Don't be an Idiot

I learned something this week.  Whenever I catch myself making a mistake, I will yell at myself, and call myself names.  Some people do that to other people, call them "Stupid" or "Dummy."  I don't often call others names as much as I call out myself for doing dumb stuff.

The name I most often call myself is "Idiot."  Less often, I might use the moniker "Imbecile."  Very rarely will I say I'm a "Moron."  It turns out, I should call myself "Moron" more often than the other two.  Well, I shouldn't call myself those names at all--I am fearfully and wonderfully made, created in the image of God Himself.  But 100 years ago, those three terms were used to describe levels of mental retardation.

An "average" IQ is 100.  The "Normal" range is IQ of 75 to 120.  Slight retardation, the IQ scores between 50 and 75, was called "Moron."  The "Imbecile" designation was moderate retardation, with IQ scores between 25 and 50.  The most severe designation, with IQ scores lower than 25, was called "Idiot."

Mental health professionals don't use those terms any more.  They haven't been in use in that sense since the 1970s.  But their use in slang and common vernacular continues on today.  Since it's still the first of the year, and I haven't made any resolutions yet, I will resolve to not call myself an "Idiot" or "Imbecile" any more.  I will be at least on the "Moron" level.

I learned something else today--something that made me feel like a "Moron".  I have been a student of the Scriptures for 30 years.  I have a seminary degree, for goodness sake.  But today I learned that I have been misinterpreting a parable of Jesus, misapplying Scripture to my life.

Here is the passage in question:

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.  --Matthew 13:44-46

Knowing that the term "Kingdom" means a place where the King has Dominion (King-Dom), I had always thought that Jesus was speaking about his followers in these parables.  The treasure seeking man, and the merchant, I thought, represented those of us who "seek him with all our hearts."  I remembered the words of Jesus, "Seek and ye shall find; knock and the door shall be open to you."  So the faithful, as seekers, stumble upon the Truth.  And in order to appropriate the Truth into our lives, we give up everything.  Again, Jesus' words (I thought) that paralleled this parable: "And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or farms for my sake will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life."(Matthew 19:29).

So, in a nutshell, I was interpreting this Scripture as a defense for a works-based salvation.  If you want to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, I thought, then you must sell everything you have and follow Him.  By extension, anyone who did not sacrifice everything was not worthy of Him.  By "everything", I mean relationships, possessions, hopes, dreams--everything.  It didn't really matter that this was impossible.  Nor did it matter to me that this interpretation contradicted other scriptures I knew, like Ephesians 2;8-9.  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of  yourselves, it is the gift of God."

Dr. Wayne Braudrick, pastor of Denton Bible Church, has a radio program that comes on just about drive time on my way home from work.  His interpretation is that Jesus is speaking of Himself.  He is the treasure seeker.  The treasure is the people of Israel.  Israel had lost their way, and Jesus found them.  When He found them, he purchased the remnant with His own life--everything He had.  And the purpose of telling the story twice is to include the Gentiles.  Dr. Braudrick says that a recurring biblical symbol for Gentiles is of things related to the Sea.  The people that the Israelites called "Philistines" actually called themselves "Sea People".  Even when we were enemies of God, He found us.  He bought us at a great price.  Leaving Heaven, Jesus "made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:7-8).

To sum up, Jesus found us where we are; He saw value in us; He gave up everything to redeem us.  We are the pearl of great price.  The Jewish people are the treasure hidden away; one day they will acknowledge Him as Messiah.

It doesn't take a moron to see His overwhelming love for us.  Only an imbecile would turn their back on that grace.  Don't be an idiot--place your faith and trust in Him today.