Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)
So John ends his record of the earthly ministry of Jesus. Over the last four weeks I have read again through the four Gospels. Four times I have read narrations of the death and resurrection of Jesus observed through four different sets of eyes. While each Gospel has its own unique voice, all have the same subject - Jesus and all that he did.
The last verse of John's Gospel points to perhaps the pervading attitude of all four - that of astonishment. More often than not, the characters we meet in the Gospels are amazed or perplexed or awe-struck or bewildered by the teaching and ministry of Jesus. This includes the crowds, his opponents and even his disciples. Jesus was the master at rocking people's worlds.
Three thousand years after the earthly ministry of Jesus, it is possible for me to read the Gospels dispassionately. Removed from the sights, sounds and smells of the events I can read almost academically of events that shattered people's worldviews without allowing them to have the same impact on me.
My prayer is that Jesus would continue to astonish, amaze and perplex me. My prayer is that Jesus would always provoke awe in me. My prayer is that my response to Jesus will always be worship.
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