“Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!” [John 7.47-49]
No doubt, the Pharisees and other religious leaders were well-educated and in-the-know about all things pertaining to the Law of Moses and the religion of the Jews.
However, these unfortunate souls were trapped by their own knowledge - albeit incomplete.
Many in the crowds were also trapped by their knowledge - but again, it was incomplete - in error even.
Knowledge is good. However, knowledge can be damning. Why? Because, the Bible says, knowledge "puffs up." In other words, knowledge can easily cause a person to become proud (in their knowledge) and forget that it is incomplete at best. No human can know all there is to know about everything.
A person who has become "puffed up" in their knowledge has made the grand error of assuming they know all there is to know about a given subject. This is precisely why educated folks must remain on alert at all times.
The tendency in knowledgeable folks is to think that having more knowledge than others invalidates the others. But, as knowledge goes, the "puffed up" person has failed to realize that other knowledge may well exist that transcends the knowledge they have.
A person may be 100% convinced that man is incapable of flight. Extensive research may have even proven the 'fact.' that man cannot fly. Perhaps many even perished jumping off cliffs in repeated failed attempts to fly. The fact, in this person's knowledge is that man cannot fly. The law of gravity prevents it.
But 'other' knowledge, the law of aerodynamics can be introduced (knowledge that, for years was unknown) that supersedes the law of gravity!
So, no matter how well-versed and highly educated one might be in the law of gravity, there is another law, the law of aerodynamics, that transcends it.
What each of us is responsible to do with our knowledge is to realize that, just because we don't know of other knowledge, does not mean it does not exist!
Jesus came to earth with 'other' knowledge - the knowledge of the Kingdom of God. No one understood the Kingdom of God - they had only heard it was coming (at least among the Jews and others knowledgeable of Jewish culture).
Furthermore, Jesus did not appeal to the brain of man. Jesus appealed to the heart. And, that is why, some of Jesus most faithful followers were uneducated in the conventions of knowledge and learning.
Oh, there is more to be said here... But each of us must come to this faith on our own. Faith is a heart issue - the head may never 'get it.'
Father, thank You for faith!
No comments:
Post a Comment