“Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb” (Acts 13:26-29).
Sometimes we miss the message. The Jewish nation did that very thing according to Paul as he spoke in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. He begins his speech with a history lesson, recounting the history of the old covenant people from the choice of Abraham all the way up to the arrival of the One sent to save them (Acts 13:17-25). But, then, the lesson takes a somber turn. They missed the message! Instead of receiving their Deliverer, they rejected, condemned, and had Him executed. End of story, right? Not by a long shot.
“But God raised Him from the dead…” (Acts 13:30). I love the “but God” moments in the Bible. Just when all hope seems lost, God resurrects hope. Even a dead Messiah can’t derail God’s rescue plan. Forgiveness and freedom are still an option for those who reconsider the message (Acts 13:38-39). No wonder the synagogue crowd kept begging “...that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath” (Acts 13:42).
There’s hope for those of us who have missed the message, perhaps making a mess of things in the process. There’s hope because the Author of the message doesn’t give up easily. He can even take the mess we’ve made and use it to our advantage. It doesn’t get much messier than a crucified Messiah. And yet, the message of forgiveness and freedom continues to be offered to those who hear and respond in faith. “But God…”
God loves you!
Mike
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