He is the One We are Looking For
Matthew 11:1-19
Illustration
by John Thomas Randolph

You see, God through Jesus Christ is still bringing good news to the poor. He is still bringing those who were dead back to life again! He is still healing those who were broken!

In the May, 1982, issue of Guideposts magazine, Norman Vincent Peale tells of a woman who came to him for help. Her husband had been killed in a tragic car crash, and as a result, she felt numb, hopeless, and "broken.

Peale was able to help her by telling her a true story about a distinguished British violinist named Peter Cropper. Cropper's work was so outstanding that the Royal Academy of Music in London had honored him by lending him a priceless 258-year old Stradivarius. It is the dream of every violinist to be able to play such an instrument! But a terrible thing happened while Cropper was performing in Finland. He tripped and fell on top of the Stradivarius and broke it. Cropper's pleasant dream was turned into a horrible nightmare. He was, inconsolable.

Then a London violin dealer told him of a master craftsman who could repair the Stradivarius. To make a long story short, the repairs were so perfect they could not even be seen, and the soaring notes of the instrument were more beautiful than they had ever been before -- all because the broken parts were placed in the hands of a master craftsman who then applied his healing touch.

Yes, Jesus Christ is the one we have been looking for. Something terrible happens and our lives are broken. Then we turn them over to Jesus Christ who is the Master Craftsman of all time. He takes the broken pieces and puts them back together again, and we are better than new!

So go tell John and anyone else who will listen: The works of Jesus, what he is actually doing for us and others, affirm that he is the one we are looking for. There is no need to look "for another."

CSS Publishing Company, The Best Gift, by John Thomas Randolph