The Gospel (3)

This is part 3 of chapter 5 of my book, Biblical Glasses.

Jesus continued His ministry by healing the sick, curing the lame, and driving out demons. He began to teach the large crowds that gathered to see Him. His most famous preaching session was the Sermon on the Mount. There Jesus taught the Beatitudes. He said: “Blessed are you when people insult you … because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12). He taught His followers to be salt and light to the world. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Jesus taught people why He came: Not to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law.

The law requires perfection. In fact, one must be perfect to enter heaven. “Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The perfection of Christ was revealed through His obedience to the law, along with His lack of the sin nature that all other humans inherit from their fathers through the first man, Adam. Since we are sinners from birth, we can be made perfect only through spiritual re-birth by trusting in Jesus’ perfection, which came by His perfect life, substitutionary death as atonement for sin, and bodily resurrection.

Jesus taught that adultery is committed by simply looking lustfully at someone other than our spouse. Jesus said that divorce is permitted only in cases of marital unfaithfulness. Jesus condemned swearing; He said: “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37). He taught us to go the extra mile for everyone by serving the poor with compassion and giving to the needy in secret, by loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. According to Jesus, we are not to worry about our lives, because God will provide for our needs—financially, physically, materially, emotionally, and most of all spiritually.

Jesus taught us not to judge others without first examining ourselves. By praying in secret and sincerely asking God for what we need, God will hear us and provide. We are to watch out for false prophets, those who sound like they know the truth but do not bear fruit consistent with God’s Word. We are to build ourselves on the foundation of God’s Word, centered on Jesus Christ, to live righteously. “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Jesus taught us to tell others about His love, comparing unbelievers to ripe crops ready to be harvested by proclaiming the Gospel. Unbelievers, also like sheep without a shepherd, need to hear His message. Jesus asks His disciples to be His workers; we are called to share the message of the Gospel with all the nations of the world. Disciples are like sheep dogs, corralling the flock to be under the care of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Later, Jesus and the twelve apostles scattered in pairs to share His message. Jesus equipped the apostles to heal the demonically possessed. The Holy Spirit was in them, and they were on fire with God’s Word. Once the group was re-united, Jesus continued healing and teaching. The apostles traveled the region with Jesus, and many more followers gathered in the crowds around Him.

Meanwhile, the religious leaders, made up of mostly Pharisees and Sadducees, began seeking ways to trap Jesus into blasphemy or answering a question that seemingly had no politically correct answer. Each time they tried to confound Him, Jesus responded brilliantly in truth, causing them to despise Him even more! The religious leaders were hypocrites—outwardly righteous, but inwardly rotten; they knew that Jesus was insulting their manmade laws and rules, while lifting up the laws and rules established by God. Jesus began predicting His own death and resurrection, even using Old Testament references to Jonah, who stayed three days in the belly of a giant fish.

One day when Jesus was praying, His disciples asked how to pray. Jesus taught them the Lord’s Prayer, which included simply worded praise and adoration, confession of sins and asking for forgiveness, thanksgiving, and supplication, or requests. Jesus said to pray privately, not like the Pharisees. Prayer is simply communicating, carrying on a conversation, with God. Prayer is intimacy with God. He already knows what we are going to say, but it is beneficial for us to know He cares. We can talk to Him, but we need to remember to listen for His response as well!

Jesus started teaching in parables when the corrupt religious leaders began looking to accuse Him of blasphemy. Jesus’ parables related a deeper meaning to everyday events for the people listening to Him. Figuring out the parables was easy for those who desired to know Him, but the arrogant, self-righteous religious leaders did not understand the parables of Jesus. Some of Jesus’ over thirty parables include:

The Four Soils (The Sower): A farmer scattered seed, and it fell on four different types of ground (the path, rocky soil, thorny ground, and good, fertile soil). Only when the seed fell on good soil did it produce a high-yielding crop. The Word of God falls on our ears, and we can hear it four different ways. The path is like the Word going in one ear and out the other. It never really gets heard. Rocky soil is like hearing the Word but throwing it out after only a short time, because the pressures of this life get in the way. Thorny ground is like hearing the Word and applying it to daily life. But life ends up getting in the way, and the Word is given a low priority. God does not like being a low priority in our lives. The good, fertile soil is hearing and applying the Word to our lives permanently and as a high priority, so we productively serve God.

