This is a convenient academic interpretation for an unbeliever, but the Christian life in the spiritual domain is much more robust.
There are times when our perceptions are so intervened that we really do not exercise volition in order to understand the meaning being communicated. The Holy Spirit performs this type of work in us.
Negative. An unbeliever would simply say that John was on some sort of hallucinogen or was mad. Perhaps a true Christian might say that your statement was indicative of madness all by itself. John is very clear on the matter. Perhaps he might have been too academic as well.
There are times when our perceptions are so intervened that we really do not exercise volition in order to understand the meaning being communicated. The Holy Spirit performs this type of work in us.
Let me put it this way: God is the Ultimate. We are a miniscule portion of His Creation. Can a bacterium understand Einstein? Can we understand God? Yet God put frail and fallible men in charge of His infallible Church. I cannot explain it. Peter fell short time after time, yet he was still the leader of the Apostles and the one that led the Church after Pentecost under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Still his interpretation.
Consider this: if the Gospel writers were all perfect in their writings, there would only be one Gospel; or else there would be four clones (or 60 or 80 clones) identically written.
Amen! And there are also times where the Holy Spirit gives us a sense of peace about things that we cannot understand simply because we lack the infinite mind it would take to grasp it all. We then take by faith and accept God's word whether we fully "get" everything or not. We "Protestants" also believe in "mysteries" and we acknowledge that when the day comes when we have the "mind of Christ" and we will "know even as we are known", then it will all make sense. What a glorious day that will be!