Search the Manger
Matthew 2: 1 – 12
I. Introduction
When Nathan was in kindergarten, we lived in Mississippi. His kindergarten school day went from 8:00 until 12:00 noon. This was a good way to ease Shauna into having both children in school. She still had half a day she could spend with Nathan.
One day during the Christmas season, Shauna had Nathan in the car with her as she drove around town running errands. While they were running errands, they were listening to a Christmas CD.
Nathan was singing along with the songs, being festive and Christmas-y when he stopped and asked a question. Nathan said, “Mommy, are all these songs Santa songs?” Shauna asked him what he meant. He said, “Are all these songs Santa songs, or are there any Jesus songs on this CD?”
Shauna told him that this was a CD of Santa songs. He said, “I want to listen to some Jesus songs.” So, I didn’t realize that we had this many Christmas CD’s, but Shauna put on another Christmas CD. This time it was one that had Jesus songs.
After the first few songs, Nathan asked another question: “Are all these songs Jesus songs?” Shauna said that they were. Nathan answered, “That’s not what I wanted. I wanted a little Santa and a little Jesus.”
I thought that was very cute that Nathan had figured out a difference between Santa songs and Jesus songs. I also thought it was cute that he had—quite by accident—stumbled onto our biggest problem of the Christmas season: We don’t seem to know what we are searching for. We want a little Santa and a little Jesus.
As Christians in America we celebrate Christmas by walking along a precariously thin line. Or as Nathan put it: we want a little Santa and a little Jesus.
Do you know what you are searching for this Christmas?
Read Matthew 2: 1 – 12
This is not the only story of Christmas visitors found in the Bible. Matthew tells us about the Wise Men, or the Magi who visited the “house” in Bethlehem. And Luke tells us about the shepherds who visited the stable in Bethlehem.
Both of these are stories about people in the Bible who were searching during the Christmas season. It has always been interesting to me that Matthew and Luke have made distinctly different contributions to the Christmas story. This is especially true of their descriptions of the first “visitors” to the Holy Family in Bethlehem.
I have often wondered why Matthew and Luke tell the Christmas story in different ways. Why didn’t they both tell the same story? Why didn’t at least one of the Gospels tell everything in one place? After all, if everything were in one place we wouldn’t have to turn to Matthew one week and Luke the next week…It would be much more convenient!
I believe the reason for this can be found in the motivations behind why Matthew wrote his Gospel and why Luke wrote his Gospel.
We don’t have to wonder why Luke wrote his Gospel. In fact, Luke tells us in Luke 1: 1 – 4…He tells us that there are other accounts of Jesus’ life. So, Luke accumulated all those resources and carefully investigated everything so that he could write an orderly account for Theophilus.
Theophilus is a funny name. On one hand, there is evidence that some men in the ancient world were named Theophilus. On the other hand, there is evidence that Luke is using the name as a symbol for a group of people who might read his Gospel. You see, the name Theophilus is made up of two Greek words…Theos = God…Philos = Love or Friend…Therefore, Theophilus is a Greek word that means “Lover of God” or “Friend of God.”
Since Luke used the Greek name Theophilus, I believe that Luke wrote his Gospel so that non-Jewish people—the Gentiles, like you and me—might learn about Jesus and trust Jesus as our Lord.
Therefore, Luke was the most Greek, or Gentile, of the Gospel writers. Luke used Gentile themes to write to Gentile men and women about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Savior of the Gentiles.
Matthew, on the other hand, didn’t tell us why he wrote his Gospel.
However, when we read Matthew’s Gospel, I think we can pick up on some important themes and concerns that run throughout the book. In particular, Matthew goes to great lengths to show that the birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about the Promised Messiah.
Matthew shows us that Jesus was born as fulfillment to Jewish prophecy. But, Matthew also shows us that Jesus lived in fulfillment of all the Jewish Law. Jesus fulfilled the Law by observing all aspects of the Law and never breaking a single commandment. Jesus fulfilled the Law by teaching us in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 – 7 that the Old Testament Law has not passed away…It continues to serve an important role in our lives as Christians…Followers of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Matthew was the most Jewish of the Gospel writers. Matthew used Jewish themes to write to Jewish men and women about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Savior of the Jews.
