Chapter 47—Christian Education
The human mind is susceptible of the highest cultivation. A life
devoted to God should not be a life of ignorance. Many speak against
education because Jesus chose uneducated fishermen to preach His
gospel. They assert that He showed preference for the uneducated.
Many learned and honorable men believed His teaching. Had these
fearlessly obeyed the convictions of their consciences, they would
have followed Him. Their abilities would have been accepted, and
employed in the service of Christ, had they offered them. But they
had not moral power, in face of the frowning priests and jealous rulers,
to confess Christ and venture their reputation in connection with the
humble Galilean.
He who knew the hearts of all, understood this. If the educated and
noble would not do the work they were qualified to do, Christ would
select men who would be obedient and faithful in doing His will. He
chose humble men and connected them with Himself, that He might
educate them to carry forward the great work on earth when He should
leave it.
Christ the Great Educator
Christ was the light of the world. He was the fountain of all
knowledge. He was able to qualify the unlearned fishermen to receive
the high commission He would give them. The lessons of truth given
[170]
these lowly men were of mighty significance. They were to move the
world. It seemed but a simple thing for Jesus to connect these humble
persons with Himself; but it was an event productive of tremendous
results. Their words and their works were to revolutionize the world.
Jesus did not despise education. The highest culture of the mind,
if sanctified through the love and the fear of God, receives His fullest
approval. The humble men chosen by Christ were with Him three
years, subject to the refining influence of the Majesty of heaven. Christ
was the greatest educator the world ever knew.
148