Have you ever been in a situation where you felt absolutely fine…and then one day, your feelings about the situation began to change? I’d venture most of us have. We think we’ve got everything figured out…right up until we realize we don’t. Things move along, progress is made, even if it’s not how we expect. Then, somewhere along the way…our progress stops. At first, it probably seems obvious why. Life happens, projects take precedence, or something else is in the way. Then, there’s the situation that comes along that doesn’t appear to be much of anything. We might not even assume it’s something good. These times are our “blessings in disguise.”
Every year around this time, people pause to start thinking about the birth of Christ. Would it surprise you to learn that, within history, His birth – and presence in this world – was taken as “blessings in disguise” as well?
What the people wanted
There’s no question that people in the first century lived differently than most of the world today. Their technology was limited, and most survived as farmers or skilled laborers. When it comes to human nature, however, people at that time weren’t that different than we are now. The Jews of the first century were deeply theologically divided. They followed any number of different theological ideas (think: Pharisees and Sadducees). False teachers and Messiahs were common. As they looked out over the landscape, they experienced the sting of occupation. It had been hundreds of years since they’d self-governed. The Roman Empire, a powerful and brutal force, seemed impossible to conquer.
These people saw the Messiah through their experience. They believed He would come as a conquering king, ready to topple the Roman Empire. By leading the Jews to victory, their enemies – the Romans (and other powerful surrounding nations) would then be subject to the Jewish people. They prayed, believed, and waited for their anticipation to come.
Instead, they received a blessing in disguise: Jesus.
Jesus challenged the notions
Jesus was born in a humble stable, surrounded by animals. The announcement of His birth went first to women, then to shepherds, and then to older prophets awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Wise men from afar came to honor Him in a home, not a palace. For much of Jesus’ life (somewhere around 90% – and yes, I did the math), nobody knew Who He was. He walked in obscurity, as something somewhere between a day laborer and a carpenter.
He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him,
nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. (Isaiah 53:2-3, NIV)
There wasn’t anything about Jesus that was out of the ordinary. If we read the Gospels, we find the passage above to be very true. Jesus wasn’t always what we’d consider “nice” in His responses to people. He definitely wasn’t a pushover! His words challenged multitudes and he had a sharp tongue, quick with sarcasm and irony. Jesus didn’t come as our typical “king.”
Why a blessing in disguise?
The Jews of Jesus’ day wanted to talk about everyone else. Their focus, as was much of their history, was the problem of their enemies. Despite periods of reform, the people refused to look at themselves and work to repair their relationship with God. The law was there to show them they needed God’s intervention. Instead of relying on God, they looked to other gods, seen as more powerful in nature, to get the job done.
Jesus’ message proves the problem of old wasn’t with their neighbors. Any one of us can look around at our circumstances and assume our problem is everyone except for us. The people wanted to be released from their circumstances, but God wanted them to find freedom from themselves. Whether it was dealing with the multitudes, addressing the Pharisees and Sadducees, or yes, even sending word to Herod himself – Jesus presented a consistent message: Repent, turn from idols (even when those idols are ourselves), and turn ourselves over to God.
If Jesus came as everything the people desired, He wouldn’t have challenged them to find God for themselves. His presence would have furthered their theological ideas, even though they didn’t lead to life. The freedom they sought was a form of liberation, but it wasn’t the liberation they needed. They would have found themselves right back where they started from, bound to idols and drowning in spiritual disobedience.
Watching for our blessings in disguise
Even today, God still works by blessings in disguise. Much like the people of old, we tend to think our problems are due to forces outside of us. We’re quick to follow distractions, blaming our spiritual and moral failings on everyone and everything around us. His call to us remains the same – repent, turn from idols, and turn ourselves over to God. The idols we face are often as stubborn as they were of old. They can look like any number of things: concern for well-being, financial struggles, seeking support or fame in wrong ways, religious or social pursuits, addiction, relationships, or ambition.
Then one day,our comfortable idols don’t feel so comfortable anymore. Maybe a relationship changes and is no longer what it once was. Our job no longer feels satisfying. The religious or social pursuits to which we aspire leave us hanging, looking for something else. Our financial struggles finally come to a head, leaving us in dire straits. The very support or fame we seek turns toxic. Addictions push us to the end. Our ambitions leave us empty.
Jesus speaks to us in these situations. They stand as blessings in disguise because they are opportunities for change.
God never leaves us, nor forsakes us – even in our mess
At this time of year, we speak often of Jesus as Emmanuel. The term “Emmanuel” is found four times in the Bible. Specifically, it’s found once in the New Testament, in regards to Jesus Christ:
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:23, NIV)
Often discussed in theological terms, the idea of Jesus as Emmanuel also has a practical meaning. If Jesus is God with us (especially in the context of this world), that means He’s still with us when it’s time to change. Often we think of Jesus as with us post-conversion, walking hand-in-hand when we pursue a holy life. What we don’t realize is if God is with us, He’s with us through the good and the bad, through the times where we feel godly as much as when we feel conviction.
That’s how situations that challenge us the most become blessings in disguise. They don’t appear pretty on the outside. If anything, they don’t have anything within them to make us desire them. Everything in us wants to reject them. Much like many people rejected Jesus. When face-to-face with God with us, there’s something we want to reject. Thank God, He doesn’t give up on us that easily.
Embracing blessings in disguise
Our Christmas images are often sanitized pictures of Christ’s early days. He did not lay in the manger and glow. Mary and Joseph didn’t have halos. There was no holly blossoming around the feeding trough. Carolers didn’t come and sing to the family in a foot of snow. There was no tree, presents, or lights. It was a raw, unpleasant, and unattractive scene, as a woman gave birth to a baby surrounded by livestock. (Perhaps we don’t consider the miracle that Jesus survived to adulthood, particularly in an era where one-third of all babies didn’t survive their first year of life.) God entered this world in real, down-to-earth, unsanitary and yes, uncomfortable conditions.
And that’s where He remains, to this day.
For most of the world, it’s been a difficult year. Some question where we can find God. The answer is in the blessings in disguise. We find Him sitting with us through unemployment. He’s our constant friend when relationships end. He is our portion when we don’t have enough. When fame or fortune fails, God still knows our names. In addiction, God calls us home, to heal. Our hearts are heavy, but Jesus’ burden remains light.
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28, NIV)
We can’t get to that blessing if we don’t feel the heaviness of this world. As heavy as we feel, let’s remember Jesus is still the answer to everywhere we hurt…even if His packaging isn’t what we expect.
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