Come Thou Long Expected Seed 17

Seventeenth Day of Advent: John 1:1-18

John strikes a unique chord in the symphony of the New Testament witnesses, but not one at dissonance. We do not find a birth narrative like Matthew and Luke include, but John’s account doubtless continues the same proclamation of the same person, Jesus, who is the Messiah and Son of God, so that we might believe in him and obtain life in his name (John 20:30-31).

John begins the Gospel referring to the Word, a term that surely resonates with readers of the Old Testament and communicates God’s self-expression and disclosure whether it be through what his word effects, teaches, or reveals. John uses “the Word” to speak uniquely about a person who was not only with God in the beginning—testifying of both his preexistence and unique relationship with the Father—but also was himself God—testifying of his deity (1:1-2). Like Yahweh, the Word is described as having created all things, and apart from him nothing exists (1:3; cf. Gen 1:1-2). Life is not granted to the Word; instead in him was life. As God the Father has life in himself and grants it to whomever he pleases, so does the Word have life in himself (“the Son,” John 5:26). That this life was “the light of men” shows he provides both physical and spiritual life to people (1:4). Such life giving is reserved for God alone in Scripture. In Genesis 1:3, light shines in the darkness by God’s word, and darkness does not overcome it. The Word’s light illumines the darkness in the world as well, and the darkness is never able to overcome his light; it (or they) can only run from it (1:5; 3:19).

In but five verses, then, John sets before his readers the eternal, preexistent Word, who is himself God and serves in unique relationship with God (the Father) over all things. How amazing it is, then, when John continues in 1:14-18,

And the Word became flesh and dwelt (σκηνοω) among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For (οτι) from his fullness we have all received, grace in place of (αντι) grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

God sent his (spoken) word for centuries before to earth, words that bore witness to himself, his person, his character, his authority, his steadfast love. Here, too, he sends his Word to earth, though as the remainder of the text states, this Word is vastly more personal and tremendously unique. This Word, identified now (in the text) as “the only Son from the Father,” takes on human flesh and dwells among men. The Lord dwelt among his people in the tabernacle of the Old Testament (e.g. Exod 25:8, 9); however, in the sending of his Son, God chooses to dwell in a much more personal way with mankind, even as one of us. The one whose glory once filled the tent was now present in the flesh. “The Word…dwelt (i.e. he “tabernacled”) among us,” John explains, “and we have seen his glory.”

That John would describe the Son’s glory with the words “full of grace and truth” is rather fitting; for this is exactly the way God revealed himself in the Old Testament. For example, at Moses’ request to see the Lord’s glory, the Lord responds, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (33:19, ESV). To see the Lord’s glory, therefore, is to see his goodness made known in the proclamation of his name. When the Lord proclaims his name over Moses in 34:6, the very things John associates with the Son are clear: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” As Moses witnessed Yahweh’s glory in the wilderness, so John witnesses the same, but in the person of God’s only Son. The fullness of grace and truth so revealed even in the Law was now manifested in the flesh.

No wonder John then states that the grace and truth which came through Jesus Christ superseded the grace once given in the Law of Moses (“grace in place of grace,” John 1:16). The Law was a grace to Israel, for it revealed God to them, not to mention the testimony it also bore concerning God’s Son (cf. 5:46). By sending the very person who the Law anticipated and looked forward to, God gives us his ultimate revelation of grace and truth in the person of Jesus Christ (cf. Heb 1:1-4). No one else has explained or ever will explain the Father like him. He is “the only God, who is at the Father’s side,” and he has made God known to us (1:18); and for this reason, we rejoice this Advent season in Thou long expected seed.

Come Thou Long Expected Seed 16

Sixteenth Day of Advent: Luke 2:8-20

God has not left us wondering about his unique Son or the events surrounding his birth. Instead, he grants us wisdom and insight into how we ourselves ought to view them and what we should believe about them. The climactic heavenly pronouncement to the shepherds in Luke’s Gospel helps us see this Christmas child all the more clearly. 

