Fiction

Ethan

by Rick Gregory 
01/11/25
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Ethan

I’d like to tell you about a boy named Ethan. He lived in a small town named El Punto. But Ethan wasn’t like other kids. While they were playing video games, riding their e-bikes, or playing sandlot ball, Ethan was generally studying. He loved reading his Bible along with almost any other kind of book . . . But he especially loved encyclopedias, dictionaries, and documentaries.

His classmates had all sorts of names for him, like “Bible boy,” “know-it-all,” or “Poindexter.” He knew he was different, so he didn’t really mind the names. He was more interested in living out what he read in Romans 12:2 about not letting the world shape him.

One day, his Sunday School teacher announced a Bible knowledge competition. The winner would be recognized by the whole church and get to teach the children’s sermon on the following Sunday. He couldn’t care less about the recognition but was eager to share God’s Word with the younger kids.

So he studied—even more than he usually did—which was a lot! Sometimes, he even forgot to eat as he worked on memorizing more Scripture. His parents worried that he was “out of balance” over this Bible competition. He assured them he was fine; he just wanted to “be the best” at the Bible competition.

When the day of the competition arrived, the church was filled with lots of eager participants and their families. Ethan stood alone in a corner with his dog-eared Bible. 

During the competition, Ethan, as you might have expected, answered every question correctly — and even beyond what was asked. His answers were so good and deep that even the judges were appalled and overwhelmed.

Throughout the day, as the competition wore on, Ethan began to notice that his classmates seemed to be avoiding him. Even his friends looked uncomfortable as he tried to explain some of the deeper meanings he’d found in some of the familiar Bible stories. One of them said, “That’s . . . Nice, Ethan.” And then he turned and ran away!

As the winners were announced, Ethan wasn’t the least bit surprised at receiving the First Prize. But it left him feeling empty, especially as he noticed polite applause, but no real connection with the people. That night he called a friend who was like him; super smart and excelling at every intellectual pursuit. His friend Paul gave him some incredible insight. He said, “Knowledge is dangerous. It can make you proud and arrogant. It can tend to “puff you up. Be careful how you handle this special gift God has given you”

Ethan decided to follow Paul’s advice, so he tried something new at next week’s Sunday school. Instead of simply reciting facts about the lesson, he (nervously!) approached some other kids struggling to understand it. “Can we maybe discover the lessons in this story together?” Surprised, the other kids all agreed that would be good. 

Ethan sat down with them and discussed the Good Samaritan story. His questions focused on what they could discover about God, about people, and about themselves. Then, after discussing the story at length, he asked them what act of obedience the Lord might be calling them to.

To his surprise and delight, each of his classmates shared with him and the others one act of obedience they’d do during the following week. Then, before they broke up, Ethan asked if it would be OK to ask them next week how they did on their “acts of obedience.” He was stunned when they all said, “YES!” But they wanted to be sure they could ask him the same question!

That’s how Ethan, who knew all the answers, led the other kids in what we now know as a Discovery Bible Study (DBS). And he was the real learner when he discovered that knowledge was not the real key to learning.