Gleaning the Intellect of Jesus
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” ”
What does it mean to be intelligent? When I was in High School, I thought I would be intelligent when I graduated from college. When I was in college, I thought intelligence would be magically bestowed on me when I graduated from seminary and was ordained. I almost immediately went back to school to get my doctorate because I still wasn’t intelligent enough. Sadly, even a doctorate wasn’t the magic pill that created the reality of intelligence.
I realized that degrees are a byproduct of intellect rather than a means of intellectual development. I agree with Sean Kernan’s article, “Five Signs of a Highly Intelligent Person,” which describes intellectual development aspects. The first is the “Practice of Intellectual Humility.” Knowing there is more to learn motivates and challenges our curiosity, pushing us to seek more from life. Second, the intelligent person is “able to admit when they don’t know something. They know and operate within their limits.” Knowing what you don’t know allows you the opportunity to seek new paths of learning and living.
Kernan’s third aspect of intellectual development is to “break down complex problems and cut straight to a solution.” These same intellectuals have the fourth quality, which is “They have an acute awareness of their own thought process.” They use previous knowledge and awareness to create their understanding of how to think and reflect. Finally, intelligent people “think quickly on their feet and have situational awareness.”
I share these five attributes of intellect with you because Jesus’s life characterized each of these qualities. Jesus was humble enough to give himself on the cross. Jesus operated within the limits of his own societal situation.” He lived within the confines of the first century Judaism and provided learning within the limitations of the society in which he lived. Jesus was able to “break down complex problems” for people and do it through parables, so all could understand at their level of wisdom. This way of teaching expressed Jesus’ “own thought process.” Finally, Jesus was able to think quickly on his feet whether he was facing temptation in the wilderness, storms at sea, or Roman guards in the garden. “Yougo, and do likewise.”