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.“

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The same day (“this day” 2:11) God brings forth his Son through Mary, he also sends forth his heavenly hosts to bear witness concerning this newborn child named Jesus. Already he has bore witness to his Son just before and shortly after his conception through his angel Gabriel (1:11-20, 26-38), the Holy Spirit (1:41, 67), John (in the womb! 1:44), Mary (1:46-55), Elizabeth (1:41-45, 57), and Zechariah (1:67-79). Now, at the climax of Luke’s birth narrative God sends not merely one angel, but a multitude of the heavenly host to herald news of this long-expected child. It becomes very clear to us that all of heaven knows of this child, and God does not keep the message there, but mercifully delivers the good news to earth. The eyes of lowly shepherds are opened to witness how heaven responds to the birth of Jesus.

An angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds; the glory of the Lord shines around them, filling them with fear; a multitude of hosts appear along with this heavenly messenger, heralding glory; and to top it off, they return before the shepherds back into heaven. Yet, what is so unique about this angelic visit is that the radiant glory which appears with them is indisputably surpassed by the attention given to the child. He is the focus of their announcement. The angel of the Lord is a messenger of the joyful news that a unique Son and Savior has been born and he is Christ the Lord (2:11). Assuming the shepherds will go to this child, the same angel gives them instructions for which unique child to look: the swaddled one in the city of David (Bethlehem) in a manger (2:11-12). The ironic circumstances of “Christ the Lord…lying in a manger” stands out in the deliberate repetition of the child-in-manger scene (2:7, 12, 16). The multitude sing glory because in the birth of this child, God shall decisively begin his final work to establish ultimate peace among men through the cross he will bear (cf. 1:79; 19:38). In only seeing his birth the multitude declares “upon earth, peace” (2:14). When the angels disappear, the excitement does not cease, but centers upon the child whom the shepherds pursue and find (2:15-16). After seeing the child, they make known the saying spoken to them concerning this child. Christ the Lord is the content of their message, not the angelic vision (2:17). All who hear the shepherds wonder with them at the child (“the saying”=“what the shepherds told them,” 2:18). The shepherds then return glorifying and praising God for what they had heard about the child—Son, Savior, Christ, Lord—and had seen of this child (=”as it had been told them,” 2:20).

So, although the heavenly vision is remarkably glorious and a magnificent gift of God to the shepherds, the angel’s message concerning and the shepherd’s vision of the child is the real gift to them and the center of this story (and the Gospel). May we all this Advent season bow our knee to this Christ and Lord who laid in a manger, believe the testimony given of him, and join heaven in glorying in God, and share what we have heard and “seen” of Thou long expected seed.

Sing first stanza of “O Holy Night” by Placide Cappeau (1847), translated by John S. Dwight.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Come Thou Long Expected Seed 15

Fifthteenth Day of Advent: Luke 2:1-7

By the time we reach chapter 2 in Luke’s Gospel, everything that was to characterize the dawning of messiah’s day God had sent barreling into history just as he had promised to Abraham and had spoken by his holy prophets. What is still lacking, however, is the arrival of the messiah himself. Does he come wielding the sword of vengence against his people’s enemies, smashing the nations with a rod of iron, ruling from his royal throne, and wrapped in the regal garb of a king’s son? No, at least, not yet he doesn’t. He comes instead as the following verses describe:

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn (Luke 2:1-7, ESV).

Accurately considering all things (cf. 1:1-4), Luke writes a faithful testimony of the humble arrival of the long expected Messiah and Savior, Jesus Christ. He notes certain leaders, places, and events surrounding Jesus’ birth, and these surely serve to confirm the historicity of his coming. What is more, however, is that they serve in bearing witness to God’s sovereign control and providential guidance of all history. In the same manner the Lord used pagan rulers to accomplish his purposes in the Old Testament (e.g. Balaam, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus), so the never-changing, all-sovereign Lord of the universe also does here in the circumstances surrounding the birth of his son. In short, God governs the whole world so that the purposes he set forth in his messiah will be accomplished (cf. Eph 1:9-10).

Moving from the larger picture of the world’s participation in Caesar Augustus’s census, Luke hones in on Joseph and Mary. Why he would single out this family from among the multitude of people returning to their home towns is obvious: Mary was pregnant and soon to give birth to Israel’s Messiah and the world’s Savior. Luke wants our eyes fixed upon him. This is why he also highlights Joseph’s lineage and this couple’s return to Judea, and within Judea to Bethlehem, the city where David was born (cf. Luke 2:11). This is where God promised the Messiah would be born (Mic 5:2; cf. Matt 2:6).

