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HOUSMAIL HM046 23
November 1999 HOW DID JESUS ACQUIRE HIS WISDOM? At the
age of 12 Jesus was already far advanced in His grasp of the Word Of God. All
who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and answers. (Luke 2:47) 20 years later, when
people heard Jesus speak, and saw what He did, the same question was still on
every lip - "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" (Matthew 13:54) So how
did Jesus acquire this unique wisdom and understanding? Firstly,
we need to set aside the common almost "superstitious" mistake that
Jesus had some inherent "knowledge" or ability that enabled Him to bypass
the normal methods of learning! He was a MAN "made like His brethren in EVERY
respect". (Hebrews 2:17) His life was a demonstration of what God wants from ALL other men
who become adopted as Children of God. It seems most unlikely therefore, that
He had any special channel of communication with God, which is not also available
to all of us ..... on the same terms. It should
not surprise us to learn that the answer to our question is contained in the "learning
method" spelled out in the Old Testament, for ALL MEN who seek after God.
If we think about that, it becomes obvious that Jesus must also have done it that
way. With God there is no "respect of persons", especially for a beloved
Son who must be an example for all other men to follow. There are no "short
cuts" ...... no "exam cheat tools" to compensate for lack of inclination
or effort ..... no easy way to bypass the long road of persistent Bible Study. Moses'
commandment to Israel is timeless. We must learn to love God with all our heart
and soul and might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) In the same breath He also commanded that his Words from God should
be kept upon our "heart” and taught diligently to our children. And in Jeremiah
we learn that success in finding God depends on searching with ALL OUR HEART.
(Jeremiah 29:13) So,
if Jesus is made just like all other men, it seems clear that His UNDERSTANDING
of God's Word, and His unique relationship with God, resulted from nothing less
than radical obedience to that commandment, firstly by faithful parents who taught
Him from what was laid up in their own hearts, and then from His own personal
FREEWILL choice to obey it for Himself. He CHOSE
to LOVE GOD, and SEARCH for God, just as we must. He WORKED diligently to acquire
the KNOWLEDGE which would reveal God to Him, just as we must. And He found the
source of that knowledge in the written WORD of God, just as we must. In order
to keep God's words on His heart, Jesus must have first read them to LEARN what
they said. He read them prayerfully. He read them often. He used God's Words to
establish the clear boundaries between the true and the false. (And we may be
sure that He also READ THEM ALL to make certain he had missed nothing!) HOW
DO WE KNOW ALL THAT? "Oh, how I love thy law! It is my meditation
all the day. Thy commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with
me. I have MORE UNDERSTANDING than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my
meditation .... Through thy precepts I get UNDERSTANDING; therefore, I hate every
false way. Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn
an oath and confirmed it, to observe thy righteous ordinances." (Psalm 119:97-98,104-105) That
same UNDERSTANDING is also freely available to other men, on the same terms, and
by the same method. That is the basis of the promise inherent in James 1:5-8 "If any of you
lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching,
and it will be given him." However,
James does spell out one very important condition which we should have noted already
in the Psalm quoted above. We will need to cease from being double minded about
SIN and adopt the same single-minded pursuit of HOLINESS that we see in Jesus!
The only reliable method of Bible Study I have yet discovered, begins with opening
our eyes, and "unplugging" our ears, by a diligent dealing with all
known sin in our lives. At the same time, we need to learn how to LOVE Jesus enough
to OBEY Him. AND
NOW FOR THE REAL SECRET OF "SUCCESS" IN BIBLE STUDY! When
we do THAT, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will become our teacher. (Acts 5:32) But note carefully again
..... these verses do say very clearly that the Holy Spirit is given ONLY to those
who LOVE Jesus and OBEY Jesus. This is not a promise for those whose persistently
disobedient actions PROVE that they do not love Jesus at all. (John 14:15,24-25) There
is great hope in this promise. Jesus says that when we do meet the conditions
for receiving the TEACHER, we will be guided into THE TRUTH. (John 16:13) But
that can't and won't happen without serious Bible Study! You can't love Jesus
without also loving God's Word the same way He does. There are no short cuts!
Especially, you can't substitute humanistic "education" and "hermeneutics",
in place of "love" and REAL "obedience"! And you can't use
"grace" to nullify those other words from God about obedience and regular
meditation on the Word of God! Grace comes with obligations! Like
the Bereans (Acts 17:11) we must read the "source
materials" personally, prayerfully, and often, until God's words are quickened
to us, and we KNOW ..... THAT WE KNOW..... BEYOND ALL QUESTION ..... that we have
found THE TRUTH, through hearing God's own words for ourselves ..... just as Jesus
did. That is the only way to avoid the delusion which is the lot of those who
refuse to love THE TRUTH and so be saved. (2 Thessalonians
2:10-12) In passing
we should note carefully that "knowledge" acquired this way is not at
all the same thing as that which Paul says, "puffs up". (1 Corinthians 8:1) TRUE "knowledge"
creates meekness and humility. And it is ESSENTIAL to FAITH. You can't personally
believe what you don't personally know from your own personal hearing of God's
word. Don't be afraid of it. "Knowledge" is NOT a "swear word"
the way you hear it from some people! Make
no mistake about this. If we do this faithfully, we will acquire LEARNING that
can't help but show! And when it is acquired, people will begin to hear from our
lips the same challenging and life changing wisdom from above, which we have heard
from Jesus ..... "First pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of
mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity." (James 3:17) One
final comment ..... In God's "Bible School" we need not be daunted by
any perceived lack of superior human ability. For even the least academically
gifted, the main requirement for "success" is that we search for God
with all that we have been given ..... heart, mind, soul, and strength. Be that
10 talents, five, or only one ..... from that point on, success no longer depends
on mere human academic ability. It depends ever so much more on: GOD'S
SUPERIOR ABILITY TO TEACH THE MEEK! Blessed
are they ..... for they shall inherit the earth! (Matthew 5:5) Allon |