How Dumb Can You Be? (Mark 6:45-56)
Pretty dumb apparently. There is some comfort in the way Mark reveals the disciples’ utter thick-headedness. These guys were trained by the best, they walked with God incarnate, they were given authority by Jesus and experienced success in ministry that they found astounding themselves, and yet… they kept missing the point.
The comfort here goes beyond the comfort in knowing that, as much as we so often don’t “get it” in our walk with Christ, the twelve disciples—the best of the best—might as well have been worse. We can also rest in the fact that our place in the Kingdom of God is not about our knowledge, understanding, or wisdom. The relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ is all about trust and very little about comprehension.
True, Jesus does want His people to understand the ways of the Kingdom. He did and does teach, after all. And you could never accuse the Bible of having one of those, “It doesn’t matter WHAT you believe just THAT you believe” nonsensical messages. But, when all is said and done, our capacity to grasp all that Jesus is and what God has accomplished is limited, finite and incomplete.
The goal is not to be amongst the most-clever of disciples, but rather amongst the faithful.
The comfort here goes beyond the comfort in knowing that, as much as we so often don’t “get it” in our walk with Christ, the twelve disciples—the best of the best—might as well have been worse. We can also rest in the fact that our place in the Kingdom of God is not about our knowledge, understanding, or wisdom. The relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ is all about trust and very little about comprehension.
True, Jesus does want His people to understand the ways of the Kingdom. He did and does teach, after all. And you could never accuse the Bible of having one of those, “It doesn’t matter WHAT you believe just THAT you believe” nonsensical messages. But, when all is said and done, our capacity to grasp all that Jesus is and what God has accomplished is limited, finite and incomplete.
The goal is not to be amongst the most-clever of disciples, but rather amongst the faithful.
As I posted this thought, I considered expanding it a bit to clarify that I was not promoting stupid faith. But then I thought I should let it stand. I am highlighting the thought I find important in this passage—that faith and not hidden wisdom or doctrinal perfection is what God demands from those that follow Him. And, the only people likely to react negatively to the post are those who are relying on knowledge based faith, or the very type of religious ignorants that this post is NOT trying to justify.
ReplyDeleteWell, I should have known. This post generated some of the quickest response ever for NonModern, and an unfollow. I was even accused of promoting the very thing that this post is not about by having words put in my mouth, a quote very similar to the one I specifically wrote as NOT being the point of this passage in paragraph three, in fact.
Oh well. Guess I shouldn’t lob metaphorical rocks into herds of swine if I am not ready to hear a few squeals.