Those mysterious magi still enthrall us today, with the Christmas card images of wise men on camels bearing gifts, the strange gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (whatever that is...), the long journey following a star to a house in Bethlehem. What were they expecting? Why did they do it? What did they think when they arrived? What happened when they finally got home again?
So many questions yet we're never told the answers. We can look forward to meeting these wise men in heaven and hearing all about their journey. What we are told, though, is the reaction when they arrived in Jerusalem looking for the born king:
"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." (Matthew 2:2)
For a start, the 'king' of the Jews, Herod, wasn't pleased to hear of this rival king. There had been no royal birth in the palace or his family. Who was this king of the Jews from birth? Was his position under threat? We're told that 'When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.'
Perhaps surprisingly, he consults the religious leaders and experts to see what the Bible said about the birth of the Christ, the promised coming king. This is an easy question - a starter for ten; it has to be Bethlehem, from what Micah 5:2 says. With that, having learnt when the star appeared (and thus how old the baby was already), he sends the magi wise men on their way to Bethlehem.
Just the wise men. Herod says he wants word so he too can go and worship, but we know his heart is inclined towards evil and he wants to destroy the Christ child.
Just the wise men. Even though the religious leaders knew the answer to where the Messiah would be born, even though it appears that this has now happened, even though these strange foreigners are on their way to see the Christ, the chief priests and the scribes don't go to worship Jesus. Too busy being religious to worship the Lord Jesus.
Just the wise men. Back in the saddle on their camels (or however they travelled), and once more the star goes ahead of them, towards Bethlehem. There, they find their heart's desire, the one they have pursued and journeyed many days to see, and they offer their worship:
And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
No longer in the stable, but in the house, Jesus is a bit older than the baby of Bethlehem. The wise men give the proper response to the Christmas story, by falling down and worshipping. Jesus, the God-man, the hope of Israel, the shepherd of his people, the light of the world, the salvation-bringer, promised from long ago is now here. The only appropriate response is to worship. What better place to finish our series on the Promise of His Coming? Will you worship the Lord Jesus too?
Showing posts with label Promise of His Coming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Promise of His Coming. Show all posts
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
The Promise of His Coming (36)
Eyewitnesses are so important in establishing the truth of what happened in any investigation. At the beginning of John's first letter, we find that he (and the other apostles) were eyewitnesses, earwitnesses and touchwitnesses of something most remarkable:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life - the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us - that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our [or your] joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4)
In some ways it's very similar to what John says at the start of his gospel - tracing back to the beginning, the word of life, the eternal life. Again, he affirms that this eternal life was made manifest - appeared, was visible, or as he puts it in his gospel, the word became flesh.
There's no doubt what John and the others have experienced - they heard, they saw, they touched - they lived with Jesus, and so now proclaim him to others, to us, who did not see Jesus in the flesh. Yet even though we haven't seen Jesus ourselves, we can still have fellowship with him and with the apostles, through the testimony evidence of the apostles.
It's clear here that Jesus was no ordinary man - rather, he is the manifestation of the eternal life of God; life now offered to us through fellowship with him. Without him is eternal death, with him, eternal life.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life - the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us - that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our [or your] joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4)
In some ways it's very similar to what John says at the start of his gospel - tracing back to the beginning, the word of life, the eternal life. Again, he affirms that this eternal life was made manifest - appeared, was visible, or as he puts it in his gospel, the word became flesh.
There's no doubt what John and the others have experienced - they heard, they saw, they touched - they lived with Jesus, and so now proclaim him to others, to us, who did not see Jesus in the flesh. Yet even though we haven't seen Jesus ourselves, we can still have fellowship with him and with the apostles, through the testimony evidence of the apostles.
It's clear here that Jesus was no ordinary man - rather, he is the manifestation of the eternal life of God; life now offered to us through fellowship with him. Without him is eternal death, with him, eternal life.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
The Promise of His Coming (35)
Appearances can be deceptive, but not in Paul's letter to Titus. Here, within the relatively short letter, various forms of the word appear are used.
Speaking of our blessed hope, Paul writes of 'the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.' (2:14) This is the future appearing, what we would normally call the 'second coming' of Jesus. But even as Paul looks forward, twice he looks back to the Christmas message, to the appearing of grace, goodness and living kindness:
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people... (Titus 2:11)
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy... (Titus 3:4-5)
In each of these instances, the grace of God and the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour, he is speaking of the Lord Jesus, appearing at Christmas. And why did Jesus come?
In order to save us, yes, but more than that, 'to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.' (Titus 2:14) Believing leads to behaving (if I can put it like that); or in other words, the gospel leads to godliness / good works.
The Christmas message must change us - by saving us, and by turning our life around to live for God by doing good. We can't have the second if we haven't had the first change of salvation. The order must be correct. But once we're saved, we must see change, by the power of God through the Holy Spirit as we become more like Jesus.
The grace of God has appeared for salvation - we see this grace as we look on Jesus.
Speaking of our blessed hope, Paul writes of 'the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.' (2:14) This is the future appearing, what we would normally call the 'second coming' of Jesus. But even as Paul looks forward, twice he looks back to the Christmas message, to the appearing of grace, goodness and living kindness:
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people... (Titus 2:11)
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy... (Titus 3:4-5)
In each of these instances, the grace of God and the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour, he is speaking of the Lord Jesus, appearing at Christmas. And why did Jesus come?
