The question resounds as we sing, Do You Know My Jesus? A few moments later we sing the simple request, Jesus Let Us Come to Know You!
Familiar words, favorite songs, not always easy to bring to life. Knowing Jesus is seldom easy, often quite difficult. The Jesus of Matthew is both servant and royalty. The paradox must not escape us. The lineage is right, but the circumstances seem wrong. The markers line up (Jesus, Emmanuel, Christ, Son of God), but the purpose catches us off guard (to serve, not to be served).
Life in the kingdom of this King is possible only because he is continually present. He leads us in kingdom living which is generally not at all as we thought it would be or should be. The life to which he leads and challenges us is internal more than external. It is sacrificial and faces rejection more often that victory. It is both present and future.
We sing, O To Be Like Thee. Our servant king comes teaching and preaching and healing; but he ultimately comes dying. How much do I really want to be like him?
Jesus, Let Us Come to Know You!