Mistaken

Back in Jesus’ day……. the people were looking for a savior.  Their Messiah.  The King that would conquer all kings, lift the oppression, and bring peace.

Isn’t that what we want as well??  Life is tough.  Exhausting.  Just plain hard.  Some of us struggle with addictions, crime, lust, anger….. some of us are the victims of all those and more.  Some battle health problems.  Others financial problems.  Then we hear of the Savior.  Our Messiah.  The One that will take all of this and more away…… lift the depressive oppression, and bring the peace we long for……

God promised a Messiah.  God promised peace.  God promised freedom.  And He sent Jesus.

The folks in Jesus’ time was looking for that knight in shining armor that would swoop down, whoop-up on the bad guys and make the world right in a very political manner.  Instead, God sent a baby.  A baby that will one day become the Lamb of God.  Very quietly.  Very subtle.  Not the vision they had in mind…….

But would you say that we are under that same mistaken impression?

We are told that once we accept Christ.  Clean up our act……  Go to church….. Serve a few meals to the homeless……. Write a weekly check to the church/charity of our choice…..  You get the idea.  If we do these things, life was going to be free of so much oppression, depression, and just old fashion yuckiness.

Ahem…..

I think we assumed too much just like those back in the New Testament days.  We are totally mistaken….. misinformed…..assuming waaaaayyyyy too much!!

Jesus is keeping God’s promise to us.  We just put up boundaries, create self-help fantasies, and even romanticize our rewards.  We’ve assumed too much.  Jesus didn’t die for me to pass the blame when I run into a little rough times.  I subconsciously do just that……. or at least I used to…….  I don’t hide the fact that I assumed that life would be a bed of roses.  I mean that is what I was told.

But God’s promise still holds true.  In a very subtle way.  Kinda like a beckoning…… I assumed He hasn’t  but He held and will hold to His promises.  His definition a different than my expectations.