More Than We Can Imagine
Scripture Reading — John 21:24-25
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
—John 21:25
It’s called hyperbole. That’s the literary device John uses here to express his thoughts about the astonishing signs and wonders of Jesus. John is using wonder and imagination to say that Jesus’ life and teachings and all the amazing things he did were so great that the world could barely contain them all.
Hyperbole is a tool that helps us express the inexpressible, to say what words cannot fully say. John’s words clue us in to the fact that no human agent can fully capture the divine. Who Jesus is and what he has done cannot be adequately transcribed by human hands and grasped by human minds. Jesus is more than what can be expressed in words. “Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,” says one of the church’s hymns.
Sometimes we may think we have Jesus completely figured out. But that’s impossible. Jesus is always more than what we can wrap our minds around.
Thankfully, Jesus wants to be known, and he reveals himself to us. He shows that he is God, that he is the way, the truth, and the life. In receiving his love and forgiveness, Jesus becomes our brother, friend, and Savior. In the words of another church song, “Jesus is all the world to me”!
O God, your love is greater than we can imagine. Thank you for your salvation, revealed and offered to us in Christ Jesus. May our hearts and lives overflow with thanks. Amen.
About the author — Ruth Boven
Ruth Boven serves as minister of congregational life at LaGrave Ave. CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She and her husband, Greg, have two adult children. They find rich purpose in urban ministry and delight in enjoying the wonders of God's good creation.
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