Today I was talking to an entrepreneur about their business model. I told them that I've tried to do two things in my teaching and writing career. Keep things simple, and keep things brief. Simplicity helps people understand something. Brevity helps them remember it. No book illustrates this better than the Bible. Some people say the Bible is a complicated book and that only deep thinkers can comprehend it. I emphatically disagree. The Bible was meant to be read by all of us. Its most profound truths can be expressed simply and succinctly. You: "How can I become a part of the family of God?" The Bible: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Still, ever and again, our unending fascination with the teaching of Jesus springs from his ability to speak to the common man and woman. Earlier today I said we shouldn't confuse the Bible with the irrational. But we can't forget that reading the Bible is a spiritual act as much as it is a cognitive act. God reveals himself not to the proud but to the humble.
The old Scots had a wonderful saying:
"Greek, Hebrew, and Latin all have their proper place. But it's not at the head of the cross, where Pilate put them, but at the foot of the cross, in humble service to Christ."
The best teachers never show off their considerable learning. They keep it simple -- and brief.