PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 17

What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?

“In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” (Matthew 17:12)
According to Malachi 4:5-6, the prophet Elijah will precede the Messiah.
John the Baptist represents Elijah, but the Jews didn’t realize it.
In the same way, God’s people did not recognize Jesus.
This is ominous to think about, could it still be happening today?
Like the Jews then, Christians today claim to serve God and God’s Messiah.
And yet the way Christians represent Jesus does not reflect Jesus.
The Jesus preached in churchianity does not look like the Jesus in the Gospels.
The humble Son of Man seems to suffer at the hands of Christians.
He is turned into a reason to fight, to enforce, to judge and condemn.
Have we failed to recognize the Son of Man, and are we causing him to suffer?
Are we crucifying the suffering servant, replacing him with one that suits us?
We need to fix our eyes on Jesus, to be sure we recognize and reflect him!
Jesus is a humble gracious servant, not a fierce Rambo warrior.
If we do not reflect this humble gracious spirit, we have not recognized him.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, forgive us for turning you into someone you are not, and for causing your reputation to suffer in the world. Open our eyes to recognize you, that we may better reflect you in the world.