August 26, 2023

Luke 24: 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (NIV)

Knowing God . . . does not consist merely of having heard of him, or having read his word, or having been associated with God-fearing people.*

My husband and I didn’t have the same last name. This caused some confusion when people were first getting to know us. It led to some interesting moments in our jobs, too - mine in the Supervisor of Elections Office, and his as City Manager, because some City Commission candidates ran on the platform that they were going to fire the City Manager. I was helping one such candidate with his filing papers when he held up one of his petition cards, leaned in conspiratorially, and said, “Hee hee. I ought to get Mark Durbin’s wife to sign one of these.” I looked at him for a moment before I said, “Uh . . . that would be me.”

Jesus came upon two men who were walking and talking along the road. “What are you talking about?” he asks them. “Do you live in a cave?” they asked. Well, no, they didn’t actually say that. But they couldn’t believe that their new companion hadn’t heard about all the excitement surrounding Jesus of Nazareth. After listening to them go on about all that had happened to this man, Jesus said, “Uh . . . that would be me.” 

Do you suppose Jesus was frustrated that he had to start from the very beginning in order to explain who he was? For two people who seemed to know all of the details of his life, death, and empty tomb, these guys were pretty ignorant of their traveling companion's true identity.

What about you? Do you know who Jesus is? How do you know? Do you just know what others say about him, or have you met him along the road of your life? If you need a reminder, why not start at the beginning to verify his credentials for yourself. Read the writings of Moses and the Prophets and see how all their predictions about the Messiah came true in Jesus of Nazareth. Read the eye-witness accounts in the Gospels and the Book of Acts. Trust him with your life and see if he keeps his promises. Then your life will become a testimony to who Jesus really is.

Our faith is founded on good history, fulfilled prophecy, and the testimony of thousands upon thousands of transformed lives.*