Posts Tagged ‘Information’

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Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28

In the Gospel according to Luke, there is a scene where Jesus is in the temple in Jerusalem, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”[i] Here is my hunch. All who heard Jesus were amazed at his knowledge: a precocious, 12-year old boy from Nazareth (which was a Podunk) and being so smart.  There is a somewhat similar reaction after Jesus begins his public ministry.  By this time, Jesus is about 30 years old, a relatively old man in first-century Palestine.  Once more, people are astounded with him.  Luke reports that people asked themselves aloud, “Where did this man get all this?”  What are they talking about?  Not just Jesus’ knowledge.  Luke reports Jesus had grown, and become strong, and was now filled with wisdom.[ii] The crowds were amazed and asked, “What is this wisdom that has been given to him?[iii]  Evidence of Jesus’ wisdom is what we hear in this Gospel lesson appointed for today: “[Jesus] taught as one having authority.”[iv]

In the scriptures, wisdom is the gift extolled above all others for how to make meaning and how to navigate life.  Wisdom is a deep knowledge, much deeper than simply information.  We have today an information glut.  As you well know, it’s possible to browse through a virtually-infinite stream of data with simply a click: an endless array of “horizontal information.” It’s possible to browse life only at the surface, none of which automatically translates into wisdom. Information alone may make us competent, or make us look smart; information alone may breed arrogance; information alone may overwhelm us; information alone may make us conversant in multiple platforms.[v]  Information alone is not wisdom.  Viktor Frankl, the Jewish psychiatrist, said that, “Wisdom is knowledge and the knowledge of its own limits.”[vi] Read More