Only Hope

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

ONLY HOPE

Matt 12:15-21

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, 16 warning them not to tell who he was. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 18 "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. 21 In his name the nations will put their hope."  

NIV

We could spent a lot of time going over each of the individual statements of the Prophet. “Here is my Servant” “Whom I have chosen” “The one I love” “In whom I delight” “Spirit on him” “Proclaim justice to all the nations” “Not quarrel or cry out” “no one will hear” “A bruised reed” “A smoldering” “Leads to justice” “In his name the nations will put their hope”. This last one phrase is what all the others led up to. They all were describing who Jesus was, his character, his manner, his personality, his relationship with the Father and what the Father will do for him. But that last statement is about us. It is about all the nations. Although he came to the Jews as a Jew in the flesh, he came to the world whole, to all the nations. There is no other one we can put our hope in. If we did not have our hope in Jesus, we would be without any hope at all. We cannot put our hope in anything in this world, for we all will leave it through death. This experience of dying separates us from everything the world contains. It does not matter how much wealth or material possession we accumulate, it all gets left behind. We take nothing with us when we die. The Chinese emperoers and the Pharaohs of Egypt tried to take their wealth with them, but others have opened their tombs and taken it all back. Death has only one hope and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Because he also died, but rose from the dead, winning victory over death, we too may do that same thing. We will die in the flesh, but our spirit will raise from the dead and we will be present with the Lord. Then one day, even our bodies will raise from the grave, a new creature, transformed, perhaps that even happens at the moment of death. Maybe we actually leave behind that which is corruptible, that which is perishable behind and we already have received a new body, one that is incorruptible and imperishable. In all reality, it is still a mystery, for no one has been able to return and tell us. Oh there are stories, even books and movies about someone who has returned, but how do we know that was from God or from the enemy giving us some illusion to deceive even the elect. That is why the word hope is used. It is our hope. It is part of the definition of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, yet not seen. If those who returned actually died and went to heaven and returned to tell us what it was like, then who would need hope, for we would not need it as we have seen. Who would need faith? Yet Jesus said blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe.

John 20:29

29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

NIV

We must put our hope in Jesus. The world contains so many different types of gods, of beliefs which are not based on hope. Many do not have the assurance of salvation, they are required to work, to do deeds, and yet they still do not know their god is going to respond. We know our God, we know Jesus, and we have all the assurance we will ever need from his every word. We and others throughout the world will put our hope in Jesus, for he is the way, the truth and the light. No one, not a single person on this earth will ever see the Father except through Jesus. There is no other hope.

Eph 2:11-13

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

NIV

We have, and others throughout the nations, been brought near through the blood of Christ. We would have to include most of the letter to the Ephesians to gather the rest of the truth said in it, but the fact remains. Jesus is our only hope.