I love God's word. I love everything about it. I love the clarity of it, the power of it, and the security of it. I love how God's word can be preached, sang, memorized and discussed.
2 Corinthians 1:20 says, "All of God's promises find their yes in Christ". Of this Spurgeon writes,
It is with you...as it was with Jacob. You know Jacob lay down and went to sleep. And the Lord said to him, "The land on which you lie I will give to you" (Gen 28:13). Now, wherever you go, throughout the whole of scripture, if you can find a place where you can lie down, that is yours! If you can sleep on a promise, that promise is yours!
What a wonderful comfort it is to know that all the promises of God are applied to me! With that being said, the bible is easily the most frustrating book I have ever picked up. And of all of the biblical characters, Jesus is easily the most frustrating one. Take John 4:43 for example. "After the two days Jesus departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown)"
...then why are you going to your hometown? Go to Jerusalem! Don't waste your time in Galilee! Don't you know how tiny and insignificant Galilee is?
I think if I was Jesus' manager, the gospels would look a lot different. I would tell him how inefficient it is to pass through Samaria to get from Judea to Galilee.
"Jesus, stop talking to Samaritan prostitutes. If the Pharisees hear about this, your image will be ruined!"
"Jesus, don't say things like, Let the children come to me. Don't you know that the scribes will take what you say and twist it?"
"Jesus! Don't touch the lepers! If you get leprosy, this ministry will be over!"
Or how about John 7,
Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world!" (vv3-4)
"Wow Jesus, your brothers sure do have an unshakable faith in you!" Wrong again. Look what John writes,
For not even his brothers believed in him. (v5)
What do you mean they don't believe in Jesus? They basically just told him to be a missionary!
What about John 6 when Jesus teaches that people must drink his blood and eat his flesh or they will perish. "Jesus, could you perhaps water that sermon down. Tell a few jokes or something. We're losing people."
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard teaching". (v60)
Jesus! We're losing them! Say something comforting! Say something funny! Say something poignant!
"No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father!" (v65)
Jesus, that is not comforting!
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him (v66)
Dangit Jesus! We lost them! Ok, time for damage control. Make sure the Twelve are still with you.
Then Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" (v67)
JESUS! Did you really just give your disciples the option to leave you? What are you doing?!
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed! And have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God!" (vv68-69)
Thank you Peter. Good answer. See Jesus, we still got some followers. Say something nice to Peter. Thank him for his faithfulness. Encourage him with some kind words. Tell him how much you appreciate his company...
"Did I not choose you, the Twelve?! And yet one of you is a devil!" (v70)
Oh wow...
By the way, I bet that was the most awkward silence ever. You think you've said some awkward things? No. Our Lord and Savior is the King of saying awkward things. Now at this point, I think I would throw my hands in the air and shortly thereafter turn in my two weeks notice. Last one, Luke 8:22-25. The disciples are on a boat with Jesus (who is sleeping) and a storm hits. Luke writes, "A windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger." (v23). Uh oh, a storm's coming. Pause. What are we supposed to do when a "storm" comes? Easy! We turn to Jesus. I learned that in Sunday school! I can tell the disciples never missed Sunday school by their response...
And they went and woke him, saying, "Master Master, we are perishing!" (v24)
Good job, disciples! Well done. When the storm hits, you run to Christ for protection. Now Jesus will wake up and triumphantly save the day!
And Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm (v24)
Boom! Just like we drew it up! High five, boys! Jesus to the rescue! Wait, why isn't this passage over? Oh Jesus is motioning like he wants to say something. He probably wants to congratulate the boys on their great faith. Quiet down Peter, let the Lord speak. He probably wants to give us a gold medal or something.
"Where is your faith!" (v25)
...another awkward silence
Jesus, I give up. They did exactly what they were supposed to do. A storm hit and they went directly to you. They didn't turn to a life jacket or to a raft or anything like that. They went to you. Why are you rebuking them? You asked them where their faith was? It was in you. Did I miss something?
Do you see how frustrating it can be to simply just read the bible? If you run through God's word, Jesus will trip you! But what's the point of all this? Is Jesus just trying to mess with us? No. He wants us to know him. He wants us to know that no ordinary man wrote this gospel. He wants us to know that no ordinary man wrote this biblical narrative. He wants us to know that he is no ordinary man.
Jesus goes to Galilee to prove that he is jealous for the praise of his people. Jesus speaks to the Samaritan adulteress and embraces little children because his love has no racial, gender nor age barriers. Jesus touches the lepers because he has power over illnesses and has compassion on the hurting. Jesus knows that the reason behind his brothers wanting his fame to be spread throughout the world is because what they really want is their small town to be put on the map. They will ride the curtails of their miracle-working brother to fame and prosperity. Jesus refuses to water down his message because it is he who draws people to himself. Jesus is reformed in his theology. He preaches the truth and those whom he foreknew and predestined, he will also call. But he will call them "his way". This is why Jesus was not impressed with Peter's response. It is because Peter's faith did not originate within Peter. "Did I not choose you?" And lastly, Jesus rebukes his disciples for their lack of faith because they failed to realize that he alone is bigger than the storm.
"Who then is this?! That he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?" (Lk 8:25)
Clearly, the "Master Master" of verse 24 is not the same Jesus of verse 25. Their view of Jesus had changed. They knew he could get them out of sticky situations but they had no idea that sticky situations are actually subject to him. "He commands even winds and water, and they obey him?" (v25)
Not only can Jesus calm the storms in your life, he is the one who endorses and prescribes them. Jesus is greater than your circumstances. Where was their faith? Their faith was in a weak Jesus. Perhaps Christ might ask us the very same question, "Where is your faith?" The goal of the bible is that you would say, "Wow. Who is this Jesus?!" Who is this Jesus, that even my sinful heart obeys him. Who is this Jesus, that even my wallet loves him? Who is this Jesus, that even my anxieties are cast upon him? Are you in a storm? Is Jesus with you? Good. I would rather be with Jesus in a Tsunami than without Jesus in Hawaii on the beach. I pray that you would be frustrated with God's word and in so doing, have your view of Jesus stretched.
He who calls you is faithful, he will surely do it.
LOVED this post Brian!
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