In order to save us, yes, but more than that, 'to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.' (Titus 2:14) Believing leads to behaving (if I can put it like that); or in other words, the gospel leads to godliness / good works.
The Christmas message must change us - by saving us, and by turning our life around to live for God by doing good. We can't have the second if we haven't had the first change of salvation. The order must be correct. But once we're saved, we must see change, by the power of God through the Holy Spirit as we become more like Jesus.
The grace of God has appeared for salvation - we see this grace as we look on Jesus.
Monday, January 03, 2011
The Promise of His Coming (34)
It's a well known formula for TV ratings success. Take someone who is very rich, and put them in an alien environment, living with poor people for a week or two. There are several varieties, such as The Secret Millionaire, who then gives some of their money to help community projects or poor families; or there was the Channel 4 programme where a rich family and a poor family were partnered and eyes were open all around at the differences in standards of living (although I can't remember it's name right now).
It might be easy to question the motives of those who take part - seeking fame, recognition, guilty conscience, or a host of other reasons, but in a small way, the Secret Millionaire is a picture of the gospel, as we find it described by Paul:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Jesus was the original secret millionaire, the one who owned everything, and ruled over it from his throne in heaven. Yet for our sake, he gave it all up, becoming poor, becoming a human with a poor job and nowhere to lay his head, and ultimately dying naked upon the cross, the lowest of the low.
And all so that we might become rich. This can so easily be misinterpreted as the health and wealth gospel, but it's certainly not what is promised here. We become rich in the grace of God, rich in sharing in the inheritance of Jesus, the whole world, so that, as our hearts are moved by God's grace for us, our hearts overflow in grace towards those in need. It's why Paul writes these words here, in the misspells instructions about helping the Christian brothers and sisters experiencing hardship at the present time.
Jesus gave up all he had for us and our sake, that we might share in it. It's the heart of the gospel - will we also share God's grace with others?
It might be easy to question the motives of those who take part - seeking fame, recognition, guilty conscience, or a host of other reasons, but in a small way, the Secret Millionaire is a picture of the gospel, as we find it described by Paul:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Jesus was the original secret millionaire, the one who owned everything, and ruled over it from his throne in heaven. Yet for our sake, he gave it all up, becoming poor, becoming a human with a poor job and nowhere to lay his head, and ultimately dying naked upon the cross, the lowest of the low.
And all so that we might become rich. This can so easily be misinterpreted as the health and wealth gospel, but it's certainly not what is promised here. We become rich in the grace of God, rich in sharing in the inheritance of Jesus, the whole world, so that, as our hearts are moved by God's grace for us, our hearts overflow in grace towards those in need. It's why Paul writes these words here, in the misspells instructions about helping the Christian brothers and sisters experiencing hardship at the present time.
Jesus gave up all he had for us and our sake, that we might share in it. It's the heart of the gospel - will we also share God's grace with others?
Sunday, January 02, 2011
The Promise of His Coming (33)
Jesus is fully God and fully man. We find this great truth in Paul's opening verses in his letter to the Romans.
his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:3-4)
The Son of David is also the Son of God. He comes in the line of David, his great ancestor; but he is also the Son of God as recognised through the power that raised him from the dead, so that he is Jesus, the Christ, the Lord.
The baby in Bethlehem is no ordinary baby, but the one who has come to die and rise again, to offer us life through the obedience of faith among all the nations.
his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:3-4)
The Son of David is also the Son of God. He comes in the line of David, his great ancestor; but he is also the Son of God as recognised through the power that raised him from the dead, so that he is Jesus, the Christ, the Lord.
The baby in Bethlehem is no ordinary baby, but the one who has come to die and rise again, to offer us life through the obedience of faith among all the nations.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
The Promise of His Coming (32)
We return to Luke's account of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, on this, his eighth day, when 2:21 tells us that Jesus was circumcised and named, according to the Law. However, for today's devotional, I want to focus on the following verses, when 32 days later Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple for the purification of Mary and the dedication of Jesus.
If you could see any incident from Jesus' life, what would it be? Maybe one of the miracles, feeding the huge crowds, or turning the water into wine. Perhaps you would have loved to have been there as Jesus was crucified, seeing the very action that saved us. Or to have been there in the garden, peeking from behind a bush as the risen Jesus met Mary Magdalene.
In Luke 2 we're introduced to someone who had been waiting to see Jesus a long time. Simeon was righteous and devout, and waiting for the consolation of Israel. Israel needed comfort, having been occupied and defeated for many long years. Simeon knew through a promise of the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he saw the Lord's Christ. Perhaps day after day he looked for this coming king, waiting for the day when he would ride in triumph into Jerusalem having won the great victory.
