Study Guide
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Contents Lesson One: Your God is Coming................................................................................................ 1 Lesson Two: Your Prayer Has Been Heard............................................................................... 6 Lesson Three: You Have Found Favor..........................................................................................11 Lesson Four: I Bring Good News of Great Joy......................................................................... 17
Written by Dr. Jimmy Jeffcoat Editing/Layout/Design: Ken Roach ©2021 Frazer Church 6000 Atlanta Hwy. | Montgomery, AL 36117 334.272.8622 | www.frazer.church Unless otherwise noted, scripture references are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
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DO NOT FEAR SERIES LESSON ONE – YOUR GOD IS COMING Isaiah 55:1-13
QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION: 1) What makes this time of the year so special? 2) What is your fondest memory of the Advent/Christmas Season? Explain why it means so much to you. 3) What do you miss most about your experience of the Christmas season as a young child? 4) Do you think our culture understands the phrase “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” as a reality? 5) What is the most meaningful spiritual moment that you can recall from your recent memory – why was it meaningful to you?
INTRODUCTION: The Advent season is one of the most exciting times of the Church Year. It is a time when congregations spend time together decorating their facilities in anticipation of Christmas, and everything and everyone seems to be more excited and interested in the life of the Church. It is during this time that churches will have the yearly “hanging of the greens” in the sanctuary, and perhaps share a beautiful Christmas musical program or drama expressing the spirit of the Season. On the other hand, this can be a time of sadness and pain as families recall loved ones that they have lost, and family gatherings seem diminished by their absence. It can also be a time when people feel the increased pressures of loneliness and depression, especially if they are alone while others are gathering with friends and family. In the midst of these highs and lows of the Advent season, this series we are entitling “Do Not Fear” is meant to offer to the individual or family a fresh approach to the questions surrounding life, happiness, and fulfillment. It includes four lessons, following the four Sundays of Advent). My suggestion as we begin our time together is that the individuals or groups who study this material focus both outwardly and inwardly during this special time of year.
The Inward and Outward Focus of Advent From an Inward Perspective, we should try to remember what makes this season so special to us personally. Perhaps there is something about the music that comes around once a year that lifts our heartstrings. When “White Christmas” is sung by Bing Crosby or the rich, mellow voice of Nat King Cole sings out the “Christmas Song,” we know that we have hit that time of year again. Suddenly those movies that show up only once a year like “Miracle
on 34 Street,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and the “Christmas Movie,” dominate our televisions for the month or so. And Christmas carols like “Sleigh Ride,” “Jingle Bells,” funny songs like “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” and cause-songs like “We are the World,” call to mind a season that is unlike any other time of year. Churches likewise hearken back to earlier times as we bring back those beloved hymns of the season like “Silent Night,” “Away in a Manger,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “and “Joy to the World” once more. People seem to be a little friendlier and festive in their moods. We can, perhaps, put on pause the political wrangling, financial burdens, or paranoia produced by pandemics. As Americans, we once again unite in the desire to make this season just as memorable and happy for the children of a new generations as it has been for us. They may face uncertain days in their future, but for now, the world is all about candy canes and Santa Claus, reindeer and wreathes, and hope seems to shine like a candle in the night. As Christians, we celebrate once again the Sundays of Advent, and each week light the candles on the Advent Wreath that lead us up to the joyous morning of Christmas, and the celebration of our Savior’s birth on earth. For us, this should be a time of reflection on the incredible transformation that Christ Jesus went through in coming from Heaven to Earth; the high cost of the salvation that he was destined to achieve for us, and an awareness that this Season is not about the economics of consumerism, but the blessed gift given to us by a God who loves us beyond understanding. From an Outward Perspective, Christians should find this season to be a time of renewed concern for the poor, forgotten, and lonely people who are not connected to faith communities, and who have little to celebrate during the Advent season. We should remind ourselves that Christmas is not a happy time for many people. For those who have experienced the loss of friends and loved ones, it is time of remembrance of days gone by, and the wound that has been opened by their absence. For others, as we noted earlier, it is a reminder of how alone we are and of the fact that another Christmas will be celebrated without the presence of friends or loved ones. For many it is a time when gifts cannot be shared due to hard financial times, and those differences become magnified by the consumer mentality that dominates so many. So, from our perspective as Christians, the days of Advent should cause us to focus our attention on reaching out to the poor, the hurting, and those less fortunate than ourselves. This is not about us doing volunteer service so that we can feel good about ourselves and how much we are concerned. Rather, this is about how we, as members of the community of humanity, take upon ourselves the requirement of doing good to those who are unable to make life better for themselves. “While we were still sinners,” Christ chose to take
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on flesh to save us from sin and guarantee us heaven, and we are called to imitate him.
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways”). All of this is encapsulated in an eloquent expression of how our God will ultimately triumph and bring renewal to all things.
THE ISSUE OF FEAR
To see how Isaiah has led up to these conclusions, we need to turn back a few chapters and catch a glimpse of how God’s plan is predicted to unfold in Isaiah.
Aside from these typical circumstances that everyone faces as part of the normal rhythms of life, we have been experiencing a new type of stress in recent days. We have been living out the horrors of a deadly pandemic, and we have felt the wrenching ache of racial unrest and political turmoil. We might be excused for being a people full of anxiety and fear; after all, who could have been prepared for all that the world has gone through this past year or two? Christians are taught (hopefully) that this present world is not our final destination, or even our true home, yet for now this is where we live, and we have to somehow continue to flourish anyway.
