(Heck, I might not even be understanding/answering today’s food for thought correctly right now because I understood it in a different way than another person might understand it.)īottom line for me – as I approach God’s word with an open heart, and depending on the season I am in, His word and the message takes on personal meaning to me that I’m not sure another person would have the same understanding so I don’t think it is important that we all agree on an understanding of a passage. In one season, I might understand the passage in one context, but then a season or two later, it might take on a new understanding for me. I believe we can agree on the setting of the passage, what was going on, what the person was conveying to the audience, that it’s God’s Word, etc., but I think, at least for me, it’s difficult to understand and agree that a passage means the same me as to those around me.
It took me quite a long time to understand that we aren’t all going to understand and agree on a passage the same way because the passage may speak to each of us differently. People would read a passage and explain what it meant and I would be lost because that wasn’t what I got out of it. How important is it for all Christians to understand and agree on this passage? Why?Īs I began my Christian walk, this tripped me up….A LOT. If you don’t mind, I think I will just admire it instead of smashing my toe. In this case, God’s Word is the rock that makes people stumble. They have worked out “systems” of religion, sets of rules, and intellectual structures that explain “God’s plan.” The problem is that if a religious system doesn’t explain everything, then the “everything” it doesn’t explain is going to bite it.Įarlier, in chapter two, Peter talked about a certain stone: “’ A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the message-which is also what they were destined for.” (1 Peter 2: 8) So many people claim to have all the answers. So sometimes, it is best to admit that I don’t know.Īs I reflect on my faith journey, there are reasons that I have been such a wanderer. I try and be careful about what I say because I don’t like being wrong. As much as I like to read the Bible and write about it, there are many things I do not know, and many more that I do not understand. One thing this passage does for me is to put me in my place. (John 15:26) That is one of the reasons that we can trust that the Bible is written the way God wants it written. This Spirit would help the disciples remember everything correctly. It is easy for me to imagine that wherever Jesus had been, the people he left behind would be talking about his teachings for a long time.īefore he ascended into heaven, Jesus promised that he would send his Holy Spirit. He wanted people to think for themselves and what he said made them think. The only people who thought Jesus was blunt were the Pharisees and the occasional teacher of the law. He didn’t come across as a salesman with something to sell or a preacher who was being preachy.
In the days when Jesus was preaching on earth, he didn’t speak like an engineer or a politician. Does today’s passage make sense to you? Do you feel strongly about its meaning or do you find it confusing?
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