Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst For Righteousness, For They Will Be Filled

 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Sometimes preachers may use this phrase to support their prosperity gospel, a false teaching that promises material riches once you become a Christian. Or, you may have heard people quote only a portion of it – Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…for they will be filled. They distort Jesus’ words to mean that all poor people will be blessed with an abundance of food and drink because they are poor. Such teaching has misled thousands![i]  I am going to safely assume that the majority of those who read this write-up have known true, deep physical hunger – a kind of physical hunger and thirst that has long hoped for any food and water, and will desperately eat dirt and non-potable water to satisfy the pain of hunger and thirst. Some of the people Jesus spoke to on the Mount were physically hungry and thirsty so, no doubt, their ears perked up when Jesus made that statement. Some of them may have been present when Jesus fed the 5,000. 

As a single mother early into my wage-earning season, I knew a physical hunger that I had never experienced before: my earnings did not go far, and no matter how frugal I was, it was very difficult financially to put nutritious meals on the table everyday after paying rent, and transportation to work. So I chose to not eat dinner many nights so that my children would have leftovers to eat the rest of the week. I would sometimes walk the 3 or 4 miles to get to the city where I could get on the bus to work without paying the additional toll for riding into the city from out of state. It would be more than a year or so before I could get financially steady enough to be able to afford a continued stock pantry and refrigerator. 

But was this the hunger and thirst Jesus was speaking about? No, for Jesus says: “who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Have you ever wanted to go somewhere or do something so much that you could “taste” it? That’s the level of hunger and thirst Jesus is figuratively talking about. What does hungering and thirsting for righteousness mean? In the Bible righteousness refers to God’s justice and His supreme knowledge, standard, and character of what is right; God’s Righteousness is also called Jesus Christ! Jesus’ primary concern for His listeners was spiritual; He was focused on the heart, mind, and soul of His hearers. They had been so oppressed for so long by the legal demands of the teachers of the Old Law that God’s righteousness was muted. And then the Roman authorities were even more oppressive, discriminatory, grossly unfair, and considered the Jewish people to be of less value. The people needed Jesus to tell them about God and His righteousness and justice – His goodness, His love, and so revive in them the stories of their forefathers who were faithful to that God. Having that hunger and thirst stirred up in them would give them a strong desire to know the God Jesus preached, the one King David sang about all the time. 

In the Bible there is a story about a person who had that happen to her: Do you know the story of the Samaritan woman at the well? You’ve got to read it! It is in John 4, verses 1-30, and 39-42. The dialogue is priceless! Jesus intentionally happens to be there when she came to the well to draw water. She was not with the ‘cool group’ – many of the women of the town would not associate with her because of her lifestyle. After Jesus speaks to her and tells her about her life to her face, instead of being insulted, she felt amazed to be in the presence of a prophet like Him! Jesus turned her daily trek to fetch water into an epiphany of sorts for her, for she, along with others in the Samaritan town, were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the foretold Messiah – The One Who is to Come. When Jesus reveals Himself to her, her hunger and thirst for an encounter with the long foretold Messiah is sated; she is in awe that such as He would reveal Himself to such as her! So much so that she runs back to town, leaving her water jar – a valuable piece of property, to tell her friends that she has met The Messiah. Have you ever been that excited to hear Jesus' words? Have you ever been that excited about something that you stopped everything you were doing in order to tell someone what just happened?  She hungered and thirst to see and know God’s righteousness both in the flesh and in deliverance. She got both. She was more than sated, she was filled to overflowing. She would now never need to “thirst” again.


Explore

1.     Asking the question again: Have you ever been as excited as the Samaritan woman about something amazing that caused you to stop everything you were doing in order to tell someone what just happened? What was it and who did you tell?

2.     Do we know what it feels like to deeply hunger and thirst for God and His justice or righteousness (in the Bible the words 'justice' and 'righteousness' are used interchangeably)? Why do you answer that way?

3.     Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that He is the well of Living Water; in the book of Revelation, He provides saving waters (see Revelation 21:6 and Revelation 22:17). Have you ever heard before about Jesus being Living Water and/or providing saving waters? What do you think about that?

4.     Have you ever personally experienced Jesus as Living Water or Water of Life? If so, were you “filled to overflowing”?  

[i] [i]One of the Church's duties is to help others in distress when and where it can. Compare James 1:27.
 

