August 15, 2024

Passage Read: Luke 1-2
Meditation Verses: 2:34-35

Thought

Gabriel didn't mention anything about Jesus needing to suffer, only that He would be given the throne of His father David and reign over Israel forever. So this is the first recording of someone telling her that trouble and grief would come to her through Jesus. Did she understand from Scripture that the Messiah was also the Branch, that the King was also the suffering Servant? Or was this the first indication that Jesus would be opposed and hated and she would suffer grief because of Him? Jesus would be divisive, and cause the rising and falling of many in Israel. He would be a sign that exposed the hearts of men, whether they followed God or not.

Application

Jesus is the same today. He Himself said that He did not come to bring peace but a sword, to divide even families against themselves. Some will accept who He is and others will reject Him. As surely as it causes pain to Mary, so we need to be prepared to suffer grief because of Jesus, because some of our loved ones reject the true Jesus. Certainly many people are happy to believe in a Jesus of their own making, one that costs them nothing, one that asks them for no real sacrifice. But the true Jesus asks for everything. He asks for all worship and for obedience even unto death, just as He obeyed His Father to the point of suffering death on a cross for our salvation. Jesus is going to rule as King over all the earth, but sadly many of the people I love will not receive or believe in Him. They will hate the true Jesus and be lost to me for eternity. I need to choose Jesus over my friends and family, and plead even with my family to repent. But even if they won't, I need to stay loyal to Jesus, the true Jesus.