The Unexpected People God Used to Fulfill His Great Promise

Dec 28

Dec 28 The Unexpected People God Used to Fulfill His Great Promise

An unexpected advent story

God promised the nation of Israel — His Chosen people — a magnificent gift. For thousands of years, Israel waited for the fulfillment of this promise. But when this promised gift came, it caught Israel by surprise.

We all react to surprises in different ways. Some of us hate surprises because they disrupt our plans or scare us. Others love the opportunity and wonder surprises bring.

We would expect the Jewish religious leaders to be most aware and prepared for their promised Messiah. Sadly, they were not. The Messiah and Savior of the world came in an unexpected way and did not measure up to their expectations.

When he came closer and saw the city, he began to cry. He said, “If you had only known today what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden, so you cannot see it. The time will come when enemy armies will build a wall to surround you and close you in on every side. They will level you to the ground and kill your people. One stone will not be left on top of another, because you didn’t recognize the time when God came to help you.” (Luke 19: 41–44, GW)
So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council. They asked, “What are we doing? This man is performing a lot of miracles. If we let him continue what he’s doing, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will take away our position and our nation.”
One of them, Caiaphas, who was chief priest that year, told them, “You people don’t know anything. You haven’t even considered this: It is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.” (John 11: 47–50, GW)

Thankfully, many others embraced God’s gracious gift of love when He sent His Son as a newborn into a family of no great importance.

This is God’s way. He delights in people who are not full of themselves or their own self-importance. God chose humble people to receive the LORD, who came in humble circumstances and lived in humility.

God used an unexpected cast of characters in the epic story of the advent of the Lord Jesus. The story we call Christmas.

Click here to continue reading— The Unexpected People God Used to Fulfill His Great Promise [This was originally published in Koinonia on Medium]