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Bonus - "Jireh" - by Maverick City; "O Come to the Altar," Trey McLaughlin and SOZ 

Letting Go of What We Know to Step Into the Unknown By Faith - Part 1

Have you read Luke chapter 8 recently? What a record of Jesus' ministry! We begin with a reminder of those women who accepted and believed in Jesus, who had found in Him deliverance, healing, and a glimpse of God, followed Him, and provided resources to Him, supporting His ministry. (Because of the targeted mission Jesus was sent to earth to fulfill, his adulthood did not follow the regular path of Jewish males, even though he was the firstborn son. He did not even have his own dwelling - which by age 30 would have been the norm (unless family responsibility required otherwise, of course. see Matthew 8:20.) 

Then Luke's record tells us that Jesus taught the crowds in parables - the one instant being the parable of the sower. This would have been a story that the people of that time didn't have to look up or ask about what it means to sow seeds. Planting, gardening, farming were a common routine and in generations past had found its rhythm and architecture in the Mosaic Law. Luke's account records Jesus' story parable this way: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, he calls out, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” This went a little deeper than the common planting experience; I can imagine that some of those hearing Jesus' words were wrinkling their brows, squinting, or whispering the first century expression of "what is he talking about?" So when they were all together the twelve disciples asked for an explanation and Jesus explains that the seed in the story represents the Word of God and how it is received or not received by those hearing it and the consequences of each. 

Jesus is next indicating that those things that are hidden will come to light - a universal law. He follows that by a statement of 'holy' economy: "Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away."

As we travel along with Jesus compliments of Luke, Jesus' biological family tries to get His attention and draw Him away from His mission. As noted above, the modern day reader will want to take into context the norms of that day so that you can properly understand this account: Jesus is the eldest son. Joseph, His earthly father, has died. As the eldest son in Jewish culture one is to take on the role of head of household. Therefore, His family is concerned because Jesus does not follow that 'norm' in the way they think He should. His perspective is priestly and divine, but His family does not grasp why Jesus is different - even after all these years. As faithful as Jesus was to the things of the law, Jesus has a higher calling; I can imagine the inner wrestlings of Mary's spirit about this God-man firstborn son. 

Her encounter with the angel Gabriel about 30 years prior rendered a response of joy and gratefulness (Luke 1:26-56). And, perhaps, like us, three decades later after birthing several children, and still feeling the sting of her beloved husband's death, and attempting to negotiate an uneasy and uncertain existence under a burdensome authority of both the religious leadership and Rome, her memory of that amazing day could have become dampened, and the prospect of what she thought her firstborn was and why has become dim. No doubt, like so many others, she was expecting her adult Jesus to rally an army of strong Jewish men and call down the heavenly hosts for the most amazing battle to secure the land from Rome and break their oppression. But look at the men Jesus was collecting around Himself - they did not look like warriors! Her Jesus led a band of fishermen, a tax collector and businessmen, hardly the stuff of soldiers! Her Jesus performed miracles like the prophets of old, yet did not call down fire on the enemies! Her Jesus, whose life was transferred to her womb those many years ago with the promise that He would save His people is going around from town to town bringing up things from the scrolls about the Messiah and His teachings were stirring up the religious authorities! I personally think, too, that the family was ashamed of their son and sibling, and very embarrassed out of ignorance. (Do we, too, lumber under our own vision of Jesus, seeing a Jesus whose role is to bring material blessings and make our lives better by taking away all our difficulties - to defeat our enemies as it were? To listen to His words for inspiration and to feel emotionally elated, to float us with a little sunshine in our miseries, and then go back to the same struggles, weighed down by our sins and cares of this world?) 

As He would often say, Jesus must do the salvific work that His Father has given Him to do, which will require Him to lay aside some of the expectations of His family. Could not the Son of God, creator and sustainer, have provided for his family's needs when it was necessary? He was indeed their Head, but they did not understand how just yet. 

