Last December, I had a plan for the blogs I wanted to post leading up to Christmas. But life took over and I was instead faced with a hiatus. The first blog I wrote this year, back on January 9th, I actually titled it Returning from an Unexpected Hiatus. A year ago today, I had a blog ready to go, but it was never posted. This is because when I composed the just mentioned blog in January, I chose to go in a different direction. However, since I found this version, and it was exactly a year ago, I thought I’d share a blog I called Facing the Unexpected. So here it is:
Somebody once said, “If you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans.” I can relate to that sentiment. You see, my plan was to submit this blog way back on December 21st, then post another blog installment on Christmas Day. But due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to do any of that. So be it. I submit to God’s plan. It is rattling to endure the unexpected, though, isn’t it? It’s rattling to face those unforeseen episodes in our lives that hit us and disrupt our world. I know a lot about that. Once again, it wasn’t my idea to post a Christmas blog on the 28th of December, but what are you going to do when the unexpected rocks you?
Have you ever thought about how Jesus’ life was filled with the unexpected? He seemed to always do things that weren’t expected. It started, of course, at His birth. God chooses to use a girl who was a virgin to give birth to the Messiah. That’s amazing enough, but when she does finally give birth, there is hardly anywhere to place Him, except an animal feeding trough or a manger. Talk about unexpected! But it certainly doesn’t stop there.
For example, Jesus and His disciples endure stormy weather in a boat. The disciples freak out. But Jesus calmly tells the storm to stop, and quite unexpectedly (at least for Jesus’ followers), it obeys (Mark 4:37-39). Or how about when Jesus’ friend Lazarus dies? The grief of Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, actually moves Jesus to tears (John 11:35). He tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), and He proves it by raising a man who had been dead for four days back to life!
Furthermore, Jesus’ mission was unexpected. I once heard about the reaction of people groups, who had never heard the name of Jesus, viewing the 1979 film “Jesus” also called “The Jesus Film”. They were resonating with Him; they enjoyed His teachings, His miracles, and His charisma. But they began shifting in their chairs when the possibility emerged that Jesus was going to be executed, even though He wasn’t guilty of any wrongdoing. When Jesus was being crucified on that cross, the viewers were screaming their vehement disapproval at the screen. But actually this was what Jesus was supposed to do all along. I love how Romans 5:6 puts it: “At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (NIV).
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there was an event that no one in Jesus’ sphere of influence ever expected. You’d think by now they would have learned to expect the unexpected, but they didn’t. Perhaps they were blinded by their immense grief to remember that Jesus had repeatedly predicted that He was going to die; and He went on to declare that He wasn’t going to stay in that grave. He was going to be resurrected. That Sunday morning dawned, and angels from Heaven announced, “He is not here; but is risen” (Luke 24:6)!
Later on in the chapter, Jesus appears to His disciples, and His presence shocks them; they actually think He is a ghost. But Jesus says, “Guys, relax. Touch my hands and feet. A ghost doesn’t have “flesh and bones as you see I have” (verse 39). It may have taken His followers a while to get it, but in time they did understand – and they subsequently boldly proclaimed – that not only did Jesus shed His blood for the remission of sin on a cross, but He conquered death itself!
Kevin
