he who is
of the earth is from the earth
and speaks
of the earth.
He who
comes from above is above all.
What he has
seen and heard,
of that he
bears witness;
and no man
receives his witness”
(John
3:31-32)
The repeated
refrain of Yeshua to Nicodemus in the Gospel of John, poetically expressed as a wrap in verse 31, “He who comes from
above/heaven is above all,” sounds curiously akin to a few statements in the
Gospel of Thomas, where they are applied to any of the special few men and
women who find their way into the kingdom.
Next we see
that he who is “above all” knows, for
“what he has seen and heard, of that he bears witness” (v. 32). This one does not merely “believe,” he knows,
for only one who knows can “bear witness.”
However, the manner in which he knows is quite distinct from that of men
in general, “for no man receives his witness.”
This is because men, in order to “believe” (let alone “know”) must have
empirical evidence or a “sign” the people kept demanding. Men need to see, touch, hear, and taste in
order even to believe, let alone know. However,
he who comes from above knows without that empirical evidence because he has
evidence that goes even deeper than the empirical variety.
Often, the
knowledge begins with empirical evidence, some miracle that should not be
chalked up to “coincidence.” These are
moments for which I mock the skeptics: It takes more faith to believe this statistical
impossibility was due to random chance than to believe in a divine miracle. Sometimes a series of such clues coms forth
to boost one’s faith, and once one’s “faith has made [himself] well,” one moves
beyond belief, trust and faith, and into knowledge: “I don’t believe, I know,”
as Carl Jung has famously answered in response to whether he believed in God.
At this point, one knows not from empirical evidence, but
from some remarkable and inexplicable knowledge from within. It is akin to the knowledge of babies and
toddlers that defies any scientific understanding: How do babies learn how to
walk and talk? Frankly, scientists are
baffled and admit they don’t know. So Noam
Chomskey coined the term, “Language Acquisition Device,” known by its acronym
the “LAD,” to provide, at the very least, a definition of this mystery and a
term for the convenience of researchers, psychologists, pediatricians,
educators, and others who work with children who may have a weakened “LAD” in
contrast to those who have a healthy “LAD.”
In essence, what is the
LAD? A divinely placed mechanism into
humans that teaches us to talk, read, write, and communicate. Neurologists still haven’t found it, and they
won’t, for it is not biological, but a divinely implanted system of knowledge
in the human mind. Others have likened
this knowledge to knowing a sunset is beautiful. How do we know? Because beauty has been divinely written into
our hearts, so when we encounter it, we know.
Likewise, those “born from above” have another divinely
placed mechanism within their mind by which they “know” things others don’t. Psychics, remote viewers, and those with ESP
have such unusual knowledge that’s inexplicable to those without this
knowledge. Those who are spiritually
infused with special knowledge, who have been “born from above” and are
publicly acknowledged to have spiritual insight are called “prophets.” Others may lack this public acknowledgement
but nevertheless maintain such a divinely placed gifting of inexplicable
knowledge.
Given that such knowledge is inexplicable, “no man
receives his witness” (v. 32). “How are
we to believe you?” men ask. “Just because
you say so?” “What evidence do you have?” “Show us a sign.” It cannot be done. Attempting to explain this knowledge is an
exhausting and exasperating trial in futility that thoroughly frustrates both
the one trying to explain it and the one trying to understand. Most who have received such inexplicable
knowledge have stories of their own futile attempts at explaining it, often to
receive mockery, scorn, and diagnoses of psychological disorders. Eventually, the wise ones learn to shut up
and accept that “no man receives his witness.”
©
2013 by Karina Jacobson. All rights reserved. Please use
only with permission from the author.
