The Big Picture

As it turns out, we are human. I know! What a surprise, right? Of course not, but it appears that we assume that because we are human and "the top of the food chain," so to speak, God must be a lot like us. That's largely because we don't know the idea of "holy" as it was intended -- "other." But if you examine, for instance, the life of Christ, you'll find that He spoke in human terms but saw things in much larger terms.

That was patently obvious at the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus redefined things like "murder" (Matt 5:21-26) and "adultery" (Matt 5:27-30) from God's view rather than our own. But He seemed to do that most of the time. I already wrote about how He spoke of the "poor" and those who "hunger and thirst," for instance, but meant it in a spiritual sense rather than a merely earthly sense. Or think about His language regarding the bread and wine. He scared away disciples when He told listeners, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:54). Really, Jesus? Cannibalism?? Of course not! He was speaking of spiritual things, bigger things. He used the ordinary to refer to the extraordinary. Or consider how confused His disciples were. The Old Testament promised a Savior who would establish His "kingdom" (e.g., Dan 7:27). Jesus's first gospel presentation was, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). So His disciples repeatedly asked Him, "Are you going to do it now?" They expected freedom from Rome ... maybe even Herod. They expected Him to establish His kingdom. And He did, but not in the way they thought. His kingdom, He explained to Pilate, "is not of this world" (John 18:36). His kingdom was established through His death and resurrection. He reigns now, currently from heaven and eventually on earth. His kingdom already is; we just have too small of a vision to notice.

God is not a man like us. He is not troubled with tunnel vision or narrow thinking. He is not concerned in the same way that we are about the here and now, the everday difficulties, the "little stuff," but has a much bigger version that incorporates all things to work together for good. So when you find life pressing or oppressing, be assured He is still in charge, still on hand, still working all things. Always for good. Always for the best. Always for a "best" that, in so many cases, we can't even imagine. He sees the bigger picture. And He likes it, because it's His.