Simple does not necessarily equate to simplistic. The Scriptures tell a story that is at once simple and epic: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and “Paradise Regained” (as John Milton put it in 1671). These are profound truths about our existence encapsulated in four movements. Yet, behind their simplicity lies a grand narrative—interwoven plots and subplots, cosmic spiritual warfare, human frailty, and divine triumph. Simple, yes, but never simplistic.
Think of this as you read from Holy Scripture:
“Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isaiah 52:6-7, ESV).
“David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how is He his Son? And the common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:37, KJV).
One of the reasons I seek to represent the Lord beyond the church walls is the chance to encounter a broader spectrum of humanity. Once, on a long flight, I found myself seated next to a young scholar, a newly minted Ph.D. from a prestigious university. Learning I was a minister, he eagerly initiated a conversation about religion. We bonded over the shared discipline of “following the footnote trail” in research, and our dialogue was stimulating.
At one point, he asked the question that I sensed he had wanted to ask since we began our conversation: “How did you become a pastor?” Essentially, he wondered why an educated individual would dedicate his life to preaching an outdated religion.
I smiled and told him, “To explain that, I need to start with how I became a follower of Jesus Christ.” I confessed that I had once pursued religion as an intellectual curiosity but missed the heart of it altogether—the Gospel. My companion listened intently, though his expression hinted at skepticism.
I continued, “I realized I was a sinner in need of a Savior, and I came to believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He lived the life I could not live and died the death I deserved. I received God’s grace—not through my efforts, but by faith in Jesus alone.”
He nodded politely, though his eyes betrayed a struggle to reconcile what I had shared. Sensing his discomfort, I pressed gently, “As a scholar, what will you do with Jesus? If His claims are true—that He was crucified and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)—then He must be acknowledged as Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).”
The young man paused, then replied, “That’s just too simple for me.”
His words lingered with me. Simple, he assumed, equated to shallow. Yet simplicity often carries the power to distill the profound into something universally accessible.
In her book On Speaking Well, Peggy Noonan observed, “The language of love is simple because love is big. And big things are best said, are almost always said, in small words” (Noonan, 1998, p. 18). Consider the simplicity of these words from Scripture: “The kingdom is at hand” (Mark 1:15). “Repent and believe” (Mark 1:15). “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16).
We live in what philosopher Charles Taylor (1931–) called A Secular Age. In such an age, the history, beliefs, values, and stories of Western Civilization are no longer taken as true. To believe in Jesus as Lord, as Isaac Newton (1642–1727), Michael Faraday (1791–1867), or George Washington (1732–1799) did, seems too limiting to many—too simple. Yet, the simplicity of the Gospel is its power: “For God so loved the world . . .” (John 3:16).
Mark 12:37 tells us, “The common people heard Him gladly.” The Greek word ochlos refers to the masses—not the elite or educated, but ordinary people. The King James translation captures this beautifully: “The common people.”
The fact that the common people heard Jesus gladly, even as He spoke profound truths about His own divinity, is a lesson for us today. The Gospel is cosmic-sized news wrapped in child-sized words. It is profound in its simplicity, and its message transcends age, education, and cultural barriers.
The Good News of Jesus Christ our Lord can reach a child who can barely read, a villager in the remotest corner of the earth, or even a skeptical Ph.D. who just might come to see that the simple truth of Jesus Christ is more profound than they imagined.
Citations
Noonan, P. (1998). On Speaking Well: How to Give a Speech with Style, Substance, and Clarity. ReganBooks.
Taylor, C. (2007). A Secular Age. Harvard University Press.
Milton, J. (1608–1674). Paradise Regained. Published in 1671.
Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV) and King James Version (KJV).
The fact that the common people heard Jesus gladly, even as He spoke profound truths about His own divinity, is a lesson for us today. The Gospel is cosmic-sized news wrapped in child-sized words. It is profound in its simplicity, and its message transcends age, education, and cultural barriers.—Michael A. Milton
Hymn:
Rejoice, The Lord is King!
You can now listen to or read a Blinkist audiobook/e-book summary of this message at Blinkist.
Share this post