The Weeds: A farmer planted wheat, but an evil man snuck into the pasture and sowed tares (weeds that look like wheat) in with the wheat. When the wheat and tares began to grow, the farmer’s servants asked if they should pull up the tares. The farmer said to let them grow up together, because trying to pull up only the tares would damage the wheat. At first glance, the two were hard to tell apart. At harvest time, the servants could tell the difference between the wheat and the tares, because the wheat bowed humbly under its own weight, while the tares stood tall with pride. The servants harvested the wheat, storing it in the barn, and the tares, throwing them in the furnace. Christians are the wheat and unbelievers are the tares. Rather than pluck out the unrighteous now, the angels of God will wait until harvest time, when God is ready to cast unbelievers into the furnace of hell. Christians will go to heaven.

The Mustard Seed: Christianity started as the smallest of seeds, but it became a large, prospering tree where shelter is always available under its branches.

The Yeast: Christianity is like a little yeast; it spreads throughout the dough.

The Hidden Treasure: The Kingdom of God is like a hidden treasure in a field. When it is found, a man will sell everything he has to buy the field in which the treasure lies.

The Net: The net was cast by the fishermen. It corralled a multitude of fish; the good fish were kept, while the bad fish were thrown into the furnace. Christians are the good fish; unbelievers are the bad fish. The fishermen are God’s angels; the furnace is hell.

The Lost Sheep: If just one sheep out of a hundred goes astray, a good shepherd will rescue it. In the same way, if just one true Christian falls away, God will rescue him and bring him back. There will be more rejoicing over the one repentant sinner than for the ninety-nine who did not need to repent.

The Unforgiving Debtor (The Unmerciful Servant): A servant was forgiven an extremely large debt by a king, and then he went and demanded payment from those who owed him just a small amount of money. When the king found out, he had the man thrown in prison. As Christians, we are to forgive our debtors, because all of our debts have been forgiven by God through the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus.

The Workers in the Vineyard: A man hired some workers early in the morning, promising them a day’s wages for a day’s work. Throughout the day, the man hired more workers. At the end of day, all the workers received the same wages, and those who began working in the morning complained that it was not fair. The man promised a day’s wages, and that is what they received. All who choose Christ as their Savior and Lord are rewarded with eternal life, no matter when they choose to follow Him in their lifetime. Of course, choosing Christ early in life makes for a more useful Christian. We should want to be used by God!

The Two Sons: A man had two sons and asked them to do a chore. One son said he would obey, but he never did. The other son said he would not obey, but he did as his father asked. We cannot pretend to obey God, having faith without works; instead, we show our faith by our behavior. Our lifestyle should reflect our faith.

The Wicked Tenants: A man built a farm and hired servants to tend the land while he went away. At harvest time, the man sent many servants to collect from the tenants, but the tenants killed the servants. Finally, the man sent his son to collect, and the tenants killed him too. The owner would return to kill the tenants for their evil. The religious leaders did not recognize their Messiah, so they killed Him, along with all the prophets who came before Him. They thought He was a threat to them, rather than a Savior for them. In our disobedience, we are responsible for His death. God will punish those who murdered His Son without accepting His sacrifice.

The Wedding Feast: A man had a wedding reception, but when the invitees did not show up, he invited street people to come. In the same way, Jesus invited the Jews to accept His gift of eternal life, but many of them did not accept the gift. So He offers eternal life to everyone!

The Ten Bridesmaids: A man promised to come for his bride, so ten bridesmaids waited for him to return. Those who were ready and waiting were allowed to attend the wedding, but those who were not prepared when he came were left out and not allowed in. Christ has promised to return; everyone prepared for His return will join Him in heaven. Anyone who is not prepared will be left behind.

