Jesus Christ. The Son of God. We love and respect him, and rightfully so. There are churches all over the world where people dedicate everything to Jesus. Today, he can come up in casual conversation and usually, nobody bats an eye. And if he came back today riding on a cloud, people would probably roll out the red carpet. Christians today often imagine Jesus being treated in this way…royalty that everyone adores. However, looking back at the first time Jesus walked the earth, do you think he received the same warm welcome? Jesus even referred to himself as a prophet without honor. Why do you think that is?
Jesus’ First Coming
In Matthew 13:53-58, we see an account of Jesus returning to his hometown and teaching in the synagogue. How do you think he was treated? You may already know, but Jesus was not the most popular guy at the time. This was the reaction of those who heard him:
Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
Matthew 13:55
The Bible says they took offense at him. (Matthew 13:57)
I watched this kid grow up. I watched him play with his siblings and work with his father. And now he wants to teach me about Scripture? He says he’s the Son of God? His father was Joseph! Who does he think he is? Wouldn’t they have had thoughts like these?
The Savior Is Someone I Know??
Try to put yourself in their shoes. Would you be able to look past 30 years of knowing Jesus as a normal person and then accept him as the Son of God? Someone you’ve known their whole life. Think of your closest sibling, cousin, or friend. This is the person you played hide and seek with, got into trouble with, comforted when they had a hard time.
You were there for all their important life moments. First job, graduation, first relationship. And now they’re standing before you claiming to be the savior of our time. Yeah, funny joke, you’d say. Do you really need that much attention? How long would you let the ‘joke’ go on for before you start to worry? It’s not funny anymore. Just drop it. You plead, but they are completely serious.
But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”
Matthew 13:57
Now we can see why the people who watched Jesus grow up did not have faith in him as the Messiah. We can see why Jesus was considered ‘a prophet without honor’ in his own home and hometown. All of those things clouded the real evidence from people’s eyes and made it so they had little faith. So what is the evidence to prove that Jesus actually was sent by God?
How Do We Know that Jesus was the Messiah?
The Old Testament, especially the books of prophecy from Isaiah to Malachi, contain all the promises God gave to His people for the future. They gave the promise of the Messiah and told God’s people what the Messiah would do ahead of time. Where he would be born, what would happen to him, where he would begin his ministry, and details of his death. These promises were all given ahead of time so that God’s people would be able to recognize it when they came true and actually happened.
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
Amos 3:7
For example, I tell you I’m going to take a trip abroad next year. I’m going to another country in order to learn about the culture and get inspiration for art. So, later, when you see pictures of a foreign land on my social media, you’ll recognize that I did what I said I was going to do. I went abroad. However, if I never told you in advance about my intentions, you may wonder. Did she go abroad? If so, why? When? Or are these just pictures from the internet?
Believing in Jesus = Believing in God’s Promise
In this same way, God’s promises are given beforehand so that his people recognize His work when it happens. God wanted them to know the prophecies about the Messiah and believe that Jesus was the fulfillment of them.
Although it would have been hard to accept Jesus as the Messiah despite growing up with him, the proof that he really was the Son of God was right there in front of them. By fulfilling all the prophecies made hundreds of years before, Jesus proved that God was with him. This is the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah.
Today, we have the benefit of hindsight. We didn’t have to look at Jesus, whom we grew up with, in the eye, and try to see him as the Son of God. However, this doesn’t mean the Christians of today are without challenge.
Jesus is Coming Back
Before he left, Jesus made a promise that he would return to finish the work of salvation (Hebrews 9:28). Moreover, he promised to send the Spirit to teach his people and lead them into all truth (John 16:13). If you look into the gospels and even Revelation, Jesus spoke in parables and used figurative language. And he did that to hide their true meaning until a specific time when the Spirit would come and explain everything plainly to people (Matthew 13:10-11).
“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language, but will tell you plainly about my Father.
John 16:25
As people who are waiting for these promises to be kept, we should consider how God and Jesus would work at that time.
A Prophet Without Honor Part 2?
How do you think Jesus will come back? We often imagine his return as that of a superstar’s homecoming, but since Jesus came to the Jewish people in a way most did not recognize, do you think it would be any different for his second coming?
Since he promised to send the Spirit, and spirits work through people, what if he came back as someone you knew growing up? Would it be another prophet without honor situation? It would be hard to believe, right?
But more than this, we must learn how to verify if it’s really him. Not brushing it aside because we find it impossible but checking the Bible to see if the words and actions are the same as God’s promises. To do this, we must be familiar with the prophecies written in the Bible for our time.
So here’s a test for yourself: If someone claimed to be the actual fulfillment of God’s promises for the second coming, would you be able to confirm their claim using the Bible? And would you be able to believe it?
Written by Samantha
Read more about what it would’ve been like at the time of Jesus’s first coming in these articles!
Expectations vs Reality: Jesus, the Man of Sorrows
Do You Think You Would Have Believed in Jesus 2,000 Years Ago?
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