AGAIN, QUESTIONS ANSWERED: YES

John 2:24-25  But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

      

 A passage may cause us to think of how it impacts us personally or how we are to live out the principles we learn. Some questions are easy to answer. Others raise further questions in our minds. It may appear that even Jesus was deliberately contradictory in his answers to questions. He wasn’t because he knew the answer the questioner needed to hear.

Is God beyond all things or is he as close as a voice to us?

Yes. Job writes that “the Almighty is beyond our reach” (37:23) and Paul adds “and his paths beyond tracing out.”(Romans 11:33) Jesus says of his followers, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”(John 10:27)

Is the kingdom of God now or not yet?

Yes. Jesus tells the disciples to tell the people they healed that “The Kingdom of God is near you.”(Luke 10:9) To the Pharisees who asked him when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus says “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”(Luke 17:21)  In John 18:36 he says to Pilate after his arrest that “my kingdom is not of this world.”

Is following Jesus an act of simple faith or an adventure of unimaginable complexity?

Yes to both questions. Jesus says “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”(Matthew 17:20)