The Loaned Money (The Talents): A wealthy man gave three servants various amounts of money to watch over, according to their ability, while he was gone. Two of the three servants made the most of their responsibility, doubling the money. Because they were faithful with what they had been given, they were rewarded by their master. The third servant was irresponsible with what he had been given, and the master called him wicked and lazy and threw him out into the darkness. Everyone who has will be given more; he who has nothing will lose everything. We are God’s stewards.

The Sheep and Goats: Jesus will come in judgment, and like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, He will separate the chosen ones who served God, giving them a reward, from the unbelievers who did not serve God; they will be eternally punished!

The Good Samaritan: A man traveling along a mountain pass was robbed and beaten by thieves. As he lay on the side of the road, a priest passed by him and did not offer help. Then a fellow countryman passed by without helping. Then a Samaritan, a foreigner, came by and assisted the man. The Samaritan, comparable to our worst enemy, even paid for the man to rest in a nearby inn. Jesus said we are to be like the Samaritan, loving and caring for those who despise us.

The Prodigal Son: A man had two sons, and the younger one asked for his inheritance early. This was an unheard-of thing to do, but the father gave the son his portion of the inheritance anyway. The son went to foreign lands and “squandered his wealth in wild living” (Luke 15:13). When a famine hit, the son had no money left. He begged for food and even worked as a slave feeding filthy pigs. This was a low to which a Jew must never have stooped, but the son was desperate. After some time, he remembered his father and decided to return home and beg his father for a position as a slave. Surely that would be better than feeding pigs! Upon the return (repentance) of the prodigal son, the father rejoiced, and there was a grand celebration. Now the other son, the loyal one, was angry at his father’s love for the son who squandered everything. But the father said: “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:31-32).

Rich Man and Lazarus: The rich man died and went to hell, and Lazarus, a sore-covered beggar, died and went to heaven. The rich man cried out in torment from hell, “Have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:24). He was told that a great chasm had separated heaven and hell, so no one could travel between the two places. Therefore the rich man asked for someone to warn his brothers, still living on earth, so they would not end up in hell. He was told that the brothers had plenty of evidence of the horrors of hell, as foretold by Moses and the prophets. The rich man said they would surely repent if someone from the dead returned to warn them, but he was told, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31). Hard-hearted people simply cannot be convinced of the truth of the Gospel, even with evidence of Jesus’ resurrection, unless the Holy Spirit first changes their hearts.

Pharisee/Tax Collector: These two men prayed to God. The Pharisee stood up and shouted, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get” (Luke 18:11-12). The tax collector humbly stood back and asked God for mercy, recognizing he was a sinner and not even worthy to look unto heaven. It was the tax collector who, in the end, was justified before God. Jesus said: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). We often compare ourselves with those worse than us, because it makes us look good! But we need only compare ourselves to the standard God has set, perfection, to see our wretchedness and how desperate we should be for forgiveness.

The True Vine: Jesus is the vine, and His disciples are the branches. Branches must stay connected to the vine to remain alive and continue to grow to produce fruit for God’s glory. If the branches detach, they will shrivel up, die, and be burned in the furnace. We can stay connected to Jesus by studying the Bible, obeying God’s commands, and loving others.

The Gospel (2)

This is part 2 of chapter 5 of my book, Biblical Glasses.

What happened during Jesus Christ’s life?

Since Jesus Christ is the focal point of Christianity, I want to give His full ancestry as listed both in the Gospel of Matthew, a legally royal lineage to King David from Joseph by adoption, and in the Gospel of Luke, a blood relation to King David through His mother, Mary, by birth. Jesus’ ancestry is full of great men, courageous women, powerful leaders, providing husbands, and serving wives, as well as evil kings, merciless tyrants, murders, and self-indulgent sinners. Yet Jesus did not inherit the sin nature of Adam passed on from the father, because He was born of a virgin. Jesus Christ came at the perfect time in history, when Rome governed the world in relative peace and when communication and travel were easy.

