Gods ways are the opposite of mans. In a sense, God's
kingdom is "up-side-down." Think about what is important to man: Power, control,
money, physical beauty, material possessions, social status, personal comfort, etc. If
these things had been important to God, it surely would have reflected in Jesus' position
and life-style while on earth. God could have sent Jesus into any situation He wanted. But
when we measure Jesus by those things that man deems important, He comes out a total
failure. Consider the following:
The Jews were looking for a Savior to come in power and might who
would deliver them from their oppressors. But Jesus came as a meek man preaching such
"cowardly" messages as found in James, 5:39: "But I say to you, do not
resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other
also."
Men use the force of armies and navies to maintain their power on
land and sea. But Jesus had only a rag tag band of reject followers who were told that
they would be persecuted, reviled and even put to death for their faithfulness.
Throughout history, beauty has been one of the MOST important
assets. Christ could have come down as the most magnificent human being ever to have been
created. Yet, from the writings of historians of that time we know that Christ was in fact
a homely man.
Material possessions were and are an indicator of one's success in
life. We even have television shows that do nothing but glorify the magnificent homes and
opulent possessions of the rich and famous. Contrast this to Christ's own description of
his life-style as found in Matthew 8:20 : "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the
air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
In Jewish culture, even if a person had few possessions, little
power and were not physically attractive, if they had the proper lineage they were insured
a position of respect in society. The Jewish society was organized by family, clan and
tribe. One's genealogy was an important part of one's identity. Descent from a respected
forefather could bring social, political, and religious prestige. The genealogy of Jesus
is traced for us back to Abraham in the Gospel of Matthew and Adam in the Gospel of Luke
to show that he was a son of David as prophesied. But the circumstances surrounding his
conception cast him in the worst social status possible - the illegitimate son of a
peasant girl.
It appears that God has a different set of standards from ours. He
could have brought His son into this world as anything He wanted. But men, wanting heroes
so badly, would have followed Him for all the wrong reasons; beauty, wealth, power,
prestige, status, family name and social position. Instead, Christ came into this world as
opposite of EVERYTHING that man deems important. There was nothing to distract from His
message. If men followed Him it was because His word struck their hearts.
