Remember when you were in your grade school years being taught the fundamental mathematical operations? If you’re the studious type, you actually found it fun being taught the basics of Mathematics. If I ask you right now what 1 + 1 is, you’d be able to answer in a heartbeat. When you ask for the bill and check if it’s correct, you’d be able to spot an error in the computation.
Author’s Note: This is part of the “back to basics” reflection I’ve been doing in the book of John.
There are times that my siblings and I would have geek talks at home. Two of my siblings are engineers; one metallurgical and the other chemical. I remember my younger brother once telling us, “Show me a rock and I will tell you its copper content.” On a separate occasion my sister told me while doing the grocery, “This brand of soy sauce is expensive because its fermentation process is more natural than the others.” (Yes, we have conversations like that at home. Geeky, I know.)
I found the same behavior in Jesus’ disciples when they saw Him clear the temple – overturning tables, filled with zeal to restore respect for His Father’s place. They remembered what was written in the scripture. In this case, they remembered Psalm 69:9. They were able to see the Word. They were able to see it because they were at the very least acquainted with the scripture. I’d like to believe that they didn’t only study the scripture, they meditated on it. Probably, unlike the Pharisees, Jesus’ disciples must’ve taken to heart Psalm 1:2:
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
When you see the sunrise, get an unexpected message of encouragement, been given a long weekend, presented an opportunity to do good to someone, you see God’s Hand at work more clearly. You know He is real. You know He is good. You know He is in control. It’s as if you can see Him.
I remember what my discipler taught us; we won’t know a crooked line unless we know what a straight one looks like. When we know what is true, we know what a lie is when we see one. And we know what is true by meditating on the truth – which is God’s Word. When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness, He always had an “it is written” answer to Satan. Even the devil quoted scripture in tempting Jesus to throw himself down at the highest point of the temple. But Jesus knew better.
It’s a reminder for me to always be acquainted with God’s Word and meditate on it. It is not only to see the difference between the truth and a lie, but to see God every day.