Jesus and the parts that don’t fit

Some parts of our lives don’t seem to fit anywhere. A loss, a diagnosis, a friendship that ended, a year that went sideways. Supposedly it all works out, but it hasn’t.

Jesus’ own followers knew that feeling. Two of them were walking out of Jerusalem a few days after his crucifixion, talking about “everything that had happened.” They had hoped he would rescue them, and instead he had been killed. 

Earlier that day, some in their group had said he was alive. That news didn’t undo their loss. They were still walking away sad and confused, trying to make sense of what they believed.

A stranger came alongside them. It was Jesus, though they didn’t recognize him. He asked what they were talking about. He listened, asked good questions, and listened some more. Once they had told him everything, he spoke.* 

He took the thing they couldn’t make sense of, the crucifixion, and walked them through parts of the Bible to show them it belonged to a much bigger story. He deepened their understanding by starting inside their pain. 

Jesus’ crucifixion was meant for evil by those who carried it out. In his day a cross was a method of execution, and nobody wore one as jewelry. But Jesus rose from the dead and redefined it. Now the cross is commonly seen as a symbol of hope and life. 

Jesus offers us something like that for our stories. If an object of torment can become a symbol of hope, our story can be redefined too. The past doesn’t change, but its power over us changes. We start to see our lives through a new frame. 

None of this makes what hurts okay. It means the pain isn’t where the story ends. 

The parts of our stories that don’t fit are unfinished, still waiting for a perspective we don’t yet have. Jesus wants to walk through them with you.

* If you’re interested in reading more of the story told here, you can find it in Luke 24:13–35.