Looking for God in All the Wrong Places
Looking for God in All the Wrong Places: Understanding Advent Through First-Century Eyes
As we enter the season of Advent—a time of anticipation and preparation for Christ's arrival—we're confronted with an uncomfortable truth: we often search for God in all the wrong places. Like the classic country song about looking for love, we scan faces, circumstances, and experiences, hoping to find traces of what we're truly seeking. Yet God may be working right in front of us in ways we never expected.
The Challenge of Ancient Words for Modern Hearts
Understanding biblical prophecy requires us to step into the sandals of first-century Jews. These ancient writings weren't composed for 21st-century readers first; they were written to specific people in a specific time facing specific circumstances. When we grasp this context, Scripture comes alive in surprising ways.
The challenge is this: How do we take first-century literature written to first-century Jews and make it meaningful for our lives today? The answer lies in humility. We must ask God's Holy Spirit to translate, interpret, and apply these ancient truths to our modern hearts. Meaning is fixed in Scripture, but application to daily living requires divine wisdom.
The Prophecy That Changed Everything
In Matthew 24, Jesus made a startling prediction. As He and His disciples left the temple—that magnificent structure adorned with massive stones and covered in gold—Jesus declared that not one stone would be left upon another. The disciples were understandably confused. When would this happen? What would be the sign?
Here's where we often misread Scripture. We assume Jesus was talking about the end of the world, His final return in glory. But He was speaking to His disciples about events they would witness in their generation—specifically, the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD.
"This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened," Jesus said. Forty years later, His words came to devastating fulfillment.
The Historical Reality
The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is one of the most well-documented events in ancient history. The Jewish historian Josephus, an eyewitness to the siege, recorded the brutality in graphic detail: over a million deaths, horrific starvation within the city walls, and the complete destruction of the temple.
When Roman soldiers set fire to the city, the gold adorning the temple melted and ran down between the stones. Eager for plunder, soldiers pried apart every stone to recover the precious metal. Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled with chilling precision.
This wasn't just a military defeat. It was divine judgment on a people who had rejected their Messiah, killed the prophets sent to them, and persisted in rebellion despite countless warnings.
God's Compassion in Judgment
Before we recoil from this image of divine judgment, we must understand God's heart. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying, "How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."
God gave the Jewish people forty years—an entire generation—to recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God, the final sacrifice that would end all temple sacrifices. During those four decades, God sent signs and warnings. According to Josephus, there were supernatural phenomena: a sword-shaped star over the city, a bright light around the temple altar, the heavy eastern gate opening on its own, and heavenly armies appearing in the skies.
Even a peasant prophet named Jesus Ben Ananias roamed the city for seven years before the revolt, declaring its coming destruction. God was pleading with His people to see, to understand, to repent.
Taken Away: A Misunderstood Phrase
When Jesus spoke of "one will be taken and the other left," He wasn't describing a rapture event. He was using the imagery of Noah's flood. Who was "taken away" by the flood? Not the righteous—they were saved in the ark. The wicked were taken away in judgment.
Similarly, in 70 AD, those who refused to heed the warnings were taken away in judgment. This sobering reality reminds us that death comes for everyone, and "it is appointed for people to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
The Man on the Rooftop
There's a story about a man trapped on his rooftop during a flood. He prayed fervently for God to save him. A rowboat came by, then a motorboat, then a helicopter—each offering rescue. Each time, the man refused, insisting God would save him. He drowned. In heaven, he asked God why He didn't save him. God replied, "I sent you a rowboat, a motorboat, and a helicopter. What more did you expect?"
We do this constantly. We look for God in predetermined ways, insisting He work according to our expectations. We make God in our image rather than allowing Him to reveal Himself as He truly is. We want only grace and love, rejecting the harder truths about holiness and judgment.
Judaism Transformed
Since 70 AD, no animal has been sacrificed in Jewish worship. Without a temple, the Mosaic sacrificial system became impossible. Judaism was transformed into rabbinic Judaism, centered on Torah study, acts of loving-kindness, and synagogue prayer.
This transformation was God's doing. He was declaring through history itself: Jesus is the final sacrifice. The old covenant has been fulfilled. A new way has been established.
What This Means for Us
As we begin Advent, we're called to examine where we're looking for God. Are we searching in too many faces—our spouses, children, jobs, reputations? Are we demanding that God work according to our preferences?
Perhaps we need to forgive God—or more accurately, forgive ourselves for judging Him, for making Him in our image, for rejecting parts of Scripture that make us uncomfortable. The God of the Bible is both perfectly loving and perfectly just. He is compassionate beyond measure and holy beyond comprehension.
The same Jesus who wept over Jerusalem also pronounced judgment upon it. The same God who sent His Son to die for our sins also holds us accountable for how we respond to that sacrifice.
Seeking First the Kingdom
Advent reminds us to seek first God's kingdom—His rule in our daily lives. This isn't a one-time decision but a continual seeking, a daily surrender to His ways rather than our own.
God is fresh and new every morning, which means we must be prepared for Him to lead us in new directions, to speak to us in unexpected ways, to challenge our comfortable assumptions.
As we light the first Advent candle, let it symbolize forgiveness—forgiving God for not being who we wanted Him to be, and asking His forgiveness for our stubborn insistence on our own way. Let it represent our willingness to humble ourselves before His Word, to walk in the sandals of those who first heard these prophecies, and to apply their timeless truths to our modern lives.
The Christ child came to bring hope to a broken world and broken hearts. But that hope requires honesty about our brokenness and humility before His holiness. May this Advent season find us looking for God in the right place—in His revealed Word, through His Holy Spirit, and in humble obedience to His will.
