Divine Misdirection: Why God Hid the Messiah in Plain Sight

Throughout history, God has been working to restore His original vision for humanity - to have a family with whom He and His divine family could rule in the new Eden. After the disruption with Adam and Eve, God's most visible effort was through Israel, beginning with Abraham and Sarah. However, Israel failed miserably in its mission, eventually ending up in exile in Babylon - the very place where God had scattered the nations at Babel.

Why God Had to Become Human

God realized that humanity, made in His image, had to be part of the restored world, but free will and human agency created a fundamental problem. There was only one solution: God Himself would have to become human. But this created additional challenges - God would need to indwell His people through His Spirit, not just reside in a distant tabernacle or temple.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God announced a new covenant: "I will put my law within them and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God and they shall be my people." This covenant would involve God sending His Spirit to indwell His people and sending a Messiah - but not the kind of Messiah people were expecting.

The Puzzle Without the Box Top

The Old Testament presents the Messiah in what can be described as a mosaic profile that can only be discerned after all the pieces are put together. Imagine trying to assemble a 3,000-piece circular puzzle without seeing the picture on the box - that's exactly the challenge facing those in Old Testament times.

Paul explains this divine strategy in First Corinthians: "We impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." The concealment was intentional - if the powers of darkness had understood God's plan, they wouldn't have crucified Jesus, and the nations would not have been reclaimed.

Why the Disciples Struggled to Understand

This explains why Peter couldn't grasp Jesus going to Jerusalem to die, even though he believed Jesus was the Messiah. There was no single Old Testament verse describing a dying and rising Messiah. The concept had to be pieced together from scattered fragments throughout Scripture that, taken alone, didn't clearly point to this reality.

Even after the resurrection, the disciples needed help understanding. In Luke 24, Jesus "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" - indicating they couldn't have understood beforehand without divine intervention.

Common Mistakes in Reading Scripture

Many Christians make the error of reading New Testament understanding back into Old Testament passages. This is like judging historical events by present-day knowledge - historians call this "presentism" and consider it flawed methodology.

For example, when people read Genesis 1:26 ("Let us make man in our image") and immediately think "Trinity," they're reading later revelation back into the text. While this might help us understand connections, we must be careful not to claim the Old Testament explicitly teaches what it doesn't clearly state.

The Hidden Pattern Revealed

Looking back, we can see a consistent pattern throughout Scripture that points to the Messiah:

• Adam: Son of God, ruler, servant, suffers exile and death, lives on through descendants

• Israel: Son of God, highest among nations, servant, suffers exile and death, lives on through Judah

• Moses: Follows the same pattern of service, suffering, and continuation

• David: The anointed one (messiah), earthly son of Yahweh, ruler, servant, whose lineage continues

Each of these figures was a "messiah" (anointed one) in their own right, but they all pointed to the ultimate Messiah who would fulfill the pattern completely.

Why the Mystery Was Necessary

The Old Testament profile of the Messiah was deliberately veiled to ensure the powers of darkness would be misled. As First Peter explains, even angels longed to understand these mysteries. If heavenly beings in God's presence couldn't figure it out, we shouldn't be surprised that humans struggled with it too.

The story of the cross is the biblical theological catalyst to God's plan for regaining everything that was lost. But it couldn't be "emblazoned across the Old Testament in transparent statements" - it had to be expressed in sophisticated and cryptic ways.

Lessons for Today

This principle of divine hiddenness applies to other areas of Scripture as well. When Jesus spoke about end times, wars, earthquakes, and tribulation, He told His followers to "stay firm" and endure - suggesting they would be present during difficult times rather than removed from them.

We must be careful not to build entire doctrines on unclear passages or read our preferences into Scripture. Whether it's debates about baptism methods or end-times theology, we should focus on what Scripture clearly teaches rather than fighting over interpretations that divide us.

Life Application

This week, challenge yourself to approach Scripture with humility, recognizing that God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. Instead of rushing to defend denominational distinctives or personal interpretations, focus on the clear truths of the Gospel: Jesus is Lord and Savior, we have a Father in heaven, and His Spirit dwells within us.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I reading my own assumptions into Scripture, or am I letting Scripture speak for itself?

• Do I approach unclear passages with humility, or do I insist on my interpretation being the only correct one?

• Am I more focused on what divides Christians or what unites us in Christ?

• How can I maintain joy in worship and fellowship even when others practice their faith differently than I do?

Remember, God's plan of redemption was so profound that it had to be hidden in plain sight. If the angels longed to understand these mysteries, we can approach Scripture with wonder and humility, trusting that God reveals what we need to know when we need to know it.