Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God, which he promised before hand through the prophets in the holy scriptures. Romans 1:2
Nearly every time Paul gave a defense for the Gospel, he didn’t start with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Since most of his accusers were Jewish leaders, he was intent on showing them that Jesus was connected to their scriptures, the fulfillment of their law. The Torah, which they embraced and knew front to back, had predicted his coming. God was not only the Alpha and Omega, but the God of the in-between. Nothing was random, nothing was haphazard, but each event in history a meticulously conceived plan according to the wisdom of a Sovereign God.
Why was this important to the Jews? Because it’s hard for any of us to completely leave everything familiar and embark on something new. And it wasn’t necessary where the Jews were concerned. They had in their hands (the Torah and the writings of the prophets) the complete revelation of Jesus Christ. To believe on Him was to complete their faith, to be as Abraham looking ahead for the Lamb of God and finding Him in Jesus.
God is the consummate storyteller. The revelation of Jesus in Bethlehem was connected to the plot line in Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. Everything in between followed the story line.
In God’s plot line, there is no such thing as ‘wasted’. Not even our mistakes. Though we know the end of the story revealed in Scripture, the redemptive twists and turns take us by surprise. May I not be like the Jews who failed to recognize Jesus when He stood in front of them. As He orders the events of my day, I ask for the eyesight to see His fingerprints.
After all these years, I am beginning to love my storyline. It is interwoven with Yours, with the cross. Amen
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