The Unlikely Messiah

Scripture Reading: John 7:1-52, Isaiah 9:1, Matthew 7:28-29, Luke 4:20-24

When I try to do math, I am often embarrassed that I can’t quite figure it out. I’m a words girl; numbers are a foreign language, and no matter how much I try, they just don’t compute. I often wish God would open my eyes and give me an automatic understanding of percentages, interest rates, and all of that real-world knowledge that requires a good grasp of numbers.

There are things we just might not be wired to understand easily, and then there are things that take a little divine direction to get us on track. The unlikely Messiah in today’s reading, unlike my still growing gift for mathematics, is something God Himself came to earth to help us grasp.

This carpenter from Nazareth carried Himself with an otherworldly confidence. There was something about Jesus, something different and unexplainable. But it didn’t make sense—He came from Mary and Joseph, and they had watched Him grow up. How was He fit to read the scrolls? And to teach from them?

Yet there was Jesus, speaking in a way that fueled, and fed hungry hearts. He was misunderstood and mistaken, and even His own brothers had a hard time believing in His divinity (John 7:2–5). Jesus had a mission and stuck with it, even when it seemed upside down.

At His words, the religious leaders were disgusted; the crowds were astonished. He was either stark crazy and a liar or actually the Son of God and Messiah. There was no in-between. But through all the differing opinions, Jesus remained secure in His identity and authority. He shared over and over that what He taught came from God, much to the Jews’ dismay. He spoke in words many could not fathom, though Jesus unfolded truth before them. He spoke of streams of living water, of being sent by the Father, and He challenged the Pharisees for contradicting their own laws and relying more on regulation than God. What couldn’t be explained about the wonder of Jesus could only come from God.

The people were looking for a Messiah who looked and acted a certain way. They believed He would come with power and political aim. But they didn’t know to look deeper and open their hearts to believe God may have been making a completely new way.

Does Jesus strike a chord deep within our souls? When we read about Him, does His teaching draw us to know Him more? Do we see Him as an interesting teacher or true Messiah?

While Jesus made it clear He is the Son of God and ushered in a new kingdom through His authority, life, death, and resurrection, He invites us to explore all He has said and done. Let’s look to Him as the answer to our hearts’ longing—even when it might look different than what we thought. The way of this unlikely Messiah is so much better than we might first think.

Written by Sarah Freymuth