Day 2...Outcast...Savior

Day 2 of our Lenten reading through the Gospels in 40 days.  Hopefully today you joined me in reading Matthew 3&4. One of my favorite men in the Bible is introduced in Matthew 3.

Matthew 3 

In chapter 1 we saw that God uses the unlikely for His purposes. Again in chapter 3 we see God's handiwork in the life of an outcast, a rebel, simply put John the Baptist was one strange dude! He was all around eccentric. John wore the cloths of an outcast from a poor nomadic tribe. He rocked his camel hair clock and leather belt, and dined on such delicacies as locusts and honey!  Here's the deal John was the man chosen by God to usher in the Messiah, and he fit none of the standards of society! John was not a deacon, an elder, an usher, or any other pew filler. John didn't own Sunday bests nor was he poetic and politically correct with his words.

In fact John called out cultural Christianity! He called those associated with the temple children of serpents! He drilled in on the fact that being a member of church meant nothing and attending church to be pleasing to God so you could avoid the coming wrath was asinine. John represented what Christ would call His followers to do, break free from humanity's call to comfort and status quo! John prepares the way for Jesus to challenge those who wanted to follow Him to confront their expectations and assumptions! It's a radical call!

Matthew 4  

First of all we see Jesus fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. This corresponds with Israels experience of 40 years of testing in the wilderness. The difference Jesus endured His testing triumphantly and obediently. Here's the deal. How many times have you known where you needed to be, you knew what the future was going to hold and you looked for every short cut possible to get there? We are trained early on to take the path of least resistance and to pursue instant gratification. Look what Satan does in his last ditch effort to make the Messiah stumble, "the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "all these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."

Satan tries to give Jesus a shortcut to His future reign. This shortcut would allow Jesus to avoid all that would come on the cross. All He had to do was exchange the love of the father for the worship of Satan. All these I will give you was a lie. Often we want the shortcut or the easier path but it's all a lie. The only plan the will get us to our final destination is the plan laid out by the Creator of the Universe! 

Also, Jesus can not simply be a good teacher, a good communicator, a prophet, or any other title that those who don't acknowledge Him as the ONLY WAY give! If He was just another religious man who walked the earth and did some pretty impressive teaching then He is also a liar. Jesus can not be both! He either was and is the one true God or He was a liar. Look what He says in Matthew 4:17 "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

God and the entire kingdom of heaven enters humanity in the person of Jesus! This is His first public proclamation of His identity and if it is not true than nothing that follows has any significance.