We all have our ways of learning. Some learn visually, some through listening, some through doing.
And teachers have their own styles, too. Some use props, some give demonstrations, some use straight lecture, some show videos, some generate discussions. I love teaching, and I always like to generate discussions whenever possible.
But there are other ways to think about learning. Some learn the easy way, some the hard way. I know a lot of people who have to experience things the hard way. I'll never forget the first time I experienced hydroplaning. It was spring break 1983 and I was driving a friend's car on the open interstate in Florida. Of course it was raining. I had heard all about this thing called hydroplaning, but frankly I did not believe in it. How could something as heavy as a car be held off the road by a puddle of water? It didn't make sense. And I drove like it didn't make sense. The other two guys in the car were asleep, and I was making good time. I was probably going about 60 mph when I felt the car slip. Adrenaline washed through my veins and I quickly let off the gas. The car cooperated perfectly, and we kept on moving. At a more cautious speed. I don't think those guys ever knew there was a potential problem. And ever since then, I have been a believer in hydroplaning. That's what I mean about learning the hard way. It could have been disastrous.
Three cheers for learning the hard way, especially if it doesn't kill you and your friends.
But here's the point: You learn at a deeper level when you work for something. We call it the school of hard knocks or the voice of experience.
And this is how we learn from the Bible. The biblical authors want their readers to learn through discovery. Think about the teaching of Jesus. So much of his teaching reads like riddles. He wants the listener to wrestle with the questions. Rather than just telling us the answers, he wants us to work for it. Notice how often Jesus answered questions with questions. He led people to think about themselves. He wanted them to experience discovery.
The Bible seems to leave out important details all over the place. Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 give two different accounts of creation. Which one is right? If they are both right, how can we reconcile these stories? Then in Genesis 4 we have the story of Cain and Abel. God liked Abel's sacrifice, but not Cain's. Why not? The story doesn't say. We have to think about it and wrestle with it.
As Westerners, we like to read the Bible "like you read the newspaper." But that's not how the Bible was written. God wants us to learn by discovery. He wants us to wrestle. He wants us to use our imaginations. He wants us to develop character and a heart like his. That takes a long time and lots of wrestling.
Three more cheers for discovering.
