Sun 5 Sep

If we were living in the first century AD the question of who the Christ is would have been a hot topic of conversation as they sat round their café tables in the open street drinking their lattes and enjoying their smashed avocado on toast.

My apologies – wrong century?  In the first century, who the Christ was is a hot topic for debate as Pharisees and Sadducees faced off against one another believing they knew who the Messiah would be.  Certainly, he would not ride a donkey into Jerusalem proclaiming Himself to be the Messiah.  No! the Christ would ride a mighty horse and bring an army of seasoned soldiers who would rid the nation of the Occupation Forces.

That is more likely what they were expecting.  Not some man with a trade in carpentry who went round restoring people’s health, calming a few storms and raising a few from the dead.  His sermons challenged, telling people to love their enemies and turn the other cheek.  Such an action would not win too many battles with the Romans. 

Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, but not the Messiah they wanted, yet He was the Messiah they needed.  So when Jesus had answered the questions put to him by the Jewish leadership, He asked them a question.  “What do you think of the Christ?  Whose son is he?”  They were quick to answer but were baffled by the follow up question.  Living in the 21^st Century, “What do you think of the Christ?”