students of jesus

Here’s one thing I like about Jesus: he didn’t use big words. I can understand him. Jesus talked about lost sheep, lost coins and lost sons. He told stories about a father who ran toward his son. He helped us understand: God doesn’t give up on us. The sign of great wisdom is simple, clear teaching. And that's Jesus. 

Isn’t it cool? The smartest person who ever lived used plain, simple words. Smart people everywhere, take note: it takes a great mind to speak simply. Plainspoken Jesus didn’t dodge the hard questions. He talked about taxes and coins, families, life, and death. He opened our eyes to the heavens.

This is worth thinking about. The same God who made everything and knows everything came to earth. When he got here he talked about the wind, the flowers of the field, and the birds of the air. He wasn’t talking down to us; he laid it out for us in bright, vivid colors.

Check out the Lord’s vocabulary: he rarely used three syllable words. One time he used the word, “peacemakers” and we are still having a hard time with that one. (And a note to my scholar friends: I’m aware the words of Jesus come to us in Greek, a language capable of some very big words, but somehow Bible translators have managed to keep his words short and to the point.)

Here are two sentences from a Christian book I read. They are from a guy who loves Jesus and is really, really smart:

“We have now articulated an alternative to the person-as-thinker and person-as-believer models in the person-as-lover model. We have highlighted four key elements of this model: Human persons are intentional creatures whose fundamental way of ‘intending’ the world is love or desire.”

I think he means we are born to go hard after the things we love. And I agree (I think). Poor us. We want to make it hard, but the words of Jesus are hard enough all by themselves. "It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me,” said Mark Twain. “It’s the parts that I do understand." 

Here’s the problem: if we make following Jesus about going to the head of the class, only the smart guys will be in charge. I don’t think that was the Lord’s plan for the church. The
 words Systematic Theology are both four syllables. Have you ever tried to read a textbook on systematic theology? (I tried once, about 20 years ago—it gave me such a headache.)

Jesus said, “My burden is easy, my yoke is light." He spoke clearly so we would not be deceived about the cost of discipleship, nor the joy. I'm so happy he kept it simple.