Meditations from Zion

John 16:31
You believe at last!” Jesus answered.

I couldn’t help but see Jesus rolling his eyes up when he said this. If “Duh!” would have been a cliche at the time, he would have used it.

But the disciples are not the only ones who don’t get it. Why else would we have other idioms that say the same thing as “duh!” (the new generation’s shortened version) like “If it was a snake it would have bit me” or “the elephant in the room.” These are ways we talk about the obvious that we just don’t see or don’t get.

There are a number of reasons for not getting it. Sometimes, it just doesn’t occur to us. Sometimes, it’s the mental model issue. Sometimes, we have our head in the sand and don’t want to believe it. But eventually, the fog clears and we do really see… or really hear.

The thing that surprised me today is that immediately after that moment… that “revelation of the obvious” we are faced with next level of “non-understanding.” I mean, we get it … and then it’s the next thing we don’t get.

So, here the disciples finally understand and believe… Jesus came from God… but in the next instant, they have to understand he’s leaving and they will scatter and betray him.

It’s no different with us. We must be willing to press on. We can’t be content with a single inspiration. We must be ready to wrestle with the next truth. That’s how we grow: one building block upon another. That’s the journey. That’s the joy.