Everything appearing as unknowable is associated with superstition. It is interesting to notice that everything is knowable in this world. The starting point is knowing God, on any knowledge that carries lasting significance. In the scientific world, there have been amazing discoveries, boggling the minds of those not related to the Almighty God. But, the fringes of knowledge, coming from those not directly associated with God, is bound to fail, one way or the other.
Jesus, having come directly from God, brought the incomparable knowledge. What makes His knowledge incomparable is that Jesus came directly from the source of all knowledge. How possible can it be, for humans to access that knowledge? This is when considering that such knowledge would be as important as anything providing survival values. Logic insists that everything deserving of honor needs to be examined from the original source. This logic is vital, as without grasping the source of information, one would fumble in confusion.
Jesus declared that He was the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). What Jesus said is not idle, as there has not been anyone to disprove those words, ever since. Those in the scientific realm can be closest to credibility. But what science has brought is, simply, confirmation of what Jesus advanced. If there is a discrepancy between any scientific discovery and what Jesus said, the possibility of error would be two-fold: 1) Such science would be inconclusive, or 2) The proponents of Christ’s words, would have failed to duplicate or understand what He taught.
In other words, any scientific knowledge discovered today should be as true as agreeing with the words of Jesus. Those disputing this reality can rant as much as they wish, but the truth of Jesus remains for eternity. Obviously, the captured records in the story of Jesus, are considered differently by the Jewish people. But that does not mean that the Jewish Scriptures do not confirm the validity of Jesus. Those Jews will eventually agree, at the appropriate time, that they were wrong, after all.
Writing from the position of not being a Scholar, puts one on an uneven ground—making the whole exercise quite turbulent. No scholar, worth his salt, can be willing to engage an uneducated person on Theological studies. Nothing is new about that. Otherwise, Jesus could not have been treated badly and killed. One of the issues that the Jews held against Jesus was: “How did this man get such learning without having studied?” (John 7:15). They also seethed similarly against the early apostles:
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13) (NIV).
Interestingly, one assumes that Scholars are driven by the desire to know, and therefore willing to engage anyone professing to have knowledge. But Scholars, even in our modern times, are not willing to debate with someone whose educational background is unproven. Instead, they seek to discredit the person, in clear violation of the Scriptures they purport to abide by. They seek to discredit and undermine, rather than helping such an uneducated person who would also be after learning.
Nevertheless, a person who knows that he knows is different from Scholars in theology. This is because Scholars take comfort in being esoteric. Scholars love being treated esoterically by those who, unnecessarily, give them adulation. But, such adulations are granted, not on the basis of knowledge, but as quoted from other past Scholars, assumed to have had knowledge. You are considered educated, only when having had access to the writings of the past renowned Scholars. To acquire the doctorate, one has to convince those having reached that level.
However, that is completely different from a person whose knowledge is from the source. Basing one’s knowledge upon what has been received from others is not knowledge. A person having seen an elephant is different from a person who has been given information about how an elephant looks like. The one having been told how an elephant looks like, cannot have confidence in what he claims to know. That knowledge would be based on another person’s viewpoint.
Yet, the person having, actually, seen and touched an elephant, talks with confidence of what he knows to be true. One could argue with that person, but not change the fact that the person would be knowledgeable. The person who knows, might not even be a good communicator. But, still, that does not take away the fact that the person would be someone fully knowing the subject at hand.
Jesus was killed, notwithstanding that no-one could confront his understanding, which came from the source. Jesus sought to clearly state what He knew to be true, as compared with those maintaining assumptions of what they thought was true. The only difference between them and Jesus is that the knowledge of Jesus was from the source. Yet their knowledge was second-hand.
The history of those Israelites bears the record of prophets, killed for asserting what the prophets directly got from the source. The only problem with the skeptics is that they cannot believe anyone whose personality does not match their approval. Fortunately, most of the information that came from those prophets are recorded for everyone to verify after fulfillment. Sadly, not many people are willing to accept such information, even with clear evidence of such fulfillment.
The only sad experience, for those having accessed God’s knowledge, is that they cannot convince their loved ones. Nothing is as interesting as satisfactorily acquiring God’s knowledge. Such is the knowledge that anyone would desire to, naturally, share with his friends, as seeking to help them solve their problems. Conceivably, God’s knowledge is a gift that even the recipient has no reason to boast about.
