God's opinion

Here are the readings for January 9: CLICK HERE and HERE for the Old Testament readings, and CLICK HERE for the New Testament. CLICK HERE to hear someone else read it (who hasn't recently been sick). 

The thing that jumped out at me from today's readings is from the gospel. Matthew tells us that the people were astonished by Jesus's teachings, because He taught with authority, unlike the teachers they were used to. Most teachers today teach the same way that they were used to. They refer to laws and precedents in order to tell people what's right and wrong.

It's interesting to look at the word "opinion" in regard to this concept. According to the dictionary, the word opinion means this:

1a : a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter 

• We asked them for their opinions about the new stadium.

b : approval, esteem 

• I have no great opinion of his work.

2a : belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge

• a person of rigid opinions

b : a generally held view 

• news programs that shape public opinion

3a : a formal expression of judgment or advice by an expert 

• My doctor says that I need an operation, but I'm going to get a second opinion.

• The article discusses the recent Supreme Court opinion.
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• You might notice that the word "opinion" means a belief or impression, which is what the people who came to Jesus had. And it means a view or judgment about the way the world is. Finally, it means a formal expression of judgment by an expert, like the opinion of the Supreme Court. That last one is what the people were used to hearing from the Pharisees and other teachers of the law in Israel, based on their understanding of the Torah and other holy texts.
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• But then we come to the opinion of God. To consider this, we should first realize that none of us humans ever see the world the way it really is. Have you ever thought about that? If ten people see a car accident, and you separate them and ask them all what happened, you will get ten different stories about the event. Even though they were all at the same place and time, their perceptions will be very different. And if you gather those same ten people a year later and ask them about the accident, you'll get even more varied reports. 
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• Cognitive scientists tell us that when we remember an event that happened to us, we don't actually remember the event itself. We remember a version of the event that our brain has created. And that version is almost never actually what happened. And all of this is regarding a simple, physical action: a car accident. When it comes to things as difficult to clearly define as morality, integrity, and spirituality, it gets even foggier.
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• If you take ten people and put them in a pitch black room with an elephant, and they all use their hands to feel the elephant and then come back out and describe what they felt, they'll all tell you different things, and they'll all be true. That's kind of what happens when we all try to share our opinions of life in general, but especially the spiritual life.
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• But. When it comes to God's opinion, it's different. God's opinion is reality. God can see the whole elephant at once. He knows what really happened in that car accident. He knows what the spiritual life is truly like: He created it. So when He teaches, and shares His opinion, it comes with authority... because He actually knows what He's talking about. He has seen it all. He made it all. He can tell you how it works.
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• So when you want to know how the spiritual life really functions, read the words of Jesus. He teaches with authority - because He made the thing He's telling you about.
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• God, thanks for teaching us the way things really are - Your opinion.
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