II. Shepherds.
Luke—the most Gentile of the Synoptics—described the visit of the shepherds.
I usually imagine the shepherds as 10 year old boys wearing their fathers’ bathrobes, with the sleeves rolled up and the train of the robe filling the temple. But shepherds were grown men, who held the lowest of all positions in society.
Shepherds were despised by society because of the nature of their work.
Shepherds smelled like sheep!
Shepherds worked and sweated in the heat of the day.
Shepherds had no other option but to sleep outside—certainly a romantic idea if one were free to choose to sleep outside, but not romantic for those with no choice.
Shepherds were feared by business owners because they had earned for themselves the reputation of being thieves and untrustworthy.
Shepherds were rejected by the Jewish religious authorities, because they were considered unclean and unworthy to enter the temple without first being purified.
And yet, Luke described these same shepherds as the first visitors at the manger in Bethlehem. In fact, the shepherds did not just “show up” at the manger, they were beckoned by a choir of angels. God himself sent his angelic messengers to announce the birth of Jesus Christ his one and only begotten Son. And God invited shepherds!
The sweaty, the smelly, the disheveled were invited to be the first to meet the Lord. The unclean, the unworthy, the untrusted were ushered into the presence of God.
Since this was written by Luke to a Gentile audience, I believe the story of the shepherds has a Gentile message. By telling us that the shepherds were the first ones invited to see the Christ Child, Luke has just declared that the Jewish religion is inadequate. The very ones unworthy to enter the Temple knelt in the presence of God at Bethlehem.
III. Wise Men.
Matthew, on the other hand, did not condemn the Jewish religion. Rather, Matthew—the most Jewish of the Gospels—celebrated the unique role of the Jewish religion by describing the visit of the Magi.
Who were the Magi? We have traditionally called them “Wise Men.”
They may have been astronomers—star gazers. One day they noticed a “new star in the east.”
I am certainly not an expert in astronomy, but I assume it would take a lot of effort to be so familiar with the constellations and all the millions of stars in the sky that someone would recognize a “new star.”
It seems that the Magi may have been religious people. Something told them that this “new star” was the birth announcement of a new religious leader. Of course this was no ordinary religious leader. This was the Messiah, the one promised by and for the Jews.
I don’t know what might have prompted the Magi to travel to Israel. But their response to Jesus and the gifts they brought imply worship and recognition of his divine nature.
Gold was something that only royal families could afford and was a present fit for a King…
Frankincense was an incense that was burned as a part of the Jewish sacrificial system and was a present fit for a priest…
Myrrh was a perfume that was used to anoint the body of a dead person and was a gift fit for someone about to die…
Matthew’s story of visitors who traveled a great distance to find the only person in all the earth who could be our King, Priest and Crucified Lord implies that there was something missing in all the religions of the world.
That missing piece could only be supplied in Bethlehem! Therefore, we see in the visit of the Wise Men one more Jewish Scripture fulfilled! God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled. Abraham’s descendants became a blessing to all the earth.
IV. Conclusion
I believe that we can find what we are searching for this Christmas if we would just look at these two stories together.
Matthew teaches us that there is something unique about the Jewish Messiah. God has revealed himself and his salvation uniquely to the Jews, and God has provided salvation ONLY through Jesus the Messiah. No matter where you are from or what you might have once believed…Your religion is inadequate. There is no salvation without Jesus.
And Luke teaches us that salvation extends beyond the Jews; salvation is for everyone.
Jesus doesn’t care how dirty and smelly and rejected other people think you are. Everyone is invited…Everyone is welcome…
All you have to do is come…All you have to do is believe!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008: Jesus: Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
Jesus: Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
I. Introduction.
Bailout. That is a word we have heard a lot lately. First it was the banking and mortgage industry that needed a bailout. Now it is the Big Three—General Motors, Chrysler and Ford who are asking for a bailout.