As we enter the season of Advent—a time of anticipation and preparation for Christ's arrival—we're confronted with an uncomfortable truth: we often search for God in all the wrong places. Like the classic country song about looking for love, we scan faces, circumstances, and experiences, hoping to find traces of what we're truly seeking. Yet God may be working right in front of us in ways we never expected.
The Challenge of Ancient Words for Modern Hearts
Understanding biblical prophecy requires us to step into the sandals of first-century Jews. These ancient writings weren't composed for 21st-century readers first; they were written to specific people in a specific time facing specific circumstances. When we grasp this context, Scripture comes alive in surprising ways.
The challenge is this: How do we take first-century literature written to first-century Jews and make it meaningful for our lives today? The answer lies in humility. We must ask God's Holy Spirit to translate, interpret, and apply these ancient truths to our modern hearts. Meaning is fixed in Scripture, but application to daily living requires divine wisdom.
The Prophecy That Changed Everything
In Matthew 24, Jesus made a startling prediction. As He and His disciples left the temple—that magnificent structure adorned with massive stones and covered in gold—Jesus declared that not one stone would be left upon another. The disciples were understandably confused. When would this happen? What would be the sign?
Here's where we often misread Scripture. We assume Jesus was talking about the end of the world, His final return in glory. But He was speaking to His disciples about events they would witness in their generation—specifically, the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD.
"This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened," Jesus said. Forty years later, His words came to devastating fulfillment.
The Historical Reality
The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is one of the most well-documented events in ancient history. The Jewish historian Josephus, an eyewitness to the siege, recorded the brutality in graphic detail: over a million deaths, horrific starvation within the city walls, and the complete destruction of the temple.
When Roman soldiers set fire to the city, the gold adorning the temple melted and ran down between the stones. Eager for plunder, soldiers pried apart every stone to recover the precious metal. Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled with chilling precision.
This wasn't just a military defeat. It was divine judgment on a people who had rejected their Messiah, killed the prophets sent to them, and persisted in rebellion despite countless warnings.
God's Compassion in Judgment
Before we recoil from this image of divine judgment, we must understand God's heart. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying, "How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."
God gave the Jewish people forty years—an entire generation—to recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God, the final sacrifice that would end all temple sacrifices. During those four decades, God sent signs and warnings. According to Josephus, there were supernatural phenomena: a sword-shaped star over the city, a bright light around the temple altar, the heavy eastern gate opening on its own, and heavenly armies appearing in the skies.
Even a peasant prophet named Jesus Ben Ananias roamed the city for seven years before the revolt, declaring its coming destruction. God was pleading with His people to see, to understand, to repent.
Taken Away: A Misunderstood Phrase
When Jesus spoke of "one will be taken and the other left," He wasn't describing a rapture event. He was using the imagery of Noah's flood. Who was "taken away" by the flood? Not the righteous—they were saved in the ark. The wicked were taken away in judgment.
Similarly, in 70 AD, those who refused to heed the warnings were taken away in judgment. This sobering reality reminds us that death comes for everyone, and "it is appointed for people to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
The Man on the Rooftop
There's a story about a man trapped on his rooftop during a flood. He prayed fervently for God to save him. A rowboat came by, then a motorboat, then a helicopter—each offering rescue. Each time, the man refused, insisting God would save him. He drowned. In heaven, he asked God why He didn't save him. God replied, "I sent you a rowboat, a motorboat, and a helicopter. What more did you expect?"
We do this constantly. We look for God in predetermined ways, insisting He work according to our expectations. We make God in our image rather than allowing Him to reveal Himself as He truly is. We want only grace and love, rejecting the harder truths about holiness and judgment.
Judaism Transformed
Since 70 AD, no animal has been sacrificed in Jewish worship. Without a temple, the Mosaic sacrificial system became impossible. Judaism was transformed into rabbinic Judaism, centered on Torah study, acts of loving-kindness, and synagogue prayer.
This transformation was God's doing. He was declaring through history itself: Jesus is the final sacrifice. The old covenant has been fulfilled. A new way has been established.
What This Means for Us
As we begin Advent, we're called to examine where we're looking for God. Are we searching in too many faces—our spouses, children, jobs, reputations? Are we demanding that God work according to our preferences?
Perhaps we need to forgive God—or more accurately, forgive ourselves for judging Him, for making Him in our image, for rejecting parts of Scripture that make us uncomfortable. The God of the Bible is both perfectly loving and perfectly just. He is compassionate beyond measure and holy beyond comprehension.
The same Jesus who wept over Jerusalem also pronounced judgment upon it. The same God who sent His Son to die for our sins also holds us accountable for how we respond to that sacrifice.
Seeking First the Kingdom
Advent reminds us to seek first God's kingdom—His rule in our daily lives. This isn't a one-time decision but a continual seeking, a daily surrender to His ways rather than our own.
God is fresh and new every morning, which means we must be prepared for Him to lead us in new directions, to speak to us in unexpected ways, to challenge our comfortable assumptions.
As we light the first Advent candle, let it symbolize forgiveness—forgiving God for not being who we wanted Him to be, and asking His forgiveness for our stubborn insistence on our own way. Let it represent our willingness to humble ourselves before His Word, to walk in the sandals of those who first heard these prophecies, and to apply their timeless truths to our modern lives.
The Christ child came to bring hope to a broken world and broken hearts. But that hope requires honesty about our brokenness and humility before His holiness. May this Advent season find us looking for God in the right place—in His revealed Word, through His Holy Spirit, and in humble obedience to His will.
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