Tuesday 7th March
Read John 6:60-62
“On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!” (NIVUK)
Do we really have to believe everything in the Bible? Can’t we just quietly park the bits we don’t like and get on with the bits we do? The good news that Jesus brings is that love is more important than anything and we should just do the most loving thing in every situation. Shouldn’t we?
Tim Keller preached many sermons where he addresses just this question. Apparently in his congregation, like I suspect in many congregations, there was a tendency to ignore the parts of the Bible they disagreed with or those around them found unacceptable. His approach is quite thought-provoking. He asked them to consider the number of things their grandparents considered completely normal and inoffensive that they themselves were horrified by. (Of which there were many!). Then he simply pointed out that their grandchildren would likely look back in equal horror on the things that they themselves consider self-evident today.
His point is simple. ‘Progressive’ ideas will continue to change. They aren’t fixed in time as ultimate truths like they seem when they are ascendant. Sometimes they are given up on because they were bad for society. Sometimes they are superseded by better ideas. But they will always change. So the idea that we should give up on biblical ideas because they seem outdated, in this context, is ultimately foolish. If what is considered ‘acceptable’ is subject to so much change, even over two generations, then the wiser path is to consider whether God may indeed know best. At the very least we should keep an open mind about those things we are offended by. Perhaps there is a reason for them that we can’t yet comprehend, but that will ultimately be shown to be wise? Are we willing to ‘accept’ that?