The technical definition of a “bailout” is to give financial assistance to a business or individual in order to save it / them from financial ruin.[1] In most cases, a bailout is a last ditch effort to save a business that is perceived to be necessary to the greater good. The banking and mortgage bailout was thought to be necessary to keep American families from losing our homes. The automaker bailout is thought to be necessary to keep certain areas of the country from experiencing widespread unemployment—and perhaps to protect American exportation.
In other words, a bailout is financial salvation. It is doing something for someone what they could not do for themselves. The banking industry could not save itself, so they turned to the government for salvation. The automakers could not save themselves, so they have turned to the government to save them.
That leads me to ask a couple of questions… First, if we could not trust businessmen to run the automobile industry, what makes us think politicians could do a better job? Second, can the government truly save us?
Financial problems are not our greatest problems. Our greatest problems are spiritual. We think we can live without God. We think we do not need God to help us live and make daily decisions. We think we can solve all of our problems through human effort and intelligence.
However, we cannot save ourselves. We need God to do something for us that we could never accomplish for ourselves. In short, we need a “spiritual bailout.” And that is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is God’s spiritual bailout plan. God sent his only Son to earth to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.
Read Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
II. Context.
Isaiah was a prophet during a period of Israel’s history we commonly refer to as the Divided Kingdom. It would probably help us to discern exactly what the Bible means when it speaks of a prophet. We often use the word prophet to refer to someone who has the ability to predict events that will take place in the future. There is an element of truth in this, but it does not fully explain what prophecy means in the Bible. The full meaning of prophecy has to do more with “speaking God’s word to God’s people.” This is captured in the King James Version of the Bible by the introductory phrase, “Thus sayeth the LORD…”
In other words, the prophets of the Old Testament were men and women who received a message from God and then delivered that message to the community of God’s people. There are four things necessary for a biblical understanding of prophecy. First, there was a message from God. Second, there was a person—a prophet—who listened to what God had to say. Third, there was a spoken message delivered by the prophet. Fourth, there was a community who received the message from God that was delivered by the prophet.
Notice how God is involved in all four stages of prophecy. God delivered the message. God called the prophet. God inspired the public proclamation of the message. AND, the community which received the message was related to God as God’s own people. (This helps us to understand how prophecy shows up in the New Testament in every list of spiritual gifts. If prophecy is “speaking God’s word to God’s people,” then in modern day life prophecy is the same thing as “inspired preaching.”)
Not all prophecy in the Old Testament was predicting the future. Yet, in many cases, the words of the prophet did predict future events. This can be explained very simply by referring back to our definition of prophecy. If God really did give the message to the prophet to deliver to God’s people, the prediction would come to pass just as the prophet said. This is because God’s word is always true.
In Isaiah chapter one, Isaiah tells us that he was a prophet to the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The Scripture we just read this morning falls during the period of time when Ahaz was the king. Specifically, it falls during a very tense period of international crisis.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel had formed an unholy alliance with the pagan nation of Aram. This Israel-Aram coalition had stormed the Southern Kingdom of Judah in an attempt to overthrow King Ahaz and take away his people and land. The army of Judah had been successful so far in this war, but Ahaz was worried.
God gave Isaiah a message to deliver to the people of Judah. The message included a sign from God. In fact, God told King Ahaz to ask for whatever sign he wanted. Ahaz refused to ask. Perhaps he was afraid God was trying to tempt him, but God was being serious. So serious in fact, that even though Ahaz never asked for a sign, God still gave him a sign.
Through Isaiah the prophet, God told Ahaz that he would never be defeated by the Israel-Aram coalition. They will not defeat you, because they are too weak. They will not defeat you, because God is not on their side. They will not defeat you, because God is on your side And, to prove that God was on Ahaz’ side, God gave him a sign.
It was a strange sign for war time. Perhaps in a time of war we would expect God to send fire from heaven to burn up Judah’s enemies, or perhaps a sea would part and the enemies would be drowned in the sea. But, God’s sign was nothing more than a baby boy. In Isaiah 7:14, God said, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel—which means God with us.” Isaiah continued, “He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.”
It seems strange that a baby can prove that God is with God’s people. It would seem more fitting for God to do something more supernatural, something not so common. Yet, God proved himself to Ahaz and the people of Judah through the birth of a baby.
