Saturday - "Jesus Knows Best"
I recently read this illustration:
One divinity school hosted an annual picnic, to which they invited one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center. One year, the guest lecturer was a professor who spoke for two and one-half hours "proving" that the resurrection of Jesus was false. The professor quoted scholar after scholar, and book after book. He concluded that, since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.
After about 30 seconds, an old preacher with a head of woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium.
"Docta Professer, I got one question," he said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it. CRUNCH, MUNCH. "My question is a simple question," ... CRUNCH, MUNCH. "Now, I ain't never read them books you read," ... CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek," ... CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "I don't know nothin' about Niebuhr and Heidegger" ... CRUNCH, MUNCH. He finished the apple. "All I want to know is: This apple I just ate -- was it bitter or sweet?"
The professor paused for a moment, and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple."
The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at the professor, and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus."
The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. The professor thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.
There are a great many things that we may not understand, the how or the why that they happen, yet we still trust. Jesus said in John 6 that we must "eat of his flesh and drink of his blood" to have a part with Him. He didn't actually mean that He wanted us to eat Him, just get a taste. When we taste Him, we trust that He knows best!
One divinity school hosted an annual picnic, to which they invited one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center. One year, the guest lecturer was a professor who spoke for two and one-half hours "proving" that the resurrection of Jesus was false. The professor quoted scholar after scholar, and book after book. He concluded that, since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.
After about 30 seconds, an old preacher with a head of woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium.
"Docta Professer, I got one question," he said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it. CRUNCH, MUNCH. "My question is a simple question," ... CRUNCH, MUNCH. "Now, I ain't never read them books you read," ... CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek," ... CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "I don't know nothin' about Niebuhr and Heidegger" ... CRUNCH, MUNCH. He finished the apple. "All I want to know is: This apple I just ate -- was it bitter or sweet?"
The professor paused for a moment, and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple."
The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at the professor, and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus."
The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. The professor thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.
There are a great many things that we may not understand, the how or the why that they happen, yet we still trust. Jesus said in John 6 that we must "eat of his flesh and drink of his blood" to have a part with Him. He didn't actually mean that He wanted us to eat Him, just get a taste. When we taste Him, we trust that He knows best!
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