Scripture: Luke 11:35 – “Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness.” (NRSV)
In his poem “An Essay on Criticism,” English poet Alexander Pope wrote, “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” He was speaking about how when we first learn something, we think we know everything, and rush off to stake our expertise on very shaky grounds. He writes, “Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: / There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, / And drinking largely sobers us again.” In other words, if one is to learn something, it is best to learn a lot, for learning can be like a drink where a little can leave you drunk, but a lot can lead your sober. Pope, who was 23 when he wrote this poem, seemed to be on the other end of the “teenagers know everything” phase of life.
I think that the same observations that Pope made about education can also apply to faith. Jesus was not against those who had little faith. He said, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” But Jesus was also leery of those whose insights into God’s will towards proper living were shallow, who glimpsed the light of God, but not had that light penetrate their innermost heart.
Jesus was kind, forgiving, and understanding of people, but he was also upset by peoples’ willing obtusity in matters of faith. As the story of Jesus is told in the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus has become frustrated with how people can listen to his sermons and observe his healings and yet still demand “a sign” to prove he is the Messiah. They have enough learning to know that they should seek truth in the signs of God, but not enough to recognize the subtle presence of God already around them, even in the face of miracles. Jesus says that the eye is the lamp of the body; if it is healthy, it shines light into the whole body, but if it is unhealthy, the body is overcome by darkness or blindness. So, if the eye lets in only a little light, that light can bring mostly darkness, and can be as dangerous as the little learning of which Pope spoke.
Jesus says, “Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness.” He forces us to question whether the enlightenment we get from our faith is bringing light or darkness to the world. Many times, we make religious judgments about people or the way the world should be through surface understandings, and like the young critic, this can be extremely dangerous, not only to ourselves, but to the world. A surface level reading of scripture or of God’s will draws us too easily into categories of good and bad, right and wrong, and us versus them. Such self-righteousness is often as destructive as ignorance of God’s will in its entirety.
I think we all know people who stop at the first answer they find when it seems most convenient to them, even if it is not the best answer. I think we may be some of those people. However, if we want to make the world a brighter and more loving place, we cannot mistake our inner darkness for light. We cannot stop at just a sip of wisdom, but must drink deep into a life of faith, no matter how confusing and upsetting God’s word for us can be. For it is only through the light of God that we can see the world for what it is and find peace and joy beyond our ignorance.
Prayer: God, help me to ever open my eyes wider to your light and truth. Amen.
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