This was not the only time God used a baby to prove that he was with his people. It happened again in Isaiah 9. Again, God used Isaiah to speak God’s word to King Ahaz and the people of Judah.
The darkness of Isaiah 9 is probably a reference to the war that was going on at that time. It refers to the uncertainty, the danger and the trouble they were experiencing. It could just as easily refer to the uncertainty, the danger and the trouble we are experiencing in 2008. But notice the comforting words of hope Isaiah offers to the people… “The people walking in darkness HAVE SEEN a great light.”
Isaiah was so confident in God’s hope that he spoke of it in past tense. He did not say, “The people walking in darkness WILL EVENTUALLY SEE a great light.” He said, “they have already seen a great light.” By using the past tense, Isaiah is communicating the fact that God’s hope for his people is an accomplished fact. It is not wishful thinking. It is confident assurance. Isaiah is confident, because he is speaking “God’s word to God’s people.” God does not lie. If God said it, it will come to pass. There was no room for wishful thinking in Isaiah’s prophecy.
And, once again, the sign of God’s truth was revealed in the birth of a baby. Of course, this was no ordinary baby. This baby was the hope of God’s people. This baby was so special that one name would not be sufficient to describe the character of this child. No. This child required four names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
III. Everlasting Father.
Each of the four names Isaiah used to describe the coming child contain two words, a noun and an adjective: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace (perhaps Peaceful Prince).
The name Everlasting Father is a strange name for a new born baby. On one hand, it would be impossible for a child to be born as a father. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine a fragile little baby as everlasting or eternal.
Throughout the Hebrew Bible—the Old Testament—we find references to God as the Father of Israel. We can also find stories and references where the King of Israel functioned as a father-figure for the people. So, this might be a common reference to the son of the king. By virtue of his birth, everyone could acknowledge that one day he would grow into his role as the father-figure for God’s people.
However, I find in this a foreshadowing of one of Jesus’ themes found in the Gospel of John. In John 14, one of Jesus’ disciples—Philip—asked Jesus to show them the Heavenly Father. Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ (John 14: 9).”
Jesus addressed God as his Father and taught his disciples to address God as Father in prayer. BUT, Jesus also compared himself to God the Father and claimed to be of the same essence as the Father. I don’t want to go so far as to say Jesus claimed “equality” with God the Father, because Paul makes a point to say that Jesus did not “consider equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2: 6).” Yet, Jesus and the Father are One. To know the Son is to know the Father. They are of the same essence and nature. Jesus shared the same qualities and characteristics of God.
One of the characteristics of God that sets him apart from us is his eternity. God is eternal. You and I are not eternal. We are finite, temporary and limited by time and space. This makes it somewhat difficult for us to understand God’s eternal nature. Everlasting is perhaps the best we can do to understand eternity. There is no end to God. He is everlasting—lasting forever and ever and ever…
To say that God is eternal is to say that God cannot be measured. For example, I am a human being, and my life can be measured both in time and in space. My body is 5 foot 10 inches tall and weighs…You didn’t think I was really going to tell you how much I weigh. I have been alive for 37 years, 8 months, 1 week and 4 days. Time is one of the ways we can measure.
I have three children. Collin is 13 years old. Nathan is 10 years old. JoEllen is 3 years old. I don’t remember when I was 3, but I do remember when I was 10 and 13. I am not the same person today at 37 that I was at 3, 10 or 13. I have changed. Time is a measurement of the changes that have taken place in my life. To say that God is eternal is to say that God cannot be measured. God cannot be measured, because God does not change.
IV. Prince of Peace.
The fourth and final name used to describe the coming baby is “Prince of Peace.” We have reason to believe that Isaiah is pointing to the birth of King Ahaz’ own son who would eventually become king of Judah—Hezekiah. As the son of the sitting king, this new baby would be recognized immediately as a prince. All his life he would be treated like royalty, because one day he would become king. He stood to inherit everything the king currently holds—financial holdings, political power, even the war with the Israel-Aram coalition.
However, Hezekiah would be a different kind of king. He would not be like his father. Hezekiah’s birth was a promise of peace, not the continuation war.
