Many people have turned away from the Bible—and from Jesus—because they read it and conclude there are too many contradictions. Too many moments where Jesus appears to say opposing things or gives commands that sit on two ends of the spectrum. Where is the consistency in his messages? That is when Christ feels mysterious, even puzzling. He appears as a paradox at times.
And so we may wonder: Can we trust him?
Can we trust a God who says He is love and yet orders the destruction of nations?
A God who chooses Israel and then appears to reject her?
It leaves many sincere, thoughtful people frustrated, disillusioned, and eventually walking away from Church.
Here is one example from Luke 21. Jesus says to His disciples:
“I will give you utterance and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute… yet some of you will be put to death… not a hair on your head will perish. By your endurance you will be saved.”
These words can feel uncomfortably contradictory. No one will be able to refute you—and yet they may still kill you. You will be hated, persecuted, and delivered up—yet you will not perish—while in the same breath He says that some will die.
So which is it?
None of this can make sense—except in the life of Christ.
Jesus did not explain these words away; He embodied them. His very existence proves them true even though appearing contradictory. No one could refute His wisdom—not the Pharisees, not the scribes, not the religious leaders. And yet, they still killed Him. His arguments did not save His life—but they gave life and understanding to others. He was hated, persecuted, delivered over, and yes killed.
And yet, He is alive today.
Not a hair of His head perished. By His endurance, He gained His life back—every hair restored. Which means what seems a contradiction to us became concord in him.
Christ is the place of restoration—where all things come into alignment and clarity. When we look to Him, the curtain is pulled back and what once made no sense begins to resolve. It sheds light on the moments in Scripture that frustrate us and make us ask: If this is true in Christ, what else might be true in Christ? What else fails to make sense on a human level but finds clarity in Him?
So how does this apply to us—or to someone like William Tyndale, or the countless Christians who were persecuted, burned at the stake, crucified upside down, or executed for their faith? Their words were powerful. Their witness was faithful. And yet, it did not save them from death. They were hated. They were killed. They perished—at least on earth, as Christ did.
Two things are at work in these verses.
First: our words—no matter how powerful, wise, or Spirit-given—even if Christ Himself places them in our mouths and no one can refute them—are not meant to save us. We are not given utterance to defend ourselves, just as Christ was not. What we are given is not for us. It is for someone else. This makes sense when we use Christ to understand it.
Second: what we know, what we believe, what we possess—even life itself—is not found in ourselves but in Christ. Not in our endurance. Not in our ability to be saved. Even that belongs to Him alone. It defies logic, reason, and every earthly expectation.
Everything that does not make sense—everything known and unknown—finds its fulfillment in Him. The tensions remain, but they are held together in Christ. He died, and yet He lived. He was followed and hated. He was perfect love and righteous judge. It may not make sense to us—but it was lived out in Him.
CS lewis said something like , “Christ was either a madman, a liar or he was the Son of God.” So when I am tempted to wonder whether Christ was an inconsistent madman or a contradictory liar, I choose to believe He was true but his truth didn’t have its fulfillment in my understanding, but in himself- in God, who simply knows more than we do. Is it possible that God just hasn’t revealed everything to mankind yet, that his greatest revelation resides in the mystery of Christ.
Written by Kim Blenkhorn
Edited with the use of Chatgbt
My Faith Place 
Kim—
AMEN!!