Matthew wrote to the Jews, who were primarily interested in how Jesus was related to their father, Abraham. The Jews already knew Abraham’s ancestry, and all human ancestry, traced back to Adam and Eve. Jesus’ legal or paternal ancestry includes the major male figures in His heritage and is recorded as follows:

1) Abraham
2) Isaac
3) Jacob
4) Judah
5) Perez
6) Hezron
7) Ram
8) Amminadab
9) Nahshon
10) Salmon
11) Boaz
12) Obed
13) Jessie
14) David
15) Solomon
16) Rehoboam
17) Abijah
18) Asa
19) Jehoshaphat
20) Jehoram
21) Uzziah (Azzariah)
22) Jotham
23) Ahaz
24) Hezekiah
25) Manasseh
26) Amon
27) Josiah
28) Jehoiachin
29) Shealtiel
30) Zerubbabel
31) Abiud
32) Eliakim
33) Azor
34) Zadok
35) Akim
36) Eliud
37) Eleazar
38) Matthan
39) Jacob
40) Joseph
41) Jesus

Since Luke was writing to Gentiles, who did not know that Abraham was a descendant of Adam and Eve, he traced Jesus’ lineage all the way back to creation. Because it was not a custom to list the ancestors of women, Luke avoided controversy by including the fathers-in-law of the men, rather than placing women in the genealogy. For example, Joseph is listed as the son of Heli, when, in fact, he was the son-in-law of Heli, Mary’s father. Jesus’ complete blood or maternal ancestry is listed as follows:

1) Adam
2) Seth
3) Enosh
4) Kenan
5) Mahalalel
6) Jared
7) Enoch
8) Methuselah
9) Lamech
10) Noah
11) Shem
12) Arphaxad
13) Cainan
14) Shelah
15) Eber
16) Peleg
17) Reu
18) Serug
19) Nahor
20) Terah
21) Abram
22) Isaac
23) Jacob
24) Judah
25) Perez
26) Hezron
27) Ram
28) Amminadab
29) Nahshon
30) Salmon
31) Boaz
32) Obed
33) Jessie
34) David
35) Nathan
36) Mattatha
37) Menna
38) Melea
39) Eliakim
40) Jonam
41) Joseph
42) Judah
43) Simeon
44) Levi
45) Matthat
46) Jorim
47) Eliezer
48) Joshua
49) Er
50) Elmadam
51) Cosam
52) Addi
53) Melki
54) Neri
55) Sheltiel
56) Zerubbabel
57) Rhesa
58) Joanan
59) Joda
60) Josech
61) Semein
62) Matthias
63) Maath
64) Naggai
65) Esli
66) Nahum
67) Amos
68) Mattathias
69) Joseph
70) Jannai
71) Melki
72) Levi
73) Matthat
74) Heli
75) Joseph
76) Jesus

Jesus lived the first year(s) of His life in Egypt; then Joseph moved the family to Nazareth in Galilee, where Jesus grew up. At age twelve, Jesus visited the Temple in Jerusalem with His family during the Passover celebration week according to the law. He discussed Scripture with the religious leaders, amazing them with His insight and knowledge!

Jesus continued to live in Nazareth for several years, where He worked as a builder using stone and wood. He was likely a physically strong Man, not frail as depicted by most artists. As the oldest in a large family, Jesus may have had to support His mother, brothers, and sisters, because Joseph may have died. Shortly before Jesus’ ministry began around age thirty (see Luke 3:23), the age when priests began their ministry according to the law (see Numbers 4; 1 Chronicles 23:3), the ministry of John the Baptist began.

John’s ministry was predicted by the prophet Isaiah, who said, “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him’” (Isaiah 40:3). John was a simple man, living in the desert wilderness, wearing clothes made of camel’s hair, and eating locusts and honey. John preached a message of repentance similar to the Old Testament prophets, and he offered baptism in the muddy Jordan River for forgiveness of sins to all those who confessed and repented. John was brutally honest; his message was often offensive. But people still journeyed into the wilderness to hear him, because he lived what he preached. Well respected for his lifestyle, John baptized many to prepare them for the coming Savior.

