exploring god's word in a whole new way

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Shortly into Jesus’ ministry he made it clear what His business was about (Luke 4:14-28). And while many were working hard to process His parabolic teachings, those closest to Him were starting to make sense of His claims. There is no better place to see this contrast of thought than through the responses his disciples gave to Jesus’ teaching on being the Bread of Life (John 6:25-59). It is here we are introduced to the challenges some were having; even going as far as to question whether anyone could accept it (John 6:60).

The ensuing verses see Jesus questioning the attitudes of his Jewish followers by asking them if they are offended by His teachings (John 6:61). No doubt, they understood what He was claiming, marking a stark turning point for many disciples of this Rabbi.  

It was at this time the flock began to thin and the real disciples began to stand out (John 6:66). One of those disciples was Peter, when challenged about continuing of their journey together, said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God (John 6:68).”

We open with this story because of the direct path it takes to some of the most important questions any of us will ever have to address — that is, “Who is Jesus of Nazareth and are you ready to follow Him as Lord?” 

C. S. Lewis popularized the question that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic or Lord. This reflection is a perfect pairing to our story, as these disciples of Jesus were faced with a similar crossroad. Was this Rabbi a liar, a lunatic or the Holy One of God the prophets promised? If either of the first two are true, ditch him immediately, but if the latter, well, that changes things. 

Tradition has most of the twelve dying a martyr’s death. One of the twelve, as recorded in the book of Acts, was Steven who was stoned to death. According to church tradition, Peter was killed in 64 AD under authority of Emperor Nero. He allegedly was crucified upside down because he did not find himself worthy to die the same way Jesus did (Acts of Peter). 

As for Paul, numerous church fathers wrote that Nero had his head cut off prior to 68 AD. Clement of Rome has the earliest recorded document of this beheading in his letter to the Corinthians. There was also Andrew, James, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew and Jude to name a few. All of them died for defending their faith.

Those who have seen the movie “Back to the Future II” will recall Biff getting his hands on an almanac containing a complete list of scores for all major sporting events between 1950 and 2000. For those of us living post 2000 this is not news, but what if you received this information in 1955? Now that’s a game changer. This goes way beyond insider trading; this is direct control to a faucet for extreme wealth. Think about how much money you could make if you knew the outcome of all major sporting events in a single year. Biff had winners lined up for forty-five years.

Now let’s flip the script for a moment. What if Biff, knowing the winning horse, put all he had on the losing ticket? He knows the winner; therefore, he knows the loser too. Given these circumstances, what if he put up his very life on a loser of the race? What would we call this guy? We’d say he was out of his mind. Only a crazy man would give up his life for something he knew to be false. 

This scenario is not very different than the situation the disciples faced almost 2,000 years ago. The apostles were with Jesus of Nazareth before He was crucified, after His resurrection and during His ascension. When the Spirit of God showed up on the day of Pentecost, no further explanation was needed (Acts 2). Game on! For them to bet on anything but Jesus being the Holy One of God would be insane.

At the beginning, we set out to introduce a new way to explore the Bible, but in reality, there is nothing new about it. In fact, exploring the Bible has less to do with our methods and more to do with our attitudes towards God. Peter gave us the perfect example and went all in.  We cannot have two masters. 

Perspective is an interesting thing. A fallen branch rotting away in a forest has little benefit to most people. But when backpacking in the Sierras and in need of fire, that dried-up branch becomes the source for health and safety. Peter was convinced Jesus was the source for eternal life. If you agree with Peter, then the Bible  is God's message of eternal life. But you cannot have it both ways. Peter knew what was at stake and chose life. As for the other disciples of Jesus, the teaching was too hard and they walked away (John 6:66). What choice will you make?

For those of you choosing Jesus and eternal life, get ready to explore the Bible in a whole new way.

To God Be the Glory!