He’s not the Messiah
‘Then, if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!” – do not believe it. For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear; they will perform great miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God’s chosen people if possible. Listen! I have told you this ahead of time.’ (verses 23-25)
Read Matthew 24:15-31
‘Hey, guess what’, the young man said, his voice tingling with excitement, ‘the Messiah has come back’. We’d only just met and he wanted to let me in on his big secret.
Every year there seems to be someone in the news claiming to be the Messiah. Some will even back their claim with great words of wisdom or perform miraculous deeds. Their call is usually the same, ‘Come and follow me’. Their followers think they are part of the privileged few to come in contact with God.
Jesus warns us not to be fooled. When he comes again, everyone will know about it. It won’t be a secret. Jesus will not need to perform in front of TV cameras so that everyone will see him. He will not have to prove to us that he is the Messiah.
Don’t bother running after people who claim to be the Messiah. Your mission isn’t to try to predict when and where he will appear. You don’t have to worry about missing the boat. Jesus doesn’t expect you to go out and find him; he’ll come and find you.
Dear Lord, may I keep waiting patiently for you. Allow me to recognise your voice when you call me to come home. Amen.
by Jorg Ernst in ‘Renewed Hope for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2000)
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