So the family arrives at the place where He is teaching and healing and they summon Him to those earthly tasks of the eldest son: "He was told, 'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.' But He said to them, 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.'” In my mind's eye I can see the mixture of emotions of Jesus' family members upon hearing his statement: the siblings would have been nonplussed by Jesus' answer, and perhaps angered, or just thrown up their hands over their brother's reply; Mary possibly dismayed by her son's reply. It is worth noting at this point that Luke's accounts are often punctuated by statements of Jesus, the context of which would have been contemporary for first century observers who witnessed them first hand, and perhaps a little differently contextualized by our western minds two thousand years later. Jesus, knowing His time was limited, was teaching about the kingdom of God in the words of the prophets and by the Spirit. He was implicating Himself as the Chosen, the Anointed One foretold by the prophets who would deliver people free from their sins and would usher in a restored kingdom over which He would be king. Jesus was not dismissing His family disrespectfully but rather was sharing the good promise that because of His kingdom work, His biological family and all who accepted Him would become a part of that restored eternal kingdom and experience the true fulfillment of the prophecies concerning Him. And, that they would come to realize with a different set of emotions that they had been dwelling with the Son of the Living God and did not even know it. They had not yet received the gift of faith to understand.

The next event is crossing the lake in a boat. The Sea of Galiliee and its lakes were known for sudden storms and rough waters. Such a 'sudden' storm occurs while they crossed to get to the other side of Lake Gennesaret in the mid-to-upper part of the Sea of Galilee. A tired Jesus is asleep while the disciples man the boat during the crossing; the winds are so strong that they are tossing the boat and causing water to enter into it. The disciples panic and try to wake up Jesus during this crisis, telling Him don't you see what is going on - we're about to lose our lives! Jesus roused from sleep simply commands the winds and the raging waters to stop. Just as suddenly as they came, they left at Jesus' words and all is calm. Then Jesus asks the apostles, "Where is your faith?" 

[Reader, if you have not already figured it out, this chapter in Luke is all about faith in Christ and being enabled by God to step in faith into the unknown. To continue, go to Part 2]   

My First Public Video - A Dramatic Reading of Isaiah 40

 Bible readers may know what I'm talking about - sometimes a passage benefits the reader more when it is read aloud. I was doing that today as I studied for this evening's Bible study. As I talked out loud about the background of the Bible book, and then did the reading (I like reading scripture out loud with what many call drama; to me it is trying to capture the essence of what the writer and Holy Spirit were feeling as words went onto the scroll.  That was when a kernel of an idea (maybe Holy Spirit inspired?) came to me:  make a video. It was impulsive decision, whim, but why not? Definitely not a professional product in a studio lol, but it is a start. So, I put up my room divider, tried to make myself somewhat presentable, hooked up the camera and started talking. See the result below. Your feedback is welcomed! God bless!

https://vimeo.com/636636203 

My Word Does Not Return to Me Empty - part 1 (based on Isaiah 55)

God's message through Isaiah, which we find inherent in the canon of scripture at Isaiah 55, portrays the basis of trust for every believer in God - every follower of Christ. We believe that God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is the only true God, Lord of Lords, Sovereign. We believe that His thoughts cannot compare with our limited, weak minds and way of thinking. We believe that the Bible is God’s authoritative Word written by humans as they were guided to do so by the Holy Spirit – who is the true Author of scripture and empowers it (compare Ephesians 6:17). We believe that based on that truth, that God’s Word is to be obeyed and trusted, that we are to ‘feed’ on it freely and regularly, that it is His revelation of Himself to us, and His own personal testimony. We must believe that His Word will always prove true and will always accomplish what it is intended to do. We believe, that in conjunction with Romans 1:16 and John 6:68 that God’s Word is the gospel of our salvation, and contains the words of eternal life.  We believe that we cannot separate God from His Word and still claim true belief in God. We believe that through Christ we find the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life who deserves our obedience. We believe that we are called to repentance and are in need of that kind of Savior, and that our living in obedience encompasses not just rituals, but submission to God that is done willingly and wholly. We believe that God will fulfill all His promises, and we believe that we must seek God while He can be found, i.e., He will not strive with mankind’s rebellion forever.

What God’s Word Tells us – the Harmony and Faithfulness of Scripture in God’s Salvation Plan. Bible students will recall that the law for Israel given to Moses had as its basis or its foundational tenets, the Ten Words or Ten Commandments. On that covenant foundation, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob exposited or expounded on that foundation - provided legal context and constructs found in the book of Leviticus and further exposited in Deuteronomy and Exodus. Civil laws – showing them how to conduct one’s life in the presence of a Holy God, harmonized with ceremonial laws of worship - so that an Israelite's daily life was shaped by worship acceptable to God – which is obedience to God and His Law. God's Law through Moses would underscore for the Israelite that God is Holy, has the sole right of Sovereignty, not just of the Israelite but of the entire world. The Law would set them apart as a sacred people, sanctified (set apart) by God for His use and for His Glory (see Leviticus 20:8, and Deuteronomy 28:1, 9-10). 

