Once You See It . . .

This past week, we considered the temptations that Jesus experienced while fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). It was the first time in 30 years of Bible study that I noticed (with the help of New Testament scholars) that Jesus was not tempted to turn a stone in to a loaf of bread; rather, he was tempted to turn stones into loaves of bread. Why does the distinction matter? How does that one detail give us greater insight to the subsequent temptations?

This upcoming Sunday we will consider Jesus’s conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:1-16). Do you find Jesus’s responses to Nicodemus peculiar? What do his responses have to do with Nicodemus’s statement and follow-up question?

Do you see any relationship between the temptations Jesus experiences and the conversation he has with Nicodemus? As you’ve heard me say in recent weeks, once we see it we cannot unsee it. Just because we see it, though, doesn’t mean we’ve seen all there is to see. We begin to see it more frequently and with greater clarity.

Don’t worry, if you do not know what I am referring to by “it,” I am confident that you will. But be advised, seeing it changes everything!

Just for fun (and for practice) watch the following video. Can you accurately count how many times the basketball is passed among only those wearing white? There is another group of people wearing black who are also passing a basketball to one another, so it requires disciplined focus. I’ll give you a hint, the number of times those wearing white pass the ball is not 13. Good luck!

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