God comes to us in unexpected, sometimes strange ways. The Jewish people who lived 2000 years ago
were expecting a Messiah to come, were looking for and longing for the Messiah.
They were certainly not expecting the kind of Messiah who came. First, remember
the person who came to announce that the Messiah was coming.
“ In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the
wilderness of Judea,"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was spoken of by the
prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'" Now John wore a
garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was
locusts and wild honey.” Mat 3:1-4
Those who knew Scripture expected that someone would come
before the Messiah who would announce his coming. But, not someone like this.
In the wilderness, apart from the religious and political
center of Israel.
Not in the temple. John was the son of a priest, in the
priestly line, expected to be a priest.
Not wearing the commanded priestly clothes. He wore camel’s
hair and leather. He probably didn’t smell like a priest, either! And, he ate
locusts and honey. Not the diet of an important person such as he.
He was nothing that the people were expecting.
What did he preach? “Repent.”
Repent-literally means to change your mind, change your way
of thinking
The Greek word is compounded of the preposition μετά, after, with; and the
verb νοέω, to perceive, and
to think, as the result of perceiving or observing. In this compound the
preposition combines the two meanings of time and change, which
may be denoted by after and different; so that the whole compound
means to think differently after.
Why? Because the
kingdom of heaven is near
Israel was a great kingdom under the great king David,
prosperous, strong, feared. Under his son, Solomon it continued to prosper and
grow. After Solomon there was a civil war and the kingdom split. From that
time, the nation struggled. Finally, the nation was conquered, and for 600 or
more years, was under control by a foreign power. At the time of John, Rome ruled Israel.
The prophets in the OT spoke many times about a man who
would come someday and become king, restore the kingdom.
The people were looking for, longing for, this man who would
come and overthrow the rule of the hated Romans, who would restore the nation
of Israel, who would set on the throne of David and make Israel free and great
again. John used a unique term. “Kingdom of heaven” is only used in Matthew. Matthew
was the gospel written by a Jewish man for the Jewish people more than the
other gospels. Jews were looking for the kingdom to come.
John came saying, “You’ve got it wrong. You have got to
change your whole way of thinking. Your looking for the wrong kind of king, and
the wrong kind of kingdom. This new kingdom is not the earthly kingdom you are
expecting, but a heavenly kingdom.”
The Jewish people then, and most people now, are looking for
the wrong kind of Messiah, wrong kind of king and wrong kind of kingdom. We want to see God come and change things
here, on earth, now. We want to see political, social, cultural changes so that
our lives will be more pleasant and easier. We need to hear John’s voice. We
need to repent, to look instead for the king who is “at hand.” Near to us,
ready to be King Jesus in our hearts and our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment