Saturday, January 26, 2013
Matthew 4:13-16 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light ..."
UNEXPECTED, BUT PERFECT
When others thought Jesus would step into John's shoes, Jesus withdrew from Judea and went to Galilee. Unexpected, but perfect. In doing so Jesus fulfilled prophecy and brought the Good News to a region that sorely needed it.
Later, when others thought Jesus should stay away from Judea, Jesus would go to it. When Jesus knew His enemies were plotting murder, He purposefully went to Jerusalem. Jesus had the Father's plans in mind, not the plans of men. When all was said and done, our sins had been paid for, washed away by the blood of Christ's cross.
One takeaway is this: Even though nobody at the time knew what Jesus was doing, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies made about the Savior in the Old Testament. In this way, Jesus was testifying to the generations to come that He truly is the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.
But there's another point worth noting here: Don't second guess God. Don't question His wisdom when His word is clear. God's plan for Jesus didn't match up with what people thought He should be doing. Why should God's plan for Jesus' followers match up with what people think we should be doing? When God's word is clear, let's just follow it, and see what happens. When He says go, let's go. When He says speak, let's speak. When He says trust, let's trust. Let the history of Christ's life, death, resurrection and ascension to glory be the thing that reassures you that even though God's plan may work out in a way that is unexpected, it will certainly work out in a way that is perfect.
