We had a beautiful and yet unusual sunset this evening. The colorful display was in the eastern sky while the western sky was clear. Should someone have been visiting and not have known the compass points for our location, they could easily have been sure that east was west.
Often we make judgments and snap decisions based upon very limited input. John might be the nicest man in the world but have just one really rotten day. That is the only day we will ever see him. Ever after we “know” that John is a rude, short-tempered man. We know it because we saw it with our own eyes. The truth is 364 days a year John is a very kind man. We think we “know” something because we experienced it. To “know” something. To really “know” something most often requires lots of experience and lots of study. We would not want someone who visited New York City to think that is what America is. The research sample is just too small. So much of what we “know” really isn’t so.
Because we have read the four Gospels we think we know Jesus. However, they are very limited. The authors selected incidents to develop a theme. Matthew designed his work to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. Luke, a doctor, concentrated on the healing miracles. John told us about Jesus’ Judean ministry and John finishes by telling us the world could not hold the books that could be written about what Jesus did. To really know Jesus will take a lifetime, the kind of lifetime He offers us which is eternity. There will always be something new to learn about Him. Each new insight will be more wonderful than yesterday’s insight.
Written by Roger Bothwell on September 25, 2013
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org