Messianic Prophecies In a section of Scripture running roughly from chapters 40 to 60 in the book of Isaiah, the prophet speaks words of condemnation, clarifying doctrine, and predictive foreshadowing to those hearing or reading his words. A twofold process is running simultaneously in the passages. On the one hand, these are words given by God to Isaiah to deliver to the people of Israel, and they reflect the current historical situation of that time facing the Assyrians. On the other hand, the language and themes point to a fulfillment in the distant future, a messianic message that would be fulfilled by Jesus.
So, how do we respond to the fear we see all around us, and sometimes find within us? What is the answer that the Christian can depend upon for help in a time of great need? Let’s begin with one remarkable reality: We are a people called to be in To clarify, Isaiah lived during the days when the Assyrians and relationship with a God whose very nature is to be greater than Babylonians took power. Isaiah was of royal blood and was even anything that we face or will ever face. We have been created as kin to one of the Jewish rulers. History tells us that the Assyrians spiritual creatures temporarily situated in mortal bodies, but that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, and then is not our end point – nor is death our final destination. The One moved on the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Isaiah was a counselor we serve walks beside us and offers us a life lived together. This is to Judah’s King Hezekiah as the Assyrians conquered their way the bases of our response to fear: that God came to walk among down to the gates of Jerusalem. Isaiah prophesies that they will us and remains with us. What this lesson will set forward is the never take Judah and predicts that they will fall to the Babylonians reason that He came, and how His coming changed things forever. (facts that were borne out later in the narrative).
THE CONTEXT OF ISAIAH
A TRANSCENDENT GOD
The Scripture chosen for this first lesson of the Advent Series is In Isaiah 40, God goes to great lengths to express the differences Isaiah 55, a passage that encompasses the idea that God wishes between Himself and humankind. He notes, for example, that to give to us abundant life, and that this life is free for the asking. humans are like grass or the flowers in the field; they grow for a In addition, there is the challenge to search for the Lord while short while and then they wither away. (40:6-8) God, on the other He is available. Isaiah tells us that the Lord’s mercy is not like hand, marked off the heavens and weighs the mountains as if on that of human beings; God will abundantly pardon those who a scale. He is the God who numbers the stars and even knows offer themselves in humility to him. This chapter is right in the them by name. (40:26) The “nations are as nothing before him; middle of a whole section of Isaiah that is oftentimes labeled as accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.” (40:17) Messianic; that is, Scripture that speaks prophetically about a The inhabitants of the whole earth are like grasshoppers, and coming Messiah (Christ) who will bring salvation and peace to the rulers are nothing before him. (40:22-23) So, God asks: “to the world. So, to really get at the content of chapter 55 of Isaiah whom then will you compare me or who is my equal?” (40:25) and how it speaks to the question of fear, it will be helpful to look This message of transcendence is expressed throughout this at the overall context of where this chapter fits in the Messianic section of the book of Isaiah. In chapter 41 there is a shift in emphasis. Here God seems to scheme of Isaiah.1 From the very beginning of the chapter the language is beautiful imply that he is raising up deliverers for the people of Israel and hopeful, and ranges from a clear call for us to reach out to from foreign powers. These deliverers will come from the east the Lord (“come buy and eat”) to an exposition of the supreme and the north. difference between us and the God we serve (“for as the heavens
In 41 we see another motif that has significance to the whole of
1 NOTE TO CONSIDER: Scholars differ in their opinions as to how Old Testament scripture relates to Christ. However, if the whole of Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, then it stands to reason that, in an ultimate sense, all of Scripture is Messianic and underscores the Lordship of Jesus. As we focus on this small portion of Isaiah, we should remember that the larger theme runs throughout the whole of Scripture. Because of the differences in writing styles found in different passages (narrative, prophetic, poetic, for example), scholars argue over whether there might be more than one writer called Isaiah. The section that we are considering begins around chapter 40 and is written in prose that is both spiritual and theological and is unlike any other section in the whole work of Isaiah. As for this writer, I am satisfied that one author can write in different styles within one work.
