First let me qualify this with the fact that I believe it is purely symbolic. This last year, I gave my feeder calves milk until August. It's recommended that bottle calves receive colostrum for the first 24 hours, then milk for 10 weeks, while they move on to grazing. The calves were born in early March, given colostrum for 3 days, two bottles a day until the end of June, the one bottle until mid August, while grazing as well . . . These calves are still grazing. Now on to my dream.
I dreamed there was a crowd gathered for a Feast. In honor of this event, one of these "fatted calves" was killed. When the carcase was being processed, a strange thing became evident. The calf was all white on the inside and what should have been meat appeared to be a sort of gelatinous tissue, lacking texture. I gasped in horror as this entire carcase appeared quite unsuitable to be served for the Feast. It was then that the Rabbi asked me how long I'd fed them milk. At the point of that question I awoke with Scriptures regarding milk and meat on my mind.
Everytime the body of Messiah finally realizes it's time to stop showing up weekly for milk, or even thinks of moving toward pablum, we end up sidetracked in gnosticism. I'm not talking heretical mythology, although that frequently does enter the picture; but rather I'm using the term to equate with our own ideas of knowledge. The various studies of the ancient cultures, the "new" names in teaching, the race for who knows the most and imparts that knowledge with the greatest style, or most eloquently disproves the teachings of others. Whether we want to admit it or not, that is modern gnosticism, and those with the greatest knowledge start serving up the milk again, or head down rabbit trails and tangents, yet in a slightly post modern way!
Ultimately we end up with a body that once again is not fit for anything. In my dream the carcase was too large and old to be veal, while too flaccid to even cut. The time and effort spent to raise that creature, came to naught. Most importantly, those who came to participate in the observance were left hungry and unsustained.
We so often think we are going to make things so much better by all of our added extras and effort, when in fact our extras weaken the project and reduce the effectiveness of the outcome. We cannot survive on milk for very long without becoming weak and weary or simply fail to thrive. We are called to be a Temple of the Holy Spirit, but there are specific Instructions for the maintenance of the Temple. We've got to get away from being hand fed milk and revelling in our own knowledge; while prohibiting others from their own grazing with the Shepherd.
