Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Whenever we try to put pieces of a puzzle together we should be looking at the overall picture and look at what is missing. This piece of the puzzle was available to the Pharisees and Scribes to identify the coming Messiah. Some were looking for that missing piece of the puzzle.

Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

The Pharisees and Scribes were well aware of Herod’s effort to kill his replacement. How were they to know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? He never told them.

John 7:41-43 English Standard Version

41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him.

Jesus declared many things that upset the Pharisees and Scribes but never corrected their misunderstanding about His origins. He never corrected this error in thinking. We know the missing pieces of the puzzle because the gospels that wrote of His history came long after His death and resurrection. The Pharisees and Scribes did not find this missing piece of the puzzle.

Isaiah 11:10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Jesus is that root of Jesse but never made that connection clear to the Pharisees and Scribes.

Romans 15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”

Again we have this piece of the puzzle that came to us long after Jesus ascended the throne.

I am not sure if the Pharisees and Scribes would have believed Jesus even if He had provided them with the missing pieces of the puzzle. I am just grateful He provided the pieces to us so that we can have a complete picture of our Lord. Now we can start working the puzzle.

Psalm 121 English Standard Version

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 

5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

This truth is as good as any in all the bible. I have omitted verse 4 with purpose. Words can be misleading.

“Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

I omitted this line because I didn’t want you to feel like this only applies to Israel. It does not.

Exodus 12:48 – 12:49
If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

A stranger is not a family member. The word is let them, not make them. The stranger has the choice to become a member of the family. If they so choose they will be treated like a member of the family. What applies to one member of the family applies to all.

Part of being this stranger comes down to keeping the Passover of the Lord. We that are adopted into the family of God do keep the Passover of the Lord, just not the one connected to being set free from Pharaoh.  We keep the Passover Lamb that sets us free from the power of sin.

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus is the Passover Lamb. In many ways I want to hold it against the Pharisees and Scribes for not putting this truth all together. Jesus just didn’t fit the picture they had for the coming Messiah. There were missing pieces to the puzzle. I can see that now.