One of the cherries on top this week was getting the chance to drive through the desert with the top down in a 2023 Mustang Convertible. To be fair, I had rented a mid-sized SUV. When the Thrifty at Palm Springs International didn’t have one, I was upgraded for free. The dude leaned over the counter…… “pssst… want a convertible?”
So Thursday Morning, I take off towards Salvation Mountain. Absolutely glorious. The drive, I mean. Not Salvation Mountain. That place was gross, but worth seeing for it’s cultural art history.
I also had the chance to be preached to about the scripture plastered all over the place by a young employee there, a gay jewish man named Kvin. Kvin was explaining the scriptures from the book of Acts, which is just HILARIOUS (The book of Acts is the beginning of Christ’s Church…. The same Christ that Jews don’t believe is the Messiah). I didn’t have the heart to tell him I was in ministry, but I listened.
He was… close?
On my way back to the car, I was wondering to myself: “How in the world did this place get to where it is today?
The problem is that the original artist of Salvation Mountain, Leonard Knight, passed away in 2014. There was no one to carry the mantle faithfully. Seems like a lot of that in Christian institutions lately.
Anyway, I get to the car and open Maps. I put in the address to Southwest Church where the retreat is being held, and three different routes pop up.
Now I don’t know if it was the fact that I’m studying the Synoptic Gospels this week, or whether my mind was still stuck in the thought-mode “how did this place arrive where it’s at”. But the analogy hit me like a cake thrown by Steve Aoki (google it).
The Synoptic Gospels refer to the first three books of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark and Luke. John is left out because his book is on another level. Okay, that’s my opinion. The REAL reason is that John’s Gospel is too different. It’s an Apple among three oranges. It’s not chronological, and it focuses less on the events of the Gospel and more on the Message. And it’s beautiful.
The Synoptic Gospels are beautiful in their own right for different reasons. They lay out the history. They reveal more details. They are all faithful accounts of His life, death and resurrection. However, they’re different and they even contradict each-other just enough to make them credible.
Let me explain.
If three people got together and said “Hey, we need to give this guy directions to our house”, what do you think would happen?
I’d imagine it would go something like this: The three parties involved that know how to get there are going to chat and figure out the best way to get there. then ONE of them will send directions, or a dropped pin or whatever. and that’s it. Here’s how you get there. This is the way, Mando.
Why is thinking about that important? It reveals a certain aspect of humanity that promotes the credibility of the Gospels: They weren’t made up because they’re too different to be a lie.
If The Bible was just a bunch of made up mumbo-jumbo, It would likely be written more like kids that are afraid to get caught in a lie. “Hey Mark, don’t forget to list this” or “Luke, your story doesn’t line up with Matthew’s just right, Lets rework it”.
Here are three different passages in scripture to look at as an example, all three from a different Gospel and all three passages talking about the same thing.
Matthew:
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
Mark:
42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus saw where he was laid.
Luke:
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
See? They’re different just enough. It’s like putting an address into maps and getting three different routes.
Now the different routes may overlap in a few places. And they all end up getting to the same place. But the scenery is different, and there are parts of the trip that you will certainly miss if you only ever take one route.
Sometimes when we’re reading scripture, we can find ourselves saying “I already know that story”, but what hubris this thought displays! There is a bigger picture to be seen that involves getting the entire lay of the land. After all, it’s easier to give others directions when we’re familiar with the area.
And then of course another excuse is “We’ve heard this a thousand times”.
I drove by an Arby’s in my previous city for weeks before I even noticed it was there.
So be hungry for the big picture. Seek the full scope of the scripture. It’s so much better that way.
Time to hop on my flight back to Tulsa. Chris Palmer, if you read this, you were right. Got a lady with a sandwich right next to me as well. Just gotta block it out.