When the time arose for Mary to give birth, however, there was neither a place for them in Bethlehem nor anyone apparently willing to give up their own space for this child-bearer. Mary instead finds herself giving birth to her firstborn son next to a manger in which she lays him. The Messiah has come; the world’s savior has arrived; God’s kingdom has irrupted; however, the long expected king comes not sitting on his throne, but lying in a manger; not wrapped in regality, but in swaddling cloths; not bringing the sword of vengence, but feeding from Mary’s breast.

For Luke, this is how the Son of God became a man, and why he comes in this way is further described throughout his Gospel. The humble first Advent of this unique son, Jesus, serves as only the beginning of an obedient life unto death that would accomplish salvation for all who trust him, and so deliver these from the destruction associated with his second Advent. Rejoice, then, in Thou long expected seed.

Sing “There’s a Song in the Air” by Josiah G. Holland (1872):

There’s a song in the air! There’s a star in the sky!
There’s a mother’s deep prayer and a baby’s low cry!
And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!

There’s a tumult of joy o’er the wonderful birth,
For the virgin’s sweet Boy is the Lord of the earth.
Ay! the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!

In the light of that star lie the ages impearled;
And that song from afar has swept over the world.
Every hearth is aflame, and the beautiful sing
In the homes of the nations that Jesus is King!

We rejoice in the light, and we echo the song
That comes down through the night from the heavenly throng.
Ay! we shout to the lovely evangel they bring,
And we greet in His cradle our Savior and King!

Come Thou Long Expected Seed 14

Fourteenth Day of Advent: Luke 1:68-79

Just following the birth and naming of John (the Baptist), a testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness to his word, God opens the mouth of Zechariah who he had made mute throughout Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and fills him with the Holy Spirit by which he prophesies these words:  

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and brought about redemption for his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old: to bring salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:67-78).

What Zechariah speaks here by the Holy Spirit expresses what God thinks and wants us to understand about the births of John and Jesus and the unique day that has dawned in their coming. It would therefore serve our faith well and increase our joy this Advent season to listen to these words.

Although John has just been born to Elizabeth and Zechariah, the emphases in Zechariah’s prophecy lie elsewhere, namely, in God’s messiah and the multitude of blessings associated with his coming. This by no means minimizes the joys that were surely felt for baby John himself; rather, it maximizes why Zechariah could indeed be glad and bless God; for his son’s birth proved much more about the steadfast love and faithfulness of the God he served. God would soon bring redemption through his messiah, not John.

God has visited and accomplished redemption for his people by raising up a mighty savior (“horn of salvation”) for them (1:68). God has sent this savior into the world in accordance with the sovereign purpose he has revealed to his people by his prophets (1:70). As promised, and as expected by the Lord’s faithful, God sends the Savior through the house of David (1:69) and he comes in order to fulfill the Lord’s holy covenant made to Abraham (1:73; Gen 12:1-3; 22:16-18). Through this unique Savior, God will deliver his people from their enemies, show them abundant mercy, forgive their sins, set them apart in holiness to obey his will in righteousness, bring the light of salvation to nations who sit in darkness, and guide them all in the peace of his kingdom (1:71, 74-75, 77-80). Through this Messiah and Savior, God has chosen to redeem his people; and his day has come.

John will be his forerunner. He will be called the prophet of the Most High. He will go before the Lord in order to prepare his ways and give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins (1:76-77). However, like the emphases in his father’s words, John’s ministry itself will not spotlight himself, but the tender mercies of God in sending his anointed one (1:78). John will be the prophet of the Most High in order to proclaim the Son of the Most High and the salvation he will accomplish for the forgiveness of their sins (1:76-78; cf. Acts 19:4). In this way, he will prepare the way for and point the people toward the Lord and his messiah.

Saturated with deliverance, mercy, and covenant, this messianic prophecy of Zechariah, this good news according to Luke, this word from God, surely ought to inform how we think about this season, what things we ought to celebrate during this season, and in whom we should to rejoice for this season. Rejoice in Thou long expected seed.

