All The Colors

There is a line in Stevie Nicks' song Edge of 17.  The line says, "The sea changes colors, but the sea does not change." While not a Christian song, there is a profoundness to the poetry here.  And, there is a paradox.

We follow and worship an unchanging God who requires one thing from every person who wants to be part of His kingdom ... change!  And, another paradox is that the unchanging God, by nature, changes appearance in Scripture while His nature remains constant.  Like God's concept of time, these things are beyond our comprehension and beyond our ability to really gain solid purchase on the mountain that is God.  God is infinite in possibilities, yet is consistent in character.  Wow!

In John 21, Jesus has a conversation that might be considered snarky if it wasn't the Son of God talking.  I have wondered about the point of Jesus' attitude here.  True to form, Peter is caught up in Jesus' relationship with John.  But Peter should be focused on his relationship with Jesus.  Still, Peter blurts out his self-centered statement.  "What about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive till I return, what is that to you?  You must follow Me (John 21:21-22)!"  I guess Jesus could have said, "Peter ... mind your own business!"  But let's take this conversation apart.

Jesus is, on one hand, saying, "Peter ... you are not in charge of the infinite possibilities I have at my disposal."  What does Peter know of the mind of God?  For that matter, what do I know of the mind of God?  God is like the sea ... changing colors all the time, in the vastness of who He is!  Jesus is saying to John ... "I have every color available to me ... and I will choose what is best.  Trust me!"

But Jesus is also saying, "Peter ... you have one thing to do from here on out.  You must follow me."  "Not your emotional outbursts!  Not your hurt feelings when someone gets more attention than you!  Not the valleys of what you see as failure (I will be in charge of that)!"  "And not your plans, schedules, or time expectations."  "You must follow me."

To Peter, to me, and to you, Jesus is asking, "Who colors in the picture of your faith?"  I remember, as a kid, when I got a new box of crayons.  They were a delight, especially when I got the "mega-box" with 24 crayons!  I thought, with that mega-box (now called "64 Ultra -Clean Washable Crayons"), I had every color imaginable.  I would color for hours.  Peter thinks Jesus has some obligation to fit things into Peter's little box of crayons.  Jesus says, "Let me be in charge of John, and of you.  I have all the colors of the rainbow, and every color in between.  My plan is vast and beyond your understanding.  I'll do the coloring.  You do your job and follow me, and I will take you to colors and places you can't even imagine!"