You Must Learn

Mark 7:17-20 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”)
 
DO you leave church after a sermon, go home after a Bible study, or close this email and ask, “What was that about?” I hope not. But it is likely at times you do.
   Learning God’s Word and applying it to your life is a difficult task. One reason is the Bible that is the result of a translation from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Even with the best translations we can easily misinterpret the original meaning of God’s truth. That’s why Bible teaching requires knowledgeable teachers.
   Even under the most careful teaching, students in a church, classroom or Bible study will often understand the text in their own view. Their prior learning and life experiences have a significant impact on the way we receive God’s Word. Teachers can become frustrated when students do not understand.  
   Jesus, the perfect Teacher, was frustrated. His teachings were not penetrating the disciples’ minds. How would you respond to his surprising rebuke, “Are you so dull? Don’t you see…?” If he admonished us in this manner, we would likely be embarrassed and afraid to ask any further questions. What was his intention here?
   One clue is in the Lord’s similar response to his disciples in Mark 4:13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?”  He taught parables to help people understand basic life principles. But the disciples didn’t comprehend the parables’ applications. At what point would they begin to know?
   Another clue to understanding Jesus’ hard response comes from Jeremiah 5:4 I thought, “These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God. 5 So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God.” But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds. Jesus saw his disciples trapped in the culture’s ignorance regarding the LORD. They had rejected the yoke – the way of learning. Because of the false teachings corrupting the culture, the disciples had missed the bonds of God’s truth uniting his people. The disciples seemed as dull as the Pharisees.
   Jesus needed his disciples to be sharp. They are being taught as no one had ever been taught before. If they can’t learn the truth, how will the teaching continue? He’s calling them, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)
   Are you confused about the Bible? Be purposeful to find a way to learn it, so you God’s truth will sharpen your mind. And you can sharpen others. That’s the way of the kingdom. The church is based on the foundations of the apostles’ teaching. The Lord needed them to know, so the foundation would be secure. This is your mission, too, so the church is prepared for Jesus’ return.