The dental hygienist was cleaning my teeth. Across the hall the receptionist, talking on the phone with a patient, asked, “Are they putting you to sleep?” We both thought, euthanasia?! Hearing only half the conversation gave us a laugh. It reminds me of the learning experience we had as kids. Sitting in a circle, a message is whispered from one person to the next. By the time the message comes full circle, it’s no longer the original message.
From the Pentecost Gospel: “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound (of the mighty rushing wind) the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed…” (Acts 2:5-7).
Me too. Amazing, that the disciples started speaking foreign languages! The only explanation I know is that the Spirit of God wanted to get the news of Jesus the Messiah out to the world. It happened. Those “devout men from every nation” returned to their homes with the Gospel, shared it, and the Church began its miraculous growth.
The word of God must be understood if it is to convict the heart. Imagine being on your death bed. You know nothing of Jesus but, fearing death, you ask for a minister. The minister comes, speaks the word of God in a language you don’t know, and you die. Die without Jesus, the only way to the Father (John 14:6). It’s not only foreign languages. The obstacle can also be theological jargon. I wonder how many times we pastors, I included, have failed to communicate because we used theological jargon.
“What really matters is making your meaning clear beyond a doubt.” (Harold Evans, “Do I Make Myself Clear?”, 29)
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