“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”
– Proverbs 4:13
With a few exceptions, most local primary and secondary schools, along with a number of colleges and universities, will begin classes during the next several weeks. A significant chunk of our church family is engaged in some facet of the educational enterprise, which explains why this Sunday we are having a variety of moments during bible class, worship, and after worship to lift up teachers and students, staffers and administrators, as the school year begins. Given that I am the grandson, son, nephew, husband, father, uncle, and friend of teachers, I have a deep appreciation for their dedication at all levels of the educational ladder and in various educational formats (public, private, alternative, home-school, etc).
I am aware that some don’t share my love of education. There’s an important ongoing debate today concerning the value proposition of a college education. College has become terribly expensive and, in fairness, other careers are more suitable for some students. And higher education has always had its critics; long ago, Groucho Mark quipped, “The only thing I learned in college was how to be a professional student.”
As followers of Jesus the Messiah, we navigate a healthy tension between “loving God with all our minds” yet refusing to make an idol of any educational attainment. The apostle Paul, easily one of the most educated Christians of the first century, warned that “knowledge puffs up while love builds up,” even as he employed excellent rhetorical skills and subtle theological reasoning. Pride can twist any good thing, including a good education. But that doesn’t mean ignorance is better.
Because of my faith, I find myself called to be a lifelong learner, to keep asking reflective questions, to observe carefully, to care about what is true, to listen with empathy, and to continue to explore God’s revelation through Jesus Christ and through Scripture. I believe in the importance of having a broad historical understanding of the past that can enable me both to critique present trends and to respect that there is always more to learn.
In Colossians 2:3, Paul expressed that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” That’s quite a statement! While I don’t think Paul is saying that if you understand Christ, you’ll understand quantum physics, I do get the sense that he is gesturing to how central Jesus Christ is for living a life of true wisdom. If you want to live wisely and be a truly educated person, immersing yourself in the life, teaching, and way of Jesus is the surest way to unlock the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
To all who are beginning a new academic year, and to all the rest of us, I leave us with this exhortation from Colossians 2:6-7: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
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