The Law would fulfill God's Word to Abraham (Genesis 12). The Law would also point out the need for a Savior, revealing the sin to which all of mankind is born due to Adam's fall in the Garden. (Romans 3:20) Thus the ceremonial laws were centered on confession of sin and repentance, on forgiveness of sin, on learning humility since God redeemed them at great cost - by blood - to become His people (i.e., they were bought or ransomed through a sacrifice of firstborns in Egypt – the tenth plague – which forced Pharoah’s temporary concession to God’s will and liberated the nation of Israel from bondage, combined with the sacrifice of a firstborn lamb, the blood of which believers slathered on the doors of their homes to save them as the angel of death passed through the land. See this aspect of the Abrahamic promise in Genesis 15 and Exodus 11 and 12). Bible students know that God’s laws and the worship structured by it which was given to the redeemed nation of Israel and contained for us in the Bible’s Old Testament prefigures the salvation that all peoples would be given access to – not just the Hebrew only; Bible students likewise know that the Law is fulfilled in Jesus.

The all-encompassing Law from God to His people Israel recognizes a ceremonial year and a calendar year; the calendar year was synced to the agricultural cycle that Israel would follow in the land flowing with milk and honey. Their labor in this new and bountiful land was to contrast 400 years of slavery toiling for Egyptian authorities. In their promised land - the land God arranged for their habitation which was to originally encompass much of the geography along the Great Sea (Mediterranean) through to Syria and the Euphrates River, east to beyond the Jordan River and Dead Sea over the mountains of Edom and to the edge of the Eastern Desert, and south to Sinai - in this expansive land the nation was to experience a broad freedom that would be guided by the guardrails of God’s law.

Their obedience to God's agricultural laws would ensure a land that would produce well and satisfy the needs of the people, and fulfill the promise of bountiful. Thus, the calendar new year began with Nisan to recall their liberation from Egypt. This would be our calendar's March to April time period. Passover is the hallmark of that time. The Israelite would begin the harvest for barley and flax - staples in everyday life and in their worship ceremonies. These also involved the time of Unleavened Bread (Passover) and the 'firstfruits' offerings and celebrations. Israel was to remember and celebrate the Passover to recall that their very lives were purchased by God by blood. The next harvest would be the wheat harvest in Sivan - which corresponds to our May-June. The Festival of Weeks or Pentecost was the focus during this time; it was celebrated seven weeks and a day following Passover and would include a wave offering - a rite that involved bread baked with leaven that represented Israel's awareness of their sins, and to seek God's forgiveness. Then from June to about September the people would continue in their stewardship of their land and farming in advance of the rainy season in the autumn.

Part of the end of the growing season ceremony was the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles that occurred within the calendar month of Tishri - our September to October. Israel would live in tents during that week to recall their wandering in the wilderness of Sinai following their liberation from Egypt, and how they had learned lessons, received the Law and learn daily reliance on the God of their forefathers – from whom they had been estranged and were re-discovering in a new way. 

The festival would harken the beginning of the ceremonial new year. This was one of the most holy ceremonial seasons. Although the Israelites were given opportunities through personal sacrificial offerings throughout the year to seek forgiveness for sin and to center their focus on God, to engage in rites of purification before their Holy God, the holy Day of Atonement was to be a national observation. All of Israel would come before God after preparation and purification rituals through the structure of the priesthood that was anointed and appointed to be intercessors between the people and God, and would as individuals and as a nation ritually seek God's solemn forgiveness. A scapegoat would be utilized to signify God's forgiveness where the sins of the people are ritually placed on the goat and sent away out into the wilderness (see the full details at Leviticus 16). The Rosh Hashanah – the beginning of the ceremonial new year, would be cemented by that Day of Atonement - a time when the people as one nation that had been called out and brought in to God’s presence to be made God’s representative kingdom - were to return to God and repent of their sins. The sobering festival was to give the nation the opportunity, again, to recognize that they were subject to not just a merciful God, but also a Holy God, and to effect a kind of holiness according to God’s standards in their standing before God. 