The long-standing tradition of baptizing Gentiles into the Jewish faith was being offered by John for Jewish people to be cleansed from their sins. John offered water baptism, but Jesus would come offering baptism by the Holy Spirit and by fire. John’s baptism was for purification, but Jesus would purge sin from existence by justifying and sanctifying each of His followers by His perfect life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, and gift of eternal life. When Jesus came to John to be baptized in the Jordan River in 26 A.D., John was shocked. The Bible says in Matthew 3:14-17:

John tried to deter Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and do You come
to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to
fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized,
He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from
heaven said, ‘This is My Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’

Just as a wedding serves as the beginning of marriage, so baptism serves as the beginning of our walk with Christ. Jesus was baptized, not for the forgiveness of sin (He was sinless!), but to show us the path to righteousness. We are commanded to be baptized, as Jesus was, to follow God’s will more adequately as a sign of our faith and obedience to God. Baptism has been a source of division within the Church throughout its history, so we will study baptism more closely in chapter seven.

After Jesus was baptized, He was ready to begin His ministry. The Old Testament prophet Daniel predicted that 483 years (sixty-nine sevens) would pass from the time of the decree to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem until the Savior would be revealed (see Daniel 9:25). In 457 B.C., Persian ruler Artaxerxes issued a decree to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (see Ezra 9:9). Some basic math gives us an accurate date of 26 or 27 A.D. for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus went into the desert for forty days of fasting and prayer. There, He was tempted three times by Satan to sin. No doubt Jesus was hungry, so Satan told Him to turn rocks into bread. Quoting Scripture, Jesus replied: “It is written: ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). Then Satan, quoting, but misinterpreting, Psalm 91:11-12, asked Jesus to test God by throwing Himself from the top of the Temple so the angels would save Him. Jesus replied: “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:7). Finally, Satan, although he really had nothing to offer, presented Jesus with all the kingdoms of the earth in exchange for bowing down to worship him. “Jesus said to him, ‘Away from Me Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only’’” (Matthew 4:10). Satan never directly challenged Jesus again.

While temptation is not a sin, giving in to temptation is sinful. Jesus overcame temptation by referring to the Scriptures. God’s Word was Jesus’ strength. After overcoming Satan’s temptations, Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding feast in Cana. He turned water into wine. As He began teaching and healing throughout the land, Jesus set His ministry headquarters in Capernaum, a crossroads town filled with people from all over the world, bringing their diverse cultures and traditions with them. He called twelve men of different backgrounds to follow Him closely.

These disciples would become apostles and begin the Church after Jesus’ mission was complete. A disciple is “one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another.” A true Christian is indeed a disciple of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, an apostle is “one of an authoritative New Testament group sent out to preach the Gospel and made up especially of Christ’s twelve original disciples and Paul.” The apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform miracles! During His life on earth, Jesus had many disciples, many followers, but He called only a limited number of these disciples to be apostles. The original twelve were:

1) Simon Peter
2) Andrew (Simon Peter’s brother)
3) James (son of Zebedee)
4) John (son of Zebedee)
5) Matthew (Levi)
6) Philip
7) Thomas
8) James (son of Alphaeus)
9) Thaddeus (Jude or Judas, son of James)
10) Simon the Zealot
11) Bartholomew (Nathanael)
12) Judas Iscariot

These ordinary men lived their commonplace lives; then Jesus called them to follow Him. They had heard His preaching; they believed His message. They dropped everything they were doing and immediately followed Jesus. Are we willing to do the same today?

The apostles (the original twelve disciples) expected to gain political power and wealth from following Jesus, but it was not until His resurrection that they understood the type of King He was and is. Ultimately, the apostles, along with scores of other disciples of Jesus, would suffer martyr’s deaths for their faith in Christ. Becoming a martyr was not likely at the top of their list of things to do when they signed up to follow Jesus, but I can assure you they have no regrets over their decision now, despite the torture and persecution they endured.

