#14: The Advent of Jesus the Messiah

First, let me say that I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. Second, I will simply state that the contents of this post are a bit overdue; I had planned to have them up before Christmas. In fact, the material you see here is the text of a booklet that I created and gave to some friends and colleagues for Christmas. If anyone would like a PDF copy of the booklet, feel free to email me. Having said that, however, the message of this post is just as applicable today as it was in December and will be tomorrow. Throughout the Christmas season, I saw on mantles, on walls, and in lights this message: "Wise Men Still Seek Him." That is as true today as it was a month ago. Just because Christmas has once again come and gone does not mean that we as individuals should cease striving to remember and emulate the Reason for the season, even Jesus Christ.

The Advent of Jesus the Messiah

I invite you to close your eyes and see with me, in your mind’s eye, a scene that has been depicted so many ways by so many different people throughout the years. The place is Bethlehem of Judea, where Joseph has brought his very pregnant wife, Mary, to take part in the census mandated by Caesar Augustus. Finding no traditional lodging available, the couple has sought refuge in a stable—probably a simple stone cave hewn out of a nearby hillside. In these humblest of circumstances, Mary was to bring forth her firstborn son, wrap him in swaddling clothes and lay him in a manger. As we picture this setting in our minds, let us examine a few of the characters that played a role in this, the advent of our Lord. My hope is that by so doing our view of this singular event may become more panoramic. To begin, let us first consider the word advent. This word is used when describing the events of those extraordinary days in and around David’s city, often as a synonym for birth. However, another definition of the word advent seems more appropriate for our present undertaking; that word is introduction. For as we are introduced to some of the players in the remarkable cast surrounding the birth of the Holy One, it is my hope that we gain a greater measure of appreciation for their role in introducing Him to the world at large and to each of us individually.

In the Stable of Bethlehem

We begin in the stable, the makeshift motel of the mortal Messiah. It was no doubt home to various creatures, and it is likely with some trepidation that we imagine the sights, sounds, and smells of such a place as this. The stark reality of these things—the pungent aroma of manure, the improbability of completing a task as mundane as finding a clean place large enough in which to lie down comfortably—may seem somewhat out of sorts with our personal views of Him whose corporeal existence began there. But so it was. I, for one, do not know exactly how many or what types of livestock were present that holy night; I use as the basis for my mental image of these creatures the assorted Nativity scenes upon which my eyes have fallen throughout the years that have included such beasts as cattle and a donkey. In my mind, however, there is one animal that takes precedence over all others in the traditional Nativity—the lamb, whose significance we will discuss momentarily. For now, let us return to our examination of those privileged to witness the scenes that followed this blessed birth.

In the Fields of Judea

Abiding in an unnamed field, in relative proximity to the stable where a virgin mother had just laid the Son of God in a manger, a group of shepherds kept watch over their flock by night. It was to this collection of everymen that an angel of the Lord appeared, bearing good tidings of great joy concerning the heavenly birth and accompanied by a celestial concourse ascribing glory to the child’s Father and promising peace to mortals below. After having received from the angel details of the means by which they could locate the Christ child and subsequent to the seraphs’ ascension into heaven, these simple stewards wasted no time in seeking out the newborn Immanuel. Luke records that “they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger” (Luke 2:16), presumably the first human eyewitnesses of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob now clothed in a tabernacle of clay.

In the House of Joseph the Carpenter

Some time later, after a journey that had spanned months and perhaps years, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem and were given audience with the sovereign known historically as Herod the Great. Tradition often identifies these men as kings in their own right, though they vaunted not themselves but rather sought to pay homage to another long awaited King. As such, they laid the question before Herod, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). Troubled by their search for a monarch whose dominion might perchance exceed his own, Herod attempted to beguile his visitors, sending them to Bethlehem under the pretense of desiring to worship the Christ as well and charging them to return when they had obtained knowledge of his whereabouts. As had become their customary course of action, upon their departure from Herod’s presence they again followed the star, which “went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was” (Matthew 2:9). At last, the undoubtedly weary travelers reached their desired destination, finding the toddling Jesus at home with his mother. Upon entering the woodworker’s abode in which the child dwelt, these foreign dignitaries “fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way” (Matthew 2:11-12).

