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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…

The Solitude Of Ecstasy

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THE SOLITUDE OF ECSTASY

“Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn’t speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.

“When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It was not long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. ‘So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!’ she said.” Luke 1:21-25 (The Message).

True to the angel’s prediction, Zachariah was struck dumb from the moment the angel had spoken. The waiting worshippers realised that something out-of-the-ordinary had happened to him behind the curtain of the sanctuary. His unskilled use of sign language left them curious and mystified.

Zachariah completed his duties in the temple and returned home to Elizabeth. One wonders how he explained to Elizabeth what had happened to him in the sanctuary and what the angel had said to him! Perhaps he had to leave the details of the story until after John’s birth. The most important fact was that Elizabeth conceived a child to her amazement and delight. Unlike some of the reactions of elderly mothers-to-be, she saw in this event the grace of God and the removal of the stigma of childlessness.

Not only was the fact that she was at last to have a child precious to her, but also the realisation that God had not forgotten her. All the years of waiting, the cycle of disappointment and the belief that she was not one of God’s favoured daughters, fell away with the slowly dawning reality that she was pregnant; she, barren Elizabeth, was no longer barren.

She went into solitude, not to hide in shame or embarrassment, but to savour and enjoy this new-found realisation that God had a purpose for her too. She wanted to be alone with her God to worship Him and to voice her ceaseless praise to Him without interruption from any other human being, not even her husband, Zachariah.

Was it this season of solitude with God part of the foundation laid for John’s life and destiny? Elizabeth may not have lived to see the outcome of this boy that she was privileged to bring into the world, but she would surely go to her rest knowing that he was safely in the hands of the God who had destined him for greatness.

She worshipped and prayed into her unborn son the great heritage of her people, perhaps using the song-book of the Psalms to instil into him a love for God and His Word that carried him through testing, incarceration and an untimely and violent death.

Jesus classified John as the greatest of the Old Covenant prophets, even though his ministry lasted a paltry six months. It was not the length of his ministry that constituted his greatness but the nature of his calling and the diligence and faithfulness with which he carried it out. His was the honour, as the forerunner of Messiah, to herald the king’s arrival even though Jesus did not come with the pomp and ceremony of an earthly king.

True to His role as the rightful ruler of creation and all mankind, Jesus came in humility and simplicity and John announced His coming as befitted Him. It was not their apparel or their bearing that made them great but the authority of their office, Jesus as the king and John His herald, given to them by the great God Himself.

Elizabeth was the wife of a country priest but she fulfilled her maternal role with dignity and excellence, preparing her son from the moment of his conception to be the greatest prophet who ever lived.