Yet when he sees the Lord's Christ, it isn't as the triumphant warrior. It's this tiny, forty-day-old baby. Simeon takes him in his arms and blessed God. For him to have seen Jesus (even as a baby) is for him to have seen 'the Lord's salvation'. It is here and now that Simeon sings his song of departure, thankful that God is fulfilling his promises, even though he hasn't seen how they will be fully and finally completed:
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. (Luke 2: 29-32)
The prophet Simeon combines the themes of Israel's glory and light for the nations, as we have seen previously in Isaiah 49. Jesus is the Lord's Christ, the servant of the Lord, and the hope of the nations. God is fulfilling his promises - to Simeon, to Israel, and to the nations.
If you could see any incident from Jesus' life, what would it be? Maybe one of the miracles, feeding the huge crowds, or turning the water into wine. Perhaps you would have loved to have been there as Jesus was crucified, seeing the very action that saved us. Or to have been there in the garden, peeking from behind a bush as the risen Jesus met Mary Magdalene.
In Luke 2 we're introduced to someone who had been waiting to see Jesus a long time. Simeon was righteous and devout, and waiting for the consolation of Israel. Israel needed comfort, having been occupied and defeated for many long years. Simeon knew through a promise of the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he saw the Lord's Christ. Perhaps day after day he looked for this coming king, waiting for the day when he would ride in triumph into Jerusalem having won the great victory.
Yet when he sees the Lord's Christ, it isn't as the triumphant warrior. It's this tiny, forty-day-old baby. Simeon takes him in his arms and blessed God. For him to have seen Jesus (even as a baby) is for him to have seen 'the Lord's salvation'. It is here and now that Simeon sings his song of departure, thankful that God is fulfilling his promises, even though he hasn't seen how they will be fully and finally completed:
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. (Luke 2: 29-32)
The prophet Simeon combines the themes of Israel's glory and light for the nations, as we have seen previously in Isaiah 49. Jesus is the Lord's Christ, the servant of the Lord, and the hope of the nations. God is fulfilling his promises - to Simeon, to Israel, and to the nations.
Friday, December 31, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (31)
The Comfortable Words are well known to anyone familiar with the 1662 Book of Common Prayer service of Holy Communion. They serve an important function in the order of liturgy - coming immediately after the confession of sins and the absolution; they are words able to comfort, through their great and very precious promises to those who need to hear them.
There are some words from 'our Saviour Christ', as well as from the Apostles Paul and John. It is the sentence from Paul's first letter to Timothy that links in again with our Christmas theme of the promise of his coming:
This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (1 Tim 1:15 - BCP)
Words able to comfort, words which are true, words which are worthy to be received by all, telling us, reminding us of why Jesus came into the world - to save sinners. Sinners like us, who have just acknowledged and confessed our manifold sins and wickedness. That's why the comfortable words have such impact and are so memorable - they apply again the gospel, telling us that the very reason Jesus came into the world was to save sinners like us.
It's almost disappointing, though, that Cranmer, when he put together the service in his Prayer Book, stopped where he did (although we can see why he did!). Here's how Paul continues:
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Tim 15: ESV)
Paul is often much aligned, criticised for being very difficult to understand (don't worry, Peter thought the same!), seen as too far off and remote from ordinary sinners like us. However, even as Paul presents the grand theology of the gospel, declaring the glory of God in the good news of salvation, he becomes intensely personal. Just think of Galatians 2:20 - 'And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.'
So we see it here too - Christ Jesus came into the world, and I'm the worst sinner in the world. So if Jesus came to save me, he can save any other sinner! A bad sinner, yes, but Jesus came to save me.
It's the difference between the academic knowledge of theology: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (even the devil can affirm that!); and the personal knowledge of salvation: Christ Jesus came into the world to save me, the sinner, the chief of sinners.
We know why Jesus came - but did he come for you? You know that you're a sinner, but did he come to save you? Or will you spurn his salvation? Don't let another year pass while still lost and helpless. Turn today to the Saviour, and know his peace and forgiveness and rescue.
There are some words from 'our Saviour Christ', as well as from the Apostles Paul and John. It is the sentence from Paul's first letter to Timothy that links in again with our Christmas theme of the promise of his coming:
This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (1 Tim 1:15 - BCP)
Words able to comfort, words which are true, words which are worthy to be received by all, telling us, reminding us of why Jesus came into the world - to save sinners. Sinners like us, who have just acknowledged and confessed our manifold sins and wickedness. That's why the comfortable words have such impact and are so memorable - they apply again the gospel, telling us that the very reason Jesus came into the world was to save sinners like us.
It's almost disappointing, though, that Cranmer, when he put together the service in his Prayer Book, stopped where he did (although we can see why he did!). Here's how Paul continues:
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Tim 15: ESV)
Paul is often much aligned, criticised for being very difficult to understand (don't worry, Peter thought the same!), seen as too far off and remote from ordinary sinners like us. However, even as Paul presents the grand theology of the gospel, declaring the glory of God in the good news of salvation, he becomes intensely personal. Just think of Galatians 2:20 - 'And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.'
So we see it here too - Christ Jesus came into the world, and I'm the worst sinner in the world. So if Jesus came to save me, he can save any other sinner! A bad sinner, yes, but Jesus came to save me.
It's the difference between the academic knowledge of theology: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (even the devil can affirm that!); and the personal knowledge of salvation: Christ Jesus came into the world to save me, the sinner, the chief of sinners.
