Messiah & Judge

Advent is a bit of a weird season. During Advent we count down the days until Christmas. 22 more days.

Thats normal for engaged couples. I talked to an engaged couple who knew how many days until their wedding next summer.

It’s normal for a couple expecting a child - although babies don’t always cooperate with our planning or schedule, arriving early or late, but rarely on their due date.

Birthdays are easier to count down to. After the first one, they’re a little easier to predict.

Advent is the season in which we count down the days until Christmas. When it was first celebrated, it was a countdown until Jesus’ second coming. That’s even more difficult than counting down the days of a pregnancy. We know doctors are reluctant to let childbirth go more than 2 weeks overdue, yet we’ve been waiting for Jesus’ return for nearly 2000 years. Some people would argue Jesus’ return is overdue.

The righteous are surprised at Jesus listing all the good and generous things they had done. Do they just have bad memories and can’t recall what they’ve done? Or are they surprised that Jesus would call attention to it because the transformation on their mind and actions is so advanced that such grace and generosity is normal. They’ve helped lots of people, but don’t recall helping Jesus specifically.

Kings and rulers band together against the LORD - and his anointed - wanting to rebel against his rule. They cannot stand against the LORD.