He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. (I Peter 1:20-21)
Have you ever watched someone who
really knows what they’re doing cook a big meal? They may start by putting an
egg and butter out on the counter, before putting garlic and onions into a pan
on the stove. They walk away and put flour, sugar, salt, and spices into a bowl.
They leave the bowl a pull out other ingredients, working on many different
dishes all at once. What’s more, by the time you see them preparing the meal,
they may have already other dishes. If you’re lucky, they may have a list to
show you some of what they’re doing. Somehow, it all comes together, and an
amazing dinner is served.
Today’s passage hints at this idea.
From before the creation of the world, God planned out what He would do. Various
ingredients were added as they were needed, “cooked” or “chilled” so they were
ready to be used. At just the right time, God pulled out His “secret ingredient,” His something special that would change the food of history from every day to magnificent.
When you eat a great meal, you are interacting
with the person who cooked it. Few people would claim that a feast just happened.
And if a cook has a signature dish or a signature ingredient, its inclusion is
reason to think the cook had something to do with the meal, especially if the cook
in question had been promising it.
The
Old Testament refers to a coming Messiah from Genesis 3 on. He isn’t something
that could have just happened. The fact that He came when, where, and how He
did, and that He did what He did is evidence that God, and that He will
continue to do what He has promised. Your faith in Him is not blind, and your
hope is not vain. They are reasoned and rational, based on historical evidence.
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