“It’s right there under your nose.”  “If it were any closer it would bite you!”  

Have any of you ever heard these words from a family member or friend, or internalized them and told them to yourself?  I still remember my mom telling me this often, every time I’d be looking frantically for something I needed immediately!

So, if something is that close, why can’t we find it right away, or at least more easily?  Because we’re NOT EXPECTING to!

I rediscovered this truth earlier this morning, through my little tea strainer. 

It was sitting right there in the table-teapot containing newly-boiled ginger-tea.  Anticipating the delicious and nutritious brew, I went to pick up the strainer—but where was it?  The first logical option– looking next to the teapot in the little dish I keep on the table for that purpose. Not there…

So I checked on the counter—nope… then in the sink—nope… then in the dish drainer… no… then giving up and deciding to just pour out the tea as carefully as possible… (better than building up frustration)…

…and when I went back to the teapot– there was the strainer, nestled in the top of it, under the lid, and literally right under my nose!

Rejoicing in finding it, I poured my delicious ginger tea into my mug and am still enjoying the warming, healthy, benefits, as the cold wind howls outside our door.

In this instance, the Holy Spirit spoke to me—

Too many people missed and continue to miss the Messiah that way— in Bethlehem; in Nazareth; in Judea; in the Jewish nation… in the world today—because He wasn’t and isn’t where and how they expect to find Him!

In Bethlehem, only the shepherds found Him, besides Jesus’ parents and the animals in the stable.  Everyone else was too preoccupied with business-more than usual on account of the influx of travelers for the Roman census.

In His family and in Nazareth, Jesus was just “that nice boy” that respected his parents and behaved well.  A carpenter, like his papa.  Certainly no reason to consider Him anything special or encourage notions of grandeur. 

Jesus Himself summed it up when he declared “’A prophet is not without honor, except in his own town, among his relatives, and in his own home.” Mk. 6:4

In Judea and in the whole Jewish nation, He didn’t appear to qualify as a great prophet either, let alone the Promised One (Messiah) everyone was waiting for. 

First, He had the wrong background—a simple, working-class, family; from a town that Nathanael even asked “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?!” Jn. 1:46

Then, people assumed He’d been born in the wrong place— prophecy required Him to be born in Bethlehem, not the “halfway-heathen” region of Galilee! 

“’Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?’”  Jn. 7:42 (ref. to Micah 5:2). 

Note the word “assumed” – if people had done the research, they would’ve known that the Lord had, in fact, arranged for Him to be born in Bethlehem.  The Lord does that—uses people, even governments, to arrange events for HIS purposes.

Basically, Jesus didn’t fit people’s “SUPPOSED to”s.  He was “supposed to” be a… great man, political leader, famous rabbi, more religiously correct, etc.  So they didn’t find Him where He was.

Many in today’s world have the same problem—looking for fulfillment and salvation anywhere but in Jesus because He’s not what “He’s SUPPOSED to be.

Like my tea-strainer, He’s “covered”— under busyness, problems, and false expectations.  And yet He’s also “nestled” right where He needs to be—placed right there at our point of need, for our greatest blessing. 

He is “Immanuel”—God WITH us!  Is. 7:14

As Rom. 10:6-8 admonishes us (paraphrased) – don’t look all over the place trying to find the Lord—He’s right HERE, in our mouths and hearts!

In other words, He’s “right under our noses”!  Drink that in 🙂