A Rational View
Sometimes things just don't make sense.
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ - John 6:41-42
The same traits that help us to discern truth from lies, and to guide us in making wise decisions, fail us in understanding God.
Jesus spoke in images and signs, and the followers accepted what he said, but there were some, leaders in the synagogues who had trouble making sense of it all.
We are guided by reason and a rational mind. We tend to think in a linear fashion, building one truth upon another until we can grasp a picture and understand, but Jesus doesn't always ant us to follow that method.
He offers us something different, examples we understand in exchange for concepts we may find impossible to comprehend. He knows we have trouble seeing the Father, but we can see him, and that may be enough.
What they could understand was that he was not simply a prophet saying the words of God, but he was something more, something with greater impact. He was God in person.
Reason would tell us this was not possible, that God would become one of us and offer himself to be killed so we could come to know him and see how much he loves us.
It is not rational. And that is the point. That is the message.
It made no sense for God to tell Abraham to offer up his son Isaac, after promising to make a nation out of him, but Abraham accepted God's command. Did he know God would save Isaac? Or did he let reason and rational thinking take a back seat while following his faith?
Many might find that scary.
How could we suspend our reason and follow God blindly in faith?
If we believe that God's will is not to harm us but to save us, we will be able to follow. As scary as that may sound, it is what Jesus taught. Believe and follow.
So, as we tackle the challenges of life, knowing that some things are impossible, we need to believe in God and go where He leads us. In the end, we may discover the impossible is possible with God.
More to come...