Table of Contents
Topic: Grossly Misunderstood!
[DCLM Daily Manna 22 June 2019 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Matthew 11:1-15 (KJV)
Key Verse: “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another” (Matthew 11:3).
MESSAGE:
Sometime ago, a village lacked good drinking water. The villagers would go miles just to get clean water in a faraway stream. They could only get as much as they could carry because the town was on a hilly terrain. There was a cabinet maker in the village, who though could have been wealthy through his vocation, yet chose a parsimonious path. He neither married nor raised children. He was a laughing stock amongst the villagers. Then, a tragic thing happened; the man died! The people decided to bury him in his rather modest apartment.
After his burial and while going through his belongings, they found a will written and a note directing them to a chest full of money and some precious pearls he had kept from his youth. He had willed his entire life savings to the village to enable them build a water reservoir to solve their water problem. They had misunderstood him all the while; he had been living for them to have more comfort!
No other person in the history of mankind had been greatly misunderstood like Jesus! He came to live and die to give man the greatest of all comfort – eternal bliss with Him in heaven. He healed the sick, cleansed lepers, gave the blind their sight, while the lame walked, the deaf heard, the dead were raised up and the gospel of truth was freely preached to those who were too poor to pay for it. Yet, He was grossly misrepresented by the very people He came to save.
John the Baptist, who had earlier announced the coming of the Lamb of God, also briefly misinterpreted the ministry of Christ and what He was to accomplish. Being in prison, he sent his disciples to know if Jesus was truly the expected Messiah. The Jewish nation had thought the Messiah would raise a political crusade against the Roman government occupying their land at that time.
Today, Christ is still being misunderstood. When we hear His words and turn a deaf ear, we misunderstand the love and patience of God. When we need His miracles more than His mercies, we also so misunderstand Him. How we need to have a balanced appreciation of He who came to save.
Thought For The Day: Grace misapplied turns into sinful disgrace.
The Bible In One Year: 1 Kings 8