We know why Jesus came - but did he come for you? You know that you're a sinner, but did he come to save you? Or will you spurn his salvation? Don't let another year pass while still lost and helpless. Turn today to the Saviour, and know his peace and forgiveness and rescue.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (30)
When we think of greatness, we think of those who have made something of themselves. Take Alan Sugar, from the TV show, The Apprentice. Starting as a small trader, he has built up a multi-million pound business, and the programme is for others who want to follow his path to greatness by getting a job with him and making money themselves.
The best stories of success always have this nothing-to-something element. Through hard work, ingenuity, 'luck', or whatever, they've raised themselves to a prominent position. However, that's not how it worked with the Lord Jesus.
There's no doubt about it - he is at the very top - King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one seated on the throne, to whom every knee will bow and every tongue will one day confess that he is Lord. But it wasn't a bottom up approach - Jesus didn't start as an ordinary man who worked his way up to be God. No, Jesus had it all, but gave it up in order to be exalted. Notice Jesus' descent into greatness:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)
Jesus, the eternal God, with the Father, kept stepping down further and further - being born as a man. This is the Christmas story - the word became flesh and dwelt among us. But even that wasn't enough - Jesus went on to die, not in a nice clean hospital ward at the age of 102, but the death of the cross. Did you notice the joint reasons for this? His humility, and his obedience.
Jesus gave himself to serve us, so that nothing was too low for him to do, nowhere too far for him to go, in order to save us. Will we, who know this salvation through his death on the cross, will we have this mind as well, of humble, obedient service? Come, O Christ, and help us serve, to follow in your path, so that all the glory is yours, now and forever.
The best stories of success always have this nothing-to-something element. Through hard work, ingenuity, 'luck', or whatever, they've raised themselves to a prominent position. However, that's not how it worked with the Lord Jesus.
There's no doubt about it - he is at the very top - King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one seated on the throne, to whom every knee will bow and every tongue will one day confess that he is Lord. But it wasn't a bottom up approach - Jesus didn't start as an ordinary man who worked his way up to be God. No, Jesus had it all, but gave it up in order to be exalted. Notice Jesus' descent into greatness:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)
Jesus, the eternal God, with the Father, kept stepping down further and further - being born as a man. This is the Christmas story - the word became flesh and dwelt among us. But even that wasn't enough - Jesus went on to die, not in a nice clean hospital ward at the age of 102, but the death of the cross. Did you notice the joint reasons for this? His humility, and his obedience.
Jesus gave himself to serve us, so that nothing was too low for him to do, nowhere too far for him to go, in order to save us. Will we, who know this salvation through his death on the cross, will we have this mind as well, of humble, obedient service? Come, O Christ, and help us serve, to follow in your path, so that all the glory is yours, now and forever.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (29)
Sometimes we can wonder why things happen the way they do, and at the time they do. We want something to happen according to our timescale, and then get angry with God when he isn't bound by our plans and timetables. Perhaps it's losing your job just before Christmas (when in the New Year God has arranged something better than you could have imagined). Or the plans to buy your dream home fall through at the last minute - you've waited for so long, and then it still doesn't happen.
Just think of the people of Israel waiting for the Christ to appear. They had those promises, to Eve, to Abraham, to David, to Solomon, to the kings and prophets and people. The people went into exile, and returned from exile. And then silence. A long silence.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5)
God was acting according to his timetable, not Israel's. When the time was right, when the fullness of time had come, then and only then, God sent forth his Son. He was born under the law to save those under the law; he was born of woman to save those born of woman.
The law stood accusing us, Jesus redeemed us from it, by perfectly fulfilling it, and by bearing our punishment. As a result, we are transferred from the sinful family of Adam to the righteous family of God, adopted as sons to share with The Son his family privileges and remain with him forever.
And when the fullness of time has come, when the Father has purposed, Jesus will return, and time shall cease, as all his people are brought home together. We don't know when it will be, but we earnestly look forward to it. Come, Lord Jesus, come, in your perfect timing.
Just think of the people of Israel waiting for the Christ to appear. They had those promises, to Eve, to Abraham, to David, to Solomon, to the kings and prophets and people. The people went into exile, and returned from exile. And then silence. A long silence.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5)
God was acting according to his timetable, not Israel's. When the time was right, when the fullness of time had come, then and only then, God sent forth his Son. He was born under the law to save those under the law; he was born of woman to save those born of woman.
The law stood accusing us, Jesus redeemed us from it, by perfectly fulfilling it, and by bearing our punishment. As a result, we are transferred from the sinful family of Adam to the righteous family of God, adopted as sons to share with The Son his family privileges and remain with him forever.
And when the fullness of time has come, when the Father has purposed, Jesus will return, and time shall cease, as all his people are brought home together. We don't know when it will be, but we earnestly look forward to it. Come, Lord Jesus, come, in your perfect timing.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (28)
In these days following Christmas Day, we're looking at some of the New Testament explanations of the incarnation, as the apostles reflect on why Jesus came into the world at all. Today, we come to the letter to the Hebrews, with its glorious opening chapter on the glory of the divine Son, through whom God has spoken in these last days.
