The shopping is over, the packages have been opened, the real trees are wilting and only those returning gifts are in the malls. Perhaps they are even re-wrapping them to
re-gift any unwanted gifts to someone else next year.
Soon everything Christmas will be stored away until next year.
Is that all there is? I sure hope not!
Too many today also put Jesus away with all the decorations - at least until Easter
With all the hustle and bustle we often miss exactly what we are celebrating this time of year. The advent of Messiah!
Clearly Jesus was not born on December 25th in Israel. The early Christians took a pagan holiday called the winter solstice and made it their own. They transformed it from a pagan festival to a celebration of the long awaited Messiah.
The date is not important, what’s important is who we celebrate.
It had been over 4000 years from the first promise until the fulfillment of Messiah’s birth
Genesis 3:14-15 (NASB)
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."
From that day, Gods people looked for a redeemer who would crush the enemies head and redeem His people from their fallen state. This seed of The woman would deal a head blow or a fatal wound to Satan but it would not come without a price. He Himself would also be wounded.
God would, over time give more and more hints as to when this anointed one would come
Isaiah 7:1 (NASB)
1 Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it.
Ahaz was the King of Judah, the southern part of the kingdom split because of Israel’s disobedient Kings. And the king of Israel in the Northern Kingdom and Rezin the King of Aram came up to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. Ahaz was afraid and anxious, but God sent Isaiah to King Ahaz with a prophecy meant to reassure him.
Isaiah 7:14 (NASB)
14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Emmanuel.
Historically if we follow this prophecy to it’s immediate fulfillment we see that the Hebrew and the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the OT, have the definite article “The Virgin” and not “a virgin” in the same way Genesis 3 has the definite article, I will put enmity between you and “The Woman”. A specific woman was in mind here.
Later Jews of the first century and ever since have tried to change the meaning of the word “almah”. They claim it only means a young girl. It can admittedly mean either a young maiden or a literal virgin. But this was to be a sign from God and the mere birth of a child from a young woman does not meet that requirement and so the later literal is a better translation. A young woman having a baby is anything but uncommon or miraculous
The Holy Spirit shows us its fulfillment in
Luke 1:26-38 (NASB)
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." 34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
While the Greek word “Parthonos” can also mean either a young maiden or a literal virgin, that is not the word used and Mary herself tells us its true meaning here. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since………."
Literally – “a-ginôskô ouk aner” I have not known a man.
But Gabriel did not say this was the fulfillment of Isaiah so perhaps we need to look at one more passage
This same Gabriel also came to a troubled Joseph who has found out that his fiancée is with child and as she has admitted they have never had relations.
Matthew 1:18-25 (NASB)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel ," which translated means, "God with us." 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
The child is born of “the” woman who has never known a man, a literal virgin. The birth is from the Holy Spirit and his name will be….
But wait a minute we seem to have a contradiction. The prophecy says they will call His name Emmanuel but the angel says to name Him Jesus.
The prophecy says that they, the people will call Him Emmanuel meaning God is with us. The angel however says to name Him Jesus, Yeshua which means Jehovah is Salvation.
Mary and Joseph were to name Him Jesus but the people would later in His life call Him God with us.
Names in scripture were more then titles given at birth. Many names were given during a person’s life to describe his character or life style and so Emmanuel was given to him by those who really knew Him and saw all that He did. But these are not His only names
He is also called the Christ – This word can be translated as either Christ in Greek or Messiah in Hebrew and both mean anointed one. Acts 2:36 (NASB)
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified."
In that same passage He is also called Lord with a capitol “L” showing that he is master of all and in Hebrew it is the very name of God in the OT always translated LORD for Yahweh
And He has other names
Isaiah 9:6 (NASB)
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Every one of those names is a perfect description of the child whose birth we just celebrated.
But how could they, 30 years later not know who this child was? Certainly they had waited 4000 years and so much was written in the OT to give them at least some clue.
Micah 5:2 (NASB)
2 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."
Well that’s the prophecy, but what about the fulfillment?
Luke 2:1-7 (NASB)
1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
I guess it’s easy to look back and see this but did anyone in that day see this as something to look for or as a fulfillment of prophecy?
Matthew 2:1-6 (NASB)
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 6 'And you, Bethlehem , land of Judah , Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel .' "
So the prophet foretold it, the New Testament scriptures recorded it and even the chief priests and scribes knew where this miracle would take place and according to Daniel’s prophecy they should have known when.
We’re told here that all of Jerusalem was troubled by this visit of Magi looking for a king in Israel.
Did anyone besides Herod and his murderous soldiers who killed all the newborns ever investigate this? Did anyone else know about this?
Luke 2:8-20 (NASB)
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Well certainly these shepherds knew and we are told that all who heard this from the shepherds wondered. But why didn’t anyone scream it from the rooftops? How many signs need to be given, how many prophecies need to be fulfilled?
We often have manger scenes that show these shepherds and also show the Magi but this is revisionist history. The magi never visited the manger and there were not three but perhaps dozens or even a hundred. Perhaps they got their information from Daniel during the exile where Daniel wrote down his visions of the coming Messiah
Matthew 2:7-12 (NASB)
7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him." 9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Notice it says they came to where the child was and entered the house! This was perhaps weeks after the shepherds visited the manger and they were now in a house since all those who came for the census had returned home
Who else knew?
Luke 2:22-35 (NASB)
22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord "), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." 25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,
28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 "Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A Light of Revelation to the Gentiles , And the glory of Your people Israel."33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."
So this righteous man named Simeon also knew not only who this child was but also the difficult times that lie ahead.
Notice it says he was looking for the “consolation of Israel”. This is another title or name for Messiah
Luke 2:36-38 (NASB)
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Not only did Anna know but spoke to anyone who would listen to her about this child.
And yet 30 years later it was as if no one had heard anything. It was as if all that we have just read had been forgotten or purposely hidden. How sad is that?
No sadder than believers today who know the real reason we celebrate and keep it hidden because they are afraid or embarrassed to speak about it.
No sadder than believers who know He is coming again to take His own home and condemn any who have not known Him or accepted Him and refuse to warn others about it
Yes Messiah has come and we celebrate it annually with the exchanging of gifts and love for one another, but He is coming again and this too we should celebrate with the gift of letting people know so that they are not caught unaware or by surprise.
There is a crown for those who look forward to His coming and we need to share that crown with others
2 Timothy 4:8 (NASB) 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
So many knew the prophecies.
So many had seen the prophecy fulfilled
So many had forgotten or just didn’t care
So many did nothing about it
We are given another prophecy. That Jesus is coming again and to claim as His own all those who love and follow Him.
Have we forgotten the Great commission? Do we even care as long as we are safe
Will we do nothing and simply shove Christmas in the attic or basement until next year
Let us keep Christmas all year long with the expectation of His sure return and as our gift let us share that with others as many as will listen
