Missing the Messiah

I was at Wonderland rehearsal on Saturday morning. Wonderland is New Life's annual Christmas production. It's huge. Literally there are hundreds of people involved. It can be a bit....um, long, at best, however during the all too familiar "Nativity scene", I was struck by something so profound, almost to the point of tears, as the "wise men" brought gifts to the baby Jesus.

The majority of the world missed the Messiah. With the exception of a few shepherds, and a couple of wise men, the world missed the single most important event in its history. The all-powerful God, sent His Son, a picture of Himself, in human form to the world, and we missed it. We missed in part, because we didn’t expect the King of the universe to send His son to a crappy little town and ordain for him to be born in a barn. But I think the biggest reason we missed it, is the reason I wanted to cry on Saturday.

And the reason is, we did not recognize Him. The God that the Jews had been serving for thousands of years, who had promised them a Messiah, whom they believed they knew intimately, at last fulfills that promise, and most of them had no idea.

If you read through some of the Old Testament books, Deuteronomy for example, God seems to be rather strict, driven by rules and regulations, and easily angered. In those days, if you married a woman and found out later that she wasn’t a virgin, you had every right to take her out and stone her.

How could that be the same God who, when presented with a woman caught in adultery, says to onlookers, “You who is without sin, cast the first stone” and then proceeds to tell her that she is free to go? No wonder the Jews didn’t recognize Him! To them he seemed heretical! Yet somehow, it was the same God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

But this causes me to stop and think: “Would I have recognized Him?” I know I get so caught up in my safe little version of Christianity, a world in which I follow the rules and things generally go ok. I go to church, sing in the choir, work at a Christian radio station, and live my life as if I really know who Jesus is. But do I really? Do I have so many preconceived notions, but in reality, have no idea who He really is? Would I recognize the Messiah if I met Him on the street tomorrow? Or would I just think He was crazy, and in no way fitting in my box of “safe Christianity”? Would I even think Jesus was a Christian? Or would I be ready to crucify him along with the rest of the “crazies”?

I think I’m ready to meet the real Jesus. Whoever that is. However “unsafe” He might be. However much He may not fit into my box.