December 28: We Have Found the Messiah
♫ Music:
Day 28 - Saturday, December 28
Title: We Have Found the Messiah
Scripture: John 1:37- 42a (NKJV)
The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Poetry:
“To Find God
by Robert Herrick
Weigh me the fire; or canst thou find
A way to measure out the wind?
Distinguish all those floods that are
Mixed in that wat’ry theater,
And taste thou them as saltless there,
As in their channel first they were.
Tell me the people that do keep
Within the kingdoms of the deep;
Or fetch me back that cloud again,
Beshivered into seeds of rain.
Tell me the motes, dust, sands, and spears
Of corn, when summer shakes his ears;
Show me that world of stars, and whence
They noiseless spill their influence.
This if thou canst; then show me Him
That rides the glorious cherubim.
COME AND SEE
The words of Jesus are the most influential ever uttered. It’s striking how many of them fall into two categories: questions and invitations.
In today’s passage from John’s Gospel, we find life-altering examples of each. Two of John the Baptist’s disciples begin listening to the teachings of a new Rabbi, Jesus. (One of them, we learn later, is Andrew. The other is often thought to be John, who is recording this event.)
Jesus’ first recorded words to these two men—indeed, His first recorded words in this Gospel—are a question: “What do you seek?” What a great question! What do you want? What are you looking for? What could be a more important place to start, for examining what’s important in life and for considering Jesus?
Their answer to this incredible question is disappointingly mundane: “Where are you staying?”
We might expect Jesus to give a hefty rebuke for such trivial concerns. “Where am I staying? Are you kidding? Do you have any idea who I am?” Instead, Jesus meets them where they are, not with condemnation but a welcoming invitation: “Come and see.” Check Me out: see Who I am, begin an initial relationship with Me. Who knows where it may lead?
They accept Jesus’ invitation and hang out with Him the rest of the day. And we know—from the rest of the story—they end up doing so for the rest of their lives.
What do you seek?
What do you want, really? What is your deepest hunger? In “Satisfied,” composer Clara Williams passionately identifies hers:
All my life I had a longing
For a drink from some clear spring
That I hoped would quench the burning
Of the thirst I felt within.
Hallelujah! I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my deepest longings,
Through His blood I now am saved.
Isn’t this true of all of us, if we only take the time to probe the question? As St. Augustine observed, “You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”
Come to me.
But is it possible for such a desire to be satisfied? Poet Robert Herrick is surely right: we can’t “weigh the fire” or “measure out the wind.” How could we ever know God, the One who created and controls them?
Only if God were to come to us and reveal Himself to us could we know Him. The good news is that He has done exactly that, in Jesus. He came to our neighborhood, into the gritty reality of our world (John 1:14). Herrick is right; no one can see God. But, according to John 1:18, God the Son—Whom we now can see—has revealed (literally, “exegeted”) God to us.
Even more astounding, Jesus invites us, where we are and as we are, to come and see Him, to check Him out, to begin a relationship with Him. Indeed, He opens His arms in welcome, as in Kent Twitchell’s mural painted on the wall of a death-alley Los Angeles liquor store.
What do you really seek? Come and see Jesus.
Prayer:
Oh, Lord Jesus, reveal to me my true longings. Show me in new ways today how they are most truly and ultimately longings for You alone. Kindle a renewed hunger in my heart for You. Thank You for entering my world and inviting me to share in Your life.
Amen
Dr. David Horner
Professor of Theology and Philosophy
Division of Biblical and Theological Studies
Talbot School of Theology
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
111th Street Jesus
Kent Twitchell
c. 1984
Tiger Liquor Store Mural
Los Angeles, California
In making this depiction of a Latin Jesus with arms outstretched, artist Kent Twitchell was assisted by local gang members. The artist was initially contacted by leaders of the South Los (Solos) Gang, who wanted an outdoor mural of Jesus in their neighborhood to create a positive image for their neighborhood. The mural was a success and helped reduce gang violence in the area. Twitchell’s mural symbolizes hope and redemption for many people in South Los Angeles.
