The Knowing/Doing Problem

There’s a show called Undercover Boss. The premise of the show is the head of the company “goes undercover” posing as a new employee at the bottom rung of the company. These undercover bosses find out a couple things: bosses often make bad employees; some of their rules are stupid and unworkable in the real work environment; and, some of the core values of the company are being woefully neglected. That last one is the one I’m concerned with – just because people know what to do doesn’t mean they’ll do it.

Or how about this: the Gold Coast off of Australia has some of the most beautiful beaches and best surfing anywhere in the world. It also has some of the most treacherous waters in the world. You could mention the danger of sharks, saltwater crocodiles, and deadly box jellyfish, all of which are real. But in addition to these dangers are the fearsome rip tides that claim more tourists in drownings than any animal predators. The beaches are posted with signs warning of the rip tide dangers but people who shouldn’t be swimming in those waters routinely ignore the danger signs. Fortunately, the beaches of the Gold Coast can boast of probably the finest lifeguards in the world, who routinely rescue up to six thousand distressed swimmers a year. Dave Bryson writes about one lifeguard he interviewed who himself had rescued one hundred people in one week, including one tourist whom he had saved twice. He saved the man. The man went back into the water and the lifeguard had to save him again.

In the words of that great thinker, Forrest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid does.”

I’m glad none of us ever have a problem putting our knowledge into action! In his Great Talk, Jesus says that not only must we learn from him as the Master Teacher in the School of Life, but we must put his words into action.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them is like the intelligent person who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them is like the foolish person who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell. And great was its ruin.” Matthew 7.24-27

Remember that Jesus concern is with the Kingdom of God and his contention that this is not only the way life is meant to be but it is in fact the way life really is. Of course, Jesus sees what you and I see, how life in this world is far less than what God wants and in many ways how the ways of this world are set against God’s rule. Jesus sees all the problems in this world and how this life can be cruel and random. Jesus sees and knows this. But Jesus sees and knows things we don’t.

Jesus sees what is possible for ordinary human beings when God’s rule is honored and God’s resources are used. For example, we often talk about how going to church services is not the fulfillment of the Christian life. Full transformation of persons into God’s image is our goal. Getting to that full maturity won’t happen without the help of church. And so, a first step for a lot of people is learning the spiritual practice of weekly worship. For some folks, this is a difficult first step indeed. It’s difficult because maybe they never developed the practice as kids, and no one helped them develop it. So now here they are as fully-formed adults. And you know we adults are change-resistant. It’s difficult to learn new things period and why should this be any different for the ways of the spiritual life? But the Holy Spirit is working in persons, and so perhaps mom wants to get to church. She sees the kids getting bigger every day and she has a tug on her heart that they should know about God. But Dad isn’t as motivated at the moment. He likes to do other things with his time. He doesn’t disagree with his wife about maybe the benefits going to church would bring, he’s just not prepared to, you know, actually go. So weeks go by,, then months, and then years. And now the kids wouldn’t be caught dead in church. And the thing is, now maybe dad really wants to go and its mom and the kids who drag their feet.

This family has both a knowing and doing problem. They don’t know what they don’t know. And what they suspect would be good about church isn’t enough to move them to do anything about it. They need help. What does Jesus tells us to do when we need help?

“Ask, and it will be given you; search,, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks the door will be opened.” Matthew 7.7-8

See, God wants to help. God is rooting for this family to do something with the vague stirrings of their conscience and heart. But the Lord won’t force himself upon this family. They have to ask. Dallas Willard says that the way of the request is the way that leads us into praying.

“Asking is indeed the great law of the spiritual world through which things are accomplished in cooperation with God and yet in harmony with the freedom and worth of every individual,” Willard writes.

Take our example of the family trying to get to church. If the wife makes demands of her family and tries to control their behavior, at best, she may be able to drag them to a few services, but they won’t be on board with it. They will resent her and resent the experience of church. But if she asks her family and she asks of God, better results can happen. I’m not saying there is a guarantee but there is a better likelihood. Because her request of her family has respected their humanity and “created space” for them to consider the goodness of going to church together.

In his Great Talk Jesus devotes a lot of attention to our judging and condemning of each other. Our need to control others with our good intentions (our pearls) has the effect of pushing people away from Kingdom blessing. God has so made us that we can’t find our true meaning and purpose in life without asking for His help. Prayer shows us some of what we do not know (what Jesus knows) in promptings of the heart and mind. Prayer opens up the power of Kingdom resources to accomplish the good things of God in our lives and in the lives of those around us. This is what is often called “the power of prayer.” And the heart of prayer is the request.

“In many ways it is the life of prayer that discovers a space in which all can live,” Willard writes.

But what if never occurs to anyone in this family to pray? This goes back to our double-sided problem of knowing and doing. Many people don’t know to pray. They don’t know to do this. This makes the prayers and actions of the church on behalf of the spiritually lost so vital. It also points to lives hanging in the balance of the spiritual realm. So many people live at the mercy of their desires and their idols. Take gambling, for example. No rational and responsible person gambles their money away. They won’t do it. That’s why Las Vegas bills itself not as gambling, but as entertainment. You’re losing your money, lots of it, but look how much fun you’re having! Las Vegas wants to disguise what it really is – desire and idolatry with nice accommodations.

“When desire conflicts with reality, sooner or later reality wins.”

Jesus is interested in calling us back to reality.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7.13-14

The narrow gate is not having the right belief. Nor is the narrow gate merely finding forgiveness. (Though it is that.) The narrow gate is the choice to fully follow the Master of Life and allow Him to transform you completely. The Lord what to see all people become the kind of people who are genuinely at home in His world. Remember, Jesus is describing a Kingdom of Life, how Life actually is. And the life I’m living, and the life you are living are the ones we’re going to be living for eternity. People who don’t know better assume that the Jesus Way is boring and depressing and not worth it. If you think that, you have another think coming.

When the crowds lined up along the road into Jerusalem and called out a thousand praises to Jesus the King, they spoke rightly. They were in touch with reality. More than they knew, obviously. Their praise wasn’t the problem. The problem was they did not understand the nature of the choice before the them, the life before them. They didn’t understand the Anointed One who came among them. What could bridge the chasm between knowing and doing? What could make this clear? Someone had to die. And now that choice and this Life is no longer unclear. We can know who Jesus is and the life to which he calls us. Will you follow Him to Calvary? Will you pray with Him in Gethsemane? Will you believe in Resurrection? Will you live the New Life He offers now to you?