Lenten Daily Devotional 2021
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Day 16: God's Anointed Messiah
"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
John 7:38 (NIV)
John 7:38 (NIV)
The question being asked in John 7 is one of the most important questions anyone could ever ask. Is Jesus the Christ? As a teenager, I thought Christ was Jesus’ last name. Much later I came to understand that Christ is a title meaning Messiah in Hebrew and Anointed One in Greek.
When we conclude that Jesus is the Christ as John tells us in chapter 20, we are acknowledging that he is God’s anointed Messiah. We, as Christians, easily respond with a loud YES, Jesus is the Christ but the crowd John describes has doubts. For many, Jesus did not fit their vision of what the Messiah would do or look like. He was from the wrong place. They knew him as a man. Maybe a good man and teacher but still a man. Their religious leaders saw Jesus as a trouble maker. A few saw his works as the works of the Messiah.
When I think about this, that many people rejected Jesus as Messiah because he did not “fit the mold,” I have to ask myself how many times I have incorrectly relied on my preconceived notions and ignored God’s truth. I pray that God will provide me the understanding necessary to follow His truth.
–Roe Darnell
When we conclude that Jesus is the Christ as John tells us in chapter 20, we are acknowledging that he is God’s anointed Messiah. We, as Christians, easily respond with a loud YES, Jesus is the Christ but the crowd John describes has doubts. For many, Jesus did not fit their vision of what the Messiah would do or look like. He was from the wrong place. They knew him as a man. Maybe a good man and teacher but still a man. Their religious leaders saw Jesus as a trouble maker. A few saw his works as the works of the Messiah.
When I think about this, that many people rejected Jesus as Messiah because he did not “fit the mold,” I have to ask myself how many times I have incorrectly relied on my preconceived notions and ignored God’s truth. I pray that God will provide me the understanding necessary to follow His truth.
–Roe Darnell
Prayer Focus: For Pastor Tim & Gina. For wisdom and guidance as they follow God's lead.
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