perform in trios, and when I was learning to play the
drums as a teenager, one of the early rudiments my instructor taught me was the
three-stroke “triplet.” And from childhood we’re told, “three’s company, four
is a crowd.”
In the
Bible, the number three also bears great significance. Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego were three Jewish men that defied the edict by Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, to worship a golden image. Instead, they determined to worship only
the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac. For their disobedience, King Neb tossed them
into a blazing furnace. However, Daniel 3:19-27 reports they not only survived
the ordeal, they weren’t even scorched. Not a hair was singed.
Even with
12 very close followers, Jesus had an inner circle of three – Peter, James and
John. And it was the third day, after being crucified with two
others, that Jesus rose from the dead.
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| An egg, with its shell, yolk and white, comprises a trinity of sorts. |
But the
most intriguing three – and for some, the most perplexing – in the Scriptures
is the Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This foundational
precept has been subjected to intense discussion and debate through the
centuries. The Scriptures are clear there is only one true God: known as Jehovah
or “Yahweh.” Yet, as “Holy, Holy, Holy,” the revered old hymn declares, we have
“God in three persons, blessed Trinity.”
I dare not
venture into a verbal fray that has preoccupied theologians almost from the
time of Christ. Even the most wizened Bible scholars admit, “I don’t fully
understand it, but I believe it.” Yet, like a lot of believers, I’ve sought
ways of wrapping my mind around this truth. I believe some metaphors – “everyday
life trinities,” we might call them – can help us as we ponder this
three-in-one spiritual reality.
Functions
of light, for example, make up a trinity of sorts. It’s luminiferous, transmitting light or illumination; calorific, generating
heat; and actinic, initiating chemical reactions. A single ray of light can do
all three. Yet it’s one.
Then we
have the humble egg, consisting of a shell, white and yolk. Each of these parts
could rightly be referred to as “the egg,” but when scrambling an egg, we
discard the shell. Sometimes the yolk as well. Nevertheless, it’s three making
up one.
And looking
at our own lives, we could regard ourselves as a trinity. For instance, I’m a
husband, a father, and a writer. Each in a sense is distinct from the other
roles, yet they comprise much of who I am as a whole.
Admittedly,
these analogies all fall far short of the wonder, majesty and magnificence of the
Trinity that is our God. To say we completely understand the Trinity would be
tantamount to saying we fully comprehend the universe.
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