The Sin of Certainty

By Dr. Filippa Duke

But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.  

Luke’s Gospel lesson today comes back to the pesky truth we hear over and over in the Gospels—that the disciples didn’t understand what he was saying to them! The very people who walked with him, who listened and believed his words, who shared his teachings, didn’t even understand the truth!  

Whenever I encounter phrases like this, my first temptation is to think, “Jesus, how helpful! You teach us over and over, yet you know we aren’t going to understand!” But more and more, I think I am beginning to understand what Jesus is trying to share. To be human is to want to know everything: to be “right,” to know “how,” and to have it all tied up in a shiny Powerpoint presentation to share with your friends. Look around—everyone is claiming to know the right path to happiness—from religious leaders, political leaders, even the person on social media selling us the best way to chop onions or restore hair loss. 

But, over and over, Jesus tells us we won’t be able to know it all. It might be right there in front of our faces, but it is still hidden from our understanding. And so, a step in our formation as disciples of Jesus is understanding that we just might not be able to understand it all.  

That isn’t reason to give up or throw aside faith. It’s simply a part of being human. Jesus doesn’t stop teaching us because we don’t understand at first- he knows we will need many iterations of the truth before it begins to sink in!  

As we inch closer to Holy Week, where we walk with Jesus into Jerusalem, think about how certain those crowds are that he is Messiah. And then, how swiftly and certainly they are that he should be put to death—even above a criminal.  

We can’t understand all that happens in this week; part will remain hidden from us. But Lord, save us from the sin of certainty.