Monthly Archives: July 2025

JESUS, THE GOD-MAN – 7

Bible Study,

THE GOD-MAN, HIS MISSION

How does one condense the earthly life of this God-man into a few short sentences? The Apostle John commented…

John 21:25 NIV
[25] “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

Months ago, one verse of Scripture caught my attention that seems to epitomise the nature and work of the God-man.

Mark 6:34 NIV
[34] “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

Jesus’ compassion sprang from His observation…”sheep without a shepherd!” Oh, the people had shepherds, but what sort of shepherds?

God’s shepherds in Israel’s history earned His stinging rebuke.

Ezekiel 34:2-5 NIV
[2] “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? [3] You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. [4] You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. [5] So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.”

The people’s shepherds, in Jesus’ day, were no different… “hirelings”, Jesus called them. His rebuke was even more personal and damning. In a tirade of accusation, He exposed their hearts.

Matthew 23:13, 15-16, 23, 25, 27, 29, 33 NIV
[13] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to…
[15] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. [16] “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’…
[23] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former…
[25] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence…
[27] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean…
[29] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous…
[33] “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”

Hypocrites! Snakes! Brood of vipers! What a fiery rebuke for those who were meant to lead God’s people!

If there was one thing Jesus hated above everything else, it was hypocrisy. Play-acting! Pretending to be who they were not and, through their hypocrisy, using their power over people for their own ends. Power! It was all about power…and lies, the means by which they exerted their power. They loved to tell people what to do and watch them try do it without lifting a finger to help them, and condemning them when they failed. They loved to enforce “the law”, according to their own interpretations and additions, without mercy.

This hypocritical “power” left God’s people confused and afraid, a sure recipe for His arch enemy to sow havoc in the flock. Without the comforting presence of a true shepherd, they would scatter when the wolf attacked.

The Bible often charaterises God’s people as “sheep”. They are His sheep…

Psalms 100:3 NIV
[3] “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

Like a tender shepherd, the Lord cares for, protects, and provides for His sheep. In Psalm 23, David recognised His role and gladly committed himself to the divine Shepherd’s promise to do him no harm but only good throughout his life and beyond.

Sheep, without a shepherd, have the unfortunate ability to harm themselves and one another. Sheep roam. Sheep follow. Sheep follow those who roam. The outcome is disaster. Without the guidance of a shepherd, who knows where they will land? One thing is sure…they will go astray!

Isaiah 53:6 NIV
[6] “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way…”

Centuries before, the Lord had promised that He Himself would be the shepherd of His sheep.

Ezekiel 34:15-16 NIV
[15] ” ‘I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down,’ declares the Sovereign Lord. [16] ‘I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.'”

So, authorised by the Father, Jesus came from heaven, God and man in one person, to be the Shepherd of God’s flock. He would be to the people what the hirelings could never be… compassionate… even laying down His life for the sheep.

John 10:11 NIV
[11] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

What was it that set Jesus apart from all other shepherds? Israel’s shepherds were hypocrites, posing as true shepherds, but sucking as much as they could from the people. Their role as religious leaders gave them licence to exert power over the people by forcing rules on them that they themselves did not follow.

Jesus came into this scene with one all-powerful weapon and tool…truth. Against the backdrop of His people’s suffering at the hands of their hypocritical, lying shepherds, Jesus wielded the sword of truth. Not only does He use truth, He Himself is the truth! Will we ever get the impact of what He said to His disciples?

John 14:6 NIV
[6] “Jesus answered, “I am the way and THE TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus is not only the messenger…He is the message. Nothing on earth comes together, nothing makes sense outside of Him. He is the Word, clothed in hums being and only through the Word can we know the truth about God, ourselves, and the world we live in… why things happen the way they happen, why we are here, where we are going, and everything in between. Every time Jesus opened His mouth, or did anything, He was declaring and being the truth, using the Word of God to neutralise the poison of lies and set people on a path to security and freedom.

John 12:47-49 NIV
[47] “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
[48] “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. [49] For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”

Since God is true, and His Word is truth (John 17:17), and since Jesus is the Word and spoke only what the Father said, He always is and only mirrors truth.

Before we examine the thought that, to show His compassion for shepherdless sheep, Jesus taught them “many things”, and what those many things were, we must examine how what Jesus taught them would meet their most pressing need.

To be continued…

JESUS, THE GOD-MAN – 6

Bible Study, ,

THE GOD-MAN, HIS INAUGURATION

Thrirty years of obscurity, His apprenticeship accomplished, Jesus, the God-man, tested and equipped, steps into His ministry. What would be His topic, His focus, the first words of His new venture, His message to His people?

