The
Messenger
By Jen Wollner
“…‘I am the one I
claim to be…I do nothing on my own, but speak just what the Father has taught
me.’”
John 8:28b
It’s
something all parents do from time to time. They send one of their children
with a message for another one. “Come down for dinner.” “Your friend is here to
play.” “Please quiet down, mom is going crazy!” Whatever the message might be,
we send the sibling to relay it on our behalf.
I’m
not sure how this might play out at your house, but at mine, it typically doesn’t
go well. Usually, the messenger delivers the message and the message-receiver
gets upset, not wanting to take direction from said messenger - - his or her
sibling. Hence, the messenger comes back to me saying the message-receiver
isn’t, well, receiving it, and won’t comply. He or she just didn’t trust the
messenger or the message!
Let’s
face it, for varying reasons, sometimes I just can’t deliver these messages
myself. I need a representative! In order to try to help the process go
smoother, I’ve gotten in the habit of coaching the messenger on exactly what to
say. For instance, “My lovely sister, mom sent me up here to tell you that
dinner is ready. Please come to the table.” Or, “Dear brother, mom sent me down
here to tell you that the Wii volume is too loud. Please turn it down.” In this
way, the message-receiver can be assured that the message isn’t coming from a
bossy sibling, but rather THE boss…Mom.
God
sent a messenger to earth to give us a very important message. But, this wasn’t
just any messenger…and it wasn’t just any message. It was God Himself in the
Person of Jesus Christ. And, the message was one of redemption and
sanctification.
Unfortunately,
there are many people in the world today who say they believe in God, but
ignore the messages He sent to us through Jesus. Some people don’t even believe
that Jesus is who He says He is, God’s Son, much less follow His teachings as
truth.
In
Scripture, Jesus solidifies His association with God by repeatedly saying
things like, “…whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me” (Mark 9:37).
Or, “…My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me” (John
7:16). It’s clear that He came representing God, not just as a messenger, but
as the Fulfiller of the message, too.
May
we accept Jesus, and trust both the Messenger and the messages He
delivered directly from our loving Heavenly Father.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. Have you heard God’s message(s) through Jesus
and believed them as truth? If not, what’s holding you back?
2. With whom can you share God’s message of
salvation through Jesus?
FURTHER
READING:
Jen
and her husband are busily parenting three elementary-aged children. She serves on the leadership team for
Mission: Hope, Oakwood’s orphan care ministry.