Come Thou Long Expected Seed 13

Thirteenth Day of Advent: Luke 1:26-38

Like Matthew, Luke also bears witness to Jesus. In and through his ”orderly account,” Luke gives his readers “certainty” that Jesus is the expected messiah and savior of Israel. Prophecy had largely ceased at the closing of the Old Testament period and Israel remained turned away from their Lord (cf. Luke 1:16); however, at the outset of his Gospel, Luke heralds that a new age has dawned, and it is none other than that of the messiah himself. The prophetic gift will soon be renewed in the coming of messiah’s forerunner, John the Baptist (1:16-17; cf. Isa 40:3; Mal 4:5); he is to turn Israel back to the Lord their God (1:16-17); the Holy Spirit is already filling people with gladness of the new day (1:14-15, 41-45, 67; cf. Isa 51:3; 52:8; 65:18); angels are bringing good news of salvation (1:19, 28; 2:10; cf. Isa 40:9); and the messiah is soon to arrive through the virgin, Mary (1:26-38; cf. Isa 7:14; 9:6-7). It is to this last statement that we draw our attention today.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

We find ourselves encountering here the same couple Matthew informed us about: Joseph, son of David, and his betrothed, the virgin, Mary. However, whereas Matthew focuses on Joseph and his encounter with an angel of the Lord, Luke focuses on Mary and her encounter with the angel Gabriel. Both accounts, however, do so in order to point out the good news about Jesus Christ. Indeed, generations will count Mary blessed, for the Lord considered her to bring forth his son (Luke 1:48). Nevertheless, even Mary knows she is not the center of attention; God, his son, and the redemptive work to be accomplished in and through him are the center (1:46, 47, 49-55).

In light of this central focus, it is rather amazing to see the fivefold description the angel gives of the child Mary will bear and name Jesus (1:31). First, “[the child] will be great.” Already Gabriel has said the same of John the Baptist (1:15); however, this is not without qualification. John will be great in the sense that he will be the forerunner who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Mal 4:5). He is great in the sight of God insofar as he prepares the people to meet the greater one, Jesus.

Second, “[the child] will be called the Son of the Most High.” This surely has implications associated with how the Old Testament teaches us God relates to his anointed king from David’s lineage (e.g. 2 Sam 7:14-15; 1 Chr 17:13-14; 22:10; Pss 2:6; 89:26-27); however, Luke moves beyond this to an even more impressive relationship. The conception of this child results from the Holy Spirit coming upon the virgin, Mary, and the power of the Most High overshadowing her. “Therefore (or “for this reason”) the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God,” the angel says (Luke 1:35). This child is God’s divine son.

Third, “the Lord God will give to [his son] the throne of his father David.” Israel’s messiah was expected to be from David’s line and to sit on David’s throne (e.g. Isa 9:7). The steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. The angel assures Mary that God will indeed bring these promises to pass for this son of his. With overtones from Psalm 2, the Lord will enthrone his king.

Fourth, “[God's Son] will reign over the house of Jacob.” Included in this Son’s reign is the people over whom he directly rules and for whom he stands as representive before God. Here the angel identifies them as the house of Jacob, revealing ties not only to promises God made to the patriarchs, or later Israel, but also (and especially) to all the redeemed remnant who celebrate the messiah and the new age of his reign (cf. Isa 2:1-4; 46:3; Mic 4:1-5).

Fifth, “of [the Son's] kingdom there will be no end.” The generations of faithless kings preceding these final days only confirmed that if the Lord was faithful to his covenant with David, he would indeed bring about a king and kingdom that would not be a temporary success, but an everlasting one (cf. Isa 9:6-7; Ps 89:36-37; Dan 2:44; 7:14). The Old Testament birthed this longing within the community of faith; the New Testament testifies that in Jesus God has brought (and will bring) the final manifestation his reign.

The irruption of God’s kingdom on earth has now come in a unique way because of the incarnation of a very unique son, Jesus. For this we rejoice in Thou long expected seed.