“Look at me! I have arrived! I am the Son of God! I’m here to rescue you! Listen to me! It’s all about me! Me…me…me…!” Was this His mission, to present Himself as the answer to their hopes and dreams?

Yes, and no! His ultimate purpose was to draw His people to faith in Himself as God’s provision for their deliverance, not from Rome but from their greater enslavement, sin. However, He did it, not by calling attention first, to Himself, not in the way we would have done it.

Jesus, the God-man, came from God, sent by the Father, to conduct the Father’s business on earth as a true Son. Check His first recorded words as a twelve-year-old…

Luke 2:49 NIV
[49] “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

The original Greek is obscure but does not include the word “house”. The word, “en”, translated “in”, can mean “about”, depending on the context. I think a better translation would be, “about my Father”, implying that He was about the Father’s business rather than the temple, mistranslated “the Father’s house”.

The Father sent the Son to do His (the Father’s) business, therefore, it was fitting that the Son’s first public statement would be about the kingdom because the kingdom was the Father’s business.

What would have been the people’s reaction had He announced Himself rather than the kingdom as His first public statement? Would they have believed the words of an unknown Galilean peasant? He had done nothing yet to present His credentials. What was the expectation of the people? They wanted a deliverer who would rescue them from Roman occupation and set up the rule of God as it was under David. How could they know that He was the one?

In one sentence, the God-man uttered a summary of His mission, yes, centred in Himself, the ultimate prize, heaven and earth united under God’s sovereign rule.

Matthew 4:17 NIV
[17] “From that time on, Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

The disciples’ question, shortly before Jesus returned to heaven, shows where their thoughts were, despite their years with Him.

Acts 1:6 NIV
[6] “Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”…

For Jesus, it would take years of living, patient teaching and demonstration, to convince His people that He was the Son of God, and that God’s kingdom was being restored on earth and that He, the God-man, was His appointed and anointed king over that realm and the Father’s way to back to Him.

Although He came as king, the God-man had only one lone herald to announce His arrival. No entourage, no trumpets, no fanfare, no pomp and ceremony, no royal trappings! Centuries before, the prophet spoke of a single person who would go before His servant, to tell His people that the king had come. How would they identify him this herald?

Isaiah 40:3-5 NLT
[3] Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! [4] Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. [5] Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”

A lone voice crying! Not the man, but his message, would attract their attention. John, God’s appointed herald, was the man.

Isaiah 40:3-5 NLT
[3] Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! [4] Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. [5] Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”

John was the vehicle and the voice, a strange man, an only son, born of aging parents, living as a hermit in the wilderness, eating off the land and dressing in animal skins… not the usual kind of person chosen to herald the coming of a king!

It was his message, not strange, only riveting! “Wake up, people! God’s kingdom has finally come. If you want to be part of it, prepare to change,” that attracted attention. His message was not only riveting but different, not “Clean your houses,” but “Clean your hearts!”, for cleansed hearts would be the realm in which this king would reign.

This kingdom did not require a royal residence for its king, nor did it need a trained and equipped staff to run its affairs. This kingdom would be within the hearts and revealed in the lives of those who who were its citizens by faith.

The words of Jesus announcing the arrival of this kingdom echoed John’s words…

Matthew 3:1-2 t John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, [2] “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

…tying herald and king together into one intention, one focus, not the men but their message. John was nothing but a voice. Jesus was nothing but a servant of the message…and yet, as the story unfolded, Jesus and His message became one. He was messenger and message.

Slowly, as the weeks passed, the ministry of the herald faded, and eventually died with him. After only six months, his work was done. He had earned his stripes, the accolades of the one whose arrival he had announced.

Matthew 11:11 NLT
[11] “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!”

Yet, John, the last of the dispensation of the Old Covenant prophets, was only the bridge, the greatest of the Old in his own right but yet, never as great as the lowliest of the New. He had to move on to make room for the chief player on the stage of history.

Jesus, the God-man, now unrivalled and alone, was left to fulfil the ministry His herald had announced, to prove to the world He was the worthy, sovereign ruler of God’s kingdom. He would be enthroned on a cross, crowned with thorns, garbed in a robe of His own blood, dead and buried in a borrowed tomb, only to rise in glory to take His rightful place as King of kings and Lord of lords.

