Clarity or Trust (part I)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence) of things not seen” (He-brews 11:1; NASB; emphasis added).
Monday, February 2, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Although the Scriptures make it very clear that God is sovereign—in charge and in control all the time and every time—there are several passages that depict Jesus behaving as if He believes otherwise. Take a look at the following examples:
“But the Pharisees went out, and counseled together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to make Him known” (Matthew 12:14-15; NASB). Is Jesus attempting to run away from His enemies? Does He really believe that God is sovereign?
“And the Pharisees went out and immediately began taking counsel with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. And Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed: . . .” (Mark 3:6-7; NASB; emphasis added). Again, has Jesus somehow forgotten that His Father is in charge and in control, every time and all the time? Does He believe that His enemies can somehow thwart God’s plan for His life?
“And after these things Jesus was walking in Galilee; for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him” (John 7:1; NASB; emphasis add-ed). What is going on? Is Jesus afraid that those who were seeking to kill Him could somehow overpower His Father? Has He forgotten that His father is omnipotent?
I must hasten to say, that in all of my reading, I have never read any Biblical scholar who even acknowledged, much less attempted to address, the significant issue of these passages—Jesus’ apparent lack of trust in His Father and in His sovereignty. In these passages (and others), it is very difficult not to conclude that Jesus, the Son of God, the Word of God, the man to whom all authority had been given is making every effort to avoid those who would try to kill Him before His appointed time. It is as if He believed they had some kind of power over Him, a power that could override the predetermined plan of the Sovereign God, a power that could somehow alter God’s predetermined time for His crucifixion.
This is, to say the least, intriguing because I know-for-certain that He knew that nothing, nor anyone could alter His appointed time to die—“at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6b; NASB). YOU THINK ABOUT THIS AND I WILL CONTINUE TOMORROW.