Jesus definitely was not the Person people thought the Messiah should be. In multiple readings this week Jesus does and says the exact opposite of what people expected. He chooses disciples from among the uneducated and outcasts. He teaches that in the kingdom of God the oppressed and hurting will be blessed. He even surprises John the Baptist by not being the type of Messiah that John had expected.

The good news for us is that even though Jesus may not have been the type of Messiah humanity expected or wanted, He was and is the type of Messiah we needed. We really don’t need another politician or self-help guru. We need a perfect Savior, a Redeemer, who would die for our sins and give us new life. Jesus offers us a new life based on God’s love for us and not the worthless things which this world values so highly.