When Words Fail
No one does compound nouns better than the Germans. They’re quite aware of it, and that self-awareness shows in some German car ads that lightly poke fun of their language. When BMW’s brilliant 2.8-liter single-cam straight six was unveiled in their 2800 coupe and Bavaria sedan in the late 1960s, BMW chose this very German word to headline the ad: Dreikugelwirbelwannenbrennraum.
Dreikugelwirbelwannenbrennraum, what a wonderful phrase. It breaks down to “triple-hemispheric swirl-action combustion chamber.” Americans would have abbreviated it (“HEMI”), but the Germans wanted to offer an exact description.
There are times when conventional words will fail, and describing an engine or praising God isn’t as easy as talking about other things. In the Bible, Thomas had this experience. During the incident that earned him the unfortunate sobriquet of “Doubting,” the post-resurrection Jesus appeared to the disciples and specifically singled out Thomas: “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27)
Everyone knows that part. Do you know what Thomas says next, though? Think about it. Feeling those mixed feelings of joy and regret, acceptance and guilt, words might fail you. What would you say?
Seriously, what would you say? What do you normally say when you confess to God? For such a personal, quiet, intimate, humble moment, God isn’t looking for something polished, profound, or grammatically correct. He just wants it to be personal – whatever is personal to the person who He’s lovingly listening to.
When Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, the humble tax collector prayed to God by “‘[standing] at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”’” (Luke 18:13) The Greek verb that we read as “have mercy on me” would have been closer to “propitiation,” which is language that describes an account being completed, closed, paid in full. In other words, accountant talk. Although this is a fictional person Jesus invented for the purpose of the parable, Jesus specifically chose language that a tax collector, accountant, or any other money-minded person would have used. The tax collector knew how deep and total his indebtedness to God was. It was impossible to dig himself out of that debt. He needed God to wipe the ledger clean, and he asked this using the simplest words in the language he spoke.
This was Thomas’ approach too. His response was exactly that simple: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) Like BMW, he used simple words to give an exact description, in this case, the highest praise he could give to Jesus. By exalting Jesus’ divinity, Thomas was acknowledging humankind’s fragility. He was establishing Jesus’ role and Thomas’ place. His heart was ready to confess, even if no formal confession is recorded in the those verses.
Besides simplicity, Thomas’ response contains another crucial element: Honesty. It’s easy to imagine Thomas’ response as an off-the-cuff blurt. He didn’t take time to filter it through maybe what he thought Jesus wanted to hear, or what would be impressive to the other disciples. He just spoke from the heart. This, too, is what God wants from us.
You’ll find honesty in BMW’s Dreikugelwirbelwannenbrennraum ad too. BMW lists its top speed (130 mph) and then clarifies that it’s comfortable cruising at 120. It can go faster, sure, but BMW wanted to give full disclosure that maybe 120 is more realistic. Either one is an excellent max velocity for a 170-horsepower machine. If you park one at an American gas station, and someone asks you if it has a Hemi, think of Thomas. Think of the tax collector. Think of the honest language God wants in prayer. Then answer your American compatriot in the common language between you and simply say “Yes.”
