A few years ago on my way to South Africa I read in a magazine on the plane about whales. The article was a very long one so I gathered much knowledge about them. Next to me was a man that had visited and interacted with whales on more than one occasion. He didn’t seem to know as much as the magazine yet there was a wonder in his eyes and an expression on his face as he told me about them that captured me in a way that the magazine with all its knowledge and information never did.
When in South Africa I naturally went to the same place he spoke about where the whales come to mate and often come very close to the shore. I will never forget the first time I saw one of the huge sperm whales playing, jumping, splashing, and caring for their young. This experience led me to see the whales in a completely new light as I had been clearly touched within my heart in a way that reading that magazine could have never done for me. I began to see what that man had shared with me and understood why he seemed so excited when he told me. The interesting thing is that today I still remember everything I learnt from spending time with him and the whales whereas I have forgotten everything I read on that magazine on my way to South Africa.
The Pharisees like the magazine had knowledge and lots of it. They knew and they still killed Jesus. The disciples on the other hand had understanding which led them to continue following Jesus even after He was crucified. They celebrated the very life that those self proclaimed experts on God wanted to kill and destroy at all costs.
When we seek knowledge and information only we seek to empower and strengthen our mind to often impress others and feel superior. When we seek understanding we empower and strengthen the life within our hearts as we seek primarily to relate. Those that have only knowledge and information about God are rarely involved with themselves, others, or even God. Those that understand on the other hand understand because they take the time to be involved. Personal gain for them is nowhere near as important as the personal touch of an intimate relationship with God.
Jesus came to open the way that we may be able to understand and relate and not so that we could just know and tell. Think about that one for a bit. Let it sink in deep within you as it has the power to transform your walk, that for so many of us often and unnecessarily seems dry and dead like the magazine I read.
-pablo-
Photo by unknown
