“Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors.”
Romans 15:8 NLT
We Gentile pilgrims sometimes forget that Jesus was a Jew. He would have been Middle Eastern in appearance, not as commonly portrayed in Western films as a white Caucasian man. In fact, Matthew 1 records His genealogy all the way back to Abraham. He was a descendant of King David and fulfilled the Jewish expectation of their Messiah. Zechariah 9:9 was just one verse amongst many prophesying the coming King, “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt”. As we know, that very prophecy came to fruition on the first “Palm Sunday”. Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” This prophecy from Isaiah continued – Isaiah 9:6-7, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen”!
There were many promises in the Hebrew Scriptures about the coming Messiah. Jesus Himself repeated the prophecy from Isaiah 61 when He preached in the synagogue in Nazareth. He said, ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favour has come. ” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day”” (Luke 4:18-21). Jesus was clear and focused about His mission. And He fulfilled it to His own people, the Jews.
In Matthew 15 we read about the encounter between Jesus and a Gentile woman, whose daughter was seriously ill. The dialogue wasn’t going well for the woman and we read in Matthew 15:24, “Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”” Jesus was clear that His mission was to be a servant of the Jews. But we read that the woman persisted in her demands that Jesus heal her daughter – we read the conclusion in Matthew 15:28, ““Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed”. As an aside, perhaps this gracious miracle opened the door for the Gospel to be preached to the Gentiles.
Way back in Genesis we read how God chose Abraham, a man on whom He would found a nation, the Jews. What followed was a series of promises to His people, generation after generation, until the Messiah finally arrived. The Incarnation of God’s Son complete. Jesus served the Jews throughout His life here on Planet Earth, but sadly His own people rejected Him. It was all part of God’s plan, of course, but we must never forget that the Jews are still God’s chosen nation. Zechariah prophesied that one day the Jewish nation will finally accept their Messiah. we read in Zechariah 12:10, “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died“. We are grateful for the Jews. They have suffered much over the many generations since Abraham, but God has always had His hand upon them. We thank God too for the early Jewish Apostles and evangelists who took God’s message of hope and grace to the Gentiles.
Father God. What can we do other than worship You, and thank You most sincerely for Your grace and love. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 