Messiah

The December 16, 1997 issue of the tabloid The Sun carried this headline on the front page: New Messiah to Be Born in Holy Land. Inside the story says that on the eve of Christmas and Hanukkah a strange meteor would appear over Bethlehem. (The two festivals coincided in 1997, an event that occurs about once every ten years!) It should be obvious by now that the prophecy failed to come true, but no doubt it sold lots of copies of the Sun.

One has to ask, "What would a new Messiah do that the old Messiah has not already done?" The Messiah we have known lived a sinless life, served in a selfless way, showed uncommon compassion, died a sacrificial death, and came back to life in a triumphant resurrection. What would a new Messiah do that Jesus has not already done?

-Robert Shannon, Preaching March/April 1998