Ironic Surprise - A Slice of Infinity
By
One of the recurring elements in the Bible, especially in encounters involving Jesus, is the element of surprise. That surprise is not only contained in what Jesus said, but more often it is to whom He said the words that brings the surprise.
Consider Jesus’ claim in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” These words of Jesus certainly establish what we would call exclusivity. Jesus is saying here, “I am the only way to God. There is no other religious practice or guru or prophet that can lead you to God.” Now no doubt, such a claim provokes a strong response and perhaps you yourself find it difficult to believe. But friend, let us be honest here: Every major religion in the world claims exclusivity and has a point of exclusion. And truth by definition is exclusive. Everything cannot be true. If everything is true, then nothing is false.
But back to this element of surprise. Yes, Jesus did say that no one could come to God except through Him alone. But have you ever noticed to whom Jesus said these words? He said them to Thomas, the apostle whose name, even after two millennia, is synonymous with doubt. Thomas was the last to believe in the resurrection of Jesus because he did not want to trust such a magnificent claim secondhand. He needed to see and feel before he would bend his knee to the Christ he knew had been crucified. Ironically, Thomas went on to preach the gospel in India, my homeland, a land of over 330 million deities and innumerable ‘ways to God.’ Ultimately he gave his life for the exclusive claims of Christ.
Another example of the Gospel’s apparent irony is found in Jesus’ question to His disciple Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus patiently waited for Peter’s response --”You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” -- knowing later that three times Peter would eventually deny knowing Jesus. Yet, Peter recovered from that painful moment and spent the rest of his life striving for the gospel and in the end, he himself was crucified upside down.
What surprises us in these instances is Jesus’ ability to understand our weaknesses and to touch our hearts and minds where each of us needs it most. You see, He knew of Thomas’ doubt before it was spoken. He knew of Peter’s denial before the act. And He knows you and me and can still surprise us today wherever we are and meet us in our weakness.
Ravi Zacharias is president of Ravi
Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Born in