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this portion of Isaiah: the inadequacy of idols. God is alive and the idols are not. They cannot hear our prayers or impact our lives because they are not alive – God alone exists and is alive. Moreover, the God of Israel is omniscient – he knows both past, present, and future at once. Thus, on several occasions God says that he has told Israel what would take place from the very beginning. Their past expresses the truths of what God predicted long before their history happened. In 41:23, God speaks directly to the idols: “tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods.” He follows by declaring that they are nothing and anyone who follows them is an abomination. Contrast this with this language in chapter 44: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let them proclaim it…who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be. Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses!” Chapter 44 has one of the truly great sarcastic pieces of writing that we find in scripture. He makes fun of all idolaters and their trust in idols when he describes the way that an idol comes into being. He begins by noting that a man goes out into the woods and finds a cedar tree which he then cuts down. Afterwards, the takes half of the tree and cuts it into firewood and cooks his dinner over it. The other half of the tree he carves into an idol and falls down on his face and worships it. The Lord draws attention to the utter stupidity of such a thought – firewood is not alive and is good for cooking food, not worshiping – don’t expect your firewood to save you! Thus, throughout this section of Isaiah, God describes himself as absolutely unique and individual – there are no other competing gods. Idols, representing these false, non-existing, entities are representative of a human delusion. God repeatedly makes his point in passages such as the one found in Isaiah 45:21-22: “There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is no one besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”
following from the Baptism of Jesus in Luke 3: “the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (vs. 22) We hear similar words in what the Disciples hear the voice from Heaven say on the Mount of Transfiguration in Luke 9: “A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” (vs. 35) Perhaps the best examples of the affirmation of Messianic passages can be found in chapters 50 to 53 of Isaiah. In these chapters, we have several passages that express the storyline of the Gospels but are not directly quoted in them. For example, in chapter 50, verse 6, we read: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” In describing the Suffering Servant we read: “He was despised and rejected by mankind (the Hebrew word, ish, used here is the word for men in a universal sense), a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” (v.3) These words are not quoted in the New Testament, but the sense of it as descriptive of a Servant who Suffers for all humanity seems clear. In verses 5 and 6 we find: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” These words, though not quoted in the New Testament, seem to clearly fit the message of the Gospel offered to all human beings.
Isaiah 53 is, in fact, a case study for interpreting Messianic references. We see, for example, a verse that speaks of how Jesus didn’t argue his case (like a lamb led to slaughter). (v. 7) The sense of the Servant being a sacrifice is heavy throughout this chapter. Verse 9 says that the Suffering Servant will be laid in a rich person’s tomb. The Servant is described in verses 11 As the song says, “our God is mighty to save.” A God so tran- and 12 as one who is righteous and who makes others righteous, scendent as to know the stars by name, and to have formed and as being numbered among the transgressors (as if to say the mountains and bodies of water, can certainly overcome all that he is not actually one of them). enemies and obstacles in our path into his presence.
Thus, the stage is set to ask the question, how is this salvation to be achieved considering the utter madness and evil ways found in human beings? The answer, ironically, is given in the “Suffering Servant” passages throughout this section of Scripture.
THE SUFFERING SERVANT Starting in chapter 42, we begin to see the Servant motif laid out for us. This is the most blatant Messianic material found in this portion of Isaiah. The question that is most difficult to answer here is, “who is the Servant a reference to?” Is the Servant a symbol for the people of Israel, or the coming Messiah that is based on passages of Scripture like Daniel 7? As anyone who reads the Gospels can also tell there was confusion as to whether this Messiah/Christ would be a mighty warrior, or the one who suffers. One example might be Isaiah 42:1, which reads: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him.” Compare this passage with the
Is Israel the Suffering Servant? Although there are passages that indicate that Israel is God’s servant as well, Christianity has always chosen to believe that most of the Servant passages are references to a Suffering Savior, not a Suffering Nation. That is not to say that the Jews haven’t suffered – I challenge you to find another nation or ethnic group in all of history that has suffered as much as the Jewish people. They have been enslaved on several different occasions (Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia), and have been under the oppression of conquerors at other times (Amalekites, Midianites, Philistines in the Old Testament, and Rome as the New Testament example). However, if you study history you don’t have to research very long to see that the Jewish people have come under persecution throughout most of their later history as well. The Nazi government under Adolf Hitler literally attempted to exterminate their race in Europe, and the Communists under Stalin persecuted them as well, among many others to this day. So, the Jewish people can certainly make a case that the Suffering
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Servant described in Isaiah 40-60 is about them. However, Isaiah not only prophesies that God’s servant will suffer, but also that this suffering is on behalf of others, and that through this particular servant’s suffering will bring about forgiveness for the sins of humanity as a whole. Thus, in the teachings and doctrines of the Christian tradition, we believe that Isaiah’s prophecy is only fully brought to pass by the individual named Jesus Christ. Christians for centuries have held these verses in high regard as Messianic in nature, though they were not specifically designated as such in the New Testament writings.2
The Servant’s Suffering Leads to Salvation The language of the passages throughout this section is about a Servant who is seeking to restore righteousness to those who don’t deserve it. This Servant will do this in a way that is utterly unique to the history of salvation. Isaiah 49 hints at this when it says that the Servant has been called to this mission even from his mother’s womb (vs. 1, 5) The universal sense of this salvation is then displayed in verse 6: “I will give you as light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” In this passage (chapter 51 as well) we see that God will not forget his people, Israel, and that his covenant is still in play, even as His ultimate purpose extends beyond them to the Gentiles.
THE TRANSCENDENT GOD AND SUFFERING SERVANT ARE ONE
with King David, a man after his own heart. Verse 5 indicates the universal nature of this covenant (expanding it beyond Judaism’s context) when Isaiah tells us that “you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you will run to you.” Chapter 55 then shifts back to the nature of God, and the humble response expected of broken humanity. While God is available, we should humbly come into his presence. Here we see the juxtaposition of God and humanity and their differences once again. God says to the people: “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (55:6-7) As John Wesley put it, “there is no holiness that is not social holiness.” (Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1739) If we receive salvation and righteousness from Christ, the result is a life that becomes righteous, and a lifestyle that is fashioned around loving my neighbor. Jesus himself described the two greatest commandments: We must love God with our whole being, and just as surely, love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Isaiah then reverts to the language of Transcendence in God. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” (55:8) His point is that all righteousness both internal and social is found only in the Lord, not in the nature of human beings. The progress we make in this process is dependent upon the covenant we make with our God. When he says, “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,” (55:11) he is reiterating that all righteousness comes from his intervention on our behalf, not our own.
