The Path of Christian Understanding

Luke 18:34 (NRSV): The Path of Christian Understanding

But the disciples understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what Jesus said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

I always find the disciples’ spiritual blindness comforting. Here we have the closest friends of Jesus, those twelve specifically chosen by him, without a clue to what Jesus’ most important teachings mean. The disciples’ misgivings, moreover, give me hope.

In chapter 18 of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus reminds the disciples that he will be victimized, tortured, die, and rise again on the third day. But the disciples, as clueless as they can be, do not get what our Lord says. It is typical of the neophyte followers, for they listen with human ears, see with human eyes, and respond with human ambitions. Not until The Acts of the Apostles, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, do the disciples finally get those all-so-important lessons that Jesus gives in the gospels. Our Christian formation, likewise, must go through its own trials.

Every time I try to understand moments in Scripture, prayer, faith, or life lived, I am reminded of my own ignorance, my own spiritual blindness. The beauty, however, is when, by grace, we persevere despite our own missteps, much like the disciples. That is when our spiritual misunderstandings steer us not away from God but toward him, even though our routes to him may be crooked. And believe me, I follow many crooked routes.

I once heard someone compare our misunderstandings with GPS navigation. His analogy went on to describe the circuitous route that happens when we make wrong turns or follow detours. With every deviation from the original route, the GPS recalculates our path and reconnects us to our destination. These missteps often lengthen our distance and estimated time of arrival. But we eventually get there if we trust and commit ourselves to this technology. Our faith in God is no different. We will make wrong turns and follow certain detours in life; it’s inevitable. But we must trust and put our faith in Christ. He will guide us through every twist and turn in life.

Let us pray for clarity, faith, hope, and forgiveness and thank God for his loving patience with each of us, especially when we, too, succumb to the wrong turns and detours of our own spiritual misunderstandings. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Stan