A Type and a Shadow

Among those who were privy to the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, the titles of these particular characters with whom have become acquainted hold singular significance in this, the tale of tales: lamb, shepherd, and king. Each has a significant but complimentary role in this story. This is as it should be, for in playing their respective parts, each points calculatingly away from himself and toward Him who occupies center stage. Each has a dual purpose—both to participate and to prefigure.

“By One Offering” (Hebrews 10:14)

Long before His mortal birth, the ancient prophet Isaiah described the Christ in the context of His atoning sacrifice as “a lamb [brought] to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). Similarly, His trusted apostles and fortunate friends John the Revelator and Peter the Rock took a retrospective glance into eternity in their respective depictions of Jesus as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) and “a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:19-20). At the outset of His mortal ministry, His cousin and predecessor John the Baptist, when called upon to perform the ordinance of baptism that was necessary for the Christ to fulfill all righteousness, exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). And so it was. The blessed birth of Bethlehem would have been for naught without the grueling agony of Gethsemane and Golgotha. As a silent observer that wondrous night in the stable, the lamb provided a poignant symbol of Him who, when oppressed and afflicted for our sakes, “opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). I am eternally grateful for the Perfect, Unblemished Lamb who offered Himself as a willing sacrifice for my sins, pains, faults, and imperfections. My hope is that as He oversees what I am doing with the miraculous gift He has given me, He “shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11).

“Every One to His Own Way” (Isaiah 53:6)

The inclusion of shepherds in that night’s supernal scene is also telling, for corrupted Israel had become “as sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Thus, Jesus the Messiah came clothed in the humble garb of a shepherd as well, to guide His flock safely to the fountain of living water and quench their thirst. “[W]hosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst,” Jesus said, “but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). The Lord went so far as to describe Himself this way, saying: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” (John 10:14). At one time or another, and to one degree or another, each of us has met this description of sheep given by Isaiah: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). It does not matter very much what our own way might be; what matters is that it is not His way. Thankfully, however, there is always hope—regardless of how far we may have strayed. In Christ we truly have a shepherd that ever will “leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find[s] it” (Luke 15:4). I testify that His arm of mercy is extended continually to all of us, and that we have only to reach out in return to be the beneficiaries thereof. I pray that Peter’s portrayal of sheep may apply to us as well: “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).

“And Let Him That Heareth Say, Come.” (Revelation 22:17)

Finally, we again turn our attention to the bearers of regal gifts, the kings who sought their King. Like the lamb and the shepherds before them, these voyagers also provided an important symbol of Jesus the Messiah. That there was a fairly lengthy interval between the appearance of the first two parties and this last one is instructive. The Christ has already consummated His mission as sacrificial Lamb; the fruition of that sacrifice, to some extent, now depends on us as individuals. In like manner, Jesus already stands as Shepherd, ever seeking and beckoning us to His arms of safety. Nevertheless, though He is most certainly “The God of the whole earth” (Isaiah 54:5), His return to Earth as “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16) is yet future. Let that not dissuade us from allowing Him His rightful place as King over our individual and familial territories and Lord of our lives. We can choose to do so now, or be compelled to do so later, for the day will surely come when “As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me” (Romans 14:11). As we choose to place Him in his proper position of preeminence, we will be prepared for the day when He returns, clothed in royal power and glory—and we will welcome it.

The Testimony, Last of All

I close with a simple declaration of my faith in Jesus the Messiah. I know that He was indeed born of a virgin and is the very reason that we celebrate the Christmas holiday. I testify that He has the power to change hearts, minds, and lives. This I can say with certainty, for I have witnessed it firsthand in His dealings in my life. I know that He suffered, died, and rose again on the third day as the conqueror of physical and spiritual death. I will ever marvel at His mercy and grace for me, and I would surely be lost without Him. That, to me, is the real miracle of Christmas—that I am not lost, despite the multitude of mistakes that so easily besets me. I pray that each of us will, during this special season of celebration, allow Him to take center stage in our hearts and homes. He is, after all, the most important player in this production that we call life. Merry Christmas.