The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Exodus 4:13-15, “But he said, ‘Please, LORD, now send the message by whomever You will.’ Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, ‘Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And, moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
15 ‘You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do.’”

Sixty years ago, I heard this story. Whether it is apocryphal or true, I do not know. What I do know is – well, listen and you tell me.

The seminary was winding up its year, and it was customary for one of the students to be selected to give an address to the entire school. The faculty poured over the records and selected a fine, young man as the annual speaker.

The student was scared-to-death! His forte was as a scholar in the classroom. He had never given more than a short talk in one or two of his classes. Speak to the whole school?

“Oh, no!” he pleaded. But there was no backing out. He had been faculty-selected, and he was going to face the school with a formal address.

The day came, and he was literally shaking as he stood before the entire school.

“Duh…duh…do you know wha…what I…I’m about to say?”

Of course, his subject had never been announced, so the entire school body said loudly and politely, “NO!”

“Wuh…well…neither do I, so let’s all go home.”

The exhausted speaker was devastated. “I’ve…I’ve ruined everything,” he said.

“No, you haven’t,” said the dean. “You’re just not used to speaking in public. Go back and study a bit more. We’ll let you speak again next week.”

Self-dejected, he dutifully returned to the books. He was not happy, but there was no other way out. He had to address the school –the entire school!

When the day finally came, he was on the platform, but not in good form for speaking. Yet, he stood, walked to the lectern, coughed nervously, looked frightenedly at the school body, and said, “Duh…duh…do you know wha…what I…I’m about to say?”

Having been present at the speaker’s last attempt, and knowing his concluding remark, the students were not about to be fooled again. In chorus, they loudly proclaimed, “Yes!”

The speaker then remarked, “If you already know, then there’s no reason for me to repeat it. So, let’s all go home.” Again, he dismissed the audience and everyone left the auditorium.

Once again, after a laborious hour with the young seminarian speaker, the dean and members of the faculty were able to persuade him to try one more time to deliver the annual student address.

It was the third occasion, and the fright that had attended the young man on two previous occasions, had not dissipated one iota. He staggered to the lectern, gripping it as if life itself was hanging in the balance. Sweat poured from every avenue of his face and virtually soaked the paper he had prepared to share.

Whatever changed from his previous two attempts, his opening words were the same.

““Duh…duh…do you know wha…what I…I’m about to say?”

His fellow-students were now thoroughly confused. Some said, “Yes,” and snickered beneath their breath. But some said, “No,” because they still had no hint as to what he might say.

Hearing the division within the student body, the young speaker then said, “Well, those who know, tell those who don’t know, and let’s all go home.”

Literally mortified that he had failed three times, the dejected young speaker-to-be left the auditorium in devastating defeat!

“I am a total failure,” he said, “a total, total failure!”

“Oh, no!” said the dean. “You’re not a failure. In fact, we want you to stay with the school and teach! For what you said is a fundamental, biblical truth. It’s for those who know to tell those who don’t –before we all go Home.”

Heartily & Hopefully for Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom