[CS-FSLUG] Puzzles in the Life of Christ

[Tim Young]

As I was typing up an answer, I was realizing my thoughts may not be 
quite what you were thinking of.  Were you looking for things that 
"make you go hmm?" or things that could nearly break one's faith? 
Most of my examples are "things that make you go Hmmm."

I have a number of things that Christ did that I did not find 
simple.  Some of them have been somewhat of a challenge to me, but I 
would not really question it.  Usually when I ponder something 
enough, I had come up with an answer that worked for me...  I tend to 
think that many of the things that make me go "Hmmmm" are, like 
parables, put there to help weed out those who are interested from 
those who are just glossing over it.  If you throw some thought into 
understanding them, it helps draw our hearts and minds closer to His.

Here are a few ones I have found interesting.

I thought it was interesting that an all-knowing God responded, when 
the woman with internal bleeding stealithy touched His garment, by 
asking, "Who touched me" when He knew fully well who did it.  There 
were quite a number of times when Christ answered in a way that 
seemed to answer in such a way as He did not know what His listener's 
hearts were, though the results from the meeting showed He did.  The 
reasons He answered this way differ from meeting to meeting, and I 
find them interesting to work through.

I thought it was interesting that, knowing that He would get shoved 
over to a cliff and nearly thrown over when He went to his home town, 
that He went to his home-town and talked to the people there anyway.

I thought it was interesting that, even though He healed many people, 
He left at least one un-healed, that Peter and John ran into later in 
Acts 3:6 (that famous time that we have the song about, "Silver and 
gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee...  He went walking 
and leaping...")  The cripple had been crippled from birth and 
carried to the city gate every day, so he was probably sitting there 
one time when Christ was passing through.  (Jesus went through that 
gate a few times)

In the Mark 11 version of where Jesus clears out the Temple, a few 
verses earlier we have:
^"11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he 
had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out 
to Bethany with the twelve."
Then, a few verses later He returns to the temple and throws people 
out of it.  So His throwing people out of the temple was a 
premeditated act.  Ok.  So we know it was premeditated because He 
knew they would be there from before the beginning of time.  But He 
deliberately choose not to deal with it when "it was late in the 
day."  Was this because He was tired?  Because there were not enough 
vendors that day?  Or because He just wanted to have enough energy to 
overturn tables with a little more vigor?

How about His sleeping in the boat when the storm came up.  He knew 
what His disciples were going to face, but He gave them opportunity 
to face their fears, to try their hardest to do it on their own, 
etc.  He waited until they came to Him before He responded.  When 
should we help someone who has not asked for help, and when should we 
offer it in advance?

I am sure I could come up with some other interesting stories that I 
have thought about...

     - Tim Young

On 10/13/2012 8:23 PM, Ed Hurst wrote:
> Listmembers, I'm working on a project with some other folks. Our task
> is taking a stab at addressing moments in the Gospel narratives where
> people find puzzling something Jesus said or did. Would any of you care to suggest a few examples?
>