The Encourager
“The Expectations about Jesus”
The Expectations about Jesus
by Jeff Curtis
When the Old Testament prophesied about the coming of the Messiah, the Jewish world had certain expectations of what this Messiah would be and what he would do. They eagerly waited for this Messiah from God.
By the time Jesus finally came, anticipation about the coming of the Messiah was at an extremely high level. This can be seen in the excitement of Simeon and Anna, who welcomed the baby Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:25-38). Simeon had been looking for “the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). Anna talked about Jesus “to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).
The coming of the Messiah was evidently a popular subject of discussion. Details of His life were known: He would be a descendant of David (Matt. 22:42); He would be born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:5,6; John 7:42). Tied in with the discussion concerning the Messiah was speculation about His forerunner (John 1:21; Matt.16:14). False Messiahs had apparently arisen, fanning the hopes of the people. Jesus told His disciples that this would happen after His departure (Matt. 24:23-24), and most scholars believe it also happened before His birth.
With all the anticipation of His coming, the words of John may be hard to understand: “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). The rejection of Jesus by the Jews in general and by Jewish leaders in particular is a prominent theme in the New Testament (Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 17:25; Acts 4:11; 1Peter 2:4,7). Why was Jesus not accepted as the long-awaited Messiah?
Basically, Jesus was rejected because He didn’t fit the Jews’ preconceived concept of the Messiah. The Old Testament taught that the Messiah was to be a God-sent King (Isa. 9:6-7) from the royal line of David (Psa. 89:3-4). The Old Testament also taught that the Messiah was to be a suffering servant (Psa. 22:1-21; Isa. 53:1-12), but prophecies of this nature were largely ignored. It was clear in the minds of the Jewish people that they needed a strong political and military leader to defeat the Romans and re-establish the kingdom of Israel as it had been in the days of David and Solomon. A Christ who said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36) would not do. Jesus was a “round peg” that didn’t fit into the “square hole” that His people had conceived for the Messiah.
Regarding the world into which Jesus came, we will conclude by looking at the prophecy that the Messiah would grow up “like a root out of parched ground” (Isa. 53:2). God had prepared for His coming (Gal. 4:4), but the hearts of the people were still like parched, dry earth. From this inhospitable environment, Christ would come. Nevertheless, the religion of Jesus would ultimately grow and spread throughout the world.
Stay-Hope Order
by Heath Rogers
I was sending a message to a preacher friend in the Philippines this week and spoke of the non-official “stay-home order” given by our governor to help curb the spread of the corona virus. However, when typing in my message, I accidentally wrote the words “stay-hope.” While I quickly made the correction, I got to thinking - hasn’t God given us a “stay-hope” order for this pandemic?
The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were tired of suffering for their new faith and wanted to return to observing the Law of Moses. The writer exhorted them to weather the temporary storm of suffering and remain faithful to Christ.
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:19-20).
An anchor is thrown into the water and fixed on something solid. This connection keeps the boat from drifting off course or crashing into the rocks.
Hope is our anchor. Confident expectation of receiving God’s protection and God’s promises keeps us from being blown off course and shipwrecking our faith during the storms of life. Our hope keeps us connected to God, because it is anchored to “the Presence behind the veil” (the very presence of God in Heaven).
This pandemic rages on, but God’s “stay-hope” order remains. Maintain a firm grip on your anchor and keep your harbor light shining. This storm will end.
