Just as He said

Wouldn’t it be nice if people were willing to say what they mean and truly mean it?!  I was reading Matthew 28 verse 6.  The words “just as He said” stopped me in my tracks.  The story goes, that Jesus has spoken about His crucification prior to it occurring and even in His telling of it, those who witnessed countless miracles as they walked with Him, still weren’t quite convinced of who He was and what He was saying.  Then too, they were afraid of the consequences of being labeled a friend of His.

Each of us has a filtering system by which we interpret things.  These filters basically allow us to take any occurrence and make it “work” for us regardless of what the initial wording may have been.  A friend and I were walking this morning discussing how an accident with three eye witnesses can in each instance be different and the reason is because of the perception of fact, the angle we view the instance around and what might be blocking our line of sight.  These distortions alter the outcome and in court cases, we are only asked to prove to a point of conviction of whether or not there is an absence of considerable doubt.

I recently started reading Lee Strobel’s “The Case for Christ.”  I’m not even into the first chapter yet and he relates a story about an apparent open and shut case against a former felon who agrees to plead out, for a reduced sentence rather than go to trial trying to prove his innocence (which he was) because of who he would be going up against in the case.  The case seemingly was open and shut with the bad guy being the bad guy and the good guy being the good guy, except that this was not the case.  The good guy was covering up something that he shouldn’t have done and framed the bad guy who was willing to take the fall with a lesser sentence than fight it and risk losing and taking the bigger loss of having to serve a greater sentence.  See the filtering system at work?

I truly want to believe that when I give my word about something, that when it comes to having to stand up and produce, I would be able to produce, unfortunately our humanness gets in the way.  I want to trust in the system, but am skeptical of how the system works.  No one can unequivocally say it will be just as they say!

Yet, Jesus did and His resurrection occurred “just as He said!”  I would like to be trusted and would like to trust others, but and that is the operative word…..but, there are too many instances that allow for the alterations of fact.  Even in the verse of Matthew 28, there were those who didn’t want the outcome to be believed so they concocted a story whereby the disciples were supposedly to have stolen the body of Jesus, so that their story would stick.

Said and done, I find great comfort in knowing that things will be ….. “just as He said.”  I need only to look there instead of trying to find comfort in those who like me, can be coerced through human perception.  Someday we will all have to make the decision of what we believe and there is a song with lyrics that say “what if” and to the naysayers, you may be right, but “what if” you are wrong?  “What if” it is “just as He said!”  It all comes down to a choice!

Looking up! ~ Barb