Going forward from here, Isaiah’s prophecy differentiates the Coming right after this material is the beautiful chapter 55 that is nature of true worship from false worship. Those who follow the central theme of our lesson. It begins with this metaphorical idols will find themselves without aid since they do not have narrative of an offer to satisfy our hunger and thirst if we will just existence beyond their metal and wood. Chapter 58 is a wonderful eat and drink what God has made available to us. “Ho, everyone section on the nature of the fast, and what produces results in who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, our fasts. The key is not how we fast, but who we are. If we fast come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and but our lives are evil, God will reject both us and our requests. without price.” (vs. 1) The passage is immediately reminiscent of If we want to see results from our fasts, then we must become Matthew 5, and the Beatitude that expresses a similar sentiment: socially righteous. Isaiah says: “Is not this the fast that I choose: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, they will be filled.” (5:6) This is likewise the message of Jesus to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not for the woman at the well: “those who drink of the water that I to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” and not to hide yourself from your own kin?” (58:6-7) If we do this (4:14) The Isaiah passage also takes on this eternal aspect in then our “light shall break forth like the dawn, and our healing verse 3, when Isaiah shares these words from the Lord (the NIV shall spring up quickly.” (58:8) offers a little better expression of the sentiment): “I will make an Lest we think that this is our responsibility alone, we are suddenly everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.” struck by the words of Isaiah, chapter 61, a passage read by Jesus This is a covenant that is reflective of the relationship God had at the synagogue as he began his public ministry: “The spirit of 2 NOTE: INTERPRETATION RULES
We can use these guidelines in interpreting whether a give Old Testament passage contains a Messianic prophecy. (1) Is it used this way in one of the Gospels or in another portion of New Testament Scripture? A writer like Matthew will often say that a certain action or event took place in order to “fulfill” a particular scripture passage from the Old Testament which he may then quote verbatim. (2) A second means of identifying a passage as Messianic is in the way that it seems to match the language and events that occur in the Gospels. In the chapters we are considering, there are a great many quotations found in the Gospels and other New Testament writings. In fact, in some cases the language may not be exact, but the concept found in Isaiah is repeated (but with minor variations) in the New Testament passage.
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the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” (vs. 1-2) Even the most righteous person who ever lived defined his righteous life by acts of service and mercy. This is our legacy that must be handed down through all generations.
CONCLUSION Indeed, our God is coming, but not the way that he is expected. Though transcendent in every way, our God is coming as a babe in a manger. Though capable of creating the universe with a word, he offers to us relationship that frees us from sin and degradation. This relationship then resonates in the way we live, act, and talk in the presence of non-believing culture. So, hear the call – if you hunger and thirst, come get some! It is free, but it will cost you everything.
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DO NOT FEAR SERIES LESSON TWO YOUR PRAYER HAS BEEN HEARD Luke 1:5-25
QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION 1) Why do we pray? What is the purpose of prayer? 2) If God already knows what we need, why pray? 3) What does it say to me when my prayers don’t seem to be answered, or not answered in the way that I ask? 4) Do my prayers affect world events or world politics?
INTRODUCTION The passage of Scripture that we are considering today is the announcement the angel brought to the priest Zechariah of the coming birth of a son who would eventually become known as John the Baptist. Before we consider the story of John’s birth, we will jump ahead to look at an overview of John’s life and ministry. His own teaching on the subject of prayer will help us understand how God answered the prayer of his parents. A relative of Jesus, John the Baptist will be the “set-up man” for the ministry of Jesus. In the spirit of the prophet Elijah, John will begin a ministry that foreshadows the work of Jesus, and that carries forward the message of the Old Testament prophets in several ways: their emphasis on a humble and contrite spirit, and their focus on service to the poor as a sign of true righteousness. First, God will only respond to a person with the proper attitude. A humble and repentant spirit is required of one who would be accepted as righteous in the eyes of God. In the spirit of the former prophets, John challenged his hearers by attacking their heritage as Israelites, or members of God’s chosen people. He made it clear that God didn’t need them; He could create a chosen race out of the rocks that they walked on every day. In fact, as so many prophets had spoken in their past, John proclaimed that the ax of God’s judgment was already being prepared to cut down those trees (the people of Israel) that failed to produce fruit (righteousness as defined by God). John’s point is that they need God’s help, not the other way around. Second, John emphasized that an attitude of repentance is only the first half of what is required of God to be righteous; it must be accompanied by a lifestyle of righteous living. A righteous heart will bear fruit that is visible in the life that is lived out in culture.
