Are We There Yet? Lessons on Classroom Earth

Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"...And when he had said these things, he cried, He that has ears to hear, let him hear." Luke 8:8 AKJV

"Cross Sea Without Heaven's Knowledge", "Familiar does not arouse suspicion" (Mantian Guohai, Changjian Zebuyi 瞒天过海 ，常见则不疑)

Is the Whole Earth China? For the first 3 or 4 days of our 4 month, 40,000 km. drive around China in 1994 [see Tibet or Bust], Matthew asked repeatedly, "Are we still in China?" I finally said, "Matt, for the entire trip we will be in China!"

The six-year-old's eyes widened and he asked, "Is the whole world China?" I laughed and explained to him that China was a big country, but only a small part of the world--and that we'd see the rest of the world on another trip (and the following year we explored the U.S, so our sons could better understand both "homes" and put them each in perspective).

Is There a "There?" In life we often ask, "Are we there yet?", and of course we are not "there yet" because we are still here. But if we ask such a question, at least we are ahead of the game because, unlike most, we at least remember that there is a there, and that this brief time on Classroom Earth is just a very small part of our journey. But it is also a very formative part of the trip, a learning and testing ground for the rest of the journey--provided we don't fall asleep in class and forget that exam day is approaching.

The Highway Hypnosis of Life No one succumbs to highway hypnosis in China and survives because we practice "survival of the fastest" (see Darwinian Driving). But when I was driving through Qinghai, bordering Tibet, where roads were straight and smooth and we did not see another car for hours, we saw the wrecks of numerous trucks at the base of cliffs where drivers, lulled by monotony, failed to slow down for sharp curves. In the same way, the comfort and convenience of modern life seems to have lulled us into complacency, and we forget that we are not passengers but drivers, and are expected to keep awake, and learn. (Maybe we're facing such global problems today because the Teacher is trying to awaken His sleeping students?).

Cross Sea Without Heaven's Knowledge: This ancient Chinese saying means "the familiar does not arouse suspicion," and refers to a Tang Dynasty General who over 1000 years ago found an ingenious way to carry the Emperor across the sea to safety without the Emperor even knowning he had crossed the sea. This story gave rise to a Chinese military strategy of "utmost openness reveals utmost secrecy." We too are being led across a sea to safety, but though our Father does everything in utmost openness, it is still an utmost secret for those without eyes to see or ears to hear.

Seeing vs. Perceiving; Hearing vs. Listening This is why Christ spoke deep truths openly in simple parables. He tried to awaken his disciples to the deep truths that were in plain sight around them in daily life. Daily life is our Classroom, but because we doze in Class, Jesus ended his parables about farmers and lazy stewards with "Let him with ears, listen!" We succumb to highway hypnosis, or doze in Class, and hear without listening and see without perceiving because listening and perceiving require thinking. We need to think about what we see and hear, and place it in the context of the subject our Teacher has set before us this day, at this time, through the circumstances and people He has brought into our lives (such as this Tibetan family).

Are We There Yet? In Luke 8:8, Jesus said that some seed fell on good soil, and sprang up and produced a hundred times as much as was planted, and he said, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!" We are to listen so we can learn, and not just learn but do. Once we learn, and do, we can graduate--but the timing is up to the Teacher.

Exam Time As a teacher, I understand Christ's refusal to lay out a clear Cosmic timetable. When my students know the date for the final exam far in advance, some wait until the last minute to prepare. To minimize this, I give weekly assignments and surprise quizzes along the way. I don't waste students' time, or give them trick questions. Every exercise, every project, every quiz question has a purpose, and if they prepare daily and weekly, they'll have zero problem with the final exam. Those who fail are always those who wait until the end to prepare.

In the same way, our time on Classroom Earth is very brief, and our Teacher wastes none of it--but we can waste it ourselves. No wonder in Matt. 6:34 Jesus said, "tomorrow will worry about itself." Rather than speculate on end times, I focus on the lessons the Teacher has given me today, because I believe that my Teacher is a better teacher than I am, and fairer, and so if I do well today, and tomorrow, I'll have no problem with my Final, whether it be this year or twenty years from now.

And after my Final, I will be There, and hopefully ready for what comes after that!
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