God is serious about worship - whether it is ceremonial in nature or the daily worship of Him through our daily obedience. When the nation and the people obeyed the laws, God's plentiful mercy, security, and prosperity would be theirs. He would honor His own Word to their forefathers, would fulfill those promises found in His law. When they would choose disobedience persistently in their daily lives, the people would experience a time that God told them would be the result of their distancing themselves from God or leaving Him for false supports. Their lands would suffer, their families would suffer because their sinfulness disrupted the harmony God had established for them – the result would be national chaos. By the time Isaiah was given the prophecies from God that are found in the book named for him, the nation had degraded in every way possible because of their rebellion against God and the Law that He had given them for their well-being. God's words in Deuteronomy 26:16-19, and chapters 27 through 30 would be fulfilled beyond their imagination. God's Word does not return to Him empty. 

The key highlight of Isaiah's prophecy, to those who would believe, was the promise of one from the seed of Jesse (father to King David) who would be anointed and appointed by God as the Savior and a once-for-all-time atoning sacrifice for all of mankind - both the Jew and the Gentile. In part 2 this will be explored. [postscript: due to what was being heard, part 2 became focused on Mary; see "About Mary"]

Of note:  There are similarities with the Church liturgical year to the ceremonial year of the Law. The season of Advent is the beginning of the Church's new year liturgically or ceremonially. It is during this time that God's people are exhorted to return to Him and prepare their hearts for God's great blessing - the One who would be both the Atonement sacrifice and the scapegoat for sin. Because the worship significance of this season has been obscured by commercialism and self-absorption that creeps into our daily lives, believers are invited to use this time to re-set spiritually. We would be wise to see the correlation of God’s provision for the Israel nation through the holy season in their new year and its chief ceremony - the Day of Atonement - a coming together of God's people in a call of active seeking of God and active repentance. It can also be for us such a time of restoration and a renewal of our vows to worship God with our whole hearts, our whole minds, and our whole souls. The ceremony of the solemn Day of Atonement called for a certain  'busyness' of the people to prepare for it, where the focus was always to be both spiritual and involve physical activity, centered on the goal of drawing closer to God and recognizing our need for a Savior. The focus was not on the busyness, not on the foods and feasts, but rather on the One who had ordained a time for the people to exult in God's provision of forgiveness of their sins.

When was the last time we saw Advent as that kind of season? How can the principles of the Law for forgiveness of sins help us to understand the approach to and worship of God during this time of year? The world's view of Advent and of Christmas has moved so far beyond the message of God's Word that it has nearly if not completely blotted out the need to seek God and to anticipate the coming of Christ. It has become more about seeking pleasures for self, and following the deceptive belief that we deserve prosperity. It has become a time to concentrate on the biggest sale of the season so that we can out-gift one another. It has become a time of demanding certain treats and gifts – at any cost. The season has a veneer of 'hope', while rejecting the God of hope and the One upon whom true hope is placed. There is very little humility and holiness attached to the season as the world celebrates it. It cannot fully grasp the significance of the 'season of redemption' – a term which it commercially lollies about and about which the world strips of any semblance to God’s true redemption plan. The world lacks understanding of the critical link of Christ’s coming to the covenant nation of Israel. The world diminishes God’s greatest gift to humankind and instead reduces that gift to a helpless babe in a manger without any dimension or connection to the portrait of salvation in God’s Word. The world detaches itself from the whole counsel of God’s Word about this gift of Jesus and all that is embodied in Him. The world makes the celebration of the coming of Christ as meaningless and empty to God as were the sacrifices of the Hebrew nation that had abandoned their one true God and supplanted Him with false supports (Isaiah 5; Amos 5)

We'll look in subsequent messages at God's thoughts -His Word, along with the significance of the virgin birth, Mary's and Joseph's part in God's salvific plan, the ‘wise’ men, Herod, and our own place within this holy account.    

Well,

I was trying to watch The History Channel's epic "The Bible", bracing myself for the new testament dramas. Intellectually, I know that there are no pictures of Jesus that he sat for to have made, no likeness carved into stone or fashioned into clay. Yet, it still bothers me how the media and the movie makers depict Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. I think it is because the depictions are not logical, and may actually be deceptive.

Probably one of the reasons I like the movie, "The Nativity", is that there was sincere effort to cast the parts of Mary and Joseph with sensitivity to the Bible's story. They were Jews who could identify as their ancestor King David. Thus, they were of the tribe of Judah. Joseph was a full-grown man, with an income and means to make a living. Mary was still a teen - of marriageable age - any where from 15 or 16 to 18-ish, in keeping with Jewish culture of the first century.

