Learning Jesus through Osmosis

In gaining access to this splendidly composed piece of literature, you have made a meritorious and commendable move. You see, you will not comprehend every word published on this page, but assimilating the information will prove quite facile, thanks to that invaluable assistant called context.

You will understand much of the obscure language of this post without any difficulty not because you tediously excogitated how to expand your already vast repertoire of words; it’s simply because you are already adept in the English language.

Our brains are wonderfully diligent things that analyze and compile colossal amounts of information in relatively nugatory amounts of time, and ever since we were puerile moppets listening to the babblings of senior orators, our brains have been amassing hoards of words with which we are now proficient.

Now, before my jejune and vapid locution causes you to absquatulate away from this piece, let me just point out a few key benefits of this brain that assiduously apprises you of what in the world I’m talking about. The context in which you abide has taught you the meaning of “common words”. You understand what “understand” is, and you have total comprehension when it’s uttered. A word like “assiduously”, on the other hand, you might have a bit more trouble with, but your brain remembers that it does, in fact, mean, “showing careful and constant attention.” You might not have fully apprehended the meaning of the word, and you may not have seen it for weeks, months, or perhaps even years, but you know what it means because your marvelous brain nutates on top of your soma, sending messages throughout your whole body at speeds in excess of two hundred miles per hour.

But why can you recall “excogitated”? Excogitated is almost certainly (except for the conglomeration of logophiles out there) a word you have never encountered in common use. Instead of being filled with trepidation when you spotted it, however, you easily perceived the meaning because you know that “cogitare” (Latin) gives birth to a host of words all having to do with thinking.

Then you come to absquatulate. It may seem a smidge verbose to use such a heinously cyclopean word, but such a sesquipedalian reference was almost certain to prove my point. You don’t know words you can’t connect to your quondam self. You have no history with “squatul”, a pseudo-Latin root, therefore you cannot determine its meaning.

Or can you? Looking closely, you see that “squatul” contains “squat”, and you know “ab” from words like abscess and abscond, therefore you could theorize (correctly) that “absquatulate” means, literally “to squat elsewhere” or, in “common” usage, “to depart in a hurry.”

Lest I drag this out too far, the point is pretty clear. You can determine the meaning of practically any word simply by tracing its roots in the context of your life. Teachers tend to tell us to figure out words from context, but if there is none (i.e. dreaded SATs), you can find word meanings from your own experiences.

This, then, is the way we learn language. We aren’t hard-wired with a meaning of the word “hot” in our brains, but the first time we encounter a “hot” stove, we have it instantly and clearly defined forever. Likewise, an obscure medical condition like “gingivitis” is familiar because of countless toothpaste commercials we see. Whether the word is polysyllabic or a jot, we have an idea of the meaning simply by referring to what we already know.

English has more than a million words. It would be impossible to know them all, so trying to study for a test that could have any of the million words on it could be a daunting task. Trying to memorize from a list would be fruitless at worst, insipid at best. Besides, lists are dead. As one spokesperson for the aforementioned SAT said, “Word lists are out; reading is in.”

That is precisely how we absorb language, and it is how we are to absorb Jesus Christ as well. Granted, we should study the Bible and rightly divide it, but all things are for Christ – He is preeminent in all things. Thus, when walking down the street, every moment is speaking on behalf of our Savior. Every person you contact, every memory you make, and every place you visit should give you a deeper understanding of who this Son of God truly is. If you are missing God’s message as plastered through His creation, I would say that you have missed the point of life so far.

The vast number of words in English shows parallels the thirty one thousand one hundred one verses in the Bible. In the nearly eight hundred thousand words making up those verses, we find roughly six thousand four hundred sixty eight commands. Even if we were able to remember all of them, there’s absolutely no way we would be able to obey all of them or in any way make them practical to our lives; there are simply too many.

So don’t squander your time soaking up tedious testing strategies, theoretical concepts, and Bible babble. Engage yourself in your world. We live in a world where Jesus Christ is broadcasting His message, and that makes it a great place to learn about His character. Living in the light of His grace and doing your best to obey His Word is a great way to make sure you’re right where you need to be. Sure, you need the Bible to help you understand exactly what context is saying. We would not want to get Jesus Christ wrong because we did not study His Word, and, after all, the Bible is our best source of information about God. Raise your awareness context to a higher level, though, and soon your theology will rank with the best heroes of the faith. See what God has waiting for you in every moment.