Sure, we may fall down, screw up, get screwed up, fall off the wagon and get back on. Sure, we will still suffer in this world and maybe even because we are a Christian. In Him is complete and total forgiveness. He loves sinners, adulterers, abortionists, liars, cheaters, thieves, betrayers, and deniers. Keep your eye on that!įor in that act the heart of God is revealed. That stopped the Emmaus disciples from believing and all the self-proclaimed heroes in the upper room.Įvery mystery in the universe, let alone the heart and will of God makes sense only through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Like the 3D picture in the mall, to understand Genesis to Revelation, this crazy universe, God, and even yourself and your place in the cosmos, you need to focus on that one thing, and everything else falls into place.Īnd not just any Jesus, but the crucified and risen Jesus! Jesus always says, “It is necessary that the Christ must suffer.” That was the stumbling block. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:44-48).
He said, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. dimensional treasure that is God’s will, the meaning of the universe, the mystery of the ages. So, like the salesman at the stereogram kiosk, Jesus guided their eyes, minds and hearts to see the beautiful 3rd, 4th, 5th etc. It was just one more mystery to the kaleidoscope of the universe. But it did not cause belief or understanding. Simply witnessing the resurrected Jesus was not actually enough. Even after finding out Jesus rose from the dead, God’s will, the universe, and their own lives looked like an unsolved stereogram-gibberish. Ten disciples locked themselves in a upper room scared. Two disciples walked home from Jerusalem bewildered. They saw Jesus do miracles, teach powerfully, confront the Pharisees, hangout with the poor, die on the cross and heard rumors he was alive. The first disciples probably did too, before they were visited by Jesus after the resurrection. I think there are plenty of Christians who look at Christianity like that as well. They may conclude that Christianity is a bunch of rules, or a political party, a benevolence organization, etc. They see rules, pastors waving their hands and talking, leaders putting their hands on president Trump and praying, various stories about a giant fish, flood, miracles and Jesus on the cross. That’s how many non-Christians think of Christianity-a bunch of gibberish. But if you stare at a certain spot and relax your eyes, a three-dimensional image appears. At first glance, the picture looks like a bunch of gibberish-random dots and colors. Remember those stereograms that were popular a couple decades ago? What better way to eat a bunch of time in the mall while you wait for your family to buy school clothes.
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