Selwyn now moves onto examining the ‘pain’ of being misunderstood. He writes: “Few things are more difficult to live with than being misunderstood. … Have you noticed how when you are misunderstood, no matter how hard you try to correct the misunderstanding, it doesn’t seem to get you anywhere? Usually, it gets worse.

When analyzed, misunderstanding can be seen as having two elements: one, an innocent remark or statement that is misinterpreted, and two, the offence that arises in the heart of another due to the mistaken interpretation. Jesus was constantly being misunderstood.”

I have a terrible sense of humour, and over the years it hasn’t improved – often, I find myself being misunderstood, through my own thought. Given my experience in this area , I totally agree with Selwyn – the more you try to correct a misunderstanding – the deeper a hole you appear to dig for yourself. Perhaps, when people make a decision about what was said – it’s difficult to get them to re-analyse your words – in their correct context.

Thinking about this issue, maybe the best course of action is not to try and explain your earlier words or actions  - but to express the idea, or thought or humour in a totally different way. [It has been shown in scientifically controlled tests that people don't usually re-examine, in detail, a previous decision; their thinking has moved on.] Maybe the right way to go, is to present your views in a new way such that the person needs to think through the issues in new light -  then they may see the contradiction in their earlier, erroneous conclusion and seek to understand your real intent.

Now, moving on, to some of the verses from Scripture that Selwyn has selected for reading and meditation, Matthew 8:18-22 (NLT): ‘When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.  Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” ‘

Notwithstanding what Selwyn has written, this is an example of a different form of misunderstanding – here, the main issue is that non-spiritual people CANNOT understand Jesus’ spiritual message, unless enabled by the Holy Spirit.

I think that the best example of this type of spiritual misunderstanding, can be found in these verses, John 3:5-15 (Jesus talking to Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader and an expert in Jewish law): ‘Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” ‘

 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.”

It does not matter if you have the best degree in theology obtained at the best university in the world and recognised by your peers as having the best intellectual knowledge of the New Testament - if you are not guided by the Holy Spirit – you will always misunderstand the above verses. Do you agree?

In summary, there is a worldly form of misunderstanding – and there are ways of dealing with that issue – and, I think (as usual) the sound way is to pray for guidance before attempting to unravel the misunderstanding. Then there is a spiritual form of misunderstanding – and only God – the Holy Spirit, can heal this type of total blindness.