This thought is at the heart of John’s message to those who came for baptism. His challenge to those who came to him looking for help was to “bear fruits worthy of repentance.” (Luke 3:8) As Luke describes the ministry of John, he tells us that the crowds were so moved by his powerful rhetoric that they asked him what they needed to do to receive the benefits of God’s mercy. Like the prophets of old, John called them to a life of service to the poor: Share clothing and food with those who need them, don’t cheat in their businesses (specifically tax collecting), and don’t extort money when you have power over others (especially those who were soldiers). (Luke 3: 11-14) John was confronting two of the power groups in Palestine at this time, the soldiers of Rome and the Jewish tax collectors being paid by Rome. Returning to the distinctive marks of the ministry of John, in addition to repentance and righteous treatment of the poor we see an emphasis on baptism. Although Christianity would later adopt this practice as a sacrament of faith in Christ, John apparently saw it simply as symbolic of washing away the transgressions of one’s life prior to repentance. In Matthew 3, we are told that people were being “baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” (3:6) Luke calls it a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3:3) In Matthew 3, verse 11, John himself described the purpose: “I baptize you with water for repentance.”3 Thus, we can observe in the Gospels that John the Baptist was a powerful preacher, who had a significant impact on the people that heard him speak, across all strata of society, both Jewish and Gentile. It is this very John the Baptist who the Angel promises will be born to Elizabeth and Zachariah in Luke 1. So, let us go back and look more closely at the encounter Zechariah has with the Angel.
THE ANGELIC ENCOUNTER In opening paragraph of this chapter, we are told that King Herod is the ruler in Palestine under the overall authority of Rome. This is a position that he inherited from his father, Agrippa, who had been granted Palestine in recognition of his service to Julius Caesar and the Roman General Pompey. We learn that Zechariah is a priest, and not only that, but his wife Elizabeth is also a descendant of Aaron, the brother of Moses whose line has always supplied the position of High Priest. These individuals were well placed in the religious traditions of Judaism. Luke tells us further that they were not only well placed genetically, but that they
3 QUESTION FOR CONSIDERATION: How does Christian baptism both include the ideas of John’s baptism, and go beyond it? If baptism is a matter of faith and the action of the Holy Spirit, not merely an act of confession and repentance, how does that bear on the Wesleyan acceptance of infant baptism along with the practice of confirmation?
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were righteous people who lived “blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.” (1:6) And then, the dreadful word, “but,” is added – “but they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren.” Children were exceptionally important to the Israelites. We see this throughout their history beginning with the Patriarchs and moving down through the line running from Abraham. The pattern of the story of Sarah and the coming of Isaac is repeated in the history of the birth of Samson the Judge, and the story of Hannah and her son Samuel, the Prophet. The belief that having children was a sign of blessing is also brought out in writings like the Proverbs, where not only having children, but having many children is seen to be the best of all worlds. We see this logic clearly in Psalm 127. “Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.” Not only is the birth of sons seen as a great blessing but having many of them is a source of great happiness. The reference to arrows in the hands of a warrior is a clear metaphor to the capacity to make a difference in society. Thus, not having children was considered a sign that the blessing of God was not on the barren family. It caused both sadness and embarrassment if a couple was unable to bear children. In the case of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, it presented an opportunity for her servant to become haughty and overbearing to the woman who was her master. So, the context of the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth is that they had prayed for a child for years, and they had grown old feeling that for some reason God had considered them unworthy of his blessing. Now, Zechariah is in the sanctuary of God performing the duties of a priest, having been randomly chosen by lot to work on that occasion. However, this time everything is different – this time he meets an Angel. As he is preparing to offer incense to the Lord on behalf of the congregation, he saw an Angel standing on the right side of the altar of incense. He was terrified.4
man who had lived for decades with the impression that God had either not heard his prayers or turned his request down, so we might understand him expressing doubts. Zechariah, conscious of the gravity of this miracle, asks how he can be sure that this is going to happen. Several things happen in response to his questioning. First, the angel is named. Angels are rarely named in Scripture, but in this case, we are given the name of the messenger. In his opening statement to Zechariah, the angel identifies himself as Gabriel, and identifies his position in the heavenly kingdom as an angel who stands in the presence of God. (1:19) In verse 26, when we are told that the “angel Gabriel was sent by God” to inform Mary that she is going to be the mother of the Messiah. The implication is that Gabriel is a messenger of God. This is further underscored by the first appearance of Gabriel in Scripture in the book of Daniel. After Daniel has a particularly confusing vision, a human figure suddenly appears before him, and Daniel hears a voice say: “Gabriel, help this man understand the vision.” (Daniel 8:16) As the figure approached him, Daniel became overcome with fear (a common response to angels). This heavenly figure then interprets the dream to Daniel. One other angel is mentioned by name in the New Testament (possibly in the Old), and that is the Angel Michael. In Jude 1:9, for example, we are told that the devil and the Archangel Michael contended over the body of Moses. The fact that he is identified as an Archangel has led to speculation that there might be a hierarchy of angels in the heavenly realms, each with certain degrees of responsibility. Paul, in the fourth chapter of his first letter to the Thessalonians says that the trumpet announcing the return of Christ for his Church will be blown by an archangel, but no name is given. (I Thessalonians 4:16) We are also told in the book of Revelation that Michael and his angels fight a great battle against the dragon (the devil) and his angels. In Daniel there are several references (Daniel 10 and 12) to a Prince named Michael; and the language of the passages seem to indicate that this figure is more than just an earthly prince.
