In 1961, many centuries after Jesus admonished the crowds by telling them that something greater was right there in front of them, renowned Biblical translator J. B. Phillips relayed a similar message with his book Your God Is Too Small.  Phillips observed that too many Christians adopt – embrace, even – limited understandings of who God is, what God can do, and how God wants us to serve.  In short, too many of us have “inadequate conceptions of God which still linger unconsciously” in our minds “which prevent our catching a glimpse of the true God.”

Jesus was telling his audience much the same thing, that they were thinking too small when they believed Solomon’s wisdom and Jonah’s preaching could never be surpassed.  Those inadequate conceptions prevented them from recognizing the true God Incarnate standing in their midst, preaching and teaching more wisely than Solomon and more effectively than any of the prophets.  With such limited ideas, it is no wonder that the devoutly religious could not conceive of a Messiah who came to do more than just restore Israel’s military and political power.  Many did not realize that someone greater than King David had come to overcome a greater foe than the Roman Empire.

Let me suggest that Jesus scolded the folks before him, not because they did not fully comprehend God’s greatness and glory, but because they had settled for – and regularly championed – a pale imitation of the real thing.  These religiously devout individuals strictly adhered to the fine points of the Law of Moses, as they interpreted it; and they defended their faith by attacking others who they judged had violated Mosaic Law – a woman caught in adultery, Jesus healing on the Sabbath, etc.  They equated legalistic purity with righteousness, and they considered their brand of righteousness to be sufficient.  Paul, who in his early days had been on a similar path, writes that he had traded “the self-achieved righteousness of the Law” for “that genuine righteousness which comes from faith in Christ” (from Philippians 3:6-9, J. B. Phillips translation of New Testament).

Those of us who know God can sometimes forget that our knowledge of God is not exhaustive, that even the most brilliant among us do not know why or how or when God does what He does.  The Messiah who came not to condemn but to save (John 3:17) can turn even the most zealous adversaries into vigorous advocates, like He did with the Apostle Paul.  God can redeem even the ones we judge to be most sinful.  Our call, then, is to think big.  God may not do what we thought should be done, but He will always exceed our expectations.  As J. B. Phillips stated, “We can never have too big a conception of God.”

* I like how the Message presents Philippians 3:9:  I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.