To be continued…

JESUS, THE GOD-MAN – 5

Bible Study, ,

THE GOD-MAN, TESTED

One more test to pass before the God-man could step onto the public stage. Already equipped with the Father’s blessing after a peerless thirty years, Jesus had to decide His strategy… under whose authority would the God-man carry out His mission?

Would the Father, who loved His Son, choose to set the test? Not Himself or the Holy Spirit! None other than the devil, His most formidable opponent! Why the devil? Why not the religious leaders…those who would be in His face to the full extent of His endurance? The devil it was who masterminded Jesus’ opposition, challenging, like he did Job, not only His actions but the very core of His relationship with the Father. Was is not the same gauntlet he threw down before the first Adam…”You don’t need God. You can be God!”

“If you are the Son of God…!”

Where would He take the test? In the most inaccessible terrain, the wilderness of Judea, deserted and in total isolation! No food, no water, no creature comforts, no shelter, no human company, no support system, no cellphone, no Wifi, no 911, no possibility of calling for help… just utter desolation and silence!

And so He waited…day after day…and nothing happened! Ten days…nothing, silence! Twenty days…nothing, silence, not even a bird call to break the monotony! Thirty days…still nothing, still silence! Forty days…empty stomach writhing in pain, lips cracked and bleeding from thirst! Then, like a caged animal released, the devil burst on the scene! Had he been waiting in the shadows, straining at the leash, watching his opponent grow weaker by the day? Visible? We don’t know, but real, yes, horribly real! Why now, when Jesus was drained to the dregs? Why not forty days ago when He was fresh and up to the challenge?

Who was the referee in this struggle for position…power… authority…ultimately Lordship, in this monumental battle?

Matthew 4:1 NIV
[1] “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

The Holy Spirit was there, all the time, keeping score, silent, invisible, uninvolved but vigilant. This was Jesus’ fight. He could not intervene.

What was the issue? What was the prize?

The devil had once challenged God for the highest position in heaven… and lost.

Isaiah 14:12-14 NLT
[12] “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. [13] For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. [14] I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’

Since he had already lost to God, the same devil challenged the first Adam, and won. The only obstacle between him and the coveted prize was the last Adam. He still wanted the title, office, and role of Lord of the universe. Beat Him, and the title and role was his! He saw his opportunity through God’s offspring, this “Adam”, this righteous but untested God-man, now weak and vulnerable.

To gain the throne from Jesus Himself, the last Adam, Satan would need to win it by cunning and stealth.

It was showdown time. Step by step, Satan went for the jugular, the God-man’s unity with the Father through the Spirit. To prise Him loose from His union with the Father, he tried a sneak attack…act by your own power. “You don’t need God. You are God.”

The devil knew he could not attack His deity, so he tried Jesus’ vulnerable humanity through the front door…extreme physical hunger! Jesus refused to take the bait. As hungry as He was, He still left the choice, the initiative to the Father. His strategy unveiled, little by little, as the tests were hurled at Him. Point one…

Matthew 4:4 NIV
[4] “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

God’s Word would always be His modus operandi, His guiding light, His method of attack and defence, His weapon of choice. Obedience to God’s Word would be His supreme and only way to go.

Round one: Jesus – 1, Satan – 0.

John 8:29 NIV
[29] “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

“Okay, if that’s your strategy, Jesus, how are you going to apply it?”

The devil’s tactic became more subtle. If you are choosing to live only by God’s Word, use it to get what you are after! What do you can to get what you want, Jesus, you God-man? You want what I want…supreme authority over your people, your world…to be, once and for all, Lord! Show your people your power by defying gravity in public! Jump from the highest point on the temple so that everyone can see you. God’s angels will catch you. He won’t let you fall. That’s His Word! That will convince the people who you are!

Jesus gave the devil a withering look. “You fool! Do you think I don’t know the truth? Do you think I’m stupid enough to fall for your scheme?”

Matthew 4:7 NIV
[7] Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Score: Jesus – 2, Satan – 0

Angry and raging, not willing to give up, the devil strips off his cover and fires his final round with guns blazing. “It’s so easy! Worship me, and I’ll give you everything you want. You want the world? I’ll give it to you if you just give me what I want…to be Lord!”

Matthew 4:8-9 NIV
[8] “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. [9] “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

How subtle was that!

Jesus slapped him down with one final strike! “First, devil, they are not yours to give.”

Psalms 24:1 NIV
[1] “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it… “

Second, devil,

Matthew 4:10 NIV
[10] Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Final score: Jesus – 3, Satan – 0

Raging and beaten, the devil retreats for a season but, under his breath he fumes, “I’ll be back!”