The Angel told him not to be afraid, and then made a strange statement: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been The existence of large numbers of angels is confirmed by several heard.” (1:13) What was the prayer that they had prayed? Clearly, different passages in Scripture, but we only get to know two they had been petitioning God to let them get pregnant. Now of these helpers of God by name: Gabriel and Michael. One of they were old, and though righteous in God’s eyes, they were these is named in the story that we are studying 5today, which unable to have children. Thus, the words of the angel must have further underscores the significance of this event. been incredibly confusing – your prayer has been heard, and Secondly, Zechariah pays a price for his lack of faith. Now, I suspect your wife is going to bear you a son, and you need to name him, that most of us would have a similar reaction to Zechariah were John. The angel added that their son would be great in the eyes we to have the same experience. Our natural reaction, even in of God; he was to be a Nazirite from birth and would be filled the presence of an angelic messenger, would likely be, “how can with God’s Spirit even before he was born. His job was already I be sure that what you say is really going to happen?” Perhaps decided for him: he was to prepare the way for the coming of we would even wonder to ourselves whether this was some sort the Lord, and he would have the power of Elijah to fulfill that of dream or hallucination. The fact that Zechariah and Elizabeth task. His message would reunite parents to children, help the were well beyond child-bearing years might cause him to wonder disobedient become righteous, and make people ready for the how even God could make something like this happen. Maybe, coming of the Lord. (1:17) like so many people in our day and time, he thought that the days when miracles could occur on this level were long gone – they We can imagine that this message was a lot to take in for an old 4 NOTE FOR DISCUSSION: what is the proper perspective that we should take towards Angels? Should we see them as little babies flying around or should we see them as mighty warriors of the Lord, ready to do battle on behalf of God. Are they at work assisting Christians, or merely messengers of God? Why were people always terrified when they saw them? 5 NOTE: Scripture also describes fallen angels and their leader, Satan/the Devil. This is not the time or place to pursue that information; perhaps on another occasion.
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only took place in the days of the Patriarchs like Abraham and Moses, or the Prophets like Elijah and Elisha. Whatever the reason for his hesitation might have been, the angel him that the sign that will prove his words true is that Zechariah will be unable to speak for nine months until the baby is born. Meanwhile, on the outside, the crowd waiting for him to complete his priestly duties were probably concerned that he was taking so long, and were likely relieved when he returned, but then confused by his loss of the power to speak. They understood that he had seen a vision but were unclear what it all meant. Zechariah, we are told, continued his time of allotted service, and then returned home to be with his wife.
YOUR PRAYER HAS BEEN HEARD We will focus our consideration for the rest of this lesson on the matter of prayer that arises during this story. As we noted earlier, by the time the angel arrives to tell Zechariah that his prayer has been heard, he and his wife are not in the baby-making business; they are way too old to have children from their own bodies. The context seems to tell us that they were no longer praying this pray: “For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” The word he uses relating to Elizabeth is probabekooia, which literally means to “walk forward or go on,” meaning that she had gone down the road of life well beyond the time of birthing children. For Zechariah and Elizabeth, the answer to their prayer had been ‘no,’ and they had apparently made their peace with it. However, timing is everything, and two types of “hearing of prayers” by God are evident in this story. God is all-powerful (omnipotent), everywhere existing (omnipresent), and all-knowing (omniscient), so the prayer that Zechariah and Elizabeth offered up when they were younger was “heard” by God when it was first prayed. Yet now their prayer is heard in a second way: it has now been addressed and responded to by God in an outwardly manifest way. So, perhaps there is a deeper sense to having God hear our prayers than simply getting an answer. We can see this from how prayer is depicted elsewhere in Scripture.
THE PATTERN OF PRAYER IN SCRIPTURE In scripture, prayer is a commonplace occurrence, and there are patterns associated with the practice.
Prayer is Commanded for Us The first thing that we see is that God expects us to pray! In Psalm 122, David tells his readers (the people of Israel) to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” Here we see that the King believes that the people must join the king in praying for peace and prosperity in the holy city. In Samuel’s last address to the people of Israel after they had begged God to give them a king, Samuel tells them that this was a terrible mistake, and that God’s judgment will come upon them because of it. Nevertheless, he says, “Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by
ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.” (1 Samuel 12:23) Here are two leaders that both implore people to pray, and model it in themselves. Prayer is just a part of who they are as God’s followers. In the New Testament, the expectation of prayer is continued. Paul tells the believers in Rome to “be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) He tells the Christians in Ephesus that they should “pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18) So, not only should they be praying all the time, but specifically, they should be praying to God on behalf of his followers. This latter point is taken up again in Paul’s letters to Timothy, where he urges him to make “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings” (1 Timothy 2:1) on behalf of everyone, and especially for all rulers and people who occupy high places in society. To the Thessalonians, Paul says to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17), and the Colossians should “continue steadfastly in prayer,” (Colossians 4:2) with thanksgiving. To the Philippians, Paul even gives a model of how the prayer cycle should look. He writes: “Do not worry about anything,” he says, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) Notice the pattern here: If we are worried or anxious then we need to pray and make request to God in a spirit of thanksgiving, and God’s peace will be the result. Paul notes for them that when God’s peace comes, it will guard our hearts (emotions) and minds (thoughts) – the very sources of our anxiety. However, there is no guarantee to us that God will “hear” our prayers in the sense of giving us what we want. We need no longer fear the things that have troubled us, not because we will automatically receive our request but because God’s peace guards us.
