Daily Devotional December 7 - Denial doesn't diminish truth

"And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of Him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him." Luke 23:8

This Herod is from a line of Herods that had reputations of being unrelenting, calculating and wicked. This Herod beheaded John the Baptist. But Herod was a leanerd man and he, like his father knew about the prophesy of Jesus. This Herod's father was the one that had all the children under two years of age killed at Bethelehem. And this Herod was over the Jews at Jerusalem as the keeper of peace between the Romans and the Jews. This Herod wanted to see Jesus do a miracle like an enthusiast would pay to see a magician. This Herod like the Herod before him had no real interest in Jesus, but this Herod did want to seek some magic.

It's the same today. There are many people that really want a magical genie god; one that will kindly get back in the bottle and mind his own business after performing a great feat for their master. Jesus doesn't do magic and God doesn't need Herod's approval. The fact that Jesus spurned Herod is simply more proof of the fact that Jesus was true to Himself and true to His mission. Herod, in his indiscreet and conspicuous fashion wanted Jesus to do a miracle to show off to his underlings.

Jesus didn't meet Herod's expectations and Jesus doesn't meet the expectations of many people today either. I have heard it from many, "If Jesus was to do a miracle, I would believe in Him." If Jesus was real He would do this or that. The list is long of all the things that the unfaitful would like to see Jesus do.

But on the other hand there are those who have learned to trust Jesus even though they have never seen a miracle. They believe in Jesus having never seen, but by faith accepting the work of Jesus on their behalf. Those saved by faith alone, no miracles, no gifts, no special agreement, just simple faith. There are those who believe all that Jesus has said even while in their own experience things aren't looking that good, because faith transcends the physical world and outlives the temporal.

For the naysayers out there, we don't believe in Jesus because we have seen Him walk on water and we don't love Jesus because He did some miracle for us, and we don't follow Jesus because He will come back and set up His kingdom, nor because of all that Jesus has done for us. We believe, love and follow Jesus because He called us and we answered yes. Our proof has already taken place and the truly faithful need no more proof. Jesus has already proven Himself, to Herod and to you and to me. Herod's denial of the truth and anyone else's denial of the truth for that matter has not changed a thing. Jesus and His children and the angelic hosts have changed everything.