A special bond sometimes develops between a counselor and a patient. For the patient, it’s the first time anyone ever listened — without judgment. It’s validation; it’s wonderful!
There are other kinds of counselors, too. Presidents depend on experts to help them govern. However, if they give the positions as political patronage, they get biased opinions or wrong facts.
The prophet Isaiah foretold a child’s birth. A deliverer from Israel’s bondage. Isaiah called him Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6).
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.“
Seven hundred years later, an angel told the parents to call the boy, Jesus (Matthew 1:21, Luke 2:21).
A Different Kind of Counselor
Now, when Jesus arrived in Bethlehem, he didn’t look so wonderful. He had closed eyes, a red face, and wailed as infants do. Dry hay where he lay in a stable belied the halls of Heaven from where the Christ-child came. Jesus was a different kind of Wonderful and a different sort of Counselor.
Wise men from the East traveled far to see him when his star rose over Bethlehem. Priests marveled at a mere boy’s understanding as they discussed Scriptures in the Temple. Crowds followed the young man from town to town, without concern about eating.
What made Jesus so appealing? Jesus had a way of untangling old truths of their rabbinical knots, making them sound refreshingly new. His news wasn’t just any old news; it was great news—morally, physically, emotionally, politically, and spiritually. It offered freedom for captives, sight for the blind, and release of the oppressed (Luke 4:18-19). Above all, the Lord’s favor was at hand — not only for the Jews but for all humanity!
Here and Now
Succeeding generations after Isaiah’s looked forward to the Wonderful Counselor. We look back to him not as one depicted on a Christmas card or placed in a Nativity scene under a Christmas tree. We look to him as Lord and Savior in the here and now.
Do you face uncertainties? Unsettled issues? Do you feel powerless about something holding you captive?
Seek Jesus like the wise men; treasure him like a mother does her child; listen to him like the temple priests; follow him like the crowds; believe in him with a disciple’s conviction.
Jesus accepts you without judgment. No one can pay him off and he never gives bad advice. He was and is more wonderful than any earthly counselor or even the adjective itself can convey! He is Wonderful Counselor!
© 2017 David Harlen Brooks | All rights reserved.