You should not be surprised to hear that the Hebrew word for peace is “Shalom.” But it might surprise you that Shalom means something more than peace.
When you and I think of peace, we typically define it in terms of “the absence of conflict.” When the United States of America is at peace, it means that we are not fighting a war. When family life is peaceful, it means there is no conflict between us and our spouses. When the church is at peace, there is no one trying to fire the pastor. This is NOT what the Hebrew word Shalom means.
Shalom can be translated “peace.” But it can also be translated “well,” “whole,” or “complete.” In other words, Isaiah was not prophesying that God’s people would experience an absence of conflict in the future. Isaiah prophesied that God’s people would be made whole and complete through a future Prince of Shalom.
Hezekiah did not accomplish this wholeness for God’s people. He reigned as King of Judah for only 29 years. In fact, no political prince could offer wholeness to God’s people. There must be another baby, a true Prince of Peace.
V. Conclusion.
This was not the last time God’s hope for God’s people was confirmed in the birth of a baby. It happened in Isaiah 7; it happened again in Isaiah 9; and it happened a final time in the birth of Jesus. In fact, the writers of the New Testament have helped us to understand Isaiah’s prophecies about babies in terms of Jesus’ birth.
Sure, there was a baby born during the reign of King Ahaz with the name Immanuel. But that baby could not compare with Jesus—the unique Son of God. Jesus was the final fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that God would be present with God’s people.
Sure, there was a baby born during the reign of King Ahaz who would eventually support the weight of the government on his shoulders—probably Ahaz’ son Hezekiah. But, Hezekiah’s reign and life on earth were temporary and measurable. Jesus’ life is neither temporary nor measurable.
We might even say that the birth of Jesus was God’s “ spiritual bailout plan” for humanity. Through the birth of Jesus, God has done something for us that we could never have done for ourselves. He has brought us back to himself…through the birth of a baby boy!
[1] “Bailout,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailout.
Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
I. Introduction.
Bailout. That is a word we have heard a lot lately. First it was the banking and mortgage industry that needed a bailout. Now it is the Big Three—General Motors, Chrysler and Ford who are asking for a bailout.
The technical definition of a “bailout” is to give financial assistance to a business or individual in order to save it / them from financial ruin.[1] In most cases, a bailout is a last ditch effort to save a business that is perceived to be necessary to the greater good. The banking and mortgage bailout was thought to be necessary to keep American families from losing our homes. The automaker bailout is thought to be necessary to keep certain areas of the country from experiencing widespread unemployment—and perhaps to protect American exportation.
In other words, a bailout is financial salvation. It is doing something for someone what they could not do for themselves. The banking industry could not save itself, so they turned to the government for salvation. The automakers could not save themselves, so they have turned to the government to save them.
That leads me to ask a couple of questions… First, if we could not trust businessmen to run the automobile industry, what makes us think politicians could do a better job? Second, can the government truly save us?
Financial problems are not our greatest problems. Our greatest problems are spiritual. We think we can live without God. We think we do not need God to help us live and make daily decisions. We think we can solve all of our problems through human effort and intelligence.
However, we cannot save ourselves. We need God to do something for us that we could never accomplish for ourselves. In short, we need a “spiritual bailout.” And that is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is God’s spiritual bailout plan. God sent his only Son to earth to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.
Read Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
II. Context.
Isaiah was a prophet during a period of Israel’s history we commonly refer to as the Divided Kingdom. It would probably help us to discern exactly what the Bible means when it speaks of a prophet. We often use the word prophet to refer to someone who has the ability to predict events that will take place in the future. There is an element of truth in this, but it does not fully explain what prophecy means in the Bible. The full meaning of prophecy has to do more with “speaking God’s word to God’s people.” This is captured in the King James Version of the Bible by the introductory phrase, “Thus sayeth the LORD…”
In other words, the prophets of the Old Testament were men and women who received a message from God and then delivered that message to the community of God’s people. There are four things necessary for a biblical understanding of prophecy. First, there was a message from God. Second, there was a person—a prophet—who listened to what God had to say. Third, there was a spoken message delivered by the prophet. Fourth, there was a community who received the message from God that was delivered by the prophet.
