Father Ignatius was one of the visiting chaplains at the University. He shared the task with other vicars and ministers from other churches and they took turns to man the Pastoral Center on a weekly basis.
Father Ignatius was at the Center one day waiting and hoping that someone might call-in for a chat when his wish was rewarded.
Two students, a young lady and a young man came in.
“Hi” she said, “we’ve come to ask you a question we’ve been debating. We’re not Christians as such … searchers for the truth more like …”
The priest smiled and said, “Come in, sit down. Help yourselves to coffee from the table over there!”
As they sat down with their coffee the man said in a more reserved tone, “Well Sir, we were wondering about Jesus …
“We are both science students here at the University … I’m reading biology, chemistry and physics and my friend here is studying medicine …”
“That sounds like very hard work to me …” said the priest encouragingly.
“Well, yes … at times,” continued the young man, “We were wondering, Jesus is supposed to be the Son of God. When He was around on earth these subjects like biology and such like were not known at all … people then were very primitive. Did Jesus know all these subjects? Was He knowledgeable to University Degree standard and beyond? Or was He just as ignorant as the people of His time?”
The priest did not reply but cleaned his spectacles to gain a few seconds thinking time. A trick he had used often enough.
“Thus is not a joke question …” said the young lady.
“I am sure it isn’t,” replied the priest, “I was watching a TV programme about animals in zoos the other day …
“You know the new style zoos? The ones where they keep the animals roaming free in a large enclosure instead of cages. The animals feel as if they are in their native environment and the visitors see their behavior in this environment rather than in a cage …”
The two students looked at each other and said nothing. The priest continued.
“Apparently feeding time is quite elaborate. The zoo keepers don’t just throw the food in the enclosures, but they spend a lot of time hiding food in trees and in bushes, behind rocks and under stones and so on … whilst the animals are caged of course. Then they release the animals in the open enclosures and let them search, or hunt, for their food, whatever it is. Be it meat for lions and tigers or seeds and fruit for other animals …
“This of course enriches the lives of the animals. They behave as they would do in the wild. They use their sense of smell and inquisitiveness as they go out searching for food. They climb up trees to reach any food hidden there. They dig under rocks to find the seeds placed there by their keepers. This gives them exercise and no doubt sharpens their appetite.
“And it’s all good fun for the visitors watching them.
“Yes … those zoo keepers go to great length to make the animals feel at home, as it were!”
“What has that to do with our question?” asked the young lady impatiently.
“A lot really …” continued Father Ignatius, “When God created us He could have fed us easily by providing us with all we need.
“He could have invented a magic oven and whenever we opened its door out came the most succulent steak and French fries, my favorites. Or roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots; not forgetting the Brussels sprouts and gravy of course. Or chicken or turkey … and chocolate cake. Do you like chocolate cake?”
They both nodded and waited to hear more.
“Oh … can you imagine having an oven like that? Whatever your wish, you press a button or two and out comes your meal.
“God could have also made things easier for us in many other ways you know. Take travel for instance … I hate driving in busy highways don’t you? We could have a box somewhere in our homes and whenever we got in, press a button or two, and in seconds we’re somewhere else … America! Oh … I love America … How lovely it would be to go there every weekend without having to wait at those airports … There’s fifty States you know. One for every weekend of the year … I could visit them in alphabetical order you know. Then stay at home the two remaining weekends.”
The students looked at each other and smiled wondering whether this priest was really losing his mind. He noticed their confusion and went on, pretending to be totally unperturbed by their bewilderment.
“But God is wiser than that …
“He created us and gave us the power of thinking, questioning, investigating and looking around.
“Then He created a world full of wonders for us to find and enjoy. From the large varieties of trees, plants and flowers and the birds and insects that inhabit them, to the wonders of the oceans and their various creatures. He gave us a whole world to discover and marvel at. And as if this is not enough He also gave us a whole universe full of planets and stars to gaze at and study and research.
“He gave us hidden talents too … investigative talents. Inquisitiveness, like in those animals in the zoo. But we didn’t use them just to search for food. We searched for knowledge and boy did we discover … did we not just marvel at what we found …
“We discovered writing, painting, sculpture, music and the arts. We discovered science and medicine … We learnt who we are, what we are, what we’re made of and how we are made. We learnt to heal ourselves from illness and disease. We learnt to travel and to fly.
“Do you understand where I’m getting at?”
They nodded silently.
“But God is clever you know … He did not give us all the secrets to life and to His creation. There are some things which will always be hidden from us, for our own protection, in case we think we’re a little too clever and can manage everything by ourselves … And make a mess of it, as we seem to be doing right now!”
He chuckled to himself.
“And having given us all these marvels to discover and enjoy, He still remains in control of events. He watches us as we learn and progress through the ages, but He will not let us go against His ultimate will for us.
“You’re both studying scientific subjects right now. This is good. I hope and pray that in your personal journey of discovery you too will one day discover some hidden gems in a tree or behind a rock like the animals in the zoo. And I hope that whatever you discover will help mankind in the field of medicine young lady … or in the sciences you’re engaged in young man.
“Praise God He’ll guide you into purposeful careers for the benefit of humanity.”
They smiled meekly.
“You’re right in the original point you made,” Father Ignatius continued gently, “At the time of Jesus people were primitive in comparison to us … They knew very little of what we know now.
“But they searched, they questioned and they learned … and they discovered many things slowly, year by year until today.
“It’s the way God gave us a purpose in life … instead of having everything ready for us. Like a magic oven …
“That’s what I think, anyway. Call it Father Ignatius’ Theory of Evolution!”
They smiled again, now both of them more relaxed.
“But don’t look for it in the Bible … I doubt you’ll find it exactly as I said it … You’ll discover a lot more about God though … it may even change your lives.
“Oh … and about your original question. How much did Jesus know at the time He walked this earth?
“The Bible teaches us that He is the Son of God … All powerful and omnipotent. So how much do you think He knew then when He visited this world?”
