The Short Cut
I have taught math in the past. In fact, after I graduated from college, I taught High School math classes for 2 years before I became an actuary.
What I haven’t mentioned before is a little less than 20 years ago, Highland Community College was looking for someone to teach pre college algebra and trigonometry to students at their Perry location. I taught an evening class for 2 semesters.
Because this was the Perry extension and an evening class, most of my students were non-traditional. By that, I mean they were adults, who had a job and were trying to get requirements accomplished before diving into their intended major. I’d say there were several in my class each semester intending to pursue a nursing degree.
I think I’ve probably told this story before but we were working on factoring polynomials. A nursing student came to me before class for help. To factor a polynomial, you have to know what the factors of a number are first (refresher, the factors of 6, for example are 1,6,2 and 3). The polynomial had a 49 and I asked her what the factors of 49 are. She asked me to wait while she grabbed her calculator. I told her to find her third grade teacher and demand a refund. (By the way, this is a true story and a sad reflection on the educational system).
But what I want to emphasize is that the most common request made of me was for the short cut. You see, they just wanted to get the answer with as little effort as possible or, most likely, get out of the class with a satisfactory grade. (Come on, you know that we all have been in that place where we just wanted someone to tell us what to do so that we could do it and be done)
I was thinking about these adults this morning as I was doing my Bible reading:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” - Psalm 22:1-8, 16-18 ESV
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” - Matthew 27:45-46
The short cut is for me to point out the mirror image between David’s Psalm and Matthew’s recording of Jesus’ cry from the cross (where his hands and feet were pierced) even though they were hundreds of years apart. There is beauty and poetry in the connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
But the problem I have with short cuts is that, while you may be able to use them in a specific setting, you don’t know how to apply them outside of that setting. You haven’t had the aha! moment yourself. In fact, my learning style is the opposite. I have to understand how things fit together myself and I don’t do well trying to understand someone’s made up categorization.
The nursing student found out that those multiplication tables that we all learned in 3rd grade are a building block that leads to being able to factor polynomials (which is a building block to calculus which is a building block to science advocations). Just like that, there is a rich interconnection between the books of the Bible. God gave us his word to help us understand our life and our role in the world.
God wants us to figure it out with the help of the Holy Spirit for ourselves and make it a part of our very being. If he just gives us the short cuts, it loses its meaning.
