Reasoning Deduction And Ideology

“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
They replied, “He is the son of David.”
Jesus responded,“Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said,
‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’
Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”"
My undergraduate university required either a philosophy or an art class for general education.  I chose to take philosophy class at 8:00 during the summer, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  The teacher was phenomenal:  Dr. Isaac Mwase.  He was from Zimbabwe.  Since it was summer, the dress of instructors was very relaxed and this African professor would wear a dashiki to class some days.  He would not write on the board often, and when he did it was only when he made a mistake.  He would walk to the board and write as he said (in an British educated voice), “Affirmation of my humanity.” Dr. Mwase would speak often of Emmanuel Kant.
Kant is the father of modern philosophy.  Because of Dr. Mwase I read Kant’s Critique of Practical Reason.  Not the most fun read, but I learned a lot.  Like, don’t read an English translation of German philosophy from the 18th century.  Kant also introduced me to the concept of epistemology. Epistemology studies the nature of knowledge, justification, and the rationality of belief.  Knowledge, justification, and rationality of belief are all human constructs.  When it comes to God and how He works, human reasoning, deduction and ideology don’t cut it.
I Matthew 22:42-45 Jesus raps the Pharisees around themselves.  In v.45 Jesus asked them how the root can also be the branch.  Human philosophy and reason are broken.  The Pharisees could not respond.  Their epistemology was broken.  What they thought they knew and understood as logical was shown to them to be illogical and flawed.  The Pharisees had attempted to boil God down into their understanding.  Jesus showed them, using scriptures they had committed to memory, that their human understanding did not and would not understand and contain God.  
The religious try to pull God and His word down to their personal preference.  Those of the Faith do not try to pull God down to their personal preference.  God may, and does, offend our understanding of Him and His ways.  He is the LORD.  We are not.  He leads, and we follow.  He can and does work outside of our reasoning, deduction and ideology.  We must choose each day whether we will rely upon our reasoning, deduction, and ideology or allow the Father to be the Father.
  1. Does everything have to make since to you?
  2. Do you place God in your understanding box?

--Zine Smith
Location: 209 Marsheutz Ave SE, Huntsville, AL 35801, USA

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