As well as being divine, though, the eternal Son had to become human in order to bring many sons to glory, being made perfect (i.e. complete) through suffering. In order to save us, he had to be like us:
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
Through our flesh, he destroyed our death, but more than that, destroyed the one who has the power of death. Jesus is the great substitute, who came onto our team, who took our place, and has defeated the enemy that terrified us for so long. Just like David, he stepped up to defeat the Goliath who defied the living God and the armies of the living God.
Our chains are gone, our fear is forgotten, through the serpent crusher, the one who took on flesh for us and our sake. Praise be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, very God and very man!
As well as being divine, though, the eternal Son had to become human in order to bring many sons to glory, being made perfect (i.e. complete) through suffering. In order to save us, he had to be like us:
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
Through our flesh, he destroyed our death, but more than that, destroyed the one who has the power of death. Jesus is the great substitute, who came onto our team, who took our place, and has defeated the enemy that terrified us for so long. Just like David, he stepped up to defeat the Goliath who defied the living God and the armies of the living God.
Our chains are gone, our fear is forgotten, through the serpent crusher, the one who took on flesh for us and our sake. Praise be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, very God and very man!
Monday, December 27, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (27)
John's Gospel doesn't tell us about the shepherds and angels, nor the wise men. Rather, he goes back even further to the very beginning. He introduces us to 'the Word', who was with God, and was God. So in Genesis 1, as God spoke light into being, this Word was the agent of creation. This Word is also light and life for the world, but it's in verse 14 that we find the Christmas message:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
The Word of God became one of us, and lived among us. Matthew may use the word Emmanuel, John tells us the very same thing. John, one of this who saw Jesus up close and personal describes what he has seen as glory - God's glory manifested in flesh, full of grace and truth.
Often we imagine that's it's an either / or choice - grace or truth. Truth in it's brutal reality withholding nothing; or else just being nice without integrity. Jesus, however, gives us both grace and truth. The glory of God is here.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
The Word of God became one of us, and lived among us. Matthew may use the word Emmanuel, John tells us the very same thing. John, one of this who saw Jesus up close and personal describes what he has seen as glory - God's glory manifested in flesh, full of grace and truth.
Often we imagine that's it's an either / or choice - grace or truth. Truth in it's brutal reality withholding nothing; or else just being nice without integrity. Jesus, however, gives us both grace and truth. The glory of God is here.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (26)
Yesterday we thought about the contrast between mighty Caesar and Almighty Jesus, who lay in a manger. Today we continue to see the Christmas contrasts, as the angels announce the very special birth.
If a royal baby is born these days (perhaps if the Lord is gracious to William and Kate after they're married), there's a tremendous fuss. The world's media will assemble, 24hour news will be full of it, the heads of state of the nations of the world will be informed and invited to see the baby.
When the King of Kings is born, though, the media don't know about it. The king of the region will only find out at least a year later. Caesar is unaware of what is happening. The news is first told to a rugged (or ragged) bunch of shepherds out in the fields. Because of the amount of time they spent with their sheep, they were ceremonially unclean, outsiders, one of the lowest groups in society.
It's the shepherds, perhaps even tending the sheep to be used in sacrifice at the temple, that God sends the angels. It's an amazing message:
10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:10-12)
The Christ has been born, the long promised king, which is good news of great joy for all the people. May you know this joy this Christmas time.
If a royal baby is born these days (perhaps if the Lord is gracious to William and Kate after they're married), there's a tremendous fuss. The world's media will assemble, 24hour news will be full of it, the heads of state of the nations of the world will be informed and invited to see the baby.
When the King of Kings is born, though, the media don't know about it. The king of the region will only find out at least a year later. Caesar is unaware of what is happening. The news is first told to a rugged (or ragged) bunch of shepherds out in the fields. Because of the amount of time they spent with their sheep, they were ceremonially unclean, outsiders, one of the lowest groups in society.
It's the shepherds, perhaps even tending the sheep to be used in sacrifice at the temple, that God sends the angels. It's an amazing message:
10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:10-12)
The Christ has been born, the long promised king, which is good news of great joy for all the people. May you know this joy this Christmas time.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (25)
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The top of the empire is far removed from the very bottom. Caesar's palace was the location for his decree, that all the world under his control should be registered. He's at the top of the tree, ruling with great power.
At the other end of the spectrum, a baby lies, not in a cot, but in a feeding trough, a manger. His mother and adopted father have journeyed the hundred miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, at the behest of Caesar. Poor pawns in the grand scheme of the empire. Yet this Joseph is the son of David, a once powerful line in the region. His great-grandfather (plus a few more greats) was king.
The baby, though, far outstrips the wealth, glory and majesty of Caesar. This is not just a baby. This is God's King, the King of Kings, to whom every knee will one day bow.
Appearances can be deceptive. The real power does not lie in Rome, but in a draughty stable. Bow before him in worship.
2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The top of the empire is far removed from the very bottom. Caesar's palace was the location for his decree, that all the world under his control should be registered. He's at the top of the tree, ruling with great power.
At the other end of the spectrum, a baby lies, not in a cot, but in a feeding trough, a manger. His mother and adopted father have journeyed the hundred miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, at the behest of Caesar. Poor pawns in the grand scheme of the empire. Yet this Joseph is the son of David, a once powerful line in the region. His great-grandfather (plus a few more greats) was king.
