What’s the deal with the Bible stories I never heard about?

I mean, I grew up in church, I memorized John 3:16, I can recite the Old Testament, and yet, this remarkable book of God’s keeps surprising me.

Perhaps it’s the fact that I am not a scholar or these stories aren’t in ALL four gospels or perhaps they contain something controversial that my simple mind is missing.

Still, it’s rather surprising, entertaining and enlightening. Take for example, today in John chapter 12. I read of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus coming back to his house for the Passover, and riding the colt into Jerusalem. Lots of visual pictures from my memories, Sunday school posters, plays, palm leaves, real and construction paper….it’s the next passage that got me.

Greeks wanted to see Jesus, they talked to Philip, Philip talked to Andrew, Andrew talked to Jesus and then….there’s these wonderful words of Christ predicting his own death and a voice answering him from heaven. Jesus says, “Father, glorify your name.” God says, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Wow! How could I not even know of this exchange?

Is it just not as incredulous as “This is my son, in whom I am well pleased.”? Harder to explain than Noah’s Ark? Perhaps I just didn’t read the Bible enough as a kid and relied on my Sunday School teachers too much.

Thanks, God, for always surprising me. For more details, see John 12.