GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 7:14
Understand
More than one parent has said to their child, “Do you understand?” They will receive a nod, a weak “Yes,” or a shrug of the shoulders. But understanding is not always a simple process. The English root of the word “understand” didn’t mean to physically stand beneath, but to stand “among, between, in the midst of, or close to.” So, to “understand” something meant to “stand in the midst of an idea,” i.e., to be in a position to fully grasp or share its meaning. One of the delights of parenting is to see the expression offered by a child when they come to understand, to grasp the meaning of a teaching.
Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) put together the practice of hygiene and reduced infections. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) put together the connection between microorganisms and fermentation. Henry Ford (1863-1947) put together the concept of individual job assignments and developed the assembly line. Katalin “Kati” Karikó (1955- ) was one of the scientists who saw the connection between using mRNA to combat the COVID-19 virus.
Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees and scribes a fallacy in their position, and then Mark said, “After he again called the crowd, he said to them, ‘All of you listen to me and understand.’” (Mark 7:14) Jesus issued two imperatives: “listen” and “understand.” It was not enough just to listen; Jesus commanded his audience to understand. The word Jesus used (συνίημι, suniémi) is a compound word meaning to put together, to comprehend.
In this instance, Jesus was preparing his audience for a dramatic lesson—a lesson that would challenge their whole presuppositional world—a lesson they would have difficulty “putting together.” Writers often quote Mark Twain as saying, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me; it is the parts that I do understand.” The challenge Jesus’ teaching issues to everyone who would be a follower is to “understand.” That is not to say that his teaching will be easy or that it will not be misunderstood, but it is to continue to allow the Holy Spirit to “put it together,” to bring understanding—a discipline with which every believer struggles.
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