Spiritual leaders of all types throughout history have often complicated the path to God in ways that have made it almost impossible for the average person to walk the path. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. By the time of Jesus, these had evolved into 613 laws. The simplicity of Jesus’ teaching was radical in contrast to the stifling effect these 613 laws had on daily life.
Jesus’ teachings were radical in content and method. But they also provide unique insight into the mind of God. In many ways reading the Gospels is a tour through the mind of God. Each parable or teaching, each encounter Jesus has with a person highlights what God cares about and what he doesn’t. The life and teachings of Jesus Christ help us to understand God’s priorities, so that we can get our own priorities right.
The content of his teachings was radical because it focused on conversion of the heart rather than external behaviors. The method of his teachings was radical because his primary teaching tool was the parable. He used stories and metaphors that ordinary people could understand. This meant that his teachings were accessible and practical to ordinary people, especially the uneducated.
The Gospel may be difficult to live, but it is unrelentingly simple in its teaching. The Gospel is radically simple, and there is genius in its simplicity.
Matthew Kelly
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