Several years ago, my husband decided to have some fun with us at Christmas. He secretly went to a thrift store and picked out items for each of us that he knew we would not be drawn to. My (then) teenage daughter opened her gift first. Inside was a sweater, in her size, but clearly not her taste. She didn’t know how to react! She held it up in bewilderment and politely thanked her dad. As she placed it back in the box, she looked at me with questioning eyes, all the while trying to hide her discomfort and confusion at receiving such an unattractive gift.
Next was my turn. As I unwrapped the large heavy object, I couldn’t imagine what was inside. I’m sure my expression spoke volumes when I held up an old chipped and marred urn. It looked like something rescued from a dumpster! I looked at my husband questioningly. What was his intent in gifting us with things that clearly didn’t seem like gifts at all? He just smiled.
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2b)
I imagine the people in Jesus’ day had similar unsettled feelings about our Lord.
“’Where did this man get these things?’ They asked. ‘What’s this wisdom that has been given him that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joses, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us? ‘And they took offense at him.” (Mark 6: 2b-3)
“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11)
Eventually, my husband relented and told us that our true gifts were inside, under the tissue in my daughter’s box, and in the bottom of my urn. We had only looked at the outside of the gift and, not finding it pleasant or attractive, were ready to toss it aside, missing what lay beneath the surface.
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is give, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 8:6)
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” (James 1:17-18)
Have you willingly received The Gift?