All language is metaphor.
Though some are more obvious than others, every single word in the previous quote is a metaphor—that is, a symbol or representation—which, when combined with the metaphors surrounding it, creates a picture in our minds.
This is precisely Flaubert's point. Language can create lovely pictures by combining words, but it is also limited by and to those words…which is why the more complex our thoughts, feelings and experiences become, the more words (read: metaphors) we need to describe them.
Jesus knew this.
He used this knowledge not only to help people understand the meaning of his life-transforming message. He used it to describe himself broadly enough so that people could come to know him--referring to himself as “the way, the truth, the life” (John 14: 6), the “light of the world” (John 8:12), the “good shepherd” (John 10:14)--to name just a few of his many self-describing metaphors.
What about the word “God?”
Is "God" the only metaphor we can use to describe something as rich and varied, as simple and complex, as personal and universal—and as deeply experiential—as what we’re attempting to communicate when we use the term? Or is it just one drop in the ocean?
"If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:31-32 NRSV)
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