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Are We Still Looking For The Wrong Kind Of Answers?

While television has a myriad of programming to watch, the most entertaining offerings are the commercials. A few years back, one of the more amusing ads was the one for Toyota minivans in which Bob, the safety engineer, demonstrates to two young boys how automobiles are crash-tested. By remote control, Bob slams one vehicle after another into the testing wall, as the boys squeal with delight — “Do another one! Do another one!” When at last Bob announces that he has exhausted the supply of test vehicles, the boys pipe up and ask, “What about your car, Bob?” Clearly, the message of safety was lost on these two young men.

Some members of the church are like the boys in the Toyota commercial. As Bible teachers, we can spend a great deal of time and effort attempting to teach them a particular Bible lesson, and at the end of the lesson, they completely miss the point we were trying to get across. Unfortunately, we’ve all been guilty of being that kind of Bible student at one time or another.

Jesus had plenty of experience with people who took away one message when He was trying to teach an entirely different message. For example, when Jesus fed the crowd of five thousand, many of them followed Him to his next stop (John 6:5-25 – NKJV). He said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:26-27 – NKJV). Jesus had performed a miracle to demonstrate His power and deity, and all they had learned was that He could provide them a free meal.

As that conversation continued, Jesus spoke to them of “the true bread from heaven …. the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:32-33). They presumed He was speaking of literal bread, like the manna God had given their ancestors in the days of Moses (Exodus 16:15; Numbers 11:7; Nehemiah 9:15). So they said, “Lord, give us this bread always” (John 6:34 – NKJV). Once again, Jesus was trying to convey to them the word of life, and all they could think about was eating.

After considerable explanation, Jesus later pointedly said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51 – NKJV). Now they thought Christ was advocating cannibalism, because they responded, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:52 – NKJV).

By the end of John Chapter 6, most of the multitude had deserted Jesus because He kept saying all these peculiar things (John 6:66). They failed to comprehend the messages He was revealing to them, because their own selfish interests and perspectives kept getting in the way.

Even Jesus’ apostles were not immune to this way of thinking. After three years of hearing the Master’s teaching about the nature of His work, His coming sacrifice, and His kingdom, they still expected Him to establish a material throne similar to those of David and Solomon. Immediately before His ascension into heaven, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6 – NKJV). Despite Jesus’ death and resurrection, they were still looking for the wrong kind of answers.

So much of the misunderstanding and misinterpretation that occurs in religion has this phenomenon at its root — folks don’t really listen to what God’s word says, because they are too busy listening to hear something different — something they want to hear (cf. Acts 17:21; 2 Timothy 4:3). To borrow the metaphor of the Toyota ad, they miss the safety lesson because they get too excited about watching cars crash.

Brethren, Jesus’ primary mission was not healing the sick, feeding the hungry, casting out demons, or raising the dead, even though He performed all of these miracles. In His own words, He primarily came into the world “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10 – NKJV; cf. Matthew 18:11). Indeed, He came to sacrifice Himself so that sinners might be made just before God (Romans 5:6-11). Therefore, when we read, study, and hear His word (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15 – KJV; Revelation 2:7; cf. Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:9; Matthew 13:43), let’s make sure we don’t look for the wrong kind of answers and miss His real lesson.