ASSUMING IS DANGEROUS

“On hearing His words, some of the people said, ‘Surely this man is the Prophet.’ Others said, ‘He is the Messiah.’ Still others asked, ‘How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?’ Thus, the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.” John 7:40-45 (NIV).

Just as Jesus said it would be!

He once asked His disciples what people were saying about Him. It was the same there as here – divided opinions. Some said this, some said that and others said something else. There were those who recognized that there was something different about Him and were willing to go as far as to acknowledge that He could be the Prophet Moses spoke about in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The Lord will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to Him.”

Others saw someone greater than just a prophet. They were prepared to go as far as to say that He was the Messiah. Did that mean that they understood the nature of the Messiah? I don’t think so. Like the disciples, they had their hopes pinned on someone who would rid them of the Romans and ease their load of everyday struggles just to make a living and survive.

The majority dismissed Him as a fake and a deceiver and would have grabbed Him and handed Him over to the authorities if they could. Their argument was that He did not measure up to Old Testament prophecy, or so they thought. Had they only dug a little deeper, they would have been shocked to learn that He was the perfect fit to the prophetic blueprint which they thought they knew so well.

Their reason for dismissing Him was that He came from Galilee. Wrong! That may have been where He grew up, but it was not His birthplace as we all know so well. And, unknown to them, He was of the royal line of David. Galilee also featured in the prophetic blueprint. “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphthali, but in the future He will honour Galilee of the nations, by Way of the sea, beyond the Jordan.” Isaiah 9:1 (NIV).

In Isaiah’s magnificent prophetic vision ,he saw the coming of a child (Isaiah 9:6) who would bring light to His people as far afield as Galilee, the northern province that bordered on Gentile territory and was constantly subject to invasion from the north. He would bring in the righteous rule of God, carrying the government on His shoulders and bringing light and peace where there had been darkness and war.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.” Isaiah 9:6, 7 (NIV).

O yes, they knew the Scriptures. They knew what the Messiah would do, but they just could not connect Jesus to that glorious expectation and make a match! How tragic that they set their sights on a political deliverer and failed to see in Jesus someone much greater than that.

It is unfortunate that many believers have the same tendency to see Jesus as the panacea for all their ills. Instead of going to the Bible for an accurate picture of who He is, they make assumptions and place expectations on Him that He will not fulfil. This perspective is dangerous because it leads to disappointment and disillusionment which hurts them and reflects back on Him.

Jesus did not come to give us cushy lives. He came to reveal the nature of the Father and to reconcile us to the Father through His shed blood so that we can get back on track with the Father’s cosmic plan. The ultimate end is that the whole universe will, in union with Him, reflect the Father’s glory.

It’s all about Him, not about us.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.