Homer wrote an epic poem called The Odyssey, about a hero named Odysseus, king of Ithaca. However, an Odyssey is not just a story, it's also noted as a long voyage marked by many changes of fortune. The story of the Israelites is also a kind of an odyssey where a chosen people are sent on a journey towards a Promised Land. While on the journey, they encounter plenty of enemies, giants, plagues, gods, and demons. There were times when they were extremely prosperous, like the days of Solomon; there were also times when they were completely destitute like in the days of Hezekiah, or Jehoiachin. But amidst their ups and downs, blessings and curses, freedom and captivity, they had a glimmer of hope in one who would make it all worth it—the Messiah.
Jesus was the Messiah they were waiting for, but like Odysseus, His true identity was cloaked from His own people upon His return. Jesus, the Messiah, was the one that John proclaims, “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). His ability to pay the penalty for our sins is what makes Him unlike anyone who ever has lived or will live.
He was their “change in fortune” that they had been longing for but really didn’t understand. Paul said in Romans 11:25-27, “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Isaiah 59:20-21; 27:9)
Jesus’ methods though, were like a mystery. Many people lost hope at His death, but God chose to reveal His plan for salvation the way He did for a reason. 1 Peter 1:11-12, “[the prophets were] trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told to you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”
Like many stories people tell, God’s story follows a literary pattern that allows those “with ears to hear” to have an “aha!” moment when they begin to see how God had been giving many hints along the way that He loved us enough to counter the evil lurking within our hearts with a perfect example of selfless love—Jesus Christ! A love that would compel us to follow Him and be “faithful until death.”
The Promised Land is yet to come. We must be the diligent hero that battles through the obstacles that try to keep us from the “things God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). We must continue on the journey with a willingness to give up everything that hinders our progress. Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
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