Okay, so what do you think? Are you crazy? Are you a misfit? Are you 'one of those'? I don't know about you, but I often wish I was more crazy (although some would say I am already!), more of a misfit (again, some would say... well, you get the drift), etc. But every now and then, are you like me and you just see something, oh, differently than most, or wonder why something ISN'T being done when, to you, it just makes SO much sense to do it, or... a million other things that might just qualify you as 'one of those'!
And the Bible... you know, the Bible is absolutely chock-full of "crazy ones", "misfits", "rebels", "troublemakers", and "round pegs in square holes". Full of people who saw things differently, and yearned to see things done differently. And the chief of all these was... yes, you know it... Jesus! Yuppers! Now put your stones down and read something from the Bible, something we all should read... a lot...
Isaiah 53:12
He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
The prophet Isaiah was speaking about Jesus. Jesus - the Son of God - the one who came to earth as a baby and, taking all our wrongdoing on Himself, died a horrible death. Jesus, the rebel. How in the world is anyone able to conclude this of this... this... Jesus?
Jesus entered into world history and turned everything upside-down. Seriously, He did. Jesus took what the people of the day considered the 'status quo', and told them there was a different way of doing things. Well, not only a different way of doing things, but a different way of looking at things. In other words, His way. And Jesus all but told the people that it was either His way or the highway! Okay, not in so many words, but He did say we are to honour Him, worship Him, listen and obey Him, pray to Him, and basically surrender our lives to Him. You know, your typical grocery-list of demands, right? NOT! No idols, no doing things their own way, no listening to what others say, etc. I say it again: Jesus was a rebel. Jesus IS a rebel.
And because He is, change has happened, and continues to happen. And because He is, we have the hope that, if we believe He is the Son of God, and ask Him to live in our hearts, we will live forever with Him:
John 3:16
For God SO loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life.
That's it! And that's what makes this so... well, different. Because we have a hope in Him, which is both a present reality (living with/for Him on earth) and a future hope (living forever with Him in heaven). And all this because of a rebel, a misfit, a crazy guy who came with a head full of different thoughts and a heart full of different love. For this, we thank Him. For this, we praise Him. Jesus - rebel with a cause! Amen!
PRAYER
God, thank you for the amazing gift of your Son Jesus - rebel, misfit, whatever. Thank you for loving us so much to give Him to us, so that we might get to spend forever with you. Thank you for this 'square peg in a round hole', because without Him, there is nothing!
Amen.
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