Wednesday 3rd December 2025
Leslie Milton
“Jesus said, ‘Then if anyone says to you, “Look! Here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!”— do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.’”
Matthew 24:23-24
Praying, not imposing
In many of our churches this weekend we will have begun lighting the Advent candles for the great themes of this season, pointing us towards the birth of the child who embodies them all: hope, peace, joy and love. The whole season is filled with such an amazing promise, such a wonderful reality. By the grace of God the darkness and sin of the world will be transformed by the cry of a child and the soothing embrace of his mother.
And so the readings at the beginning of Advent, like today’s words from Matthew, can seem challenging and dark, frightening even. “’Tis the season to be jolly!” we might think. Can’t we find something a bit more cheering than false messiahs and people being led astray?
In some ways today’s verses tell why Advent is important for us. It’s a warning against being in such a rush to get to the joy of Christmas that we miss the true significance of God’s coming among us. The Advent readings tell us that there will be people who wish to be powerful by promising easy answers to the world’s problems. Some of them will even speak godly talk, but their motivation is all about themselves, their own power, their own wealth.
Jesus sees that we can be so convinced that God will come to transform the world that we can be tempted to find God’s power in the wrong places. We can be led astray by those who call upon God but do not act in God’s name. “Don’t be beguiled by their power or their charm”, Jesus is saying. “Don’t rush after the first one who comes along claiming that they are speaking for God.”
The season of Advent is God’s reminder to us that the promises of God will be fulfilled in the way and at the time that God has ordained. There is a right place for patience, for watching and praying, not imposing upon God our own ideas about how he should exercise his power.
And Jesus, when he comes, will not be like any of those false messiahs; the only glory he will have is his suffering, the only exaltation will be his being lifted upon the cross.
To those who think in the ways of the world, Jesus is the opposite of power. All this becomes real for us in the waiting and the watching, in the praying and in the unexpected realisation that God becomes present to us in the poverty of a manger bed, in the filth of a stable.
Shall we Pray?
Lord, open our hearts and our minds, that we may be surprised to find you in the places we least expect. Amen.
Thinking it through:
What does the expression “false messiahs” suggest to you? Are “false messiahs” present in our world?
In what ways does Jesus differ from your understanding of “false messiah”?
Can you think of ways in which you see the power of God in the places least expected?