Come Thou Long Expected Seed 12

Twelfth Day of Advent: Matthew 2:1-12

Just following the virgin conception and birth of Jesus, the one who fulfills the Scripture as Immanuel, Matthew includes another event surrounding this Advent miracle in order to again press upon us that this Jesus is God’s messiah and Israel’s king. It reads as follows in Matthew 2:1-12:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The authors of Scripture, including Scripture’s one divine author, never write in vain, but always set before the eyes of their readers what is of utmost importance in knowing God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. In this vain, Matthew includes a short story about some “wise men” (or “magai”) who see and follow a star to Bethlehem. Like Joseph who experiences a supernatural encounter with the angel of the Lord and Mary who experiences the supernatural conception and birth of the Lord, these wise men experience a supernatural encounter with a rather unique star that leads them, helps them discern the birth place of the king of the Jews, goes before them, and finally stands over where the child was (2:2, 9). The star, however, is by no means the focus; it is the means by which God fixes the wise men’s (and our own) gaze upon the child, Jesus, who we can surely associate with the expected Israelite king (a “star”) to come forth from Jacob in the last days (Num 24:17; cf. Num 24:7 ["his kingdom shall be exalted"], 8 ["God brings him out of Egypt"→Hos 11:1; Matt 2:15], 17b [he crushes the forhead of Moab→Gen 3:15]; Rev 22:16).

Like the star, the wise men and Herod also serve in Matthew’s account to point out and identify Jesus. The wise men, no doubt from nations other than Israel, come bearing gifts to Jesus in precisely the same manner the prophet Isaiah foretold they would in the age of the messiah and his kingdom: “[the nations] shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord” (Isa 60:6). Also amazing is noting how even through their inquiry to Herod (“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?“) and Herod’s to the Jerusalem authorities (“he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born”), we see that the king of the Jews and the Christ (i.e. the messiah) are one and the same person. For Matthew, God’s anointed one is Israel’s king.

Citing Micah’s prediction (see Eighth Day of Advent), he then identifies Jesus, the child born in Bethlehem (Matt 2:1), as God’s unique messiah and Israel’s expected king. Bethlehem is precisely the town to which the wise men travel and over which the star hovers (2:5, 8). There they find the child Jesus with Mary his mother. Their response seems quite fitting for Matthew’s (and God’s) testimony concerning Jesus: “they fell down and worshiped him” (Matt 2:8). Indeed, it was for this very reason they journeyed (2:2). This child is the divinely appointed ruler expected to be born in Bethlehem of Judah like David (1 Sam 16:4; 17:12); the true shepherd to rule with strength and might and bring peace to Israel (Mic 2:4-5a); the one who is from ancient Days and is himself God (Mic 5:2; cf. Dan 7:13). Indeed, this child is worthy of worship and their bending the knee to him is right.

However, do take note that in the midst of a sweet testimony there exists also a great tragedy. Not everyone is going out to worship this child. Herod wants to come and “worship” him to serve his own ends in destroying any threats to his political power, especially this newborn ”king of the Jews” (cf. Matt 2:12-16). And though it is obvious to the authorities in Israel that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem, they do not journey to rejoice and worship with the wise men at the feet of this child; they join king Herod in being troubled after hearing the good news brought to them from the east. Where do you stand this Advent season? Are you troubled by this child, Jesus? Or do you worship him and rejoice in this long expected seed?

Our plea to you this Advent is this: Rejoice in Thou long expected seed!

Come Thou Long Expected Seed 11

Eleventh Day of Advent: Matthew 1:18-25

Following his genealogy (Matt 1:1-17), which identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and especially David, Matthew continues to unfold the details of Jesus’ birth to further accentuate the dawning age of God’s Messiah.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ”Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

This passage serves well after 1:1-17. There we find broadly highlighted the rise of the Davidic line since Abraham (Matt 1:2-6a), the fall of the Davidic empire into Babylon (1:6b-11), and the rise of the Davidic line to Jesus, the Christ (1:12-16). For Matthew, then, all of history looks to David and anticipates the age of his promised son whose birth is then described in 1:18-25.

Working all things after the counsel of his will, the Lord chooses Joseph as Jesus’ legal father (1:16) and Mary as his birth mother. That the angel refers to Joseph as the son of David is significant. In doing so, God’s faithfulness is again celebrated and Jesus’ identification is further clarified: he is a son of David.

Not only is he the son of David, but he is also conceived from the Holy Spirit. Joseph was not his biological father. Mary’s conception occured “before they came together” (1:18), and Joseph did not know her “until she had given birth to a son” (1:25). Twice, however, the text notes that Mary’s conception was “from/by the Holy Spirit” (1:18, 20). This child is certainly unique; he is a son of David, but is unlike David in that God himself does not only relate to him as father, but is actually his father. Surely this harkens back to the words of Isaiah that there would be a son given who would be both a son of David and the mighty God (Isa 9:6-7).

