Giving a Final Exam

I'm currently waiting on my students to show up for the Final Exam to end this module of teaching. For some reason I had a really tough time with this class - I don't know if it was because I was teaching new material, or because the material I was teaching was difficult to teach, or because of ... hey, I haven't had time to process it yet. One thing I do know though is I'm tired. Motivation is at a particularly low ebb right now. I could really take a nap - but I've never been particularly good at napping - I tend to wake up feeling drugged - and then I don't sleep at night. But then you didn't pay good money to listen to me bellyache. Now that I think about it...you didn't pay good money at all...you get to read this great stuff for free! (I heard that "guess-you-get-what-you-pay-for" comment!)

Anyway, let's talk for a minute about "The End of All Things: Writings of Peter." 2 Peter is a kind of general letter written to a group of Christians that are facing a difficult time from inside the camp. A group of teachers has developed from among the faithful. This second of two letters says (2:1) that they have "infiltrated" the church with "destructive heresies." It seems that some stealth ninjas have smuggled in some ideas and concepts that are just plain wrong, and Peter is trying to give these Christians the "heads up." Words like "brazen" and "insolent" and "irrational animals" are used. My favorite, though, is when he calls these people "stains and blemishes." (2:13) You stain! Now that is an insult!

What seems to make matters worse is that these folks used to play for the home team , "through the rich knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2:20) And to make matters worse, they are still wearing the home team's uniform! (2:1) But instead of remaining faithful, they have "gone astray" by "forsaking the right path." (2:15) And they have taken it on as their personal mission to "exploit" anyone who will listen to their "deceptive words." (2:3) They will even deny "the master who bought them." (2:1)

As we come closer to the end of all things, we must be ever on the alert for those who teach contrary to the Truth. Let's agree to help and encourage one another - "...be on your guard that you do not get led astray by the error of these unprincipled men and fall from your firm grasp on the truth." (3:17)

(illustration by David Newton, from a recent issue of Nature)