Harder to Believe

Scripture: Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. Luke 9:7-8

Observation: Jesus is going about healing people in great and miraculous ways. So many are witnessing this that he is nearly crushed by crowds, and no one can even tell who is coming and going and pressing in around him. He responds by commissioning the 12 disciples to go and heal in his name as well, and they do. In all this, we know that these acts are all a direct and specific fulfillment of the scriptures about Messiah.

And how do those around Herod interpret this? They think that Jesus is either John the Baptist recently raised from the dead, or Elijah returned to earth after being taken in a whirlwind ~800 years previously, or one of the other prophets who died 600-1,100 years prior.

These people are witnessing miracles that are consistent with the prophetic words of Isaiah, Joel, Micah, Malachi, etc. They could believe that either a) the prophets - whose word they believe and greatness their revere - were correct and Messiah has come, or b) one of the prophets themselves has been resurrected after centuries and is performing miracles they never performed when they were previously alive. By the time of Jesus, the scriptures were formed and the words of the prophets were well understood. Jesus himself quotes or references Isaiah and Jonah and Hosea and the Psalms (at least). Yet again we see that the officials themselves cling to the law and repeatedly place Jesus in the context of those rules, but cannot place Jesus in the context of the writings of faith.

It is WAY harder to believe that Jesus is some long-dead prophet than it should be to believe he is Messiah, yet they go with the former. It should be much easier for them to understand how Jesus fulfills the prophets than to harp on interpretations of rabbinical law, yet they repeatedly go with the latter.

Application: Why do people in general tend to believe that which is hard to believe or understand, and reject that which is clear? How can someone believe in thousands of relatively mean eternal creatures of misshapen forms and limited authority who manipulate all lives, than in one creator who simply loves them? Why do people believe in a future of total hopelessness and pointlessness, in the face of evidence of a design and purpose for all things?

Yes, this is they way of it for people. I am sure I believe in some ideas that are far more complex than the simple truth. I hope I can be a light that helps others see the simple things.

Prayer: Lord, may we simplify belief around us. So many believe things that are so mind-blowingly hard to believe and understand, yet reject your simple love. I hope I can be a part of changing that. Amen.