Notice how God is involved in all four stages of prophecy. God delivered the message. God called the prophet. God inspired the public proclamation of the message. AND, the community which received the message was related to God as God’s own people. (This helps us to understand how prophecy shows up in the New Testament in every list of spiritual gifts. If prophecy is “speaking God’s word to God’s people,” then in modern day life prophecy is the same thing as “inspired preaching.”)
Not all prophecy in the Old Testament was predicting the future. Yet, in many cases, the words of the prophet did predict future events. This can be explained very simply by referring back to our definition of prophecy. If God really did give the message to the prophet to deliver to God’s people, the prediction would come to pass just as the prophet said. This is because God’s word is always true.
In Isaiah chapter one, Isaiah tells us that he was a prophet to the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The Scripture we just read this morning falls during the period of time when Ahaz was the king. Specifically, it falls during a very tense period of international crisis.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel had formed an unholy alliance with the pagan nation of Aram. This Israel-Aram coalition had stormed the Southern Kingdom of Judah in an attempt to overthrow King Ahaz and take away his people and land. The army of Judah had been successful so far in this war, but Ahaz was worried.
God gave Isaiah a message to deliver to the people of Judah. The message included a sign from God. In fact, God told King Ahaz to ask for whatever sign he wanted. Ahaz refused to ask. Perhaps he was afraid God was trying to tempt him, but God was being serious. So serious in fact, that even though Ahaz never asked for a sign, God still gave him a sign.
Through Isaiah the prophet, God told Ahaz that he would never be defeated by the Israel-Aram coalition. They will not defeat you, because they are too weak. They will not defeat you, because God is not on their side. They will not defeat you, because God is on your side And, to prove that God was on Ahaz’ side, God gave him a sign.
It was a strange sign for war time. Perhaps in a time of war we would expect God to send fire from heaven to burn up Judah’s enemies, or perhaps a sea would part and the enemies would be drowned in the sea. But, God’s sign was nothing more than a baby boy. In Isaiah 7:14, God said, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel—which means God with us.” Isaiah continued, “He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.”
It seems strange that a baby can prove that God is with God’s people. It would seem more fitting for God to do something more supernatural, something not so common. Yet, God proved himself to Ahaz and the people of Judah through the birth of a baby.
This was not the only time God used a baby to prove that he was with his people. It happened again in Isaiah 9. Again, God used Isaiah to speak God’s word to King Ahaz and the people of Judah.
The darkness of Isaiah 9 is probably a reference to the war that was going on at that time. It refers to the uncertainty, the danger and the trouble they were experiencing. It could just as easily refer to the uncertainty, the danger and the trouble we are experiencing in 2008. But notice the comforting words of hope Isaiah offers to the people… “The people walking in darkness HAVE SEEN a great light.”
Isaiah was so confident in God’s hope that he spoke of it in past tense. He did not say, “The people walking in darkness WILL EVENTUALLY SEE a great light.” He said, “they have already seen a great light.” By using the past tense, Isaiah is communicating the fact that God’s hope for his people is an accomplished fact. It is not wishful thinking. It is confident assurance. Isaiah is confident, because he is speaking “God’s word to God’s people.” God does not lie. If God said it, it will come to pass. There was no room for wishful thinking in Isaiah’s prophecy.
And, once again, the sign of God’s truth was revealed in the birth of a baby. Of course, this was no ordinary baby. This baby was the hope of God’s people. This baby was so special that one name would not be sufficient to describe the character of this child. No. This child required four names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
III. Everlasting Father.
Each of the four names Isaiah used to describe the coming child contain two words, a noun and an adjective: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace (perhaps Peaceful Prince).
The name Everlasting Father is a strange name for a new born baby. On one hand, it would be impossible for a child to be born as a father. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine a fragile little baby as everlasting or eternal.
Throughout the Hebrew Bible—the Old Testament—we find references to God as the Father of Israel. We can also find stories and references where the King of Israel functioned as a father-figure for the people. So, this might be a common reference to the son of the king. By virtue of his birth, everyone could acknowledge that one day he would grow into his role as the father-figure for God’s people.
