Jesus: The God-Man

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." 15 He (Jesus) said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:13-16 (NASB).

Born between 6 BC and 4 BC, the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke both tell of the birth of Jesus. Matthew and Luke both state clearly that Jesus had a divine Father and a virgin mother named Mary (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:27). Without a human father and without any sexual relationship involved, Jesus was conceived through a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit (Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:34–35; Galatians 4:4–5). Jesus’ virgin birth was a supernatural work of God inside the human womb of Mary. Thus, in both His birth and conception in the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ birth was holy and pure (Luke 1:35). The virgin birth of Jesus means He did not inherit human sin (Romans 5). Therefore, Jesus is not just a man. Jesus was a God–Man, God’s Christ (Matthew 26:63–64; Mark 14:61–62), and the Son of God (Matthew 16:15–16; Mark 1:1; Luke 22:70-71; John 8:24).

Mary was the virgin mother of Jesus; a young girl from Nazareth, she was betrothed (engaged) to Joseph, a local carpenter. Jewish custom in that day recognized a state called “betrothal,” which fell somewhere between our modern day engagement and marriage. A betrothal was more binding than an engagement, since betrothals could only be broken with an act of divorce. If a betrothed woman became pregnant, she was regarded as an adulteress (Matthew 1:18–20).

Before the marriage took place, an angel announced to both Joseph and Mary that Mary would become pregnant by the power of God’s Spirit and that she would give birth to the Son of God, also called the Messiah (Matthew 1:20–21; Luke 1:26–33). God chose Mary to bring his Son, the Savior, into the world. Humbly submitting herself to God’s will, Mary responded to this extraordinary message in simple faith. For all Christians, Mary is a model of humble and obedient submission to God’s will (Luke 1:38, 46–55).

The virgin birth of Jesus is important because, as God’s Son, Jesus had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to humankind by Adam in Genesis 3. The birth of Jesus to woman proves He was a human; but as the Son of God, Jesus was born without human sin. Thus, Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. Jesus was a sinless human. In Jesus, God and man became one unique person—fully God and fully man.

Furthermore, the virgin birth of Jesus fulfills Isaiah 7:14. Jesus was to be called Immanuel as predicted by the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14). The name Immanuel means “God is with us,” and Jesus indeed symbolized God’s presence and protection. Therefore, Jesus is God in the flesh; thus, God was literally “with us” in Jesus. Jesus is the incarnate (in the flesh) Son of God (Matthew 1:23; see also Revelation 12:5).
 

The Coming Glory of Jesus

4 Be strong, Zerubbabel,' says the Lord; 'and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,' says the Lord, 'and work; for I am with you,' says the Lord of hosts. 5 'According to the word that I covenanted (promised) with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!' 6 "For thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations (Treasure or Christ the Messiah), and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the Lord of hosts. 8 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says the Lord of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the Lord of hosts." Haggai 2:4-9 (NKJV).

The Prophet Haggai from the Old Testament predicted the magnificence glory of God visiting the people.  Haggai’s message was given during the Feast of Tabernacles in 520 B.C. to encourage the people of God’s coming glory.  About 500 years later, Jesus Christ as the glory of God fulfilled Haggai’s prophecy by coming to the people as a Baby at Bethlehem, walking the earth, and visiting the Temple (Luke 2:9-14; see John 1:14).

The Prophet Ezekiel also of the Old Testament had earlier witnessed the departure of God’s glory from Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, before the Temple’s destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. (2 Kings 24 and 25; Ezekiel 10 and 11). The people during Haggai’s time prayed for the Shekinah Glory to return to the new Temple, but there is no record that God’s glory returned after the 586 B.C. destruction of Jerusalem.

About 500 years later, Haggai’s prophecy was fulfilled in the return of God’s glory in the embodiment of Jesus Christ, the “the Desire of All Nations” (Haggai 2:7; see also John 1:14-18). With His coming, Jesus Christ filled the earth with His peace and glory (Luke 2:27-32; see also Isaiah 9:6). No amount of gold or silver could surpass the glory of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is God incarnate and our Immanuel, “God with us.”  So, we no longer have to be afraid, but strong in the Lord God (Haggai 2:4-5; Matthew 1:23). No matter what problems we face or how difficult our job may be, God's glory is with us through Jesus Christ (Haggai 2:5)!

Joy to the World!

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre (harp), with the lyre (harp) and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout joyfully before the King, the Lord. Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord, for He is coming. . . . 

Psalms 98:4-9 (NASB).