Prayer Is Modeled For Us Not only are we taught, and even commanded, to pray, we also see examples in scripture of prayer being lived out. In the Psalms, prayer is expressed as a constant, ongoing conversation with God. In Psalm 5, the psalmist says that he begins early in the morning: “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.” (5:3) In Psalm 55, the writer says that he cries out his complaint in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. (55:17) In Psalm 141:2, the writer asks God to view his prayers as “incense” before his throne. Jesus himself was a great model for the importance of prayer. In the Gospel of Mark, we are told that Jesus “rose up early, while it was still dark, and made his way to a place where he could pray.” (Mark 1:35) Luke tells us that on one occasion he went up on a mountain and there prayed all night long. (Luke 6:12) Jesus tells Peter that he is praying for him so that his faith won’t fail. (Luke 22:31) Later in the New Testament, in the book of Hebrews, the writer goes so far as to note that “in the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” (Hebrews 5:7) The early days of the church saw the Christ-followers focused on prayer as part of their daily walk. After leaving the mount where
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Jesus ascends to heaven, we are told that the disciples spent their days “devoted to prayer,” and among those praying were “Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.” (Acts 1:14)6 After Pentecost, and the conversion of over 3,000 new followers of Jesus, we are told that the followers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers.” (Acts 2:42) And later, when Peter was imprisoned for standing up to the Jewish leadership, earnest prayers made to God on his behalf result in his being freed from the prison by an angel of God. (Acts 12:5) And finally, Paul constantly mentions to the churches to whom he writes that he is praying for them. In the first chapter of Colossians, for example, he says that “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” (Colossians 1:3) The way that this statement is made indicates that this is a pattern that Paul repeats on a regular basis.
HOW TO PRAY Hopefully, it has become obvious that prayer is a part of the Christian’s life that should not be ignored or devalued. Remember that the angel told Zechariah not to fear because his prayer had been answered. How does prayer remove fear?
Prayer and Relationship Let me begin with perhaps the most important point to remember. Prayer requests should have nothing to do with the quality of my relationship with the Lord! To say that again in a different way: when I request something in prayer, it is part of having a normal relationship with God, but it should not affect the quality of that relationship. To illustrate, my conversations with my wife are a common part of having a relationship with her. If we didn’t talk at all, then the quality of our relationship would be damaged. However, any requests that I make of her are not the basis of my love for her. That love is built on other factors that are only enhanced by our communications with each other. My commitment to her is absolute, regardless of the outcome of our communication. My trust of her is 100 percent, no matter how many times she does or doesn’t do what I ask her to do. Sadly, many followers of Jesus hinge their relationship with him on the way he does or does not answer their prayers. You’ve heard people ask, “how can a loving God not answer my prayer?” Or, “God doesn’t answer prayer; if he did, he would not have let that happen!” Or, perhaps: “I can’t follow a God who let’s things like that happen, especially when everyone was praying that it wouldn’t.” Can you see the pattern? The relationship in each example is tied to the results of prayer. We cannot enter prayer with that kind of understanding. First, we should be more conscious of who it is we are praying to, the God Almighty, Creator of the Universe, not our neighbor next door. As an individual human being, I have no coercive power over God at all! As God told Isaiah, “The nations are like drops in a bucket to me,” so how can I hurt God by pouting and telling him I am mad at him for not doing what I determined is right for him to do? Did he not also say, “my ways
are not your ways; my thoughts are not your thoughts?” I can’t see past the present that I am experiencing right now, and yet God knows the past, present, and future as one point in time. How then can I tell God what is best for me, my friends, or my loved ones (or even my enemies, for that matter)? I am trying to make this point as strongly as I can: when I pray for God’s help, I should enter into this prayer with boldness (as He tells us to do), but I should enter into it with absolute trust, and with the understanding that no matter what transpires after I pray, I will still be absolutely committed to my God (no matter what). If I get what I am praying for, then praise the Lord – what a great blessing. If I don’t get what I want, then praise the Lord – what a great blessing to know that God will take care of these issues according to what is best for all concerned. My relationship is secure in Christ regardless of the results of my prayers. Now, having established this prior understanding, we can look at the way the scriptures teach us to pray.
Prayer and Sin First, our prayers can be hindered by impurity or sin in our lives. In Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector who go to pray. The Pharisee prays with a sense of arrogance and pride, and God rejects his prayer. The Tax Collector, on the other hand, comes before the Lord fully aware of his weaknesses and failures and asks for mercy, and God comes close to him. The writer of Proverbs says that “the Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” (15:29) In Isaiah 59, we are told that the Lord can readily hear our prayers and easily save us out of our troubles, but, as he puts it: “your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2) In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells the people that if they pray like the hypocrites who pray for show and public praise, or like the Gentiles who think that pretty prayers and empty words are the way to go, then they can expect the reward of public praise but God will ignore their prayers. (Matthew 6:5-8) James tells us that when our motives are wrong, our prayers are hampered. “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3) His point is that when our motivation is “all about us,” then God may not give us what we ask for because he knows it would not be best. This then is a matter of trust on our part: He ultimately knows best. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that when we pray, we are first to forgive if we have anything against anyone. A lack of forgiveness will prevent our own forgiveness from God which will then impact God hearing and responding to our requests. In fact, Romans 8 tells us that we often don’t know what we should be praying for, and that the Spirit is interceding on our behalf. This does not mean that the Spirit is praying in unison with our requests. The Spirit is praying for what is best for us, not according to what we are thinking, but according to what the Spirit is thinking. (Romans 8:26-28) The model prayer taught to us by Jesus has little about personal wants or wishes. He
6 NOTE: For those scholars who claim that Jesus didn’t have any earthly siblings, it gets kind of hard to ignore this verse, especially since the passage has already literally named his Apostles who are there in verse 13 (who were the only other ones who could be claimed as “brothers” in a symbolic way).