The apostles followed Jesus everywhere during His three to four year ministry (26–30 A.D.). The map below depicts the region where Jesus spent most of His time.

The Gospel (1)

This is part one of chapter five of my book, Biblical Glasses.

The New Testament contains twenty-seven books, as mentioned in chapter one. The first four books are the Gospel accounts that proclaim the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The four Gospels present complimentary portraits of the Man known by non-Christians as Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew, an apostle of Jesus, focused on the fulfilled prophecies of Jesus’ life to show the Jews, his primary audience, that Jesus was the Messiah. Mark, writing to the Romans, focused on the miracles and acts of service Jesus performed. Luke, the only Gentile author in the New Testament, was a medical doctor writing to the Gentiles, so he focused on historical accuracy and Jesus’ teaching toward non-Jews and women. John, one of Jesus’ apostles and closest friends, focused on Jesus as God Incarnate and His purpose to come as Savior to overcome the power of sin once and for all.

The next Book of the New Testament, Acts, is a continuation of Luke’s Gospel. The Book of Acts, which will be explored in chapter six, described the early Church after Jesus had risen. The remaining New Testament Books are letters or epistles written to various people or churches throughout the region to teach more about Jesus Christ, including how to live by following Him.

The 400 years of history that transpire between the Old and New Testaments are well covered in both the apocrypha and secular history accounts. Recall from chapter three that Persia dominated much of the world during the early sixth, fifth, and late fourth centuries B.C., as the Jews’ made their three return trips to Israel from captivity. The final dominant Persian leader was Darius III, who ruled from 336–331 B.C.

Led by Alexander the Great, who ruled from 336–323 B.C., the Greek Empire conquered Persia. After a twelve-year struggle, the Seleucid dynasties sustained the Greek Empire. Despite many decades of peace under Greek-style rule, Middle Eastern strife returned, because the Greek democracy allowed individual governing of its many territories. Middle East regions often fought each other in civil wars; an evil king named Antiochus was amid the turmoil.

Hundreds of years before his time, the Old Testament prophets predicted the reign of Antiochus, who rose to power in the Middle East in 175 B.C. Suppressed throughout years of chaos, the Jews found relief with the aid of the Maccabees, a family of Hebrew people who fought to overthrow their regional government and restore Jewish tradition into the area. Hyrcanus served as their leader from 134–104 B.C.

The Roman government under Gaius Marius ruled peacefully over the entire region beginning in 104 B.C. Julius Caesar won battles in Spain around 61 B.C. He was assassinated in 44 B.C. at the hands of rebels led by Brutus and Cassius. The Roman Triumvirate, made up of Mark Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus, kept the Greek method of ruling large territories, which called for established governors to maintain peace in their respected regions.

For example, Herod the Great was appointed to govern the region of Judea (present day Israel, Jordan, southern Syria, and Lebanon) in 40 B.C.; he took control of Jerusalem, remodeled the Jewish Temple and built several pagan worship centers. Herod’s goal was ultimately to build his own reputation with Rome by maintaining peace in his district.

During Herod’s reign, Mark Antony fell in love with Cleopatra and moved to Egypt with her. Octavian did not approve, so he declared war against the two lovers. With the suicides of Antony and Cleopatra, the Triumvirate came to an end. From 27 B.C. until 14 A.D., the Roman Empire was ruled alone by Augustus Caesar, formerly known as Octavian.

Between 9–5 B.C., God sent the angel Gabriel to a priest named Zechariah. The angel told him that his wife, Elizabeth, despite her old age, would have a child who would fulfill Old Testament prophecy by preparing the way for the Savior to come.

Six months later, Gabriel appeared to a young woman named Mary, who was engaged to a builder named Joseph; Mary was also Elizabeth’s cousin. The angel told her to expect a child; but since Mary was still a virgin, she did not understand how it would come to pass. Nevertheless, she had faith that God would use her to accomplish His will. An angel also appeared to Joseph, explaining that Mary had not been unfaithful to him, that it was by the Holy Spirit Mary would give birth to the Savior. Joseph had good reason to divorce Mary on account of her apparent unfaithfulness; but he was reassured of Mary’s faithfulness by the angel, so their engagement remained in effect.