Isaac Watts found inspiration for his popular Christmas hymn "Joy to the World" from Psalm 98.  "Joy to the World" is often classified a Christmas hymn but this Old Testament psalm of praise anticipated the coming of God to rule His people. Jesus Christ fulfilled this anticipation when He came to save all people from their sins over 2000 years in Bethlehem (Psalm 98:2-3; Luke 2:10-14). 

Psalm 98 is a psalm of joy and victory because God through Jesus Christ is both now and forever  joy and glory to the world.  All those who wholeheartedly seek and obey God will experience that joy!  This psalm invites the whole earth to worship God (Psalms 98:4-6; see also Psalm 96:1). The coming reign of God on the earth is celebrated as an event of great joy. Therefore, all the people of the earth (Psalm 98:4–6) and all of nature (Psalm 98:7–9) are encouraged to join in joyful praise to God.  Joy to the world—the Lord has come! 

Reference
King James Version Study Bible. Thomas Nelson, 1988.
Spirit Filled Life Study Bible. Thomas Nelson, 1991.
Life Application Study Bible. Tyndale House Publishers, 2005.
NLT Study Bible. Tyndale House Publishers, 2008.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.

Jesus’ Great Grand Mothers

Proverbs 31 tells of the importance of a godly, hardworking woman.  But, the best description of this woman is found in Jesus’ grandmother, Ruth. The story of Ruth tells of a kind, loyal, virtuous, and industrious woman (Ruth 1:16-17; Ruth 3:11; see also Proverbs 31:10-31).  God blessed Ruth’s efforts.

Ruth grew up a pagan Gentile, a Moabite (Ruth 1-4) but met the true God through Naomi and her family from Bethlehem.  Bethlehem was small town about five miles southwest of Jerusalem. From Bethlehem, King David would be born (1 Samuel 16:1) and Jesus the Messiah (Micah 5:2). God led this young Moabite woman to a man named Boaz, an Israelite who lived in Bethlehem.  As a result, Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus the Messiah, the Blessed One.  What is even more interesting, Boaz was a descendant of Rahab, a former prostitute from Jericho and helper of the Israel people (Joshua 2; Joshua 6). Rahab is described in the Holy Scriptures as a great woman of faith (James 2:25; Hebrews 11:31).

Rahab and Ruth are perfect examples of God's love for all people! Taken together, these Gentile (non-Jewish) women reveal God’s ability to love and work with all sorts of people, regardless of their race, sex, or nationality.  The Jews were not the only people God loved. Jesus was born as a Jew and through Him, the entire world can come to know God (Acts 10:35).  The story of Rahab and Ruth reveal God loves and accepts all who faithfully seek and follow Him. Rahab and Ruth are two of only five women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).

The story of Ruth ends by announcing the birth of a baby boy named Obed. The birth of Obed leads to King David, Israel’s first great king and eventually to Jesus the Messiah, the greatest King of all (Revelation 19:16)!

Christmas!

Christmas is a major day observed by Christians and second in importance to Easter. The Christmas period is a time for the celebration of Jesus Christ’s.  The name, a contraction of the term “Christ’s mass,” came into existence during the fourth century. The Holy Bible does not reveal the exact date of Jesus’ birth, and the earliest Christians had no fixed time for observing the birth of Jesus.  However, by the late fourth century, Christians generally celebrated Christmas in the churches, although on differing dates in different locals.  Before the fourth century, Christian churches observed Epiphany.  The Epiphany is God’s manifestation to the world, celebrating Jesus’ baptism, His birth, and the visit of the Magi.

No evidence remains about the exact date of the birth of Jesus. Various methods were used in an attempt to calculate the day of Jesus’ birth; among the dates suggested by the early church were January 6, April 18, April 19, and May 20.  According to Hippolytus (ca. 170-ca. 236) and his calculation, Jesus was born on Wednesday, December 25 in the 42nd year (2 B.C.) of the reign of Augustus. 

Eventually, December 25th became the officially recognized date for Christmas because it corresponded with the pagan festival celebrating Saturnalia and the winter solstice.  The Christian church offered the people an alternative to this pagan celebration.  Even more, church reinterpreted many of the winter festival’s symbols and actions into ways acceptable by Christians.  For example, Jesus was presented as the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2) and is the Light of the world (John 8:12), thereby replacing the sun god, Sol Invictus.

As the Christian faith spread throughout Europe, it embraced into its observances many customs of the pagan winter festivals, such as holly, mistletoe, the Christmas tree, and log fires.  At the same time, Christians introduced the nativity the scene and Christmas carols as part of the Christmas custom. 

