" When the Christ appears, no one will know where He comes from" (John 7:27b).

Some of the Jerusalem folks think Jesus is paranoid. Others won't even consider whether He might be the promised Messiah. Why? Because He is from Nazareth, and no one is supposed to know where the Messiah comes from. The funny thing is this: they don't know. Jesus only grew up in Nazareth; He was born in Bethlehem. But Jesus is the eternal Son of God who came down from heaven and was born in Bethlehem to save us. Using their little knowledge, they are content to write Jesus off and live in the darkness of their thinking.

Being content with a little knowledge is dangerous. Consider those who are content to know Jesus was born at Christmas and died on a cross, but that's all they care to know. They don't know that He lived and died to save them from God's wrath and rose again to give them eternal life.

We live in a time where people believe-and try hard to persuade us to believe-that reality is what we think it is. And what may be true for you isn't necessarily true for me. Once I am satisfied with my sense of reality I don't have to dig any deeper.

Being content with a little knowledge is not just a dangerous thing-it's deadly! Each of us is a sinner who needs God's salvation through Jesus Christ. He is the only Savior, the only way we can escape God's eternal wrath and live forever in heaven. This Lent God calls us to keep digging deeper and see the whole story of Jesus' suffering and death for our salvation.

THE PRAYER: Lord, forgive my being content with a shallow knowledge of My Savior. Open my mind to want to learn more. In Jesus' Name. Amen.