The baby, though, far outstrips the wealth, glory and majesty of Caesar. This is not just a baby. This is God's King, the King of Kings, to whom every knee will one day bow.
Appearances can be deceptive. The real power does not lie in Rome, but in a draughty stable. Bow before him in worship.
Friday, December 24, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (24)
The parents of young babies are always waiting to hear what the baby's first words will be. There's excitement when the child speaks for the first time, and they move from baby noises to sounds, then words, then an increasing vocabulary. It's been said that parents spend a year or two teaching a child to speak, and the next eighteen years trying to shut them up again!
First words are important - but what if a grown adult hasn't spoken for a while? Relatives of patients in a coma are desperate for their loved one to speak, to say a word, to be able to communicate.
Our next Christmas song comes from the mouth of the priest, Zechariah. He hadn't spoken for nine months, but it wasn't because he was in a coma. Rather, he had disbelieved the message an angel brought to him that his elderly wife would bear a son, who would be the one who would come in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. The angel struck him dumb, until all would be fulfilled.
The child has been born now, and on its eighth day had to be named and circumcised. Family members wanted the child to be called Zechariah, after his father, but both Elizabeth and then Zechariah insisted that his name was John. It is only then that Zechariah's silence is broken, and his first words in over nine months are this outburst of praise to God, as he is moved by the Spirit:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David (Luke 1:68-69)
This horn isn't a trumpet - it's the symbol of strength, just as some animals have horns. This strength of salvation has been raised up in the house of David - the Lord visiting and redeeming his people in the birth of the Lord Jesus. As Zechariah makes clear, this salvation is 'in the forgiveness of their sins' (77). And once again, we see that God is keeping his promises from long ago:
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
We see the purpose of God's salvation here as well - we are saved to serve. Serving God 'in holiness and righteousness before him', without fear because God is for us and not against us as we are found saved in Christ. O horn of salvation, come.
First words are important - but what if a grown adult hasn't spoken for a while? Relatives of patients in a coma are desperate for their loved one to speak, to say a word, to be able to communicate.
Our next Christmas song comes from the mouth of the priest, Zechariah. He hadn't spoken for nine months, but it wasn't because he was in a coma. Rather, he had disbelieved the message an angel brought to him that his elderly wife would bear a son, who would be the one who would come in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. The angel struck him dumb, until all would be fulfilled.
The child has been born now, and on its eighth day had to be named and circumcised. Family members wanted the child to be called Zechariah, after his father, but both Elizabeth and then Zechariah insisted that his name was John. It is only then that Zechariah's silence is broken, and his first words in over nine months are this outburst of praise to God, as he is moved by the Spirit:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David (Luke 1:68-69)
This horn isn't a trumpet - it's the symbol of strength, just as some animals have horns. This strength of salvation has been raised up in the house of David - the Lord visiting and redeeming his people in the birth of the Lord Jesus. As Zechariah makes clear, this salvation is 'in the forgiveness of their sins' (77). And once again, we see that God is keeping his promises from long ago:
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
We see the purpose of God's salvation here as well - we are saved to serve. Serving God 'in holiness and righteousness before him', without fear because God is for us and not against us as we are found saved in Christ. O horn of salvation, come.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (23)
What's your favourite Christmas carol? Lots of songs are sung at Christmas time, and over the next few days we'll be looking at some of the songs from the first Christmas. The songs continue to give the message of the promise of Jesus' coming, as well as responding to the good news.
Today we're thinking about Mary's song, known in some circles as the Magnificat. It was sung by the young virgin Mary when she arrived at the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth, themselves the recent recipients of news of a strange birth - but more about that tomorrow!
While Mary doesn't mention Jesus himself, her song (full of Biblical pictures and allusions) is looking forward (in the prophetic past tense) to what things will be like when her son, Jesus, is born, all because of what God has done for her:
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty. (Luke 1:46-53)
The Lord God is her Saviour, the mighty one and holy one has done great things for her. Things will be turned upside down, so that the proud are humbled and the humble are lifted high. The hungry will be filled (just think of the 5000 men as well as women and children who were fed), while those who exploit them are sent away empty.
Why does all this happen? Why will the coming of the Lord Jesus lead to justice and peace? Mary knows her Bible, and the God revealed in the Bible:
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever (Luke 1:54-55)
God is fulfilling his promises to Abraham and his offspring; God is helping his people as he again shows mercy to those who need it. O come, the fulfillment of all God's promises!
Today we're thinking about Mary's song, known in some circles as the Magnificat. It was sung by the young virgin Mary when she arrived at the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth, themselves the recent recipients of news of a strange birth - but more about that tomorrow!
While Mary doesn't mention Jesus himself, her song (full of Biblical pictures and allusions) is looking forward (in the prophetic past tense) to what things will be like when her son, Jesus, is born, all because of what God has done for her:
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty. (Luke 1:46-53)
The Lord God is her Saviour, the mighty one and holy one has done great things for her. Things will be turned upside down, so that the proud are humbled and the humble are lifted high. The hungry will be filled (just think of the 5000 men as well as women and children who were fed), while those who exploit them are sent away empty.
