Articles
How Jesus Was Misunderstood (9)
“Let us speak not to be understood, but so as not to be misunderstood.”
I must admit, this little preacher’s adage always struck me as trite and senseless. It is a typical relative “not/but” comparison, and I’m probably overanalyzing it, but I think the goal is unrealistic. If Jesus could speak perfectly and still be misunderstood, no speaker can possibly avoid being misunderstood.
Now, all speakers should seek clarity to reduce misunderstanding, but experience and observation have taught me some things about the listener as well. Sometimes people seem physically unengaged in the communication process. They are head down, zoned out; they are talking, texting or surfing; they are distracted by babies, sirens, storm winds – whatever.
But more problematic are those who hear through the filter of their preconceptions. Jesus presented the nature of God in perfect human form (Col 1:19; 2:9; Heb 1:3). Yet, as documented in previous articles, people were so self-centered that His divinity didn’t register. They were so carnal that His words were alien. They were so conditioned by misguided religious teaching that truth didn’t make sense. “No man ever spoke like this man!” (Jn 7:46), and yet no one has been more misunderstood. All of us must take heed how we hear.
