“Here is my servant, whom I
uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he
will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his
voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick
he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; (Isaiah
42:1-3)
CHOSEN ONE
Remember
standing in a line waiting for a team captain to choose you? Remember the angst
as you waited, and waited? Or were you one of those who got picked right away?
I wasn't. I was one of the fat kids who was picked because they no longer had a
choice. Being chosen has its benefits, and its costs.
Israel was a chosen nation. God picked them from among all other nations, not because they were wise, or good, or strong, or moral. They weren't any of those things. For a short time every once in a while, being chosen felt good and they celebrated. Most of the time, being chosen was a pain. There were all sorts of laws to follow, it made them a target of other nations who didn't like Israel's different behavior, attitude, "privilege," etc.
Mary was a chosen one. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah had lots of descendants. David had lots of descendants. Solomon had lots of descendants. Undoubtedly, more than one female descendant of this royal line was a virgin. Mary was chosen and shouldered the reputation of an unfaithful, dishonest harlot.
Jesus was and is the Chosen One. In a sense, there was nothing in his humanity that made it necessary to choose him. God could have waited another month and caused a different egg to miraculously conceive, or have acted a month sooner. He still would have been Jesus because He was chosen of God.
His being chosen by God to be the Messiah meant that He had to be the Messiah. He had to endure a lifetime of ridicule and rejection, but as a bastard and as someone claiming to be God. He spent long days being used as a miracle vending machine with prices set to "free." He had to put up with disciples who didn't get it. He was betrayed, endured a trial in several kangaroo courts and was crucified. That was what being the Chosen One meant during the time He walked the earth as a man.
After his resurrection and return to Heaven, it hasn't necessarily been all that much better. He has endured ridicule and rejection by those who claim to refute His status as the Chosen One. His chosen ones have endured ridicule, rejection, abuse and death.
Thank God that Jesus was willing to be the Chosen One, because while we tend to think of the "benes" it's a "dirty job." He scorned its shame for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). As prophesied, He did it without the use of authority or military might.
Israel was a chosen nation. God picked them from among all other nations, not because they were wise, or good, or strong, or moral. They weren't any of those things. For a short time every once in a while, being chosen felt good and they celebrated. Most of the time, being chosen was a pain. There were all sorts of laws to follow, it made them a target of other nations who didn't like Israel's different behavior, attitude, "privilege," etc.
Mary was a chosen one. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah had lots of descendants. David had lots of descendants. Solomon had lots of descendants. Undoubtedly, more than one female descendant of this royal line was a virgin. Mary was chosen and shouldered the reputation of an unfaithful, dishonest harlot.
Jesus was and is the Chosen One. In a sense, there was nothing in his humanity that made it necessary to choose him. God could have waited another month and caused a different egg to miraculously conceive, or have acted a month sooner. He still would have been Jesus because He was chosen of God.
His being chosen by God to be the Messiah meant that He had to be the Messiah. He had to endure a lifetime of ridicule and rejection, but as a bastard and as someone claiming to be God. He spent long days being used as a miracle vending machine with prices set to "free." He had to put up with disciples who didn't get it. He was betrayed, endured a trial in several kangaroo courts and was crucified. That was what being the Chosen One meant during the time He walked the earth as a man.
After his resurrection and return to Heaven, it hasn't necessarily been all that much better. He has endured ridicule and rejection by those who claim to refute His status as the Chosen One. His chosen ones have endured ridicule, rejection, abuse and death.
Thank God that Jesus was willing to be the Chosen One, because while we tend to think of the "benes" it's a "dirty job." He scorned its shame for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). As prophesied, He did it without the use of authority or military might.
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