Luke 4:13 NLT
[13] When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.

This encounter was crucial. The God-man had cemented His modus operandi, His strategy for securing what was rightfully His, the title, office, and throne as Lord. It would take years of fierce defence of His claim, lived out daily, choice by choice, decision by decision, always going the way of absolute obedience and submission to the Father, always living as a man under God’s authority, always resting under the canopy of truth, to gain the prize.

“It is written,” was His weapon of choice, unassailable truth by which He would reveal his strategy, win the war, reign as king, and vanquish His enemy forever.

To be continued…

JESUS, THE GOD-MAN – 4

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THE GOD-MAN, THE PLAN CONCEIVED

Jesus, the God-man’s journey from the cradle to the throne began in eternity. Before the beginning of time, God, the three-in-one, set up a plan to rescue their yet-uncreated human family from the consequences of rebellion and unbelief.

This member of the Godhead, this second person of the Trinity, would humble Himself, and come into the world, take on a human body and a human nature. He would live as an ordinary man by voluntarily setting aside His divine privileges and, under the authority of the Father and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, be the representative of what the Godhead planned humans to be.

Then, despite His perfectly holy life, He would be condemned to death and executed as a criminal and law breaker, at the hands of God’s human representatives, the religious leaders of His own nation. This travesty of justice would be the apex of human rebellion, man executing the God-man in the name of justice.

Three days after this shameful event, this God-man would burst from the tomb, raised to life by the same Holy Spirit who would lead and empower Him from birth to death. He would deal a death-blow to death itself since He would be raised, not back to fragile human life but to be, forever, the eternal God-man who would carry the offices of prophet, priest, and king in the kingdom of God.

God, the Three-in-One, told the story to His people before it began in history. Step by step, His prophets painted a word picture of the one He promised, who would carry His anointing and carry out His will. His name would be Immanuel, the anointed one, Messiah, who would come to earth as one of them. His reign would be righteous, just, and eternal. He would rescue all mankind, including the nations who had rejected and rebelled against His rule, from eternal destruction. He would restore the Godhead’s original plan to create a family of sons and daughters in the likeness of the God-man.

So, the moment came when this daring plan began in time. A young village girl, betrothed but not yet married, became mysteriously pregnant. Had she been unfaithful to her fiancé?

An angel of God came to Joseph in a dream, with a reassuring message…

Matthew 1:18-21 NIV
[18] “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. [19] Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. [20] But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

This is not a sweet Christmas story. This is history, God’s story. It happened as recorded. God and man, fused into a single cell, would become a human baby in His mother’s womb. The angel told this to Joseph in a straightforward declaration of fact.

“… what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

The life of the God-man had begun, a risky, dangerous life because the very destiny of this man and the whole human race hung on a single thread, His perfect obedience to the Father. He would be obliged to live this life in the face of the most violent hatred and opposition from humans and devils any human would ever face.

One slip, one thought or action independent of the Father would be death to Himself, to the human race, and to all God’s plans for His creation. We have only one hint of the intensity of this all-or-nothing war in one statement and one conclusion from the pen of an anonymous writer.

Hebrews 5:7-10 NIV
[7] “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. [8] Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered [9] and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him [10] and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

Heaven and hell reacted to His birth. God’s entry into human history did not go unnoticed. Angels brought the message to shepherds, an announcement that heaven had come to earth, calling forth a joyful celebration of that moment.

Two years later, wise men from the East brought the same message to Herod, ruler of the province of Judea, with devastating consequences. He did not celebrate with thanksgiving. He let loose a reign of terror on his own people by drawing the net around every boy toddler in every family in the vicinity of Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:16-18 NIV
[16] “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
[17] Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

[18] “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Herod hoped to catch the new king in his trap but, too late, God has already intervened to protect His boy. Safe in Egypt, the little family remained there until Herod’s death.

On their return to Israel after Herod’s death, a new chapter began for the little peasant family of the God-man child in a village in Galilee. He lived a hidden childhood with only one tiny glimpse of His growing up years…at the age of twelve. A trip to Jerusalem to celebrate His first Passover, almost ended in disaster. His connection with His heavenly Father took precedence over His earthly family, drawing Him to the temple to converse with those who would later become His implacable enemies. He returned to Nazareth with His relieved parents to live again igognito and in seclusion until, eighteen years later, He would step onto the public platform.

What was happening in this child-cum-young-adult God-man during those thirty formative years? The Father’s one public statement says it all.

