B.J. Knefley

When the women arrived at the tomb of Jesus, they found the stone rolled away, and his body wasn’t there. Confused and bewildered, they couldn’t imagine what had happened. Suddenly, two men appeared in dazzling robes. The men asked them, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you…?” (Luke 24:1-7)

Why do we so easily forget? When trouble comes, discouragement and fear often set in. Hope and faith that we once walked in suddenly escape our grasp, and we’re left trying to figure out for ourselves what our next move will be.

Why don’t we remember? Why do we forget so soon his promises and his words to us? Are we that short-sighted that we can’t see that he’s fulfilling his purpose in us and those around us? Are we not admonished to live by faith? Then why do we so easily forget and fail to remember? How often have I heard the saying, “You can’t stand on the promises of God if you don’t know what they are?” Is that the problem in the case of these women or did they not understand fully what Jesus had told them? I think it’s the latter.

Misunderstanding God’s word is as old as Adam and Eve. Remember how the serpent put doubt in Eve’s mind when he questioned her, saying, “Did God really say…”. Those words affect our memory ability because we start questioning what we remember. We so easily misinterpret what God is saying or has said. We often do this to fit our preconceived narrative. We look for ways to support what we already believe about something. The Apostle Paul said that we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror. Perhaps that is part of the problem: what we see and hear isn’t as clear to us as we might like or think. Maybe we need to stay that much closer to the one who is all truth. Think about it.