No Ordinary Baby

The angel Gabriel was busy.  Six months earlier he had visited Zachariah with the news that the long-forgotten prayers of he and his wife for a child would be answered in this very late season of their lives. Now this angelic messenger was on another assignment, "sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary" (Luke 1:26b-27, AMP).  The subsequent events around this visit are at the heart of the Christmas Season, a time most of the world set aside to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ.

It is not difficult to understand how babies born into royal families become kings.  However, never in the history of the world has a king become a baby.  Yet that was one of the significant messages in Gabriel's announcement to Mary.  The baby that would be born was making an entrance into the world, but He was doing so from another place.  He was promised from as far back as in the Garden of Eden when God said to the serpent, "And I will put enmity (open hostility) between you and the woman, and between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, and you shall [only] bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).  Through various dispensations, prophets prophesied about Him and the religious establishment looked for Him.  He was expected, but nobody knew exactly where, when, or how.  But since He existed before His arrival as a baby, who was He?  The apostle John unveiled the divine Jesus when he wrote, "In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being.  In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it]" (John 1:1-5).

This same baby Jesus was the Word, He was with God, He was God Himself . . . continuously existing with God.  In other words, there was never a time that He never was. Creator and sustainer of all, king of heaven and earth.  At the appointed time, John tells us, "the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception)" (v. 14).  Matthew Henry observes, "By His divine presence He always was in the world, and by His prophets He came to His own. But now that the fulness of time was come He was sent forth after another manner, made of a woman (Gal. 4:4); God manifested in the flesh." In other words, God's gift to the world - to reconcile the world to Himself - was the incarnate Christ.

It is this unique entrance into the world that we celebrate this and every Christmas season.  Jesus was born not in a lofty place, but at birth was placed in a manger amongst the animals.  Luke tells us there was no room in the guest room (Luke 2:7, NIV). Isacc Watts, in 1719, penned the words that start the well-known carol: "Joy to the World, the Lord is come / Let earth receive her king / Let every heart prepare Him room / And heaven and nature sing." On the night when joy came into the world, there was no room for the King of kings and Lord of lords. Now every heart is charged with the responsibility to make room for Him.  Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, is there room in your heart and life for Jesus?

To you and yours, a very Merry Christmas!

God Remembers the Prayers We Forget

One had to feel some sympathy for Zacharias.  Here was a man, trying to serve God faithfully and carrying out his duties as a priest.  On this particular day "as was the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter [the sanctuary of] the temple of the Lord and burn incense [on the altar of incense].  And all the congregation was praying outside [in the court of the temple] at the hour of the incense offering.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense" (Luke 1:9-11, AMP).  Understandably, "when Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and overcome with fear" (v. 12).  

 

While Zacharias was clearly not expecting this other-worldly visitor, this visitor was expecting him.  Not only that, but he called him by his name as he delivered his special and very specific message: "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition [in prayer] was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John" (v. 13).  According to the narrative, the message continued for another four verses (vv. 14-17), but it wouldn't be surprising if all 

​the old priest​

 heard was verse 13.  A son?  He and Elizabeth?  Prayers that were previously prayed when they were younger had not been answered and so were now forgotten.  Yet, here was this visitor basically telling him those forgotten prayers had not been forgotten by God. He and Elizabeth, in their advanced years, would 

​have​

 a son.  Luke tells us, "Zacharias said to the angel, 'How will I be certain of this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in age'" (v. 18).  This was a perfectly legitimate question!   According to some sources, he was 

​now ​

ninety-nine years old and Elizabeth eighty-eight.  For sure he would have known about Abraham and Sarah, but in the moment that did not come to mind.  His thoughts were on his and Elizabeth's situation. 

 

This moment of questioning would cost him, albeit temporarily, for "the angel replied and said to him, 'I am Gabriel; I stand and minister in the [very] presence of God, and I have been sent [by Him] to speak to you and to bring you this good news. Listen carefully, you will be continually silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe what I told you; but my words will be fulfilled at their proper time'” (vv. 19-20). 

​  The narrative confirms​

 that when Zach came out of the temple, he could only make signs to the people and remained mute (v. 22).  Struck dumb for questioning God's ability to do the impossible; for considering the physical limitations of himself and his wife instead of trusting in the sovereignty, power, and awesomeness of the God he worshipped.

 

Isn't it a bit of a relief to know that God doesn't exercise the same type of discipline He did on Zacharias on those of us who doubt His ability today?  More than a few of us would be mute and using sign language!  Prayers we have prayed and forgotten have not been forgotten by God.  We are told that after Zacharias went home, "his wife Elizabeth became pregnant . . . and she gave birth to a son" (vv. 24, 57).  Words "fulfilled at their proper time," just like the angel had said (v. 20).  Just like God had promised.  