Not long with child, Mary went to visit Elizabeth, who was further along in her pregnancy. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41). Elizabeth’s baby knew Jesus was near! Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months then returned home. Elizabeth gave birth to a boy; he was named John, just as the angel had prescribed.

Months later, Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to register for the mandatory census authorized by Augustus. According to secular history, this census was demanded between 8–4 B.C. Because all descendants of King David had to register in Bethlehem, the town was packed; there was no room for Mary and Joseph to stay at the inn. They settled in a stable for the night, and there Jesus was born.

The stable was not pretty like the nativity scenes make it out to be; Baby Jesus was laid in a manger, a feeding trough carved from rock inside a stable, a dreary cave used for keeping animals out of the weather. It was the least likely entrance into this world that the Jews expected from their promised King and Savior, but that is exactly how God often works. “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).

Upon the birth of Jesus, an angel appeared to some shepherds in a nearby field, exclaiming with other angels that the Savior had been born. The shepherds visited Baby Jesus, honored and praised Him, and went around telling others that the Christ Child had been born in Bethlehem, according to Old Testament prophecy.

A short while after Jesus was born, Magi, wise men, came from the east, following a star to worship their promised Savior. They stopped in Jerusalem to ask the whereabouts of the newborn King of the Jews. When Herod found out from them when the star had appeared, he sent them to Bethlehem and asked them to report back to him when they found the Child. Herod had evil intentions; he would not let the promised Savior come between him and the throne! Like most Jews, Herod expected the Messiah to rise to power as a political figure, stage a coup, and overthrow the government, thereby saving the Jews. The wise men found Jesus and presented to Him gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh. Then, having been warned in a dream not to tell Herod about the Messiah, the Magi returned to their homeland by a different route.

When Herod realized the wise men were not coming back, he “gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi” (Matthew 2:16). He was attempting to eliminate any threat to his throne. Fortunately, but not by coincidence, the Bible says Mary and Joseph escaped with Jesus to Egypt until Herod’s death in 4 or 3 B.C.

The birth of John the Baptist, Mary’s conception as a virgin, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, Herod’s command to kill the young boys, and the escape to and return from Egypt all fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, written hundreds of years earlier (see Isaiah 40:3, 7:14; Micah 5:2; Jeremiah 31:15; Hosea 11:1). We will examine more of the prophecies surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ later in this chapter.

Old Testament Prophecy (3)

This is part 3 of 3 of chapter 4 of my book, Biblical Glasses.

What was their purpose?

The prophets flawlessly and precisely predicted the future; however, that was not their goal. Instead their intentions were to warn the people of God’s impending judgment, preach a message of repentance, and pave the way for the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. The promised Messiah ordained to save God’s people from their sins while bringing judgment and peace to the world was critical as the focal point and major purpose of Old Testament prophecy. Ultimately as we look collectively at the Old Testament, we see a resounding theme:

The Creator God of the universe is sovereign. To this point in history, He had revealed Himself to man through all creation, through the prophets, and most importantly through the Scriptures.

God made man in His image to obey, glorify, and enjoy Him. The first man, Adam, was given free will, so he could choose to truly love God by obeying Him, glorifying Him, and enjoying Him, but Adam chose not to do those things; in other words, he sinned. All of Adam’s descendants, everyone born of man, inherit his sin nature. The descendants of Adam do not have completely free will; rather, they are governed by the will of their sin nature.

In His perfection, God cannot be in the presence of sin, but He still wants a relationship with man. Because of His love for man and desire to be with him, God offered forgiveness of man’s sin in return for repentance and obedience in faith, as well as the offering of pure blood sacrifices in faith, according to His rules to atone for sin. Nevertheless, all people and all creation must still deal with the consequences of sin, which get worse with each sin committed.

