And He, the Christ, was like a foreigner among us…
To the Gentile, he was Jew, “The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a bring from me, a woman of Samaria?’ (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans),” John 4:9.
But to the Jew, he was too Gentile, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’…” Matthew 11:19.
As the Son of Man we couldn’t accept His divinity, “…and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph an simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at him,” Matthew 13:54-47.
As the Son of God we couldn’t accept His humanity, “Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him…. .Then all the disciples left him and fled,” Matthew 26:50-56.
Jesus, He who had come to reconcile all things in Himself, was completely foreign to us. We did not understand Him. Like a foreigner, He had no real or lasting rights in the midst of us unless we chose to give Him rights… .and we did not. “…And as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death..” Isaiah 53:8-9. He was given the respect of a cut off foreigner, a desperately wicked soul, a greedy rich man at His death.
And yet, He has become the hope of foreigners! The Redeemer of all their estrangement… “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minster to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servant… .these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house…” Isaiah 56:6-7. He who has been a foreigner among us has become the Goel of foreigners. He will restore the rights and heritage of the foreigner.
In Him are our Redemptive Streets of Gold…
This is good, thanks.
ReplyDeleteJohn 1:11-13 (New International Version)
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Blessings Jonny!
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