Matthew 3:13, 16-17 NIV
[13] “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John…
[16] As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

The Father’s Blessing! Jesus heard from the Father what every child yearns to hear from the mouth of his earthly father, His equipment for life.

Affirmation “This is my Son, ”
Adoration “Whom I love,”
Approval “With Him I am well pleased.”

In one all-embracing declaration, the Father announced His Son, Jesus, ready for His mission and His destiny, having equipped Him with the Holy Spirit, to launch into a dangerous world to carry out their daring plan.

To be continued…

JESUS, THE GOD-MAN

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THE GOD-MAN – THE KING

Psalms 2:4-6 NIV
[4] “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. [5] He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, [6] “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

Despite His lowly birth and humble upbringing, Jesus, the God-man, was born to be king. It was left to Matthew, possibly of the priestly tribe of Levi, to tell the story of this king, a strange mixture of majesty and humility, of authority and submission, of glory and suffering. He was born of a village teenager, in an ordinary village inn, His first crib an animal feed trough, His first baby garments strips of cloth… yet proclaimed by angels from heaven, and worshipped by shepherds from the hills around Bethlehem.

He had no human father, branded an illegitimate child by those who knew no better… but God was His father, not by biology but by relationship.

Psalms 2:7 NIV
[7] “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.”

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit but yet truly human, a descendant of Israel’s kings.

Matthew 1:1 NLT
[1] This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:”

To Joseph, who was shocked at Mary’s pregnancy and considered breaking his engagement with her because of her perceived unfaithfulness, came the angel’s assurance,

Matthew 1:20 NLT
[20] “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.”

Sages from a land in the East, read the stars. They came from a great distance, taking at least two years to travel to Israel, to pay homage to this new king. Where did they find Him? Not where He was born but perhaps in a rented house in the village of Bethlehem, where the little family had settled down to live and to make make a living.

So, how did this king of Israel make His presence and royal status known to His people? Unlike the kings of the earth who make as much mileage as they can out of their temporary, earthly office, who live in lavish pomp, and who are served by force and power, this king came disguised as a servant. He wore the robe of a wealthy man, but in His chest beat the heart of slave.

Whom did this “King of the Jews” serve? Let’s get this straight! He did not come to serve people. He came to serve the Father. Had He come to serve His people, He would have been subject to their will. Before He ever set foot on the earth, this king was submitted to one thing…

Psalms 40:7-10 NLT
[7] “Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: [8] I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” [9] I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. [10] I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.”

Jesus’ mission was to serve the Father and to make Him known. He steadfastly kept His heart and mind on this one thing, and testified to His own faithfulness and obedience to the Father despite the most vicious and cruel of opposition. He refused to submit to the political and religious bullies who hounded Him throughout His life, from Herod who tried to eliminate Him as toddler to the Pharisees and religious leaders who had Him executed on a trumped-up charge of blasphemy and treason.

In His earthly life, this king had no palace and no throne. His crown was a ring of thorns carelessly jammed on His brow, His royal robes, the shame and humiliation of a naked body clothed only in His own blood. His throne was a rough wooden torture stake and His attendants two guilty criminals hanging beside Him, a few Roman soldiers who guarded Him, and a group of mocking Jews who thought that they had finally beaten Him at His own game.

How wrong they were! How soon the tables would be turned. After three days in the tomb, as dead as any human can be, His divine life exploded into action, a bolt of supernatural power, His body transformed in an instant, this dead servant was raised from the stone shelf in a borrowed tomb to take His rightful throne, authorised and crowned by the Father Himself.

Philippians 2:9-11 NLT
[9] “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This same king, who hung naked and helpless on a Roman cross, now reigning in glory, is coming again to set up His kingdom on earth. He will raise His followers in the likeness of His own resurrected body. He will dispatch all His enemies to where they must go, and restore all of creation to its original perfection and function.

This is the king in whom we, who love and believe in Him, put our trust, and wait, with baited breath, for His return. He will vindicate those who dared to trust Him through thick and thin. He will come in fiery judgment, to pronounce sentence on all who have rained injustice on His people and to elevate His own to glory and honour.

We may be with Him in His earthly suffering but the day is coming when…

2 Thessalonians 1:5, 7-9 NLT
[5] “God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.
[6] In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.
[7] And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, [8] in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.”

Yes, beloved children of God, payback time is coming. We have every reason to lean all our weight on this king. He is infinitely qualified to carry us, through the flames of judgment and vengeance, to the place of our eternal rest.

1 Corinthians 15:22-25 NLT
[22] Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. [23] But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. [24] After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. [25] For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.”

To be continued…