I can’t begin to count how many disagreements Kelly and I
have had through the years that basically boil down to a misunderstanding.
Often it is my mishearing something Kelly has said, or her misreading something
I have done. But, usually it comes down to our assuming why something has been said, and, of course, assuming wrongly. Supposing
a negative motive, and getting it wrong, starts the ball rolling. Kel will say
something to me, and I’ll assume that she intends to critique me; immediately,
I get defensive, and the squabble begins!
I have done some work for a company that published
theological articles. A “peer reviewer,” my job was to read prospective papers
and see if they were suitable to print in the journal. Many were good, some
excellent, and there were lots of reasons some submissions were poor. But, one
of the more frequent objections I would have was the lack of a reason, a lack
of purpose. It is very frustrating, as a reader, to be half-way through an
article and still not be sure what exactly the purpose of the author is—what
point is he trying to make, and why is it important?
Sometimes in life, the problem is no clear purpose. I always
wondered, why make the bed? I’ll just be crawling back in later tonight. Or,
why pay taxes? It’s just a drop in the ocean anyways. When there is no clear
purpose, it is hard to be motivated to do the job. But sometimes, the problem
is not the absence of a good purpose, but the presence of too many good
purposes. When one solution solves so many problems, sometimes it is hard to
focus on the one main reason the solution is given to begin with. And,
suddenly, the solution is used for a lot of good reasons while ignoring the
real purpose for which it was intended.
Thus, I fear, with the Gospel stories of Jesus. The record
of Jesus’ life touches on so many things. Jesus’ teachings are beautiful,
insightful, and sure to inspire. His miracles are full of compassion and
wonder; His exemplary life is motivating; His sacrifice stirring. There is so much we can learn from Him. So much
we should learn from Him! The Gospels teach us ethics (how to live), theology
(how to think), passion (how to worship), love (how to serve), hope (how to
expect). The Gospels teach so, so much, it’s possible to miss the main reason
they were written. More than possible, I’d say that very often the real, main
purpose we have been given the Gospel is frequently forgotten amidst the flurry
of other good purposes.
How do we stay on track? How do we make sure that, while we
are absorbing, learning, and growing into all that the Gospels teach, how do we
make sure that we are not losing the main purpose? Well, by God’s grace and
providence, the Apostle John writes to tell us exactly what the purpose of his
book is. No mistake, no assumptions, no misunderstanding. The purpose of the
Gospel According to John is…
Well, come join us in worship this Sunday as we explore this
very question. And, as you prepare, read John 20:30-31.
- What is the connection between this paragraph (vs. 30-31) and the story of Jesus and Thomas which immediately precedes it?
- Why would some of what Jesus did not be recorded (vs. 30)?
- Why is it important to note that Jesus acted “in the presence of the disciples”?
- Notice the use of “purpose language” in verse 31. How do we know that John is describing his purpose here?
- What does John say his purpose was? What other purposes might people often come to the Bible to discover? Why would it be bad to lose track of this particular purpose?
