The seven coldest states in the US: The surprise that changes everything

Travel Trivia recently carried an article titled “7 Coldest States in the U.S.”

The seven coldest, it turns out, are Vermont, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Maine, North Dakota, and (shockingly) Alaska. I might not have guessed all seven states, but I’m not surprised by any of them.

Interestingly, I found the article less interesting once I
realized that it contained no surprises. Most effective columns, like movies
and television shows, include a twist, an element that we didn’t see coming. If
a surprising state had made the list, the list would have been more memorable.

One of the reasons Jesus’ stories are so compelling is that
they contain this element of surprise. The problem is, his stories have become
so well-known that we can miss what his first hearers knew.

The surprise that changes everything

For instance, the “Parable of the Good Samaritan”
would have been a shocking title to a story in Jesus’ day. Samaritans were
considered half-breeds and infidels by Jews. A “Good Samaritan” would
be like a “Good Drug Dealer” or “Good Terrorist” to us. But
his story is so familiar that we think of Samaritans as “good” in a
way no one would have in his original audience.

It’s the same with his Parable of the Prodigal Son. For a
son to demand his inheritance before his father’s death was a shocking act of
disrespect in Jesus’ day. For that father then to welcome his rebellious son
home was just as shocking. We miss the surprise because the story is so
familiar.

Here’s the greatest shock of all: the holy God of the
universe loves you as much as he loves his Son. In John 17, Jesus prays to his
Father that “the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as
you loved me” (v. 23). “Even as” could be translated, “to
the same degree as.”

How can the Father possibly love us as much as he loves the Son?

Because he is love (1 John 4:8). This is his very nature. He loves us…