JANUARY 15 READING…MATTHEW 11
Jesus and John the baptizer were two different individuals. To be sure, they both had the same mission, and were both sent by God. But, they approached their ministry in two distinct and different ways. John was the forerunner to Jesus…he was a Nazarite, which meant he did not cut his hair, nor did he drink anything that came from the vine. His primary sermon topic was, “repent for the kingdom of God is at hand”. He lived in the Judean desert, and wore rough clothing while eating locust and wild honey. Jesus lived in and around the community of the Galilee…He did not refrain from eating a normal Jewish diet, nor did He refrain from drinking the fruit of the vine. He came to reveal the Father, and to proclaim that the kingdom of God was now among mankind. Two distinct individuals, both rejected by the people they were sent to. They made fun of John and his lifestyle, and they called Jesus a glutton and a winebibber for His lifestyle. They rejected the messages of both John and Jesus. It is important that we understand that the reason for the world then, and now, to reject the messages of John, Jesus, and the church, is because mankind hates God. Oh, they will tell you that they love God, but the truth is they only love a god that they have conjured up in their vane imaginations. The world has no love lost for the one true God of the Bible. Those that both John and Jesus were sent to rejected them…they were actually rejecting God. Israel proclaimed their desire was to have their Messiah, but when He came, and when His prophet came, they rejected them both. They did this because they, like so many today, only want a Messiah/God that they can control…not One who is actually Lord and God of their life.
Please share your thoughts.
TOMORROW’S READING…MATTHEW 12