What do you think about the Messiah?

 

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

THIRTIETH (30^TH) SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/TWENTIETH (20^TH) SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, 25^TH OCTOBER, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: What do you think about the Messiah?

          Kini o ro nipa Mesaya naa?

TEXT: Matthew 22:41&42

“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ?” Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.”

“Bi awon Farisi ti ko ara won jo, Jesu bi won, wipe, “Eyin ti ro ti Kristi si? Omo ta ni i se? Won wi fun un pe, Omo Dafidi ni”

Matthew Chapter twenty-two verses fifteen to forty-six contained four serious questions; three of them were from the enemies of Jesus Christ, while the last one was from Jesus himself. Having listened to many parables of Jesus Christ with which he had exposed the evil intentions of the Jewish leaders and warned them against the coming judgement, they (the Jewish leaders) felt humiliated before the crowd and were looking for ways of destroying Jesus Christ. They hoped to trap him with words from his mouth so that he could be arrested and prosecuted, hence, the questioned him on public and religious matters, but they could find no fault in him. The Pharisees and Herodians were the first to ask him question about payment of poll tax (Matt. 22:15-22) The second question about resurrection of the dead came from the Sadducees (Matt. 22:23-33) But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together with the Scribes, and a lawyer from among them asked Jesus Christ the third question which focused on the law (Matt. 22:34-40) Jesus used the ‘Shema’ (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 22:37&38), a statement of faith which was recited daily by every orthodox Jews to reply them. He made them to know that the greatest commandment is to LOVE GOD with all that we are and have. And that love for God cannot be separated from love for our neighbours (1 John 3:10-18, 4:7-21). With the question about the law, Jesus had now answered three difficult questions from his enemies, but there is a fundamental question which is more relevant for every child of God to answer today. This is a question about the Messiah himself. The question which Jesus asked his enemies in our text (Matt. 22:41-43) happens to be the focus of our meditation today, ‘What do you think about the Messiah?’

Unlike his question in Matthew 16:15, Jesus Christ took an indirect approach with his enemies when he asked the question. He made it look like a theological question, when in reality it was a personal question they would ever face. It remains a personal question for everyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world. It is very important to have the right thinking about Jesus Christ and believes that he is the Messiah, the only Saviour of the world. As trained experts in the law, the Jewish leaders knew the answer to the other question; Whose Son is the Messiah (Christ)? They knew that the Messiah is the Son of David (Isa. 11:1) and they answered correctly. Jesus also raised another difficult question from Psalm 110:1 which they could not answer. Every Jewish scholar knew that this particular verse of Psalm 110 refers to no other person than the Messiah, because only the Messiah could sit at the right hand of God, so no one could query the accuracy of the text as in Matthew 22:43. Yes, the Messiah could be David’s Lord when viewed as God, but when considered as man, he (the Messiah) is David’s Son. The Bible confirms that Jesus Christ is both the root and the offspring of David (Rev. 22:16). This shows that he (the Messiah) is both divine and human.

The two pictures of the Messiah seen in the Old Testament have brought a lot of confusion to the Bible scholars as they found it difficult to reconcile the two pictures. The first showed the Messiah as a suffering Servant, while the other referred to him as a conquering and reigning King. Were there two Messiah? If we should ask. The answer is no, there is only one Messiah and the Saviour of the world. What then do you think about the Messiah? If the Jewish leaders had listened carefully to what Jesus Christ was saying to them, they would have known that there was only one Messiah, who shared both divine and human natures. He was to suffer and die as a sacrifice for sins of the world. He would then resurrect from the dead, ascend into heaven, and will one-day return to permanently defeat his enemies. However, they never thought like this, because they have their own ideas about the Messiah which they would never compromise. Obviously, if the Jewish leaders had accepted the teachings of Jesus Christ, they would have found it essay to accept him as the Messiah, but this is what they were unwilling to do.

Consequently, the Jewish leaders, enemies of the truth, suddenly became deaf and dumb. They pretended not to understand the truth about the Messiah, and they dear not ask Jesus Christ any more questions, not because they had believed the truth, but because they could not face the truth (Luke 20:40) How about you, what do you think about the Messiah? Your thought about the Saviour (Messiah) is very important to your life now and hereafter. Making a personal decision about Jesus Christ is a matter of life and death. The evidence is there in the Bible for all of us to examine. According to the writer of the Bible Expository Commentary of the New Testament, “We can examine it (the evidence) defensively and miss the truth. Or we can examine it honestly and humbly, and discover the truth, believe it and be saved. The Jewish religious leaders were so blinded by tradition, position, and selfish pride that they could not, and would not, see the truth nor receive the truth.” Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters in Christ, the truth is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He is the Messiah. He is the way, truth and life, no one comes to the father except by him (John 14:6) Only those who believe and accept him as Lord and Saviour are given power to be called sons of God (John 1:12). Those who believe him will not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16) Those who believe in him are not condemned and would not be condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they do not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God – the Messiah of the world (John 3:18) What are you now thinking about the Messiah?

Let us pray

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.