One thing I’ve always cherished is when I see students ask questions. It gladdens my heart because it shows that they are interested in what I’m teaching and are eager to learn more. If, after classes, there are no questions, there are two possibilities: either everything was well understood (which is hardly the case), or I did a poor job with my explanations.

In explanation, what a teacher tries to do is to make his students see the intended meanings of whatever he says. He employs words, gesticulations, demonstrations, writings, and other avenues to drive home not knowledge only but also the understanding of that topic. Such understanding is what leads to the application of the subject (wisdom).

This is the same thing that happens in relationships between spouses, friends, family, and colleagues. Understanding is vital in every communication. In fact, communication hasn’t accomplished its intended goal if there is no understanding of what was verbally and/or non-verbally said. “I heard what you said,” is different from “I understood what you said.”

Jesus painted a sad picture in Matthew 13:13. He told his disciples the reason he spoke to some people in parables was that they assumed to see while they lacked sight; they assumed to hear while they lacked auditory perception. Because of these deficiencies, they lacked understanding. It was not that his listeners were physically blind, deaf, and mentally deranged; it was that his listeners willingly refused to see, hear, and understand. They were arrogant in their ignorance and presumed to have known it all. And this was their undoing.

The Juice:
Now, this evil trend has ravaged and will continue to ravage our world if not reversed. That is the trend of impaired vision/understanding. Many people assume to have understood a thing when they didn’t understand anything at all. I’m not referring to the right everyone has to a point of view. I refer to arrogant blindness exhibited by people today.

It’s practically impossible for a person whose sight is impaired to see what you see and as you see it. With a deaf person, entreaties fall on deaf ears, and most times, he develops peevishness because he has poor visual acuity (besides a visual field deficit). Simply put, reasoning with such individuals almost seems needless.

Reflection:
Look into areas of your life where you have assumed to have understood what was said. Did you understand, or did you assume to have understood the speaker’s plight? Did you really get the message, or did you run with your preconceived idea of what it was all about?

Refuse to be among the people in the picture painted in Matthew 13:13. The great news is that Jesus is still around for a second touch, and I’m going to him before I lay my head on those pillows. This will require a prayer like that of Job 34:32.