Why does all this happen? Why will the coming of the Lord Jesus lead to justice and peace? Mary knows her Bible, and the God revealed in the Bible:
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever (Luke 1:54-55)
God is fulfilling his promises to Abraham and his offspring; God is helping his people as he again shows mercy to those who need it. O come, the fulfillment of all God's promises!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (22)
Job titles are getting increasingly complicated these days. The Telegraph reported earlier in the year on some of the stranger ones in Britain. A lifeguard is now a 'wet leisure assistant', while a bin man is now described as a 'waste management and disposal technician.' However, when Jesus was named, the name perfectly describes his job.
We're continuing to think about the promises of the Lord Jesus coming at Christmas, and today we're back with Matthew's account of when Joseph saw the angel of the Lord in a dream. The appearance was important, because Joseph's betrothed, Mary, was pregnant. Joseph was preparing to divorce her quietly, but the angel reassured him that Mary was not unfaithful, but that this was in the plan and purpose and working of the Lord. Within the message, the angel tells Joseph the name for the child, the same name he had already told Mary, but here, the reason is also spelled out:
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
Jesus means 'the Lord saves', and so Jesus' name reflects what he came to do - to save sinners, but it also reminds us that the baby born in Bethlehem is none other than the God himself taking on flesh - as Matthew continues, he is Emmanuel, God with us.
Sometimes the Rector in a parish can be addressed as 'Rector' as if that were their first name - their job title is used as a name; here, the name Jesus is his job title. O come, the one who saves from sin, Jesus the Christ.
We're continuing to think about the promises of the Lord Jesus coming at Christmas, and today we're back with Matthew's account of when Joseph saw the angel of the Lord in a dream. The appearance was important, because Joseph's betrothed, Mary, was pregnant. Joseph was preparing to divorce her quietly, but the angel reassured him that Mary was not unfaithful, but that this was in the plan and purpose and working of the Lord. Within the message, the angel tells Joseph the name for the child, the same name he had already told Mary, but here, the reason is also spelled out:
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
Jesus means 'the Lord saves', and so Jesus' name reflects what he came to do - to save sinners, but it also reminds us that the baby born in Bethlehem is none other than the God himself taking on flesh - as Matthew continues, he is Emmanuel, God with us.
Sometimes the Rector in a parish can be addressed as 'Rector' as if that were their first name - their job title is used as a name; here, the name Jesus is his job title. O come, the one who saves from sin, Jesus the Christ.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (21)
Angels seem to be big business in the spiritualised (but not religious) marketplace of pick n mix beliefs and behaviours. From angels cards to angels in your pocket, from angels whispering in your ear to cuddly fluffy fat babies with wings, angels seem to be all around us. Popular culture (and to a certain extent, the churches) have so romanticised angels that we don't think anyone would be afraid if they were to see one face to face.
Yet the testimony sounds again and again that when you see a biblical angel, you are afraid - Zechariach, Mary, the shepherds, Daniel among others all feared for their life when they encountered a heavenly messenger.
Today we're thinking about the time when the angel Gabriel came to see Mary, to bring good news of her pregnancy, a very special pregnancy. Special, because Mary was a virgin - and we all know that virgins don't have children! Except nothing is impossible with God. A special pregnancy, for a special baby:
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:32-33)
Son of God, son of David, whose kingdom never ends. It's the 2 Samuel 7 promise finally coming to fulfillment. O come, great David's greater son.
Yet the testimony sounds again and again that when you see a biblical angel, you are afraid - Zechariach, Mary, the shepherds, Daniel among others all feared for their life when they encountered a heavenly messenger.
Today we're thinking about the time when the angel Gabriel came to see Mary, to bring good news of her pregnancy, a very special pregnancy. Special, because Mary was a virgin - and we all know that virgins don't have children! Except nothing is impossible with God. A special pregnancy, for a special baby:
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:32-33)
Son of God, son of David, whose kingdom never ends. It's the 2 Samuel 7 promise finally coming to fulfillment. O come, great David's greater son.
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (20)
It's not the most exciting way to start a book, is it? Perhaps you've decided that you'll read one of the Gospels, and this one comes first, so you launch in. And immediately, you're confronted with the list of names that are hard to pronounce. It's almost like opening a novel and finding the first chapter is just a phone directory list. Either it puts you off completely, or else you'll just skip over it and get to the real story.
Why does Matthew open his gospel with this big long list of names? His purpose is seen in the very first verse, which explains the whole genealogy, and should help us to get very excited as we hear the list of ancestors and see how God's promises are being fulfilled and worked out in history:
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)
Who is this Jesus, born in Bethlehem, presented in this gospel account? He is the Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Each of those phrases shouts out the expectations and promises of the Old Testament, now being worked out in the person and work of the Lord Jesus.
The hope of Israel, long-waited-for, has now arrived. The rest of the gospel will show how Jesus fulfills and secures the blessings promised to Abraham and David by being the anointed Christ king, and the seed of Abraham through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed.
Come, O Christ, the hope of Israel.
Why does Matthew open his gospel with this big long list of names? His purpose is seen in the very first verse, which explains the whole genealogy, and should help us to get very excited as we hear the list of ancestors and see how God's promises are being fulfilled and worked out in history:
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)
Who is this Jesus, born in Bethlehem, presented in this gospel account? He is the Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Each of those phrases shouts out the expectations and promises of the Old Testament, now being worked out in the person and work of the Lord Jesus.
