The Divine Plan

May 10

Judges 17-18

Psalm 58:1-5

Proverbs 13:9-10

Luke 24

The Divine Plan

“And He said to them, ‘O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’  Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”  Luke 24:25-27  LSB

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus was not a mistake or some horrible deviation from God’s will.  This was the plan all along.  In this encounter on the road to Emmaus, Jesus said it was necessary for Him to be crucified and rise again in order to bring salvation to the world.  This was not Plan B.  Jesus explained that all of history pointed to Him.  From creation to revelation, it is all about Jesus.  He was present and participated in creation.  The sacrificial system God established through Moses pointed to Jesus as the unblemished Lamb of God that would be the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world providing redemption for those who believe.  God knew that man would not be able to meet the standard of perfection required to come before a holy God, so in His love and mercy, He provided a way.  He sent His only Son to earth, not as a king or conquering hero, but as an innocent baby born to a poor, teenaged, virgin girl in an ordinary town, with a working-class husband.  He lived a perfect, sinless life out of the public eye until around the age of 30.  At that time, He began His public ministry teaching, healing, and proclaiming the truth to all that would listen.  He discipled a group of men that would carry on His ministry and spread the good news about Him throughout the world after He was gone.  His purpose was to fulfill the Law God gave to Moses and to establish a new covenant through His death, burial and resurrection.  When He left heaven and came to earth, He knew the plan and Jesus willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice because it was the only way to bring us to God.

For many years, I thought the Old Testament was a bunch of stories about the Jewish people and the ways that God worked in and through them, and the New Testament was about Jesus.  The more I read the Bible, the more I realize that the whole Bible is about Jesus.  It is one beautiful story about God’s redemptive plan for Israel, His chosen people, and how that plan was then extended to all who would believe in His Son.  Every time I read through the Bible, I get a clearer view of the big picture of Scripture.  Studying the books individually is essential to learning theological truths, but it also can cause you to miss the forest for the trees.  It is just as important to examine the Bible as a whole and marvel at the beauty and perfection of God’s plan of redemption.  When you view a famous painting, the first thing you do is gaze at the picture as a whole, taking in the scene, the way the colors coordinate and how the different elements work together to create the masterpiece.  Then you begin to examine the details and break them down to contemplate why the artist chose to include each piece.  My prayer is that as you read through the Bible this year, you are seeing the big picture and it is giving you a clearer perspective of the depth of God’s love and mercy for you.