But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. Galatians 4:4
What does fullness of time mean? It is like eagerly waiting for something and suddenly the time comes very appropriately. Like a ripe apple ready to be picked.
In this context Paul describes a moment in history when everything was in place and the stage was all set for Christ to be born.
The birth of Christ did not happen all of the sudden. From the beginning of creation, this plan of God of sending His Son into the world was revealed.
It started in the Garden of Eden when God promised that one day the seed of woman would crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15).
Centuries later, in Genesis 12:1-3, God told Abraham that in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
Years later, God said that the sceptre would arise in Judah (Gen 49:10) which meant that Christ would be born in the tribe of Judah.
The promise narrows down from Adam to Abraham to the tribe of Judah.
In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet Isaiah foretells the birth of Christ by a young virgin, and in chapter 9, he talks about the Incarnation of Messiah.
And then in Micah 5:2, prophet Micah prophecies that Christ would be born in the little village of Bethlehem.
In Zechariah 9, the prophet prophecies the coming of the King of kings on a colt. And in chapter 11, Lord says to Zechariah about the price value (30 silver coins) that would be fixed for Jesus.
In Psalms 22:16 & 17, the psalmist foretells Messiah’s death.
In Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel was given an insight to the exact timeframe in which Christ would come.
God has spoken at various times in various ways by the prophets about the coming of Messiah.
The Old Testament comes to an end with the book of Malachi. Malachi lived approximately 433 years before the birth of Christ. Then for roughly 400 years, nothing happened. It seemed as if God altogether forgot his promise. Bible scholars refer to this time as ‘400 silent years’.
No prophets arose at this time, there was no widespread revelation and no scripture was written during this period.
While on the outside, it looked like God was silent, he was actually at work. Often times, when God seems to be most silent in our lives, that’s the time he is most active.
During those 400 silent years, God was preparing the world for a great and mega event.
And then, all of the sudden Matthew opens up with the birth of Christ, something longed for and awaited since the beginning of creation.
History tells us how God actually prepared the world for His coming.
1. It was a period of international peace.
It was a time when Romans conquered the whole Mediterranean world. There was one government. ‘All roads lead to Rome,’ was very literal. They had established such a good transport system that Rome was literally connected to most parts of the world. This enabled the gospel message of Jesus to spread quickly to all parts of the then known world. Moreover, Greek was established as a common language throughout the empire. This further united the people and the message of Jesus could reach the masses.
2. It was a period of religious turmoil.
In Greece, people worshipped several gods and goddesses that one writer calls Greece as one large altar. But now most of their religions were declining and Judaism was ripe for Messiah to come. During the 400 silent years, Jews spread to different corners of the world. Initially they had one central temple and now that they cannot access that temple, the dispersed Jews built local centres of worship called synagogues. These synagogues paved way for the spread of the gospel. As a result of the synagogues, Gentiles came to know about the God of Israel. The general expectation of Messiah spread to the Gentile world as well. So, when the news of the Messiah came, it was easy for people of other faiths to understand. It was God who placed the Jews in strategic positions for the advancement of the gospel.
3. It was a period of moral decline.
The moral virtues were declining. It was a world given over to paganism, sexual immorality, homosexuality, murder, dishonesty and violence. It was a world of shattered dreams and broken promises. A sort of vacuum filled every heart. In order to fill up that vacuum, people resorted to art, literature, music and play. But nothing could actually fill in the vacuum. At this age of moral decline and darkness, a Light shone in a stable in Bethlehem.
God gave Christ into this world when “the time had fully come.”
This is a reminder to us nothing in our life ever happens by accident. God’s timing is always perfect. He is never early and never late. As the psalmist says, Our times are in His hands (Psalms 31:15).
Our life is ordered by the highest wisdom of God. That is why the Bible says in Psalms 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.”
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. " Isaiah 55:8-9
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Every Jew anticipated the coming of Messiah – they dreamt about it. They hoped and longed for it. They constantly prayed about it. But when He actually came, they were not prepared to accept Him. John 1:11 says ‘He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.’
They ignored Him and in fact they were instrumental for His crucifixion. How sad! The very ones who waited for Him could not accept Him when he came.
We too are living in the last days, anticipating the second coming of Jesus. May God would prepare our hearts and minds for that great day.