There is another piece of information showing the reason why God’s knowledge cannot always be acceptable to one’s friends and associates. This is sad but very true. Having acquired knowledge, directly from God, causes rejection from friends and associates. The mistake one could make is trying to persuade them—attempting to engage them in Bible study. Jesus was also rejected by His own relatives and had to move away to start His ministerial base in Galilee.
Nevertheless, there is nothing unknowable in this world, as long as one is poor in spirit. This is the case now, just as this was the case during the time of Jesus. People deliberately reject knowledge, for reason not easy to understand, until one understands that pride is the cause. The definition of pride includes underrating another fellow human being. The human race is structured according to race, class, and levels of education. If not meeting the intellectual level of those privileged with education, one cannot be given the audience, by those assumed to be the custodians of knowledge.
In pride, one discovers the certainty that has kept humanity in captivity for all ages. What becomes stranger, before acquiring God’s knowledge, is that the phenomenon of rejecting God’s knowledge affected the Israelites, as well. When Jesus came, one would have assumed that those Israelites would understand better. Considering that they had Scriptures at their disposal. God used them to preserve those Scriptures. But the mystery lies in that the same Jews, though remaining committed to maintaining God’s Laws, could not come to terms with Jesus.
Scholars, are themselves not difficult to deal with, as long as one accesses their willingness to engage in such matters. Scholars seek empirical evidence, as compared to those stuck in superstition. But, why couldn’t the likes of the renowned Scholars like Gamaliel not understand? (Acts 5:34-39). The apostle Paul, actually, attests to having been trained by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). One would assume that no-one could understand Scriptures better than Gamaliel, at that time. With such a reputation, why couldn’t Gamaliel understand what the uneducated apostles understood? The answer is found below:
“Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:20-25) (NIV).
To directly receive God’s knowledge, while everyone else fails, can, actually, not be an advantage, in terms of worldly honor. While those of this world get awarded with scholastic honors and reverence, those directly acquiring God’s knowledge are despised and treated badly. Yet God’s knowledge enables the certainty, that surpasses everything deserving honor, in this life—by far. To most people, Paul’s writings, and those of the other apostles, appear as having been accorded with respect. But those apostles were never given the honor at all. They were, actually, gruesomely murdered. None of them received accolades, and nothing has changed, ever since.
Those with God’s knowledge are vilified and scandalized for understanding God’s truth. Many of the would-be God’s people, succumb, as a result. Scholars, themselves, cannot confront a person with God’s revelation, whether being a non-scholar or a renowned Scholar. Paul had been highly educated in the Jewish religion. But none of his colleagues could take him seriously, after his conversion. God’s knowledge has its peculiarities that cannot be easily explained. But, God’s revelations are uniformly rejected, regardless of whether the person used by God, would be a Scholar or not.
The superstitious people, display zeal for knowledge, but unable to understand. But understanding is impossible, when under the cloud of deception, associated with superstition. The most popular being those fascinated by miracles—a manifestation of pure ignorance. Jesus attracted large numbers of people who thronged him all the time. But those people were superstitiously attracted to Him, rather than being attracted by His knowledge.
All knowledge is fathomable in this world. But the starting point is accessing knowledge from God—the only source of knowledge. Acquiring God’s knowledge requires humility before one can then receive the Holy Spirit. As highlighted in the gospel of John, Jesus revealed this fundamental reality—necessary before acquiring God’s knowledge. This has got nothing to do with intellectual superiority: “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32) (NIV).
Jesus is the only revealer of truth, leading to God’s knowledge. Having accessed God’s knowledge, it becomes easier for anyone to know anything in this world. This has got nothing to do with educational background or denominational association. It remains to be Jesus only—deserving to be treated as the center of all knowledge. Most people profess to be followers of Jesus, but, clearly, being followers of human leaders, rather than Christ’s followers.
It takes real guts to assert the truth within the organized Christian religion. Afraid of being labeled as renegades, most Christians choose to succumb and comply with their corporate religious organizations. Such systematic patterns among all denominations, take their roots in Christian Orthodoxy. Everyone is supposed to be guided by doctrines assumed as correct by those in leadership. You become suspected of being a renegade if holding different views. The most difficult Scripture among Christian groupings, as affecting leadership, is found in what Jesus said:
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:8-12) (NIV).
Knowing the unknowable is as easy as taking the words of Jesus seriously. What is true to an individual is true to him, regardless of what others say. But, Jesus is the only authority in Christianity—the reality of which is accepted by the humble. The proud cannot accept Christ’s teachings, as stripping them of their conceived ego. Especially the above Scripture, asserting to the fact that Christians are equal.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
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