Christmas Peace (2)
Notes
Transcript
God’s relationship with humanity has been a story of betrayal, strife, conflict and punishment. Humans rebel, hurt God on accident and on purpose, constantly doing things He hates. God condemns, He punishes, He rebukes. From the Fall (kicked out), to the Flood (drowned), to the Law and Prophets (rebuked), to the Exile (kicked out again)… it looks more like War than Peace. Jesus, Immanuel, Prince of Peace. He is, in Person, the solution to all of it… demonstrating that God is with us (not against us), to Save us (not destroy us), and to bring and be Shalom - everything put right as it should be.
Crime and Punishment - A Brief History of the World
Crime and Punishment - A Brief History of the World
It seems like Adam and Eve and God had things pretty good in the Garden… but you have to admit that things since have been a “bit rough.”
Let’s look at it in the worst possible light, shall we?
Humans start killing each other. Don’t get me started on the Nephilim stuff, that’s weird. And God decides to kill everyone and start over with one dude.
Take that in any other context. My kids are disobedient, I am killing them all and starting over with… Dylan.
That doesn’t work for long, pretty soon they are trying to be gods, building towers, scatter them and confuse their languages!
Then choose one fairly random tribe. Let them get enslaved, free them, give them a bunch of rules that they can’t possibly keep. Yell at them periodically for not keeping them through prophetic messages.
Let them fail for a thousand years. Good judges and Bad judges. Good Kings and Bad Kings. Good prophets and Bad prophets. Then Exile them from the land for failing.
Let them come back for a minute, get conquered again and again.
This is a rough relationship.
The Birth of Jesus
The Birth of Jesus
The story of Jesus… it starts with scandal. With unwed teenage pregnancy, adultery and divorce.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
But “… from the Holy Spirit.” Oh, sure. Tell me another one. This has NO precedent in all the Bible. The opposite, a departure from the rooting of Jesus’ birth in the Scriptures, in the Holy History… now we have a sharp departure.
Now, you know more of the story from Luke… but imagine you didn’t. And this is the first time you are hearing the story of Jesus.
“found to be with child…” you’ve already decided who the Dad is.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised Joseph Husband of Mary
Engagement was a very formal occasion, usually sealed by a small gift or a written declaration, although the occasion could involve much more. The period of engagement for a virgin was normally one year, during which time she had the rights of a wife. Divorce was required to break the engagement, and the death of her intended husband before the marriage left her a widow. Infidelity during engagement was regarded as adultery.
So I’m going to bet, I don’t have any historical data for this, that maybe it wasn’t that crazy-uncommon for babies to be born less than 9 months after the official wedding date. Just like people so some Math nowadays… and it’s common enough that we have phrases like “Shotgun wedding.”
Maybe not that scandalous to anyone else… but certainly scandalous to Joseph. Because he knows for SURE that he isn’t the Dad.
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Way nicer than he had to be.
And there’s time pressure, it’s not like Joseph had to go through much process to divorce Mary, here.
“Quietly” or “Privately” means that he would hand the “bill of divorce” to her in the presence of two witnesses. Done.
It’s not the biggest tragedy in history, especially in light of the lens on history I just shared.
But it is the biggest tragedy of Joseph’s life, I bet. I am going to guess that Mary was pretty great. God chose her as Jesus’ Mom… that’s some high praise. Honored above all women. Let’s not worship Mary… but let’s acknowledge that she was probably incredible.
How excited was Joseph to be marrying her? I am imagining he thought he was the luckiest guy in the world! And so the idea that, so obviously, Mary had betrayed him in adultery… biggest tragedy of his life!
And he “considered” these things.
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from 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 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
What a man of faith. How much do you trust your dreams?
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Amen and Hallelujah.
First of all, as always, I am so impressed by Joseph. I wish we got more of him and his story in Scripture… but what we do get, I love. He heard from God… and obeyed. A great pairing to Mary, who heard from God and obeyed.
But from the beginning, from conception and before conception, we see the Heart of God. The Character of God. And the Truth of History.
Yes, there is Conflict, there is Turmoil. there is Punishment and Exile… there is Sin and all its Consequences.
