When God Writes the Plot Twist
Have you ever had someone ruin a movie for you? Let me tell you about my brother Rich. It was 1999, and The Sixth Sense was the movie of the summer. My brother Rich went and saw it on opening night. The very next night, it was my turn. Somehow… the ending had not been spoiled yet. I made it. I was in the clear. My hand was literally on the doorknob. And all of a sudden from across the house, Rich yells out, "He is dead the whole time!"
Now here is the thing. At that moment, I had no idea what he was talking about. Dead the whole time? Who? What does that even mean? So, I shrugged and didn’t think much about it, and went to the theater, feeling pretty good about myself. Fifteen minutes into the movie, it hit me. Oh no! I know exactly who is dead the whole time. I sat there for an hour and a half watching a mystery movie I had already solved, all because my brother could not keep a secret for even twenty-four hours. There should be serious legal consequences for this. Rich, if you are reading this, I have not forgotten.
But here is a funny thing about spoilers. Occasionally knowing the ending does not ruin the story at all. Sometimes, it adds to the story. Think about how many people rewatch their favorite movies just because they know what is coming. The second time through, you catch things you missed. The hints the storyteller placed in plain sight. You start to realize the ending was there all along, whispering to you from the very first scene, and you just could not see it yet.
The Bible often works like that. This is important to know, the Bible is not a collection of disconnected stories. It is one unified story that leads us to the understanding of God's relationship with humanity. From the opening pages of Genesis, God is telling a single sweeping tale, and like every great storyteller, God puts in all these clues... A promise made under desert stars. A lamb provided on a mountain. A people rescued through water. Prophets who keep pointing toward something, or Someone, still coming.
And here is what I love. God's story is absolutely full of twists. Nobody in scripture ever seems to see what God is doing, until after it has been done. Everyone expects the older brother to carry the blessing. God picks the younger. Everyone expects the tall, impressive son of Jesse to be anointed king. God picks the shepherd nobody bothered to call in from the field. Everyone expects God's deliverance to come through power and armies. God sends a baby to a feeding trough in a small town. Over and over, generation after generation, God's people build their expectations, and God lovingly, patiently, sometimes almost teasingly turns those expectations on their head. You would think humanity would catch on eventually. We do not. That is sort of our whole issue as Image Bearers.
Which brings me to Sunday… We have been walking through the Gospel of Matthew together, and last week we stood with the disciples at Caesarea Philippi as Peter said out loud what had been simmering under the surface of this story. This week, we come to what happens next after Peter says who Jesus is. And I will just tell you, it is one of the most surprising exchanges in the entire book. A conversation nobody saw coming. A moment where the greatest plot twist in the history of the world starts coming into focus, and one of Jesus' closest friends discovers he has badly misread the story he is standing in.
I am not going to spoil it. I like you all very much, and unlike my brother, I have self-control. But I will say this. If you have ever been absolutely certain you knew how your story was supposed to go, and then watched God take the plot in a different direction than you would have written, this Sunday is for you. If you have ever felt like life turned you upside down, this Sunday is for you. Because it turns out the Author of this story knows exactly where it is going. He has known since page one. And the twist, when it comes, is better than anything we would have written for ourselves.
Read Matthew 16:21–28 before Sunday (August 30) if you want to peek ahead. Just do not yell the ending across the house at anybody. We already have one “Rich” in the family.
Grace and Gratitude,
Pastor Mark
Now here is the thing. At that moment, I had no idea what he was talking about. Dead the whole time? Who? What does that even mean? So, I shrugged and didn’t think much about it, and went to the theater, feeling pretty good about myself. Fifteen minutes into the movie, it hit me. Oh no! I know exactly who is dead the whole time. I sat there for an hour and a half watching a mystery movie I had already solved, all because my brother could not keep a secret for even twenty-four hours. There should be serious legal consequences for this. Rich, if you are reading this, I have not forgotten.
But here is a funny thing about spoilers. Occasionally knowing the ending does not ruin the story at all. Sometimes, it adds to the story. Think about how many people rewatch their favorite movies just because they know what is coming. The second time through, you catch things you missed. The hints the storyteller placed in plain sight. You start to realize the ending was there all along, whispering to you from the very first scene, and you just could not see it yet.
The Bible often works like that. This is important to know, the Bible is not a collection of disconnected stories. It is one unified story that leads us to the understanding of God's relationship with humanity. From the opening pages of Genesis, God is telling a single sweeping tale, and like every great storyteller, God puts in all these clues... A promise made under desert stars. A lamb provided on a mountain. A people rescued through water. Prophets who keep pointing toward something, or Someone, still coming.
And here is what I love. God's story is absolutely full of twists. Nobody in scripture ever seems to see what God is doing, until after it has been done. Everyone expects the older brother to carry the blessing. God picks the younger. Everyone expects the tall, impressive son of Jesse to be anointed king. God picks the shepherd nobody bothered to call in from the field. Everyone expects God's deliverance to come through power and armies. God sends a baby to a feeding trough in a small town. Over and over, generation after generation, God's people build their expectations, and God lovingly, patiently, sometimes almost teasingly turns those expectations on their head. You would think humanity would catch on eventually. We do not. That is sort of our whole issue as Image Bearers.
Which brings me to Sunday… We have been walking through the Gospel of Matthew together, and last week we stood with the disciples at Caesarea Philippi as Peter said out loud what had been simmering under the surface of this story. This week, we come to what happens next after Peter says who Jesus is. And I will just tell you, it is one of the most surprising exchanges in the entire book. A conversation nobody saw coming. A moment where the greatest plot twist in the history of the world starts coming into focus, and one of Jesus' closest friends discovers he has badly misread the story he is standing in.
I am not going to spoil it. I like you all very much, and unlike my brother, I have self-control. But I will say this. If you have ever been absolutely certain you knew how your story was supposed to go, and then watched God take the plot in a different direction than you would have written, this Sunday is for you. If you have ever felt like life turned you upside down, this Sunday is for you. Because it turns out the Author of this story knows exactly where it is going. He has known since page one. And the twist, when it comes, is better than anything we would have written for ourselves.
Read Matthew 16:21–28 before Sunday (August 30) if you want to peek ahead. Just do not yell the ending across the house at anybody. We already have one “Rich” in the family.
Grace and Gratitude,
Pastor Mark
Posted in Mark My Words
No Comments