It’s been said that “Confirmation bias is everywhere once you know to look for it.” Confirmation bias is what happens when you pay attention to certain results because you were expecting them. We are more likely to notice stuff that supports what we already believe than stuff that goes against it. Perhaps it is an ironic topic to discuss in a confirmation class, but it came up tonight in more ways than one. 

We discussed prophecy tonight. In the Bible, prophecies are not clear, irrevocable predictions of the future. Jesus and his disciples use the word: fulfill (literally: fill fully), to talk about prophecy that has come to pass. This is because there are very few prophecies in the Bible that make their full meaning simple or obvious. Rather, it takes an event or a new teaching to “fill it full” so that we can clearly see why God used the words He did. 

For example, Daniel saw “one who looked like a son of man” who entered heaven and sat next to God. This didn’t make any sense to anyone and the Hebrews simply had to make their best guesses. Then Jesus arrived and began calling Himself the “Son of Man.” Jesus was a human son who is also able to reign as God - the meaning is filled up. We can now make sense of it. This is true all through the New Testament. Jesus “filled full” several snippets of prophecy which nobody understood. He was born of a virgin, He came out of Egypt, He rode a donkey, He cared about the Temple, He didn’t break any bones. The list goes on and on. 

This is where the skeptic might declare confirmation bias: “You think Jesus is special because he rode a donkey?” “I’ve never broken a bone, am I the Chosen one?” “Wasn’t all of Israel called out of Egypt?” “That verse about the virgin wasn’t even talking about the messiah!” The accusation is that Jesus seems to fulfill prophecy because we are looking hard and squeezing in things that don’t belong together. The students had a taste of this themselves when they played a scavenger hunt game which was really fun, matching Bible word cards to wacky categories. Not everything that was paired truly matched, but because we were trying to make matches we found connections. How do we refute this?

I fear I explained it poorly tonight, but I’d say that such a view fails to account for the way that Jesus “fills full” the entire Old Testament. It is hard to overcome confusion when you are told from the start that prophecy is confusing (the other place we saw confirmation bias). 

Jesus is the one who makes all of the Old Testament make sense. And because of Jesus, most of the Bible is not confusing. Once we understand who he is, passages that once seemed like gibberish are clearly about Him. This is why we read Isaiah 53 together. It describes a sufferer who dies for his people like a sheep. His violent punishment that he didn’t deserve is said to be for us. Then we learn that he will live to see future generations (even though he was killed). Jesus, who died and rose to save us all, made this make sense.

When Jesus came so many questions were answered, but Confirmation Bias cannot account for answers to questions we didn’t know to ask. Maybe that’s why God made His prophecy so darn confusing!

Anyone who’s spent time looking at Christian art knows that Jesus has been depicted in a lot of very different ways. Last night, our class contributed to this diversity as I asked everyone to draw us a picture of Jesus. Almost all of them had some combination of the same iconic elements. We had a lot of long brown hair, many beards, several welcoming smiles, and a few white robes and open arms for good measure. Why are these elements so common? Jesus almost certainly had short, dark hair. His skin was likely a sun-darkened olive color, his tunic would not have gone down farther than his knees and while an itinerant preacher would have no reason to shave, a beard was by no means a cultural necessity in his time. Still, artists have slowly built up an imagined image of Jesus which we all recognize today.
The stereotypical Jesus painting has the beard of a philosopher, the robes of a prophet, the hair of a ruling Roman god, the fair features of a young demigod, and the pale skin and blue eyes of the Europeans who first painted him this way. While we can scoff at this historically inaccurate image, there’s a lot we can learn from it. Jesus is a moral teacher with prophetic wisdom; He reigns in Heaven as the Lord of creation though He has become human and walked among everyday people.

It was also fun to compare some of the unique features of each person’s drawings. Corban’s had a more historical robe and was the only one with a halo. Owen had drawn a blond Jesus preaching on a mountain and holding a rainbow, separating scenes of war and peace. Frank drew a smiling Jesus with wild hair that had to be my favorite of the night. Gabriella’s was ordered and comforting, while Carmen’s was tan and ready for action. Francesca’s drawing had dark skin, deep eyes, and looked better than she realized.

Thankfully, every single drawing we make falls short of showing us what Jesus is like. His Truth is far too big for that. And yet, pondering who He is to each of us is valuable. We meditated a little on Colossians 1:15-20 and Philippians 2:5-11. If you haven’t read these beautiful passages recently I encourage you to do so. They express Paul’s vision of who Christ is both as the Risen Lord and as the Word of God who has existed from the beginning. These claims blow past any notion of Christ as “just a great moral teacher” or “a wise role model.” He is these things, but as we come to know Him as Paul did we see that He is more.

In the coming months we hope to study the implications of this life-changing truth.

