[By Mark Beeson]Maybe I'm bamboozled,flummoxed and confused. I can't be certain because, by definition, if I was certain I wouldn't be confused. I freely admit my bewilderment.
I'm sobered by our remarkable capacity for self-deception. We can hear clear teaching from Jesus and say, "We don't get it." Really? How is that? Is His instruction too complicated?
- What about "Love the Lord your God" don't we understand?
- What about "Love your neighbor" can't we grasp?
- What about "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men" escapes our comprehension?
Are the fundamental teachings of Jesus imprecise and vague? Was Jesus too ambiguous? Do we simultaneously comprehend and disdain his instruction? (Mark Twain admitted to more scriptural understanding than he preferred when he said, "It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.")
What if we discover our protests about Jesus' direction have more to do with rebellion than ignorance? What if we ascertain our remonstration is birthed in selfish ambition rather than feigned longing for greater clarity?
What if Jesus meant what he said? What if we know precisely what Jesus meant when Jesus said what he said?
What if we just don't like what Jesus said?
What then?
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