However, I find in this a foreshadowing of one of Jesus’ themes found in the Gospel of John. In John 14, one of Jesus’ disciples—Philip—asked Jesus to show them the Heavenly Father. Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ (John 14: 9).”
Jesus addressed God as his Father and taught his disciples to address God as Father in prayer. BUT, Jesus also compared himself to God the Father and claimed to be of the same essence as the Father. I don’t want to go so far as to say Jesus claimed “equality” with God the Father, because Paul makes a point to say that Jesus did not “consider equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2: 6).” Yet, Jesus and the Father are One. To know the Son is to know the Father. They are of the same essence and nature. Jesus shared the same qualities and characteristics of God.
One of the characteristics of God that sets him apart from us is his eternity. God is eternal. You and I are not eternal. We are finite, temporary and limited by time and space. This makes it somewhat difficult for us to understand God’s eternal nature. Everlasting is perhaps the best we can do to understand eternity. There is no end to God. He is everlasting—lasting forever and ever and ever…
To say that God is eternal is to say that God cannot be measured. For example, I am a human being, and my life can be measured both in time and in space. My body is 5 foot 10 inches tall and weighs…You didn’t think I was really going to tell you how much I weigh. I have been alive for 37 years, 8 months, 1 week and 4 days. Time is one of the ways we can measure.
I have three children. Collin is 13 years old. Nathan is 10 years old. JoEllen is 3 years old. I don’t remember when I was 3, but I do remember when I was 10 and 13. I am not the same person today at 37 that I was at 3, 10 or 13. I have changed. Time is a measurement of the changes that have taken place in my life. To say that God is eternal is to say that God cannot be measured. God cannot be measured, because God does not change.
IV. Prince of Peace.
The fourth and final name used to describe the coming baby is “Prince of Peace.” We have reason to believe that Isaiah is pointing to the birth of King Ahaz’ own son who would eventually become king of Judah—Hezekiah. As the son of the sitting king, this new baby would be recognized immediately as a prince. All his life he would be treated like royalty, because one day he would become king. He stood to inherit everything the king currently holds—financial holdings, political power, even the war with the Israel-Aram coalition.
However, Hezekiah would be a different kind of king. He would not be like his father. Hezekiah’s birth was a promise of peace, not the continuation war.
You should not be surprised to hear that the Hebrew word for peace is “Shalom.” But it might surprise you that Shalom means something more than peace.
When you and I think of peace, we typically define it in terms of “the absence of conflict.” When the United States of America is at peace, it means that we are not fighting a war. When family life is peaceful, it means there is no conflict between us and our spouses. When the church is at peace, there is no one trying to fire the pastor. This is NOT what the Hebrew word Shalom means.
Shalom can be translated “peace.” But it can also be translated “well,” “whole,” or “complete.” In other words, Isaiah was not prophesying that God’s people would experience an absence of conflict in the future. Isaiah prophesied that God’s people would be made whole and complete through a future Prince of Shalom.
Hezekiah did not accomplish this wholeness for God’s people. He reigned as King of Judah for only 29 years. In fact, no political prince could offer wholeness to God’s people. There must be another baby, a true Prince of Peace.
V. Conclusion.
This was not the last time God’s hope for God’s people was confirmed in the birth of a baby. It happened in Isaiah 7; it happened again in Isaiah 9; and it happened a final time in the birth of Jesus. In fact, the writers of the New Testament have helped us to understand Isaiah’s prophecies about babies in terms of Jesus’ birth.
Sure, there was a baby born during the reign of King Ahaz with the name Immanuel. But that baby could not compare with Jesus—the unique Son of God. Jesus was the final fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that God would be present with God’s people.
Sure, there was a baby born during the reign of King Ahaz who would eventually support the weight of the government on his shoulders—probably Ahaz’ son Hezekiah. But, Hezekiah’s reign and life on earth were temporary and measurable. Jesus’ life is neither temporary nor measurable.
We might even say that the birth of Jesus was God’s “ spiritual bailout plan” for humanity. Through the birth of Jesus, God has done something for us that we could never have done for ourselves. He has brought us back to himself…through the birth of a baby boy!
[1] “Bailout,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailout.
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