What You Understand

Someone reading this used to believe in Santa Claus. If you believed in Santa, you probably no longer trust the person who told you there was a Santa. It may be that the person who foisted Santa on you also taught you about God, the truth, and things that are morally good and upright. However, because you did not trust them on one thing, you do not trust them on things that are more important. The truth of the matter is that all of us have had authorities who have misrepresented or underrepresented God Almighty, but I will tell you that what you know depends on whom you trust. What you understand depends on whom you trust.

When Jesus was talking to His countrymen in John 8:43, He said, “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.” Earlier, in verse 27 the Bible explains “they understood not that he [Jesus] spake to them of the Father.” Much that Jesus said they did not understand because they did not trust Him. Later on, in verse 46 Jesus said, “Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?” So, they did not understand; they did not believe. One was because of the other. They did not understand and know because they did not believe. They did not trust in the one who is worthy of their trust.

In verse 12 Jesus says if you walk after Him, you are walking in the light. God’s goal is not for you to be in the dark about life. If you find yourself constantly frustrated, confused, and in the dark, that is not God’s design. If you walk after Jesus, you walk in the light. In verse 14 Jesus said that He is the true record. In verse 16 He says He has true judgment. So, Jesus can discern one thing from another. Jesus is wise in ways I could never be unless I receive it from Him.

In John 8:32 Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” So, what you know depends on whom you trust. There are so many things that I just don’t know and can’t know, but God does. The things that matter to God, God can give to me if I will have an open heart to the truth.

There are a couple of questions that might bear asking in your own life. First, whom do you hear? In verse 43 Jesus said, “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.” To whom are you listening? In verse 47 Jesus said, “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” Even God’s own people can miss the truth if they are not listening to the truth.” Sometimes my wife will say, “Are you listening to me?” My mom used to say, “Wil, are you listening to me?” I was looking at them and conversing, but my mind was elsewhere. Sometimes we are so absorbed by our phones, the internet, and things out and around us in the noisy world that we totally miss hearing God’s truth. Whom do you hear?

Second, whom do you follow? In verse 12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Whom do you follow? These countrymen of the Lord Jesus did not know God because they didn’t believe Jesus, the one whom God the Father had sent.

Ultimately, the question is, “Whom do you trust?” You can trust God. Trust Him for eternal life and for daily life. God knows everything and God is good no matter how well or ill some authority may have represented Him in your life. God knows everything, so you don’t need to understand everything because you know God. I can’t see a mile down the road or an hour down the calendar, but God does. He is worthy of my trust. If I want to walk in light, I need to remember what I know and understand depends on whom I trust.