Ignorance in Christian preaching highlights the spiritual blindness and lack of true knowledge about Jesus and salvation, despite outward claims of understanding. It often uses images of darkness, blindness, or foolishness to contrast human folly with divine truth (Ephesians 4:18; Proverbs 1:7). This theme warns against rejecting the gospel and calls for repentance and enlightenment through Christ.
Many claim religious knowledge yet remain ignorant of Jesus and the gospel.
The mother of a respectable family said to a lady visitor, in a very incredulous manner, "They say there was a man whose name was Jesus, and the people murdered him, and he came to life again. Do you believe it?" In further conversation, it came out that she had been to church three times in a life of thirty-five years, and thought herself therefore well informed in religious matters.
Some are unaware Jesus is not a distant figure but central to salvation.
An army surgeon, on duty in Western Virginia during the late war, was called to attend on one of the poor whites, — a young woman, — whom he found beyond hope of relief. Thither he sent the chaplain, who asked the dying girl, "Have you ever heard of Jesus?" — "I reckon I have: he lives in Boston, don't he?" she answered.
Foolishness persists despite warnings, leading to harm and rejection of truth.
A number of monkeys that lived in a mountain sought on a cold, windy, and rainy night for a fire to warm themselves. At last, they saw a glow-worm, and, thinking it was a spark of fire, they gathered some wood, and threw it upon it. Not far off there was a bird upon a tree, which, observing what they were doing, cried out to them, and endeavored to convince them of their error. This scene attracted the attention of a man who was passing by, who told the bird that it was wasting both time and patience; and that no one thought of proving a sword upon a stubborn, impenetrable stone, or of making a bow out of a piece of wood that would not bend. The bird, however, without attending to him, flew down to them to prove to them that the glow-worm was not fire; but, in recompense for his pains, was seized by one of them, dashed upon the ground, and killed.
— G. W. Hervey
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