I know ain’t ain’t a word but sometimes it seems to me that we make words and education more than it truly needs to be.
I don’t recall which of my grandparents ( I believe it was my grandfather Dobler) did not have more than a few years of grade school education yet I always looked up to him for the wisdom he shared with me. The Bible tells us that wisdom is the understanding of God’s truth and it is for that reason that I often find myself at odds with Department of Educations, schools and instructors. A primary reason is what the “learned” of Christ’s time (the Pharisees)felt and spoke when in our verse for today they spoke the words “How can this Man know letters, having never studied” (John 7:15). They could not understand how He could speak with such an educated tone when He had not attended a Rabbinical school which even Paul attended under Gamaliel. As a result they showed their disrespect of Christ by referring to Him as “this man” rather than by name. For me this instant knowledge was an additional peace of evidence of being Christ being chosen by God .
In verse 16 of John 7 we see that Jesus words were divine. This was affirmed in John 5:19. The words, thoughts, and deeds of Christ were those of God the Father and that we can take to the bank and deposit. We have an expression that in our world the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and in this case that is absolutely true as we understand the unity of God the Father and God the Son in our acceptance of the Trinity. It is for this reason among others that we should learn the lesson of the importance the words and actions we use as parents and the effect it has on our children.
In verse 17 of John 7 we see that we have to exercise our free will to accept or reject the Holy Spirit but “if” as the verse tells us we do choose to receive the Spirit we will not only know God but we will also receive the power of discernment. In today’s world that power of discernment becomes even more critical in a society that becomes ever more confusing to live in. I also believe in verse 18 we have a lesson for all who teach and that is that those who teach must be void of personal ambition. It is what made Jesus unique in that as a teacher He was not in it for Himself but for we who needed His instruction. There is much that we can take from John 7:14-24 but primarily what we can learn is that although it is good to continue to learn in life we must understand the role of education and where true wisdom comes from.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: True education is that which edifies and leads us to our eternal life.
DEVOTIONAL VERSE FOR TODAY: John 7:16 “where the words of Christ come from”.
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord may I always look to Your truth for the wisdom that I need in this life.
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
1. How do you understand the difference between education, knowledge and wisdom?
2. What efforts are you making to grow in wisdom?
3. Where do you find the wisdom in those with less “schooling” than yourself?
4. What is your understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in the search for wisdom?
*** Gary Jerke *** Is a former State Representative, author and Life and Liberty News contributor
