GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 13-7
Not Ignorance, Please
I read of a man who never watched television news, read newspapers, or read news magazines; yet he objected to an event even though he knew nothing about it. He exemplifies the aphorism, “ignorance is bliss.” That familiar quotation is taken from a line of a poem by Thomas Gray, who wrote in 1742, “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise…” The intent of this statement is that it is sometimes better not to know a thing because knowing it might bring worry or distress.
News sources discuss wars, terrible natural disasters, and the growing danger of another possible pandemic. The current ravages of war, the tornado-driven destruction of homes and businesses, and the appearance of another possible pandemic on the horizon are disturbing. Would one be more content not knowing about these things? Some people indeed find comfort in ignorance, and the man in the previous paragraph would be one of them.
According to Mark, Jesus told his disciples how to deal with the troubling reports they would hear: “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” (Mark 13:7-8)
Jesus was not advocating ignorance but showing that uncertainty is part of existence and urging his disciples to stay near to the Father. That is the lesson here, and it remains good teaching for today.
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