The hope of Israel, long-waited-for, has now arrived. The rest of the gospel will show how Jesus fulfills and secures the blessings promised to Abraham and David by being the anointed Christ king, and the seed of Abraham through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed.
Come, O Christ, the hope of Israel.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (19)
We've jumped forward a couple of hundred years as we come to the final promise in the Old Testament of the coming of the Lord Jesus before we begin to consider tomorrow the New Testament promises, and then after Christmas, we'll look at the reactions to Christ's arrival.
The prophesied exile has taken place, Judah has fallen to Babylon, and the period of the exile has finished. The remnant have returned to the land of Israel, but times are hard. The temple has been rebuilt, to some extent, but the people of God are still not enjoying the blessings of life in the land of promise. Morals are lax, religious observance is poor, and so the prophet Malachi is sent by God to challenge those who need challenge, and to comfort those who need comfort.
One of their popular questions was: 'Where is the God of justice?' It seems that this wasn't in a crying out for justice way of asking, but rather in a we'll do what we like kind of way, because God obviously doesn't care, and God isn't going to do anything about it. Where is the God of justice?
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
It sounds like good news, doesn't it? Back when Ezekiel was prophesying, he saw the glory of the LORD depart the temple, and had foreseen its return. Now that the temple has been rebuilt after the exile, there hasn't yet been the return of the Shekinah glory. Will that now happen? Will it be another day of celebration, like the dedication of the temple in Solomon's day?
Not exactly. Actually, the promise of his coming isn't good news for these spiritual layabouts. As the promise continues:
But who may endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. (Malachi 3:2-3)
The Lord will come to purify and cleanse, to deal with sin. While Jesus' first few visits to the temple are 'ordinary' (as ordinary as the blessing of Simeon and the staying behind to ask the religious teachers questions could be), the coming of Jesus means that the temple will be cleansed and superseded, made redundant and that 'a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.' (Acts 6:7)
Come, O Lord, to your temple.
The prophesied exile has taken place, Judah has fallen to Babylon, and the period of the exile has finished. The remnant have returned to the land of Israel, but times are hard. The temple has been rebuilt, to some extent, but the people of God are still not enjoying the blessings of life in the land of promise. Morals are lax, religious observance is poor, and so the prophet Malachi is sent by God to challenge those who need challenge, and to comfort those who need comfort.
One of their popular questions was: 'Where is the God of justice?' It seems that this wasn't in a crying out for justice way of asking, but rather in a we'll do what we like kind of way, because God obviously doesn't care, and God isn't going to do anything about it. Where is the God of justice?
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
It sounds like good news, doesn't it? Back when Ezekiel was prophesying, he saw the glory of the LORD depart the temple, and had foreseen its return. Now that the temple has been rebuilt after the exile, there hasn't yet been the return of the Shekinah glory. Will that now happen? Will it be another day of celebration, like the dedication of the temple in Solomon's day?
Not exactly. Actually, the promise of his coming isn't good news for these spiritual layabouts. As the promise continues:
But who may endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. (Malachi 3:2-3)
The Lord will come to purify and cleanse, to deal with sin. While Jesus' first few visits to the temple are 'ordinary' (as ordinary as the blessing of Simeon and the staying behind to ask the religious teachers questions could be), the coming of Jesus means that the temple will be cleansed and superseded, made redundant and that 'a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.' (Acts 6:7)
Come, O Lord, to your temple.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
The Promise of His Coming (18)
The promises we've looked at over the past few days may not have been just as familiar, but as we come to Micah 5, we're in very familiar territory! The people of God are under threat (yes, again!), facing a siege, but in the midst of the situation comes this great promise of a ruler to save his people.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (Micah 5:2)
Bethlehem is the little town of David, the place where that great king was born, and from where this promised king would come. But this would be no ordinary ruler - his coming forth is from of old - long before David was born, this king existed, indeed, from ancient days, I am.
The coming king would, like his ancestor David, be a shepherd king:
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. (Micah 5:4-5)
When the magi arrived looking for the new born king of the Jews, the religious leaders knew exactly where he would be found - how ironic, then, that the shepherds weren't told this message of the one who would shepherd his flock - this was the message for the magi. Notice too the greatness of this king to the ends of the earth - his fame spreads, his reign increases, so that all the earth is his.
From little Bethlehem, come, O great ruler.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (Micah 5:2)
Bethlehem is the little town of David, the place where that great king was born, and from where this promised king would come. But this would be no ordinary ruler - his coming forth is from of old - long before David was born, this king existed, indeed, from ancient days, I am.
The coming king would, like his ancestor David, be a shepherd king:
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. (Micah 5:4-5)
When the magi arrived looking for the new born king of the Jews, the religious leaders knew exactly where he would be found - how ironic, then, that the shepherds weren't told this message of the one who would shepherd his flock - this was the message for the magi. Notice too the greatness of this king to the ends of the earth - his fame spreads, his reign increases, so that all the earth is his.
From little Bethlehem, come, O great ruler.
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