Contemplative Bible Reading

Matthew 1:20-21 (New Living Translation)

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

This statement from the angel of the Lord is going great, until the last three words.

The people of the day are loving it, until the last three words.

The Promised Land and its people are loving it, until the last three words.

The Messiah from God will save His people! Great! We love it! We will be restored to peace, prosperity, security, national nationhood and something like that! Great, until the last three words.

Our sins? Well, sure we have sins, but… We are about to be saved from all our ills and our tormentors, right? Our sins? That’s sort of esoteric or something we can’t touch or something way out there. How about some real-life relief, huh?

Sigh. I want something tangible. I want something in the short term, today, this week. Give me a better coffee shop and a shorter commute. Give me flexible work hours and location. Give me a few more days off. Please.

Save me from my sins. That is so far away. That is so hard to grasp. I’m tired. I have a headache. Just be the God that I want You to be.

No. God is God. I am not. God understands much better than I understand. I need to grasp what it means to have my sins erased. On some days I come closer to that. Jesus came to save me from my sins. That is glorious. Please God, help me in my unbelief.