A WORD FOR TODAY, April 7, 2022
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, April 7, 2022
“When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.' He said to them, 'When you pray, say, "Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”’” Luke 11:1-4, WEB
In 1990, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in a movie with a most unusual adversary: a classroom filled with five-year-olds. The movie “Kindergarten Cop” was about a big city cop named John Kimball who was looking for the ex-wife of a hardened criminal. There was evidence that she had taken a large amount of money and they cops wanted to question her. She and her small boy were tracked to a small town, so Kimball and his partner went to find them. The partner, a tiny, sweet looking woman, was supposed to substitute for the kindergarten teacher, but she became quite ill before she could begin. They had no choice: tough man Kimball had to go in.
The first day did not go well. Those little kids had him running in circles and the audience laughing hysterically. He was desperate to finish the job and get out of there. He sat them in a circle and asked them questions, hoping the answers would quickly reveal the young boy for whom he was searching. He got frustrated with every question. When asked if they had been born in that town, none raised their hands, so he yelled, “Come on, raise your hands” so they all did. Then he asked who was born somewhere else, they all raised their hands. It was not going to be easy to get information out of the kids because he was trying to deal with five-year-olds as he might deal with a group of adults. He learned during the movie to deal with the kids on their level, simply and with gentle strength. By the end of the movie the concerned principal told Kimball that he was welcome to stay to teach because though she was at first quite skeptical, she could see he was an awesome teacher.
It is pointless to teach kindergarteners about the science of microbiology or nuclear fission. It is a waste of time to try to give them trigonometry homework or tell them to write thousand-word essays on the origin of a species. As a matter of fact, it is pretty pointless to try to teach these things to most adults. The same is true of many other aspects of education, the Latin language for example. What purpose would it hold in the average person’s life to know such things? It is best to teach reading, writing and arithmetic, the things a person will use from day to day.
In the late 1600’s the educators thought it was useless to teach anything to the average folk. School was for those of higher rank, to teach Latin and other intellectual pursuits. But one man thought the poor should know how to read. John-Baptist de la Salle became a priest at a rather early age and was well on his way to greater things, but he gave up his family’s wealth and his position to teach. He thought it ridiculous to teach them how to read and write Latin, so he created a school and trained teachers to teach them in their own tongue. His enemies thought he was misguided and had him fired, but the teachers threatened to leave the school with him. He opened a school for delinquent boys and affected the lives of many. John-Baptist de la Salle is remembered today.
Jesus taught people right where they were. He used stories and ideas that came from their life experiences, and He kept His teaching simple and clear. Those who stopped following did not do so because He was teaching beyond their ability to understand, but because they refused to believe what He was saying. He did not discuss the finer points of doctrine, but rather laid God’s Word before them to hear and believe. When asked to teach them, He did not give them fanciful words or prayers, just the simple truth in its beauty and grace.
As we teach others about Jesus, we should remember the experiences of John Kimball in that Kindergarten classroom and to follow Jesus’ example. It does little good to teach the average Christian the finer points of the biblical languages or the difference between the different eschatological theologies of the church. We need to know of Jesus’ love, His sacrifice for our sin, and the incredible mercy of God. We need to know about His life, death and resurrection. We need to know that we are sinners in need of a Savior and how to be good disciples. We don’t need to know any complicated prayers. We simply need what Christ has given us, a prayer which praises God and thanks Him, asks Him to be with us and provide all we need, confesses our sin and begs for forgiveness and seeks God’s help to walk as His. Christ met the people right where they were, living in the world. May we always do the same.
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