Moreover, all these things took place in order to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet Isaiah. Just like Isaiah’s child of promise (Immanuel) signified God’s presence with his people and his birth made certain the Lord would deliver his faithful, so also in Matthew’s account of the child Jesus. Isaiah’s prophecy, then, served as a pattern that prefigured how the Lord would deal decisively and finally with his people in the future. Even Isaiah himself anticipated this ultimate fulfillment coming by another son to be given (9:6). Stemming then from the same patterns of God’s redemptive history, Matthew 1:18-25 serves not merely to repeat the past, but to bring the past patterns and figures to their fullest expression in the coming of the child Jesus. This child is not merely a sign of temporary relief from the people’s surrounding enemies; as the angel communicates to Joseph, he himself will save his people from their sins (Matt 1:21). That is why he would be called Jesus (“God saves”). Moreover, this child does not merely signify that God is with his people; Jesus himself is God now come in the flesh, and in this unique way is Immanuel, God with us.

Rejoice, then, for Thou long expected seed has come!

Sing verses two and three of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” by Phillips Brooks:

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth!

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

Come Thou Long Expected Seed 10

Tenth Day of Advent: Matthew 1:1-17

The testimony of the New Testament authors did not emerge in a vacuum. Figuratively speaking, they picked up the pen the Old Testament authors laid down in order to continue the narrative of good news set forth since Abraham’s day (see Second Day of Advent) and identify the person in and by whom God would fulfill his promises, usher in his kingdom, and bring about salvation for his people. The Gospel (of Jesus Christ) according to Matthew opens rather fittingly, then, with the intriguing phrase “the book of the genealogy (βιβλος γενεσεως),” a phrase used also in Genesis 2:1 (often rendered “the generations of the heavens and the earth;” cf. Gen 5:4) to highlight the history of God’s creative work. We find similar emphases here, but Matthew highlights the beginnings of a different creative work of God, namely, the new age of the messiah himself (cf. Matt 1:17). With this genealogy, he means to deliberately identify Jesus with the expected messiah (God’s anointed one) from David’s royal line and seed from Abraham’s progeny.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations (Matt 1:1-17).

Several observations are worth noting here for the Advent season. First, by identifying Jesus as the son of Abraham, already Matthew ties him to the promises God made to Abraham that in his seed (offspring) all the families of the earth would be blessed. The one seed that Abraham, with gladness, longed to see even beyond Isaac had finally come in the person of Jesus (John 8:56; cf. Gal 3:16). Second, in singling out Judah from among Jacob’s twelve sons (“Judah and his brothers“), Matthew affirms with Genesis 49:10 from which tribe the royal seed would in fact come. Third, with repeated reference to David, Matthew identifies Jesus with the son of David for whom all the prophets had hoped. God’s promises to David come to their planned and proper climax in the person of Jesus. Fourth, by bracketing his genealogy with reference to the Christ, Matthew also identifies Jesus as God’s anointed one through whom he had always intended to bring forth redemption for his people and peace to the earth. Finally, by including the five women who are highlighted in the comments appended to a particular father (e.g. Salmon, the father of Boaz by Rahab; others underlined above), Matthew draws attention to God’s providential preservation of the seed of the woman that would finally put the world to rights.

Does not Matthew’s identification of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, cause us to now say this Advent season, “Rejoice in Thou long expected seed!”

Come Thou Long Expected Seed 9

Ninth Day of Advent: Psalm 2:1-12

Our previous reading from 2 Samuel 7:8-16 we took from its much broader context which underscores in several places that David is the Lord’s uniquely anointed king for Israel (1 Sam 16:1-13; 2 Sam 22:51[=Ps 18:50]; 23:1; cf. 2:4, 7; 5:3, 17). Moreover, the Lord intended to be particularly committed to his anointed one in succeeding generations: “to David and his offspring forever,” the Lord would be always showing steadfast love (2 Sam 22:51). Having read other prophetic witnesses, we saw that such promises of the Lord’s enduring commitment to David remained true as he set future hope in a coming David and his kingdom of peace before the eyes of his oppressed-though-faithful remnant. Thus, the testimony of the former and latter prophets, in stirring up hope for another Davidic king, are pointing their audience to hope in the Lord’s anointed one, or messiah—though perhaps other names were used to communicate this at times: “shoot” (Isa 11:1); “righteous branch” (Jer 23:5); “ruler” (Mic 5:1).

