The "plain truth" of Jesus' ministry is not to be found in the red tape of academia, says Ivan Grindlay.
It seems to me that Jesus' ministry was designed to cut through the "red tape" of cultural, religious and professional presuppositions.
These three "grids" so influence our thinking that when we are confronted with the plain truth, we are screened from its pure and profound influence.
Recently, I spoke to two tourists sitting at the railway station enjoying the sunshine waiting for the departure of their bus.
I asked for a few moments of their time to complete a religious survey.
They kindly consented. As it happened, they were both Canadians and both held PhDs.
As we began, I was impressed by their diplomacy and manner. But as we continued, it became apparent that they were working together to please me rather than answer the questions honestly from their perspective.
Having determined where the survey was leading, their key consideration was being broad-minded - tolerant of all opinions. We concluded as their bus arrived.
I thanked them for their comments and asked, "When will you come to conclusions on these matters?" There was an awkward moment as they looked at each other sheepishly. Then they were gone.
It seems to me that academia prides itself in elevated thinking. It has earned the right to be once-removed from the ranks of common man.
And to justify its position, it chooses to remain engrossed in the complexities of peripheral issues that hide reality and protect it from exposure to truth and the reach of society in general.
Knowledge is based on a premise long established by pioneers in a particular field. That premise becomes the benchmark; the plumbline to measure all research that follows.
Knowledge then builds a framework based on the foundation laid by the pioneer. But what if the foundation is flawed? The whole structure is then suspect.
I never cease to be amazed at the simplicity of Jesus' teachings on the fundamental issues of life.
If anyone had the capacity to present knowledge in all its complexity, Jesus did . . . for He was, and is, God.
He is creator and sustainer of this complex universe that our greatest minds strive to understand and master. Yet we see Him constantly using illustrations from everyday life and stories with which the common man could identify.
To the intelligentsia of the day who resented the way Jesus' authority undermined their esteemed position, He spoke in parables so that "in seeing, they would not see and in hearing, they would not understand" (Luke 8:10).
I recall a friend doing postgraduate studies and uncovering a fundamental flaw in the historical evidence upon which all research had hitherto been done.
She struggled for years to find a supervisor anywhere round the globe who would validate her findings.
From the quality of life that Jesus came to give, no genuine seeker was precluded. They who would know life in all its fullness could come and drink of the "springs of living water" freely.
This was illustrated for me in a recent letter received from a friend. He was at work and about to take a refreshment break. I'll let him relay what happened.
"A lady from work named Philippa [not her real name] approached me when I was going out for a break to read my Bible. Philippa asked, 'Going out for a smoke?' 'Smoking some Bible,' I replied jokingly. 'Oh wow, are you a Christian? Can I come and read it with you?' she inquired seriously.
"Taken aback, I responded in surprise, 'What? Oh sure!'"We walked to the second floor where there was an outside landing. Philippa immediately started to open up to me about her struggles with health.
"She told me of her late husband who had been unfaithful. Philippa had tried going to church, but had never found one that felt right [including a few cults].
"She believed in God but thought that she had to do the best she could to be good. Then God would forgive her and give her a place in heaven.
"I was able to explain to her how much God loved her. I explained how Christ had, on the cross, taken the punishment upon Himself that she deserved for breaking God's commands.
"What 'blew Philippa away' was that she could not earn this gift of eternal life that God was giving to her. She could not pay Him back!
"Last week, Philippa said to me, eyes wide and full of joy, 'I talk to Jesus every morning now!' Being tempted to sin, she had overcome temptation with truth - God's will over her own.
"Moments later, she looked up at me and said in a grateful tone, 'Thank you. You have changed my life'."
As I put that letter down, I was so thankful for the simplicity of the Christian Gospel. God had given a seemingly helpless and hopeless soul an eternal and life-changing gift through His Son. There was nothing multiple choice about it.
"He that has ears to hear, let him hear."
• Ivan Grindlay is an elder of the Caversham Community Church.