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/111th-st-jesus-kent-twitchell/XgHJZeblRkMtRg
About the Artist:
Kent Twitchell (b. 1942) is an American muralist who is most active in Los Angeles. He is most famous for his larger-than-life mural portraits, often of celebrities and artists. In 1980, Twitchell's murals to date, including Bride and Groom and The Freeway Lady, were featured extensively in In November 2009, Twitchell painted two murals on two pieces of the Berlin wall for the twenty-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. One was a portrait of John Kennedy; the other was of Ronald Reagan. They depicted the US presidents at the beginning and at the fall of the Berlin Wall. Twitchell has received honorary doctorate degrees from Biola University, Otis College of Art and Design, and California State University, Los Angeles. His mural of Jesus holding out the Bible entitled The Word was created in 1992 on the outside wall of what is now the Art Department building on the campus of Biola University.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Twitchell
About the Music: “Satisfied (Hallelujah! I Have Found Him!)”
Lyrics:
All my life I had a longing
For a drink from some clear spring,
That I hoped would quench the burning
Of the thirst I felt within.
Feeding on the husks around me,
Till my strength was almost gone,
Longed my soul for something better,
Only still to hunger on.
Hallelujah! I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings,
Through His blood I now am saved.
Poor I was, and sought for riches,
Something that would satisfy,
But the dust I gathered round me
Only mocked my soul’s sad cry.
Well of water, ever springing,
Bread of life so rich and free,
Untold wealth that never faileth,
My Redeemer is to me.
Hallelujah! I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings,
Through His blood I now am saved.
All my life I had a longing
For a drink from some clear spring,
Jesus satisfies my longings,
Through His blood I now am saved.
About the Composer:
Clara Tear Williams (1858-1937) was an American composer. As a young woman she was a school teacher. She suffered an attack of tuberculosis but fully recovered from it and for a number of years engaged in evangelistic work in several North Central states. In 1895 she married the Reverend W.H. Williams, a Wesleyan Methodist minister, and until his death thirty years later labored with him in serving churches in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. She was a member of the Commission of her church which compiled Sacred Hymns and Tunes, 1897.
https:/hymnary.org/
About the Performers: Wilds Summer Staff Choir
Since 1969, the Wilds Christian Camp & Conference Center has been serving the local church with a wide variety of camping programs. From the center’s serene, wooded trails to its majestic waterfalls, the Lord’s design is everywhere. In this setting, the staff of the Wilds has seen thousands of campers of every age accept the Lord as Savior, surrender to his will, and dedicate themselves to his service. The Wilds is a one-thousand-acre campsite nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Rosman, North Carolina. The Wilds of New England is a 110-acre campsite located near Deering, New Hampshire. The Wilds offers each of its campers beautiful surroundings, staff and counselors who care, and practical spiritual direction.
https://wilds.org/staff/summer/
About the Poetry & Poet:
Robert Herrick (1591–1674) was a seventeenth-century English lyric poet and Anglican cleric. He is best known for Hesperides, a book of poems. Herrick wrote over 2,500 poems, about half of which appear in his major work, Hesperides. The overriding message in Herrick's work is that life is short, the world beautiful, and love splendid and we must use the short time we have to make the most of it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Herrick_(poet)
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. David Horner
Professor of Theology and Philosophy
Division of Biblical and Theological Studies
Talbot School of Theology
David Horner is a professor of theology and philosophy at Biola University and president of the Illuminatio Project, an effort to bring a classical biblical vision of goodness, truth, and beauty into the thinking of the church and culture through strategic research and communication. Prior to teaching, Dr. Horner worked as a laborer in an iron foundry, as an underground missionary in communist Eastern Europe, and as a pastor. He is an avid guitarist, hiker, and fly fisherman. Dr. Horner and his wife, Deborah, have two grown daughters and five grandchildren, and live in Fullerton, California.