I'm reading through John in my devotions, paying particular attention to the miracles of Jesus. He clearly set a standard that He intends us all to continue in (John 14:12). Other than the pages of scripture I have not seen this standard realized (albeit some are much closer than I am) but that does not give me the legitimacy to lower the standard to make myself feel comfortable. (or to create excuses that lead me to an incorrect view of God, others and myself)
I came across a statement that some followers of Jesus made in John 6 and it struck me how well it seemed to sum up a lot of human tendencies in response to following Jesus and the example He set. In response to Jesus' teaching people began to say, "This is very hard to understand. How can we accept it?" (v.60) And because they couldn't understand what Jesus was asking of them, they chose to reject Jesus.
They held their understanding above their obedience. And they quickly came to a point of not being able to go any farther with Jesus. I'm very thankful for the minds that God has given us, and I'm not for one moment suggesting that we 'check our brains at the door', but there must be a place for faith in our pursuit of Jesus. If I have to have all of my questions answered, if I have to understand everything, then I am going to have a very limited journey with Jesus.
To be honest, I don't understand why some are healed and some aren't. I don't understand why people I have prayed for are still in wheelchairs, or have passed away. But I can not allow those experiences to stop my pursuit of Jesus and the fullness of His presence.
That is why it's called faith. And I never want to get to a point in my journey with Jesus where I determine we can't go any further because I don't understand something.
I like the response of Peter in this situation when he was asked if he was also going to leave. "Lord, to whom would we go?" Peter knew that Jesus was the answer -- yes, he did make some mistakes along the way but that just gives me confidence that there's a place for me -- and Jesus is still the answer.
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