The Anticipation of Christ

Israel in waiting

God had been “quiet”

No prophet for centuries

John the Baptist becomes a major figure with a message of repentance

There may have been a few others: Simeon and Anna

Luke 2:25–27 (ESV)

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law...

Luke 2:36 (ESV)

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin...

The Jewish people were divided

-The diaspora and Jews of the homeland

-The Hellenists and traditional Jews

-The Pharisees and Sadducees

The people anticipated freedom!

Israel in Anticipation

Malachi 3:1 (ESV)

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 42:1–4 (ESV)

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

He will not grow faint or be discouraged

till he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his law.

Isaiah 54:13 (ESV)

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,

and great shall be the peace of your children.

Joel 2:28–32 (ESV)

“And it shall come to pass afterward,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

and your young men shall see visions.

Even on the male and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

This is the atmosphere in which the Messiah was born

He came into an atmosphere that was divided:

geographical

political

theological

Cultural

He came to people who were tossed around by various influences

family

religion

work

government

And He brought freedom

He didn’t change the rulers

He didn’t lessen the taxes

He didn’t free the slaves

He changed the people!

Jesus knew to bypass the symptoms to treat the illness

the Temple would soon be gone

The Roman empire would fall

The world would soon change drastically

But the freedom the people experienced survived it all

Is He the source of your freedom?