Know What? You Met The Christ!
Have you ever noticed that the Bible’s stories often begin with really bad news? In Numbers 20 the first 5 verses tell us that Moses’s sister dies, there is no water, and the people rise up against Moses and Aaron.
So they ask God what to do and He tells Moses to speak to a rock and water will come out of it. You might know that Moses doesn’t quite follow God’s direction. Rather than speak he strikes the rock. God is still gracious and water gushes out, enough for all the people and their livestock.
Many years later Paul (the Apostle) will refer to this very story when writing one of his letters, saying that the rock was Christ. He does not mean that metaphysically that rock was Jesus. He means that, from his chair, God is in the saving business. That's what Christos (Greek for Christ) really means in a theological (as well as practical) sense.
I think whenever God takes some action to save, you can make the same case Paul does. That’s a Christos action, a saving action.
The rock in the desert? Christos.
The ark that saved Noah, his family, and a boat load of animals? Christos.
The widow and her son saved by the prophet? Christos.
On and on we could go. Anytime God takes an action to save, it’s Christos.
Now think of all the times you’ve been saved in your life. You got some bad news. Really bad news. Maybe someone died, maybe you were in a crisis. But you lived through it and, remarkably, here you are today to tell the story of how God saved you from the darkness of death, despair, or desperation.
Know what? Even if you didn't know it at the time, you met The Christ!
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