What Do You Know Anyway?

You Think You Know Someone

Have you ever been surprised by someone's character? Often, we think we know everything there is to know about a person . . . and then - surprise! Scandalous behavior by people you admire. Couples, with marriages that seem perfect on the outside, announcing divorce. Maybe there are positive surprises, people who have hidden talents or adventurous pasts. After twelve years, my wife discovered I can cook . . . like not survival, but pretty good. I wasn't really trying to keep it from her, but she was kind of shocked. You think you know someone.

You Don't Know Me
How well do others know you? Are you ever surprised by a gift or meal? Maybe it's a shirt that is obviously the wrong size or there's an ingredient you are allergic to. Perhaps you smile and politely deal with the situation, or maybe you are hurt or offended. Don't we all have this desire to be known? Men joke about forgetting anniversaries, their wives' favorite color, or the first movie they ever saw with them. As a way of getting off the hook, some men stereotype women as ridiculously oversensitive.* I bet these same men would be outraged if their spouse tried to plan something (say the birth of a child) during a significant event in their lives (i.e. March Madness).** Regardless of your priorities, sometimes you just want to go where everybody knows your name. A bar in Boston comes to mind.

Choose Wisely
When my wife and I were first married, I was asked to pick up a video for a romantic evening at home. Of course, I chose a classic Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. On the way out of the video store, I ran into a friend who had been married for about ten years. As we were talking, I explained the evening's plans. He handed me a copy of Breakfast at Tiffany's and told me to trust him. If I had, I might have missed out on a valuable lesson.

If you haven't seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, this is a spoiler alert; I am about to reveal part of the ending. Go ahead and watch it now and finish the blog later . . . it's okay, we'll wait.

Wasn't that AWESOME!? I know right? Indiana Jones agrees to take up the quest to find the Holy Grail, the cup Jesus used during the last supper, after learning his father has gone missing during the same quest. One of the most insightful scenes of this film, is when they enter the chamber where the grail has been protected by knights from the Crusades. The room is filled with many different types of cups from which the knight advises they "choose wisely". One archeologist, Nazi agent Dr. Elsa Schneider, finds the most extravagant chalice, reasoning that it would be suitable for the King of Kings. She chooses poorly and the results are disastrous. Indiana Jones chooses a small clay cup saying, "That's the cup of a carpenter." He chose wisely. 


So many, claim to know Jesus. They publish books, make movies, some even write blogs. In the book of Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus states, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" How well do we know?


* At least this is what I have heard . . . I have also heard it doesn't work.
** A totally unforeseen win. Our daughter was born on March 9, so I was on family leave for the entire tournament.