Psalm 2 wonderfully brings these same themes together by setting before the people the ideal reign and dominion of the Lord’s anointed king over Zion and all nations. It reads as follows:

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Ps 2:1-12, ESV).

Such a glimpse of God’s sovereignty being manifested through the universal triumph of his anointed should generate hope in the lives of his faithful on at least three sweeping levels here. First, the Lord remains immoveable and unshakable by the nations’ vain plots, and will therefore be sure to carry out all of his promises in his appointed times and with covenant fidelity.

Second, the Lord’s anointed king will be a son. This recalls not only how the Lord related to David and his seed uniquely as a father (2 Sam 7:14-15; Ps 89:26-27), but also reaffirms God’s unbreakable covenant to establish David’s kingdom and throne forever. Isaiah alluded to this when he spoke of a son to be born that would sit on David’s throne and establish peace and justice (Isa 9:6). The psalmist reiterates this, and emphasizes that as God’s son he will possess the nations.

Third, by setting before the people the ideal picture of the Lord enthroning his chosen king on Zion with universal sovereignty, the psalmist teaches them how to comprehend their history and what to expect in their future. God has set his king on Zion; he relates to him as his son; and according to his steadfast love they will surely gain the many graces of his reign—that is, if they kiss (pay homage to) him. The psalmist, then, moves the covenant people toward a certain expectation for divine intervention to make this ideal a reality. Raging nations, plotting kings, or faithless Israel will not stop God from accomplishing his purposes in and through his anointed king, his unique son.

O come Thou long expected seed!

“New” Interpretations of Mark, Understandings of Jesus?

According to the Rev. Dr. John Killinger, executive minister and resident theologian at Marble Collegiate Churchin New York City, the Gospel of Mark should now be recognized as a “Gnostic Gospel“, that apparently either slipped past early church leaders into the canon of Orthodox Christian Scripture, or whose Gnostic characteristics were ignored due to its popular usage. Killinger also no longer finds it essential to Christianity to uphold the deity of Christ. Of course, this also presupposes what he believes about the nature of the Gospels: they are historically inaccurate accounts due to the misrepresenting projections of the theological commitments of the early Christian communities onto Jesus; or in his words, 

Jesus Himself has had a lot of things said in His behalf [i.e. by the biblical authors] that He never intended. This is one of the things that’s going on today in biblical studies–and I [Killinger] think is much more promising than some of the fundamentalists will allow–is that we are questioning whether Jesus Himself said this or whether an institutional church that grew up in Jesus’ wake said this. This was the purpose of the so-called Jesus Seminar… (cited by David Roach, “CBF Presenter Questions Christ’s deity at General Assembly,” in The Christian Index, July 3, 2008); 

Killinger promotes this Gnostic view of Mark in his forthcoming book, Decoding Mark, and questions the deity of Jesus (among other things: e.g. salvation in Christ alone) in his already published work, The Changing Shape of Our Salvation (Crossroad Publishing Company, 2007), recommended by the PC-USA (here), and has also presented his views elsewhere, even at conferences within some Baptist circles (for the conference, click here; the reports, click here and here; the response by CBF Executive Coordinator, Daniel Vestal, click here).

Before commenting on Killinger’s statements, I would like to note that some of the press releases (like the one quoted above: The Christian Index) have misrepresented the publishing company Smyth & Helwys. Kellinger’s book was published by Crossroads, a close partner of Herder & Herder (known for publishing some “world class” works in Christian mysticism), not Smyth & Helwys. Also, Smyth & Helwys state clearly, “We report to no denominational or outside groups in our work” (here), but these releases say they are partners with the CBF. With this clarification, I will now move on to Killinger’s conclusions.  

Killinger is not saying anything new or profound with his conclusions regarding the Gospel of Mark. His comments are only the materialization of decades of critical scholarship that deny the historical authenticity of the Gospels. These critical scholars presuppose that since the Gospels reflect the faith (i.e. theology) of the first-century church, then their historical account of Jesus must be biased, and therefore inaccurate. This kind of scholarship is surely promoted by the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars Killinger supports, who self-admittedly vote on what they feel (by there own biased historical reconstruction) are the authentic sayings and events attributed to Jesus. They also include the Gnostic “Gospel” of Thomas in their “Five-Gospel” critical evaluations, treating it as authoritative as the Four Gospels of the Christian canon. His own presuppositions about the nature of the Gospels (and thus Scripture), then, give him permission to draw the critical (and unorthodox) conclusions he wants to about the Gospels and what they teach about the nature and person of Jesus.

