A Troublesome Past

Can it be that our leaders know that he really is the Messiah?  But how could it be?  For we know where this man comes from.  When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.  John 7:26-27

Others said, “He is the Messiah.”  Still others said, “But he can’t be!  Will the Messiah come from Galilee?”  John 7:41

The scriptures are clear: Jesus was perfect. So, obviously the critics couldn’t point to any of his actions as being evil (although they tried on several occasions).  So they did the next best thing, they called attention to the only imperfect thing associated with him.  His hometown, Galilee. 

Located well to the north of Jerusalem, the spiritual home of Israel, Galilee was an easy target for the mean-spirited religious leaders.  The simple truth was that not much good did come out of Galilee. It was a rural area with the lower region (near Nazareth) known for its fishing villages along the Sea of Galilee.  The residents of this area were generally uneducated and not nearly as refined as the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jerusalem.  So they questioned his credibility because of his birthplace, not his life.

They said the same thing about Darrell. 

Darrell was born in the bluegrass hills of Kentucky and was raised in the church. He confessed Christ as his Savior when he was young, and then forgot about Him as reflected in his lifestyle.  Thousands of dollars lost to gambling, a 60-day stint in jail, and a steady diet of drinking, drugs, and loose women were the trophies of a wasted life.  Darrell heard it from everyone: “What good can come from him?”

Until one day when he gave the carpenter from a small town in Galilee a chance and got a relationship that was not a religion.  The transformation was real. The impact on friends and family was significant. Nobody now remembers much about his past and it haunts him no more.

Do you have a past that you are not proud of?  Do you come from a place that has been condemned by others?  Has your credibility been attacked by mean-spirited religious people?  If so, then just remember who, and Who’s you are.  Remember that you are a new creation.  Remember that He has erased your past. 

And, remember that it’s not where you came from but where you are going that really matters.