Constructing Knowledge

When my children were small I did a lot of volunteering in the school system.  I learned a lot of things, one of them being the constructivist theory of learning.  This theory says that we construct our own understanding of knowledge and the world, placing the focus on the learner as an active participant rather than on the teacher as the giver of knowledge.  Like any theory it can be taken to the extreme and then you run into trouble.  For me the main point that makes this a valuable theory is the concept that when we encounter something new we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experiences, deciding whether we need to change what we believe or discard the new information as irrelevant.  We must ask questions, explore and assess what we know.  The teacher becomes more of a facilitator, leading students with questions and discussion to construct their own understanding of knowledge.

In listening to the message this week and considering the scripture, Luke 24:13-48, it occurs to me that God is a constructivist.  In a the post-Easter world of confusion, disappointment and despair, Jesus returns to coax the disciples into new understanding.  The two disciples on the road to Emmaus don't recognize Jesus when he joins them and leads them to explore, ask questions, put together signs and scripture in order to change how they understand his life, ministry, and ultimately, God's plan. They have to construct, deconstruct and reconstruct their beliefs and understanding.

When they are able to reconcile their new experience with previous ideas and experiences, they are able to change what they believe about how Jesus will return to them, opening possibilities they had not considered.  While on the road, looking backwards, reminiscing, lamenting they are unable to recognize Jesus.  But, when they practice extravagant generosity and invite him to dine and travel with them, when they openly engage in an intimate meal together, that is when he is revealed.  I wonder if they would have been able to do that if Jesus had simply appeared to them in recognizable form?   Would they have been able to put aside the assumption that he must be a ghost?  Instead, Jesus leads them to construct a new understanding of the resurrection by simply asking for food.  They are re-learning the lessons from the Old Testament prophecies, constructing a different understanding of what Christ will look like, be like, and how they are called to follow him.


Once the disciples have constructed their new understanding of the resurrection, how can the task at hand not be changed?  They have revised their comprehension of what God's plan to restore humanity looks like.  They know that their task, our task is to be witnesses of the risen Christ.  We are called to be people who simply tell the truth about how we encounter Christ in our lives.  We are called to be open to trusting God's promises even when we have to learn and re-learn what they mean, even when we have to construct, deconstruct and reconstruct our beliefs.