He can affirm Mark must have been a Gnostic Gospel because he is committed to the fact that there was such a thing as a Gnostic gospel as far as content is concerned. There is not! The bitty literature is often referred to as ”Gnostic Gospels” (e.g. Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Truth, Gospel of Phillip, Gospel of Mary Magdalene), but they are really not Gospels at all. They do not contain good news because (1) they contain a false worldview of God, evil, the flesh, and the spiritual realm (as can be observed in the Gospel of Judas and Apocryphon of John); (2) have zero continuity with the Old Testament messianic promises; (3) deny that Jesus was the Son of God incarnate; (4) contradict the teachings of Jesus represented in the canonical Gospels (e.g. the first step towards salvation is to embrace one’s own divinity [Thomas 3]); (5) contain no Passion narrative where Jesus dies for sinners; and (6) disdain that anyone would rise bodily from the dead (cf. Thomas 71 with John 2:19-22). The Gospel of Mark, however, communicates the worldview promoted by the entire Christian canon, displays continuity with the Old Testament narrative, proves as one of his main themes that Jesus is the Son of God incarnate, accords with the Jesus and his teachings of the other three Gospels, races to the Passion narrative and cross of Christ, and affirms Jesus has indeed risen from the dead.

By now, it should be obvious why Killinger would also question whether or not Jesus was in fact God incarnate. If Mark’s Gospel is Gnostic, and he has no problem associating it with others like those false Gospels (of Thomas, Truth, Phillip, etc.), and questions the accuracy of the canonical Gospel’s own apostolic witness, there is no reason for him to assert such deity. However, the literary, theological, and historical evidence suggests otherwise. The Gospel of Mark (as well as Matthew, Luke, and John) accords with the literary purposes and theological themes of the entire Old Testament Scriptures, which communicate God’s reign irrupting on earth in the person of his Christ to redeem his people through the cross and resurrection, judge the world in righteousness, and restore his creation to the honor of his name. The Gospel of Mark (with the other three) also represents trustworthy historiography based on the authoritative testimony of real eyewitnesses that remained the primary sources for each Gospel writer’s account (see my brief of Bauckham’s Jesus & the Eyewitnesses here). Unlike the Gnostic literature, the Gospels provide reliable witness to the historical Jesus and theological access to him. Moreover, the New Testament, whose unique twenty-seven books provide its readers with one unified proclamation, teaches something quite different than Killinger suggests concerning Jesus: e.g. Mark 1:1-3, John 1:1-18, Romans 9:5, Philippians 2:9-11, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:1-4, 2 Peter 2:1. In this biblical revelation, we see rather clearly that Jesus is God, who came in the flesh. Sadly, by his comments, Killinger suggests that others forsake this biblical Jesus (and thus the faith) for the man he has reconstructed. It is no wonder he writes these words in the introduction to his 2007 work:

…the so-called “biblical” view of salvation is itself a somewhat muddled concept. Actually, there are several biblical understandings of salvation, depending on which part of the Bible we read. Not only that, there was a jumble of ideas about salvation in the early Christian milieu, and it took at least three centuries to sort them out. And, even then, there is no guarantee
that the general view that emerged was the “right” one, or that it prevailed over the other views for any sound and justifiable reason (emphasis mine).

Clearly, this is evidence that when the word of God is minimized, the Jesus of Scripture forsaken, salvation is in fact muddled. That is because it does not exist apart from the God man, Jesus Christ, as perfectly revealed in his inspired word, and embraced by faith by those trusting his testimony is true. 

For some helpful articles online addressing similar issues see: “Canonical Gospels or Other Gospels: What’s the Difference?” by Stephen Taylor (Westminster); “The Gnostics and Jesus” by Tim Keller (Westminster); “Gnostic Myth No. 3: Missing Gnostic Gospels are Christian Gospels” by Darrell Bock (Dallas Theological Seminary).