Obtuse Words

I was recently challenged by the idea that there is a difference between trusting God to provide for me, and trusting in the provision that God provides. It is a significant difference. The former asks me to trust in what I cannot see while the latter lets me see what is provided before I make the choice to trust.

In a similar way, there is a big difference between trusting in the Word of God when I can understand it and trusting in the Word of God when it is downright confusing or perhaps even offensive to me. The former is like trusting in the provision that I can see. I am encouraged by it and I can see how it is beneficial to me. The latter appears on the surface to be like picking up a backpack full of bricks just before starting out on a long hike. From my (not very humble) perspective, it will cost me more than I’ll get out of it.

In John 6, Jesus speaks to the crowds in a way that would lead me as a teacher educator to give him very low grades! He seems to go out of his way to be confusing, and not just in subtle ways. It happened earlier in John when he told Nicodemus that people must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God. (John 3:5) This metaphor confused Nicodemus rather than helped. The concrete instantiation of the idea got in the way of understanding the idea itself.

The same thing happens in John 6. Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (6:51) I can see the value in comparing himself to nourishment and to the manna that the Israelites ate in the desert, yet it seems that Jesus came dangerously close to suggesting cannibalism! And the people agree with me. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (6:52) As an observer I think, “Good question! I’m glad someone asked! Now Jesus can clear up the confusion.” So what does Jesus say? “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (6:53) Instead of making it better, Jesus makes matters worse! He digs deeper into this metaphor that seems to be causing such trouble!

John, the writer of the Gospel, acknowledges that this was a very tough time in Jesus’ ministry. “After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (6:66) It is as though John was saying to his readers that sometimes Jesus’ words were and are seemingly very obtuse and offensive! And some people decided that they couldn’t hang in there with him if he were going to keep speaking like this!

So it is fascinating that John then tells us about the interaction between Peter and Jesus. “So Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ 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.’” (6:67-68) It seems that Peter said, “I agree with those people who left that your words are quite confusing and challenging! But I trust you, that you are the Son of God, so whatever your words are, I believe that they are the words of life.”

It seems to me that Peter was saying, “I know I can trust God and His words even though right now it isn’t making a whole lot of sense to me!” He was trusting in God even when God’s words were confusing and even offensive. John was saying in his Gospel that Christ’s disciples have to choose to follow Him even when the road is a winding path that goes through dense fog. We are to trust in the person of God, not just in the good things that God provides, and not just when we can see the good things that God is doing.

An application for me is that I have to learn to trust God even when His specific provision for me is very unclear. I need to learn to rejoice in His love even when I currently can’t see it very clearly. Is there a better place to go to find such love and grace? If not, then rejoice in staying within the strong arms of the God who gave His Son that we might live!