The Wonder of Jesus

 

READ Luke 1-4

I’ve read the Bible daily for years, but God always shows me what I’d not noticed before. Today was no exception.

The angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:13–17)

Note: Only the Holy Spirit gives power to turn people to God, fathers to their children, rebels to wisdom, and can prepare people to meet Jesus.

“And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” (1:20)

Note: If I don’t believe God will fill and use me, it will affect my ability to tell others about Jesus.

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God . . . . you will . . . bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus . . . . He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” . . . . “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people . . . that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us . . . to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness. (1: 30–33; 68–71; 72–75)

Note: The Jews supposed their Messiah would give them deliverance from enemy oppression. Only a few considered what Zachariah said to John: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins . . . .” which John did: “He went . . . proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins . . . .” (3:3–6)

The devil said to (Jesus), “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread . . . . To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will . . . . If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here . . . .” (4:3-9)

Note: These lies correspond to false ideas of what Jesus will do for those who submit to Him: such as we will never be without anything, will be able to do all we want, and be protected even in our foolishness.

“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 . . . .” (4:18)

Note: We resist taking good news to people in poverty, prison, darkness, and oppression, preferring our own social groups — the opposite of why He came.

And in the synagogue, there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God” . . . . And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. (4: 33–34; 41)

Note: Many people, including ‘Christian’ cults and those who attend church have no clue who Jesus really is, but the demons know. Why does sin keep us from realizing His identity but fallen angels are not blind to who Jesus is? Could it be our false expectations? Could it be a fear of His rule being ‘no fun’ or too harsh? Or are millions so busy or too content running their own lives to consider Him?

I know that salvation from sin happens only by God. All of it. Sin separates us from Him. It ruins my fellowship when I rely on my own way. Only God can turn me to Himself. People will say, “I came to Christ” but in reality, no one chooses Him — He chooses us and then enables us to choose Him.