Why I Study
From the Archives: Benjamin Reese (faculty member and librarian) wrote this piece in August of 2013.
When Jesus railed against the educational institution of his day, he told the educators, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.” (Luke 11:46). It’s easy to focus on the first part of this rebuke, as we tend to find unnecessary rules so reprehensible. Thus our oft-irrational fear of “legalism” (Though we usually misinterpret this concept and apply it to all the laws of the bible—as in, “oh, you think I should love my neighbor? Don’t be legalistic.”). It is the second part of Jesus’ reproach that I find more interesting, more incisive. The teachers of the law weren’t helping the people live up to the education they were receiving. In other words, they didn’t give the people a framework by which they could actualize what they were learning.
On Reese's trip to East Africa, and later trips to Latin America, he has been able to assess the needs of impoverished communities. Here, Reese spent time teaching in a primary school.
Let us imagine after visiting the drought-affected area, Gregg turned to me and said, “Well, the Bible says we should help those in need, right? Okay… good luck.” Maybe I would have tried to do something: I did, after all—my ignorance and unconscious arrogance aside—desperately want to do good in the world. But let’s be clear: I would have been completely ruined. If I was being realistic with myself, I would have said something like, “I appreciate the suggestion, but I have no idea what I’m doing, and—quite honestly—I’ve got pools of fear and emotional problems the size of, like, oil reserves.”
Though Reese has already obtained a biblical studies undergraduate degree, he finds the education offered at the Institute for G.O.D. International essential for confronting a world of need he didn't previously know.
Contrast this with the educational mode that Jesus took. Jesus walked with his disciples, allowed them to make mistakes, and then continued to teach them. Thankfully, Gregg and the Institute he founded has taken this approach. Serious problems arise when we bifurcate life from education. People wonder why I’m still in school. But, I’m not just in school. I’m living life, and living a life of service requires a continual process of growth. As I learn, the burden becomes heavier, and it’s then I’m glad I have others to help me bear it. The Institute is not just a school. It’s a place where we put into practice what we are learning. And it takes time. Believe me. There is a reason the Word of God is likened to a seed. It takes time.
When someone asks me ”why are you still in school?” and they give me that look that says “avoiding adult responsibility, aren’t we?,” I sometimes get bothered. But, then I remember a much more profound question. I remember the kind of problems that exist in the world, and I imagine someone turning to me and asking, “what are you going to do about this?”
