The Purpose of His Coming: Grace for the Broken

The One Who Changed Everything

Who else did you have in mind?

It's a simple question, yet it carries profound weight. When we consider the impact one life can have on human history, on civilization itself, on the very fabric of how we understand compassion, justice, and love, there is simply no comparison.

More than 1,900 years ago, a man was born in obscurity. He grew up in poverty, never traveled extensively except once as a child refugee, possessed no wealth or political influence, and had no formal education. Yet this man would go on to change absolutely everything.

The Incomparable Impact

Consider the facts: He never wrote a book, yet libraries cannot contain all the volumes written about Him. He never composed a song, yet He inspired more music than all songwriters combined. He never founded a college, yet all universities together cannot claim as many students as those who have studied His teachings. He never led an army, yet no general has had more volunteers willingly surrender under His banner.

His name? Jesus of Nazareth.

Every week, millions gather to honor Him. The names of ancient Greek and Roman statesmen have faded into history books. The philosophies of great thinkers come and go. But His name multiplies more and more with each passing generation. His enemies tried to destroy Him. The grave tried to hold Him. Yet He stands victorious, proclaimed by heaven, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, the risen Christ.

How Jesus Transformed Society

The influence of Jesus extends into every corner of human civilization. He challenged the social norms of His time, elevating women and children in a patriarchal world. He treated women with dignity, included them in His ministry, and emphasized their equal worth, revolutionary concepts for His era.

His teachings promoted care for the poor, the sick, and the marginalized, establishing a legacy of humanitarianism that influenced movements against slavery, racism, and oppression. Christian institutions preserved knowledge through the Middle Ages, laying foundations for modern education. The great universities, Harvard and others, were founded with charters centered on learning about Him.

Before Christ, humility was not considered a virtue. It was associated with the conquered, the impoverished, the outcast. But the life Jesus lived transformed humility into something we marvel at and aspire to embody.

Hospitals, charitable organizations, and educational systems were all established based on His principles of compassion and service. His ethical teachings influenced the development of human rights, democratic ideals, and legal systems, including the Magna Carta and modern civil law.

Even the secular historian H.G. Wells, who did not claim faith, admitted: "I am a historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history."

Beyond Religion to Relationship

Yet here's where things get complicated. When we encounter something so magnificent, so enormous, we humans tend to want to contain it. We create systems and boxes to manage what we cannot fully comprehend. We develop traditions and rules, which we often call religion.

And while discipline is valuable, human nature can corrupt even good intentions. We can become so focused on keeping rules that we miss the heart of the matter entirely.

Consider the religious leaders of Jesus' day. They were meticulous about following every regulation, proud of their spiritual discipline. Yet when the Son of God stood before them, they didn't recognize Him. Why? Because they were blinded by their own self-righteousness.

Jesus told a revealing story about two men praying in the temple. One, a religious leader, thanked God that he wasn't like other people; he fasted, he tithed, he kept all the rules. The other man, a despised tax collector, couldn't even look up to heaven. He simply beat his chest and said, "God, forgive me, I'm a sinner."

Which one walked away justified? The one who realized his need.

The Broken and the Beautiful

Here's what's remarkable: When God became flesh and walked among us, He didn't recruit His students from the best religious schools. He went to the docks and found fishermen, men who hadn't made the cut for advanced religious education. He called a tax collector whom everyone hated. He spent time with sinners and outcasts.

When the religious elite criticized Him for this, Jesus responded: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

He even told the religious leaders that tax collectors and prostitutes would enter heaven ahead of them. Why? Because those considered "sinners" recognized their need for a Savior, while the religious were lost in their own self-righteousness.

This turns everything upside down. Religion says you have to be good enough, clean enough, worthy enough before you can come to God. Jesus says come as you are, and He will make you new.

What God Truly Wants

Psalm 51:17 reveals what God is really looking for: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, these, O God, You will not despise."

We think we need to bring our goodness to offer Him. But He says the only thing He's accepting first is a broken heart, when we realize our desperate need for Him.

True transformation isn't about getting good at following rules. It's about spending time with Jesus, loving Him, and allowing His character to seep into ours. It's about becoming a new creation from the inside out. Before you know it, you're living differently, not because you're trying to keep rules, but because it has become your default position. The Holy Spirit changes you from within.

God has chosen "the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise...the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27). When you realize your own brokenness, and God begins working in your life, you understand that He gets all the glory. It's all Him.

The Demonstration of Love

Romans 5:8 captures the heart of the gospel: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Not after we cleaned up our act. Not when we finally got it together. While we were still sinners, that's when Christ died for us.

The Question That Matters

So yes, Jesus changed the world. He transformed civilization, elevated the oppressed, inspired countless works of art and music, and established principles that shaped modern society.

But the real question isn't whether Jesus changed the world. The question is: Has He changed you?

Who else did you have in mind? Who else offers this kind of transformative love? Who else died for you while you were still a sinner? Who else can take a broken heart and make it whole?

Only Jesus. The final Word who became flesh. The One who came to seek and save the lost.

Whether you realize it or not, that includes you. And that includes me.

The invitation stands: Come as you are. Surrender your brokenness. Let Him make you new.

Devotional

A 5-day Bible reading plan and devotional guide based on the message The Purpose of His Coming: Grace for the Broken.