Know it All
The greatest enemy of learning is knowing.
What’s on your mind? Is your tummy hungry or budget hurting? Does your heart long for attention or affection? Is your head spinning like a roulette wheel hoping to land on the jackpot answer to a few nagging problems? Or maybe you just can’t decide on a major or whether to switch cell phone plans.
These are all valid earthly concerns and they take time and effort to research and retrieve data, to analyze it and come to a decision. And sometimes, they stress us out so much and occupy so much brain power that we don’t focus on the life-giving words of Jesus. And we’re okay with that.
“Not a problem,” we think, “I was confirmed at St. George’s by Pastor Gustaf who taught me everything I need to know about the Bible.” As if we get to the point when we know it all spiritually, while the Bible says that even the angels long to learn more. “The flesh counts for nothing,” Jesus warns in John 6. Memorizing a group of facts about God is good but is only flesh – and counts for nothing – if not accompanied by faith’s desire to learn and grow from the life-giving words of Jesus.
“The greatest enemy of learning is knowing,” says Christian leadership expert John Maxwell (Maxwell, John, Talent is Never Enough, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 2007, p. 184). By thinking we know it all, we prove that we don’t.
Some of the disciples still didn’t believe. Then we’re told, “Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him … From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” Do you think that includes Judas? Judas is still part of the Twelve even in the upper room the night before Jesus died, yet in his heart and soul it’s very possible that Judas now turns away.
And Jesus knew it. He knew right at this moment that Judas would be a traitor. Jesus knew even a few years ago when he was deciding whether or not to call Judas as a disciple that Judas would betray him. And still, Jesus chose him. Still, Jesus loved him. We want to scream out to Jesus, “He’s not worth saving!” but Jesus knew that about Judas, and knows that about us. But he loves us anyway. So don’t leave his life-changing love. Don’t turn away from his call to discipleship no matter how difficult.
Don’t give up learning about him and from him so that you can better follow him. “You do not want to leave me too, do you?” Jesus asks.
PRAYER: Never, Lord. Never let me leave you. Always help me learn from you and follow you. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Amen.