I was just reflecting on what to me seems like a startling truth. The Jewish people had been waiting for a Messiah for a long time before Jesus stepped onto the scene. The Jews were being oppressed and believed firmly that the Messiah would usher in an age of freedom and liberation. They had every reason in the world to recognize the Messiah as soon as he arrived. There is no denying the fact that Jesus did not look the way that they were expecting. They were anticipating someone who would have the look and feel of a political ruler and Jesus didn’t seem all that interested in popularity. That being said, it’s not like Jesus was all that subtle about who he was either. He raised the dead to life, walked on water, cast out demons and a whole host of other things.

And yet…they didn’t recognize. To be sure there were some who did but most of the Jewish people did not believe that Jesus was who he said he was. These Jews knew the scriptures and knew the prophecies about the Messiah. Jesus came onto the scene fulfilling those very prophecies and yet they still did not know that their Redeemer had come. So what’s the point?

I wonder if the same thing can happen to us. Is it possible that God is working in our lives in ways that we are simply not recognizing? Perhaps we would expect that God would do certain things if/when he worked in our lives. We would expect that he would heal that person, solve that problem or restore that relationship. I don’t want to make the same mistake that the Jews made. We need to open our eyes and acknowledge the possibility that God may be working in our lives in ways that are contrary to our expectations. It may even be true that the very area of your life that God seems the least likely to be in is the area where he is working the most.

The Jews did not recognize the Messiah because he came in such a way that went against most of their expectations. Do you think there could be areas of your life where God is working that you haven’t recognized him in? If so, what areas?