 

Have you forgotten unanswered prayers you have prayed because so much time has passed and things have changed significantly against you? You can still believe God for the now seemingly impossible.  He hasn't forgotten your prayers.  Just ask Zacharias!

Betrayed & Hurting

David was blindsided.  Something unexpected had befallen him and he needed God's attention. His words were urgent: "Listen to my prayer, O God, and do not hide Yourself from my plea. Listen to me and answer me; I am restless and distraught in my complaint and distracted. . . . My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling have come upon me;

​ ​

horror has overwhelmed me." (Psalm 55:1-2, 4-5, AMP).  It is difficult to read this psalm and not feel David's pain. An anguished heart, great fear that caused him to tremble, and overwhelming horror.  It would be fair to say he was in mental, emotional, and psychological distress. 

What was the source of this distress? We find the answer in his continued lament: "For it is not an enemy who taunts me-then I could bear it; nor is it one who has hated me who insolently exalts himself against me-then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man my equal and my counsel, my companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship together, who walked to the house of God in company" (vv. 12-14).  To be betrayed by an enemy is to be expected; to be betrayed by a "familiar friend" hurts to the core.  It was a hurt that provoked David to want to get away from everything: "And I say, 'Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would wander far away, I would lodge in the [peace of the] wilderness'" (vv. 6-7). 

One of the beauties of the book of the psalms is the wide range of emotions the writers felt and expressed. Some of us have walked in David's shoes; we too have been blindsided.  However, unlike some of us, David took his case straight to God and he had very strong opinions as to what God should do with those who had become his enemies: "Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them" (v.15, KJV), and while he was at it, he would "call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice" (vv. 16-17, KJV). In other words, his prayers would be relentless! This he would do because "He has redeemed my life in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me" (v. 18, AMP). 

David said of his friend, "He [my companion] has put out his hands against those who were at peace with him; he has broken his covenant [of friendship and loyalty]. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but his heart was hostile; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords" (vv. 20-21). We do not know what motivated the betrayal, but clearly David took it hard.  Are you relating to him? It is worth remembering his admonition: "Cast your burden on the Lord [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail). But You, O God, . . . I will [boldly and unwaveringly] trust in You" (vv. 22-23). Read those verses again.  It is comforting to know that in the midst of adversity, especially when we have been blindsided, we can release our burden to the One who is able to sustain and uphold us. Just ask David. 

Looking Inward - Part III

They were now alone. Jesus and her, standing in the center of the court (John 8:9, AMP).   We are told nothing about her disposition, whether she was trembling, afraid, or terrified.  She would have known the law.  If she was guilty as charged she knew death by stoning was her punishment.  We are told nothing about whether she knew who Jesus was.  What we do know is that for a moment no words were exchanged between them.  Then, John tells us, "when Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, 'Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?'  She said, 'No man, Lord'" (vv. 10-11a). 

It is worth remembering that this woman was on trial for her life.  Her guilt was established by the religious leaders and all that was left was for the punishment to be carried out.  But the case against her crumbled when Jesus provoked the prosecutors to self-examination and having come face-to-face with their hypocrisy, they all walked away.  Interestingly, Jesus asked her two questions and she responded only to the second.  She did not know where her accusers were; all she knew was that in that moment, there was no one to condemn her.  But there was still one problem.  While none of her prosecutors were without sin, He who was standing in front of her was!  He was qualified to throw the first stone and here they stood together.  What would He do?  In that moment, Jesus spoke words that must have sounded like music to her ears: "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (v. 11b).  

When Jesus spoke those words, the condemned prisoner was set free.  Not free to go back to the same lifestyle as Jesus made it clear to her that she shouldn't.  As Matthew Henry observes, "Christ will not condemn those who, though they have sinned, will go and sin no more, Ps. 85:8; Isa. 55:7. He will not take the advantage He has against us for our former rebellions, if we will but lay down our arms and return to our allegiance."  In that moment, the woman received what she did not deserve - a measure of God's grace, His unmerited favour, His forgiveness. The religious crowd, still caught up in their self-righteousness, missed the opportunity to have received the same.

Tullian Tchividjian, grandson of famed evangelist Billy Graham, observes, "Until we see how bad we are we will never see how good God is. Grace will become nothing more than white noise to us unless we recognize just how desperately we need it." Read the statement again.  We can only recognize that need when we look inward and acknowledge that the only difference between us and the persons we seek to condemn is that we may sin differently than they do.  At the foot of the cross we are all flawed and constantly in need of grace.  When we receive it, given to us freely and unconditionally, we should graciously, unconditionally, and freely extend the same grace to others. In doing so we become like Jesus.  Isn't that your ultimate goal?