And throughout there is God, putting pieces back together… and working out the plan of Salvation.
So here, first, they call Him “Immanuel.”
Immanuel
Immanuel
God with us.
A cold and cynical look at Biblical History, maybe you wouldn’t guess that God was “with” us in any sense.
God “against” us, perhaps? God “ignores” us, maybe? God “above” us, “beyond” us, for sure!
You could say a lot of things about God. He is Holy, He is Worthy, He is Powerful, He is the God above all other Gods, He is Creator God, He is Righteous, He is Just and Justice, He is Judge.
… He’s with us.
Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of God being with us. It was true all along… and those who knew the heart of God knew that all the way down.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You? Who? God. The LORD, YHWH, my shepherd… You are with me. What is he saying? Immanuel.
God with us. You with us. You, YHWH, with me. What an incredible claim.
But here, what an incredible proof. Jesus, God incarnate, quite literally with us.
One of us, from conception, to birth, through life, to death and resurrection. One of us. With us.
To what end?
Yeshua
Yeshua
Yeshua.
The proper Hebrew name for Jesus is Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ), which means salvation. This is a shortened form of the Hebrew name Yehoshua (יהושוע), which is Joshua in English and means the Lord saves, the Lord is salvation or the Lord will save.
The end is the same we hear in “Hallelujah” or “Elijah” or “Isaiah” or “Jeremiah”.
YHWH Saves. Or YHWH will save.
Yeshua, likely a very common name. Of course all the way back to “Joshua” who followed Moses. I bet he was the first “Yeshua” as YHWH had just revealed his name to Moses in the burning bush. But many, many Yeshua’s since.
A common name, but common because it is the cry of God’s people. The prayer, the HOPE of Christmas.
That God would clean up this mess… because God knows we can’t.
That God would clean me up… because God knows I can’t.
Because we are definitely in need of a Savior… the Immanuel God-With-Us answers that prayer… and gives us Yehoshua, YHWH Saves, God Saves…
And because Greek doesn’t have a “Yah” sound, we get Iesu or Jesu...
And because Masculine Greek names can’t end in a vowel, we get “Iesous” or… “Jesus.” Many languages, one meaning. Our Savior God.
One last name.
Prince of Peace (Shalom)
Prince of Peace (Shalom)
Quoting Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
… and referencing all of those prophecies of Isaiah.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The History of the Earth is rough.
God’s relationship with humanity has been a story of betrayal, strife, conflict and punishment. Humans rebel, hurt God on accident and on purpose, constantly doing things He hates. God condemns, He punishes, He rebukes.
But all to a purpose.
He is, first, the Loving Father who loves his children enough to shape us, to correct us, to teach us the Way of Life, the Way to Life.
And, more than that, he then took on personal responsibility to Save us.
Jesus, Immanuel, Prince of Peace. He is, in Person, the solution to all of it… demonstrating that God is with us (not against us), to Save us (not destroy us), and to bring and be Shalom - everything put right as it should be.
He brought peace, bought peace with his own death, Peace between us and God. A bridge between perfect holiness and us, just as we are.
He brought peace between us and God.
He initiated Peace on Earth among all humanity. That’s a work in progress. We see fruits of it in our world, contrasted against the ongoing present darkness of war and sin and destruction.
But where His Kingdom is, where His will is done, there is beautiful and profound Peace. Not just an absence of war, but everything put right as it should be. Shalom.
In my life, where His will is done, everything is put right as it should be. Shalom.
And He is coming on the clouds, to bring absolute and total fulfillment to this Promise. The Prince of Peace coming to make peace… to make all things new… everything put right as it should be. Shalom.
This is what we celebrate at Christmas. Christmas Peace.
Immanuel: God with Us.
Yeshua: God saving Us.
שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם
Shar Shalom. Ruler, Commander, Prince of Peace.
Christmas Shalom
Christmas Shalom
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was 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 those with whom he is pleased!”
If you call on His name, He is pleased… and Immanuel, Yeshua, Savior, Prince of Peace, longs to bring peace to you and peace to all.