During church history, some Christians have opposed the Christmas holiday.  Christmas has become a time of parties, excessive drinking, shopping, and spending. Nonetheless, many Christians continue to celebrate Christmas because of Christmas’ deeper truth and purpose expressed in God’s visitation to earth (incarnation) through the birth of Jesus (John 1:14).  As the Christian faith expands throughout the world, many Christians universally observe Christmas in some form or another.  With Jesus being taught in countries like Africa, Asia and Latin America, many new customs and ideas are being incorporated in the Christian celebration of Christmas and God’s visitation to the world through Jesus!

References
Draper, Charles.  Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary.  Holman Reference.  2003.
Elwell, Walter A.  Evangelical Dictionary of Theology.  Baker Academic.  2007.

Wealth, Possessions, Economics and Deuteronomy 8:1-20

I enjoyed studying What Does the Lord Require? A Guide for Preaching and Teaching Biblical Ethics by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., particularly Chapter Sixteen on the topic of wealth, possessions and economics and Deuteronomy 8:1-20. God speaks frequently on the topic of money in the Holy Scriptures.  Professor Kaiser quoted John MacArthur that “The entire Bible contains more than two thousand references to wealth and property, twice as many as the total references to faith and prayer.” 

All wealth and possessions come with mixed blessings.  Even though the “prosperity gospel” of many preachers are all the fad, Professor Kaiser noted that many famous people have found wealth is “not all that it is cracked up to be.” Many wealthy people such as John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Henry Ford have noted that wealth is not the ticket to happiness but often wealth brings misery. 

So, the next question arises as to how should society distribute its wealth?  As Professor Kaiser noted

Possession, wealth, and goods also bring with them responsibilities. . . . We must use all that we are giving in a manner fitting of our roles as God’s stewards, for what we have is to be shared with our Lord and others; it is all on loan from the Lord – to be used for His glory.

Some people support the “Free-Market Approach,” while others contend for the “Guided-Market Approach” or a middle- road theory between the laissez-faire type of free-market approach and the government control model.  I agree with Professor Kaiser that the

The best conclusion seems to be that it is impossible to ease, reduce, or eliminate poverty by slicing the economic pie into small enough pieces so that everyone in the world gets an equal portion of the pie. . . . But history seems to have demonstrated that the best way to benefit the poor is by increasing the productivity of the market system.

Even more, Jesus Christ instructed His disciples in Luke 16:9 and Luke 12:16-21 to use their wealth, talent, and resources wisely and productively. 

As Professor Kaiser identified, some people will come to love money more than they love God (Job 31:24-28; Proverbs 11:28; 1 Timothy 6:17-18) or trust money more than trusting in God (Proverbs 23:4-5; Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19).  Even worse, the love money can lead to theft, stinginess, or pride.  I agree with Professor Kaiser that the cure for greed and other money ills are found the Holy Scriptures, especially the teaching of Deuteronomy 8:1-20.    

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 teaches that God is the Giver of life and all the gifts we own, despite the saying of E.F. Hutton:  “I did it myself; I earned it.” God deserves our wholehearted trust, love, obedience, worship, and thanksgiving for His grace goodness. As Professor Kaiser makes clear

We do not live by our wits, our degrees, our grandchildren, or our acumen.  We live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 is clear that we must never forget God as the true Giver of all we have. Since it is God who creates wealth, we must render God all honor and praise. To forget God is to invite God’s destruction of us as a nation and “a personal participates in the grace and covenant of God.”

God Loves Us

1 My soul, praise the Lord, and all that is within me, praise His Holy Name. 2 My soul, praises the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits. 3 He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases. 4 He redeems your life from the pit; He crowns you with faithful love and compassion. 5 He satisfies you with goodness; your youth is renewed like the eagle. 6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. . . . 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and full of faithful love. 9 He will not always accuse [us] or be angry forever. . . . 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions (sins) from us. . . .  Psalms 103:1-5, 8-9, 12 (HCSB).

Psalms 103 offers praise to God for His great and endless love for us.  Often, we focus on God as Judge, but God is also filled with compassion, patience, mercy, grace, and forgiveness (Exodus 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18). If we wholeheartedly turn to Him, God will forgive our sins, heal our sickness, and provide for our needs.  But we must first turn to God, turn away from our sins, and seek Him.  No person, possession, or wealth can ever match God’s endless and true love for us.  God will give you a lasting and true peace, if you will open our hearts to Him. 

We do not have to be formal or firm with God, but only open and honest about our problems, concerns, desires, needs, and future.  Never forget that no matter what you have done, God forgives!  He removes and forgets our sins if we will seek His forgiveness. God’s love and forgiveness are massive and complete. God is a Father to the fatherless and hope for the hopeless. So never forget that God loves you!