To fulfill Scripture, the one who would become the Messiah, must be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), must be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-5a), must be of the ancestral line of Jesse, the father of the great King David (Isaiah 11:1-2; Luke 2:1-7) - thus, be a Jew by heritage, would have as an ancestor the Great Abraham (Genesis 22:18; Matthew 1:1-2). His appearance would not resemble a character walking around with a halo over his head, with blond hair and blue eyes. He instead would have darker coarse hair, dark eyes, a dark beard, and his exposed skin may have reflected the ruddiness of one who was out of doors much of the day. Thus, he would not look different from his fellow Jews, would have been identifiable as a Jew (Isaiah 53:1-2); his features were ordinary. He was just a face in the crowd of other Jewish men who eeked out a living under harsh Roman rule. (compare Luke 2:21-52; 3:1) In order to accomplish the great purpose of salvation for which purpose he came, Jesus had to be Jewish. He was not European, Eurasian, Euro-Judean, nor did he claim Roman citizenship.

True, what Jesus actually looked like is a mystery to us. How tall he was, what was the distance between his hairline and eyebrows, how he wore his hair, how thick his lips were, what his ears looked like, how his voice sounded, or how his laugh sounded are not known to us. And, true, his looks, per se, do not weigh in God's purpose for the Messiah or Christ, yet his heritage did. He was born a Jew of the tribe of Judah into a royal line, into the Jewish culture of the first century in Judea, of a Jewish mother. All of these characteristics are vital to understanding God's plan of salvation. (John 4:22) As followers of Christ, it can be helpful to know just a little something personal about the Lord we serve. When we look closely at his life, then measure it against Scripture, we may find more clarity as we read the Gospel accounts - find a clearer understanding of certain things he said. We may also get a better perspective on the epistles written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by Paul and others in their discussion about Christ, about the law, about Jew vs. Gentile, etc.

I have a feeling that if this blog were actually read that there would be several persons who would disagree with the foregoing - in fact, some would say that of all the 'mullarky' I've penned in this blog, this is the most controversial! Which, well, would be understandable since from the time of the great painters and sculptors of Europe, portraiture of Jesus reflected a European heritage. That's what we grew up with; from my perspective, we lost so much truth as a result. I end with this thought: As an African-American woman, to be painted to resemble a European -- blond hair, blue eyes, pointed nose and thin lips - would be a distortion not just of my looks, but would give a false impression of my heritage and parentage, my culture. My story would look different, I would most certainly stand out in family portraits, as I would look distinctly different from the mother and father who bore me, and from the siblings also born to the same mother and father. The impact I would have and others would have because of me would give cause to pause - am I genuine? Well,     

Messiah snippets, part 2

What then is the Gospel? Are they just the readings the priest does on Sunday? Or the 4 books of the Bible at the front of the New Testament/second half of the Bible?

‘Gospel’ is the English translation twice over of the Greek word euangelion, which means good message or good news and pertains to the good news that “Christ is coming, Christ has come, and Christ will come again.” Simply put, the Gospel is Jesus and his propitiary sacrifice – He is the reason we have breath, He is the reason we can love, He is the reason above every other reason for why we are here and for where He has placed us. He died in our place, because as sinful humans, inheriting the sin nature of Adam, we were under the condemnation of death, because the 'wages of sin is death.' God viewed us as spiritually dead, and unable to commune with Him. Not until repentance - a decision to choose Christ to be our Lord and Savior and turn away from the rejection of his sovereignty, so that the blood of Jesus' sacrifice for us restores us to a right standing with God. We have life because Jesus died instead of us and all of our sins we have ever committed and ever will commit can now be forgiven because of his death on the cross. That's why he cried out on the cross, because the sin burden of all mankind became charged against him, resulting in a separation from the Father who cannot look upon sin because He is so Holy. Thus, the Gospel message is at the heart of God’s purposes and relationship with his human creation.

That He would pierce eternity to be in communion with His people is not a simple matter. Many people enjoy the Gospel message sung to them in the beautiful work of Handel, yet I wonder how many find it a call from God?

We continue…

Isaiah 7:14 (prophecy) and Matthew 1:23 (fulfillment) “Behold a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.”

This is the greatest gift God has given us – Himself in Jesus and His Spirit. Do you know that when God calls you out from all of time to become one of His children, He regenerates you (i.e., you are born again – given a new spiritual life in Christ), and then – miracles of all miracles – He comes to live in us. Emmanuel – God with us. (Romans 8) His habitation creates a new life for us and in us, and enables us to live out lives that submit to His love. So, He came to live on earth, He came to live in Mary, and then He came to live in us. In the future, He will come again (but that’s another part of Messiah!!).