Last night we played a game called "Jesus or Sus?" Flashing on the screen were quotes and players had to guess whether or not each quote was from Jesus. Some of them were more challenging than others. To paraphrase one student: "If it sounds wise, I'm just going to assume Jesus said it." Unfortunately, it isn't so simple. Lots of people say things that are wise. What sets Jesus apart are the things he said that sound crazy.

After our game, this was what we discussed. We had everyone find a Jesus quote of their choice in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. We considered different worldly perspectives on Jesus and who He was. Then we looked at who He claimed to be. In the words of Simon Peter: "You are the Christ, Son of the Living God!"

Christian author C. S. Lewis described a famous trilemma that everyone must face when considering the words of Jesus: liar, lunatic, or Lord. When someone claims to be God's Son or Israel's Anointed King - there are only three things that could be true about them. Either they are purposely deceiving everyone, they are downright crazy, or they are telling the truth.

Towards the end of the class we looked at Jesus' mission statements in each of the four Gospels. All four of these passages are presented as Jesus' first public teaching in their respective books.

• “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. " (Matthew 5:17 )

• "The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) 

• “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

In these four statements, Jesus claimed to be a Law Fulfiller, a Kingdom Builder, a Land Healer, and a World Saver. Each of these statements is extreme to say the least.

Suddenly the fact that the rest of His sayings seem so wise should give us pause - they don't sound like the words of a madman. Nor do they seem like those of an evil mastermind. Ignore these big claims and Jesus seems like one of the most sane, least evil people in history. But He claimed to be so much more and we can't ignore this. Rather, we are invited to believe these claims and trust Him.

- Jashton Gieser

Last night I was treated to a unique sight. Our confirmation crew had been tasked with sorting 66 books into seven categories without using any words. The resulting challenge felt like something off of the show Survivor and yet, it was the Bible these kids were getting excited about. 

As we discussed last night, the Bible is actually a collection of books and these different books contain different genres of writing. While the Law lays out a plan for how God’s people were supposed to live, the History books tell a story of their actual disobedience. The Prophets then respond to these events with further words from God, while the Wisdom and Poetry books give a more human perspective. These Old Testament books form a picture of God’s efforts to reach out to humanity despite our resistance. 

The New Testament is all about Jesus Christ and is composed of writing by apostles and eyewitnesses. It includes four Gospels describing the life of Jesus, one last History book describing the Acts of the Holy Spirit, and then a collection of Letters sent to churches and leaders with insights into life in Christ. The Bible ends with one final Prophecy describing how Christians should face times of persecution and doubt.

Students last night were able to explore this overview in a hands-on way, handling individual books as actual books and comparing them in their categories. 

It is our hope that every student owns a physical Bible. If you do not, please let us know so we can get you one! We also recommend downloading the YouVersion Bible App (a scripture based, Christian social media platform). 

The Bible is an odd Holy Book; it is collaborative, written by 40+ authors over a period of over a thousand years. When we say the Bible is the Word of God it is because we see the effects that these books have had on the lives of countless individuals when brought together. Faith in Christ expands the value of these writings, faith in these writings expands our faith in Christ. The Christians who have done the most for God’s Kingdom are usually ones who have also treasured the Bible. 

So I encourage you all to read it. Find a genre you like and start from there.

-Jashton Gieser

Our first Confirmation Class last night went well. I hope to get in the pattern of sending an email recap each week that we have class in order to allow parents to stay informed and to catch any of the students up to speed who were late or missed class. I will also be posting these recaps here as a blog post.

Our lesson began with an activity in which students had to rate how much they agreed with different statements (using candy), beginning with an assortment of shower thoughts and moving into a survey of the Apostle’s Creed. Overall, I saw a group that thinks deeply and believes the basics of our Faith, but is also honest enough to admit that some of the things we affirm in the creed are confusing and will need to be explored. As we mentioned last night, everything in that creed will be discussed over the course of this class.

I also praised the kids who were there because they are embarking on what I see as a step into discipleship. To use the words of Bonhoeffer, they are putting themselves in a position where faith is possible. If we try to know Jesus but live the same way we’ve always lived, the same way everyone around us lives, it is hard to ever fully believe Him. Jesus’ first followers paid a high cost to follow him (leaving behind everything to go with him), but in a sense, once they made this choice to leave their lives behind, following Jesus became simpler than ever. Now that we’ve decided to attend this class twice a month, we’re in a place where exploring belief is far easier than usual. These acts of following are what we call discipleship and it is what we will continue to explore together.

We also hope to make it the start of something lasting. Emily, my co-teacher, shared her testimony last night and reflected on how Confirmation classes can often load you up with information and then leave you on your own. When this information doesn’t match with the darkness of reality it can be soul crushing. We do not want this to be a class that has all the answers, but a class that can introduce our students into the mature life of faith which wrestles with questions together.

It is important to note that the result of this class for anyone who is seeking it is full membership at ERC. Either way, this class will culminate with all students composing personal statements of faith expressing what they believe. 

- Jashton