God originally established a covenant of law with Adam; Adam disobeyed God, making the law inadequate for salvation for all descendants of Adam. God established a covenant with Noah, to never again destroy the earth with a flood; the sign of this covenant is the rainbow. God established a covenant of faith with Abraham, represented by circumcision, to make him the father of many nations. God gave Moses the law to show people their sin and help them realize their need for God’s mercy and grace. They would be saved by grace through faith in God’s plan of salvation. God established a covenant with King David to make his descendants sit on the throne of Israel (the spiritual group of believers) forever.

All of these covenants were established to maintain the relationships between God and His righteous people. Unfortunately for mankind, the Bible says no one is righteous (see Psalm 14, 36, 53; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. … The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 3:23, 6:23). James 2:10 says: “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

Because even one sin is too much and because God is perfectly just (most people only consider His perfect mercy), He must punish sin. His wrath must fall on those who do not live perfectly according to His law. God warns man repeatedly before issuing a judgment, because He is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

In the end, the Old Testament law is inadequate as a method of salvation because of man’s inability to obey God. No one was able to meet the demands of God’s law. Being a good person is inadequate because of sin. The Bible says: “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) in the eyes of God. But there is hope!

The message of repentance issued by the Old Testament prophets was given in anticipation. They knew that one day God would send a Savior, a Messiah, to redeem His people from their sin. The Savior, as the Lamb of God, would once and for all become the final pure blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin. God would punish all sin through Him; the wrath of God would be poured out on Him, out of love for His chosen people. The Savior would be for all those who trust that His sacrifice—His perfect life without sin, His sacrificial death, and His physical resurrection—is sufficient in and of itself to cleanse them from all of their sin and make them righteous in God’s eyes.

It was faith alone in God’s plan of salvation, through this Messiah, that allowed for those who lived before His work was done to be saved. The only sin for which the Savior’s sacrifice would not atone is the sin of unbelief—blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892) listed five points to acknowledge regarding the sin of unbelief. First, unbelief is the cause of every other sin. The first sin was committed by Adam and Eve, because they did not believe God’s warning that disobedience would lead to death.

Second, unbelief makes sin easy to commit. Without belief in God, there is no absolute truth on which to base right and wrong. We could go on discussing moral relativism all over again.

Third, unbelief makes us unable to do good works for God. “Virtues without faith are whitewashed sin. … Faith fosters every virtue.” Honesty is great, but worthless, unless it is a result of faith in God. The Bible says: “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).

Fourth, unbelief begs for punishment. Look at the Old Testament—full of punishment for unbelief! About unbelief, Spurgeon said:

God hates it; God has dealt hard blows upon it: And God will ultimately
crush it. Unbelief dishonors God. Every other crime touches God’s territory; but
unbelief aims a blow at His divinity, impeaches His veracity, denies His
goodness, blasphemes His attributes, maligns His character; therefore, God of
all things, hates first and chiefly, unbelief, wherever it is.

Fifth and finally, unbelief is unforgivable. Spurgeon said:

There is an atonement made for the unbelief of a Christian, because it is
temporary; but the final unbelief—the unbelief with which men die—never was
atoned for. You may turn over this whole Book [the Bible], and you will find
that there is no atonement for the man who died in unbelief; there is no mercy
for him. Had he been guilty of every other sin, if he had but believed, he would
have been pardoned; but this is the damning exception—he had no faith. … I
beseech you lay these things to heart, and remember that if you are damned, it
will be unbelief that damns you. If you are lost, it will be because ye believed
not on Christ; and if you perish, this shall be the bitterest drop of gall—that
ye did not trust in the Saviour [sic].

The Savior of Whom Spurgeon, and more importantly the Old Testament, speaks would establish a new covenant. The Savior would fulfill the requirements of the law by living a sinless life in obedience to God. He would give grace to His chosen people, enabling them to have faith in Him alone—in His righteous life, His perfect atoning sacrifice, His substitutionary death as payment for sin, and His bodily resurrection—to reconcile them with God, thereby presenting them as holy and blameless, free from accusation before Him (see Ephesians 2:8-9; Colossians 1:22). The New Testament tells us more about the Savior.