The air continues: Isaiah 40:9; 60:1 “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold thy God! Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”

Being a prophet in ancient times was not the easiest job. Being a prophet of God Jehovah whom He used to foretell and forth-tell His Word to people could be downright life-threatening. The good news that God’s prophet was tasked with carrying to the people could be received either way, yet the news was life-giving. So that everyone will hear, a prophet could go to a high elevation to make the pronouncement. The weightiness of this particular message would necessitate the prophet or heralder to get up into the high mountain – the news would be echoed off the mountain walls and carried for miles! God emboldened His messengers to speak His Words. He put the Words into their mouths. The good news to the remnant of Judah signaled restoration and reconciliation was near. The light of the world has come. (John 1:1-18)

Jesus, the Light, came into the world, bringing His healing to a hurting people. He spoke from a mountain glad tidings to people gathered there, and they saw their God walking among them in the flesh. The glory of the Lord, and His grace and high favor had risen up on them. Their faces were alit by the divine presence. Today, we are the heralders. We are tasked to bring glad tidings to a lost and hurting world. We are given the Words of God that will reconcile people to Him. Nothing man can create or make up can accomplish the power that the words of The Word can. We are a privileged people to receive them and share them. Only through the message of this gospel can the glory of the Lord be seen on His people. Anything less is a shallow light.

The mood changes, but the message continues to be sounded, now beyond the remnant of Judah. The male voice says (Isaiah 60:2, 3; 9:2) “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.  ³And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. …²The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Beyond the remnant of Judah – to the Gentiles. That is us! This is indeed good news – God’s message of salvation and reconciliation would embrace those who were non-Jews and not proselytized. His promise to Abraham was that his seed or offspring would bless the world; Jesus fulfills that prophecy. God calls a people from beyond time that would include all tribes and peoples of the earth to become His in a new relationship. He has called us forth from darkness – from alienation from Him, from spiritual death,  into the glorious light of Himself. (Ephesians 2:1-10) He has given us His Word – His message of Light, and true enlightenment to sustain us in that life in the Light. The ‘kings’ coming to the brightness of thy rising may refer to the so-called wise men who followed the light to where Jesus was born. How wise are we? Do we follow the light?

And, then, in a series of heralds, the birth of the Messiah is announced, and Handel is first inspired from Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 9:6 to score “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
The virgin named Mary – a teenage girl betrothed to the man Joseph – carried Jesus within her. She was not a popular girl any longer. Her friends deserted her. Her father and mother were ashamed; the family name was dragged in the mud. In those times a young woman who was perceived to have had sexual relations outside of marriage could be stoned to death - both she and any child she was carrying. God's law concerning marriage and sexual purity were still in effect. Everyone shunned her; even her fiance could not believe that she would wrong him like that! He was cut to the heart for he loved her. Yet, Joseph - a man broken by what he thought was deceit, and particularly believed to be a crime, decided with much anguish and pain to settle the matter quietly and not bring her before a tribunal. His sacrifice was rewarded by God's message to him explaining what had befallen Mary and the miracle into which his own life would be enmeshed.  As wondrous as this miracle was, it was clear that carrying Christ within one’s self does not always engender kind responses, not even from those closest to us. Yet, the joy that Mary would see, the faith that God had given her to continue this labor of love, helped her and eventually, her husband Joseph to press on.

Their faith - no doubt tested severely on the trek to Bethlehem - yielded the fruit that changed the world. A son – a progenitor, giver of life – was born. Not just a child, but one who is the Mighty God and Everlasting Father. A ruler whose power would supersede human government. His name – Jesus, which means God is salvation – forth-told what His purpose on earth would be.

We, too, who have accepted God’s invitation to let Him dwell in us, will at times face difficulties because of that relationship. Yet, think of the fruit we are yielding – we are God’s instruments to carry life to persons through this transforming Gospel message. His indwelling Spirit makes it possible for us to achieve what no program no matter how noble, and no self-help set of seven principles can achieve – He empowers us even in the most challenging of times, to bring Jesus to others. What He has done is truly Wonderful!

Handel's Messiah - Not Just Another Music Score!

