David came to Saul and entered his service (1 Samuel 16:2).
It was a not long before Saul rejected David, and in this way, David points forward to Jesus Christ. He too served sinners who hated and despised him in return.
Jesus was the Lord’s anointed, bringing good to everyone, yet he is rejected. He came to his home town in Nazareth, announcing that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him to preach good news to the poor. But by the end of the service they were ready to kill him (Luke 4:29).
Jesus came to the land of the Gerasenes and delivered a man, who had terrorized the whole town, from demons. This same man, who had been a danger to himself and to the whole community, now sat dressed and in his right mind, and the people said to Jesus, “Please go away!”
Jesus came to Jerusalem with words of eternal life and they arrested him, scourged him, and nailed him to a cross: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11).
Think of all the people who saw Jesus or heard him speak during his more than three years of ministry. How many of them actually became his followers? Relatively few.
The entire company of believers in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost was only 120. Of the large crowds who at one time followed him, “Many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66).
Your experience will be the same. Your life will touch the lives of many others who may not come to faith and repentance, but by doing them good you bring honor to Christ.
Have you been given the opportunity to honor Christ this way?
