Confound: (v) to cause surprise or confusion
Sometimes people wonder why I have chosen to be a person of faith.
It isn’t because I enjoy church music. I can snooze through an excellent Bach Prelude just like the next person.
It isn’t because I like praise and worship services. Looking at young people playing instruments, staring up at the sky with ecstatic gleams on their faces invites
cynicism into my tender heart.
I don’t favor prayer, Bible study or even consider a communion service to be particularly moving.
I’ve always been a great admirer of common sense, delivered with great humor and a background of intelligent reasoning.
Jesus, in describing his message, said it was a discourse which could be appreciated by those with a childlike perception, and therefore ends up confounding the wise.
Smart people think things need to be complicated. Education leads them to believe the more verbose they are, the greater the possibility of demonstrating the depth of their intellect.
When a reasonable simplicity is presented, which has great a great understanding of human nature and the functions of Planet Earth, it does confound the wise.
And honest to God–or Jesus–that always tickles my spirit.
(click the elephant to see what he’s reading!)
Subscribe to Jonathan’s Weekly Podcast
Good News and Better News