When I first experienced this work performed at our church, it was an eye-opener (and heart-opener and mind-opener, and subsequently a Bible-opener). It is as far away from being ‘just another concert’ as you standing in your living room is as far from Jupiter, and even farther away than that! Because it is the Gospel message directly from the Bible; it carries a life-saving urgency. The Messiah came and is coming again! A couple of notes of applicability from the sheet music of Messiah …

           Opening voices: Male voices sound the prophecy, exhortation, and God’s Grace provision. God’s people can feel comforted and assured that God will carry out his promised restoration of His people. He forgives sins. He has sent his messenger to make a pathway, to clear the way for the Anointed One – the Messiah. His promised restoration will raise up His people again, and in contemporary times, we are His messengers, we proclaim the Gospel and coming of Christ. His Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to receive the Messiah by breaking our mountains we have set against God in our sinful condition, and raises us to spiritual life.

Isaiah 40 --  ¹Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.  ²Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins. ³The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  ⁴Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Then the choir – all voices – forthtell the immensity of the Anointed One’s coming

⁵And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Many people shun the truth of the Word – Jesus – but are happy to celebrate a holiday that is said to be about him. Just because folks reject him does not make him to be a nothing, or to be inconsequential – it is like being in front of a tsunami and saying it cannot bother you because you’re in a Hummer. The immensity of the wave is terrifying. On the other hand, those who have accepted Christ the Messiah as their Lord and King, and have been brought into fellowship with him, sense the immensity of God in another way. They already enjoy a revelation of God’s glory – measure by measure – within their lives. When brought into the family of God, God installs in us Himself in the presence of the Holy Spirit so that the Shekinah Glory remains with us and in us. All can witness God’s glory in those in whom God is present – if we continue to let our light shine before men and women. Why? Because God says so – He has purposed a people from before time and has brought them into His glorious light. (Matthew 5:16; 2 Corinthians 4:4) What He also says in this very short verse is that regardless of whether or not you accept the Messiah, you will see the Glory of God – either in a positive way, or in judgment.

                Malachi 3:1-3. Male voices speak of God’s preparation of His people for the day of His coming, and the choir responds

¹Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.  ²But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: ³And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Fuller’s soap was a cleanser that was used to scour and scrub wool and cloth. In ancient times, cleaning a wool fabric was not as simple as taking it to the dry cleaners, or using Woolite. If you have ever seen the wool on a sheep, you recall that the wool is full of impurities and is dirty. The person called a Fuller had the job of taking the cloth woven with that wool and scrubbing and rubbing against a rock or other hard surface until it was reasonably clean. These were some very strong-armed folks. Hand-washing made extreme. Likewise, the task of purifying precious metals like gold and silver requires very, very hot fire to burn the impurities away. It is not an easy job standing in the heat of the furnace all day then processing the metal for purity. That is where the ‘karat’ and fineness designations fit in – they describe the purity of the metal.

For the ancient Israelite priests – the sons of Levi who were the only Israelites permitted to be priests, they understood the need for purification – they were handling sacred things, and standing before the very presence of God within the tabernacle and temple. They had to be made holy by God because they were entering a holy place. The blood of a perfect lamb would be sprinkled on the priests to cleanse them of their sins. Their clothing was made to specifications designed by God. It was and still is a fearful and humbling thing to stand before the Creator! And terrifying to come before Him unprepared. Without being made pure by God’s standards, it was impossible for the priest to offer up anything of worth to God. The book of Malachi speaks to how the priests had become wicked and had trashed the word of God. They worshipped other gods and mistreated the people. They refused to be sanctified and purified as God prescribed. Their offerings were worthless before God. Today, we are in the same situation. As a called-out, redeemed people, God has appointed us as his “holy nation of priests, a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9) and we are tasked with the responsibility of carrying out worship in our spiritual temples - our bodies. We are purified, made pure by the fire of His Word (Jeremiah 23:29) and His transforming Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11, Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), so that our worship can be acceptable to God. We who subject ourselves to the authority of the Word, are cleansed and we are also washed in the blood of the Lamb, as the Israelite priests were during the cleansing ritual. (see Eph. 5:26; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 7:14; 1 Peter 1:18-20) If we reject God’s Word and authority, and do not submit to His Holy Spirit’s counsel, we are in the same predicament as those priests spoken of in Malachi chapters 2 and 3, and come under the judgment of God.

            Next time, we will look at the succeeding airs and chorus pieces in “Messiah” so as to understand what we are saying when we share this Gospel with others.