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focuses instead on our relationship with God and each other: “let your kingdom be on earth like it is in heaven; forgive us like we forgive others; give us our daily sustenance; and protect us from temptation.” (Matthew 6:9-13)
Prayer and Boldness Second, the scriptures do tell us to ask with boldness. Jesus said that if we ask in faith, we will receive. (Matthew 21:21-22) In the Gospel of John, Jesus says that whatever we ask in his name we will receive. (John 14:13-14) In Matthew, Jesus says that if two agree on anything they ask, it will be done. (Matthew 18:19-20) This idea is repeated on a number of different occasions. Although this sounds like Jesus is giving us a blank check, this is not his intent at all. In John’s first letter he addresses this point in a different way: “And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (I John 5:14) That phrase, “according to his will,” must be prioritized in our understanding of answered prayer. If we pair this point with the teaching James mentioned previously about not asking with wrong motives, then we see that our boldness in prayer is not being bold to ask for our own will, but being bold to ask for things that will advance God’s will and His kingdom.
Prayer and Persistent Faith Lastly, Jesus talked about praying with persistence on several different occasions. In Luke’s Gospel, for example, we are treated to two different perspectives on prayer. In Luke 11:2-4, Jesus gives to the Apostles the model prayer that we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” He follows up the model prayer whose focus is on praise of God and desire for his Kingdom to come on earth with a parable about the need for perseverance in prayer in verses 5 to 13. He says that a certain individual has a friend who shows up at their house at midnight, and they have no food to offer the visitor. The homeowner then goes to another friend’s house and knocks on his door to see if they will loan them some bread. Because of the lateness of the hour, the friend is in bed and says that he can’t get up to do anything for him. The homeowner continues to ask for help until the friend eventually gets out of bed and helps him out. Jesus then makes the application that if we ask, seek, and knock, God will respond to our requests. He notes that if we give good gifts to our physical children, then we can expect a good God to do the same for his spiritual children. Note that the gift that Jesus says that God will give is the Holy Spirit, not a blank check for our wish list. A little later, Luke tells us that Jesus gave another teaching on the need for persistence in prayer, and began this teaching with another interesting parable. He tells of a judge who lived in a certain city and who “neither feared God nor had respect for people.” (Luke 18:2) A widow, who had evidently been treated unjustly, begins coming to him to get justice for her situation. For a time, he refused, but eventually he yielded to her request and gave her what she wanted. He did this because she had worn him down with her requests. Jesus then makes the application by saying that, in a similar sense, God will bring justice to his “chosen ones who cry to him day and night.” (18:7) Unlike the evil judge, God does care and have respect for people, but He nevertheless expects His people to partner with Him in seeing justice come on earth through persistent prayer.
Here again, the prayer being answered is not a petty request but a desire for justice that aligns with God’s righteous character. At the end of the parable, moreover, Jesus asks: “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18: 8) This comment seems to tie together both our perseverance in prayer with our faith, and thus the structure of prayer requests is built both on God’s loving response to our persistence and the degree to which our faith will impact our prayers. By connecting this passage with the point Jesus makes about faith the size of a mustard seed being able to cast mountains into the sea, we find ourselves challenged to increase our faith if we are failing to pray with persistence against the mountains of injustice in our own day.
CONCLUSION In this story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, even though it seemed an impossible prayer to answer, the Lord did a miracle in their lives. When we are haunted by the question, “Is God listening to my prayer,” their story reminds us that we need not fear because the “Lord has heard our prayer.” We have seen that “hearing our prayer” reflects both the receiving of our requests or words, and the response that God gives to them, which may not be evident to us until much later. Prayer is more than merely making requests so that we can get what we want. Though God is fully aware of every human’s needs, his response is intermingled with our own. Our attitude and motivations, for example, are involved in how our prayers are heard, and even more critically, purity of heart and life have a profound impact on God’s response. John the Baptist, the child who was conceived as a result of this supernatural answered prayer, emphasized the importance of repentance, humility, and right actions or “fruit in keeping with repentance” when coming before God. In John’s ministry and in Jesus’s, both tax collectors and soldiers were coming for healing, reminding us that anyone with the proper attitude is welcome at the table of Christ Jesus. God wants and expects us to pray, and to pray boldly and persistently with faith. For the Christian, prayer should come as naturally as breathing. Prayer arises out of our relationship with God, and should represent a constant communion with the Lord. As we walk in that relationship, we come to know the character and will of God, so that we can ask for things that align with his nature. Finally, it is equally obvious in Scripture that the Lord expects us to persist in our prayers. Jesus emphasized this on several occasions. Our faith should remain strong regardless of how God responds to our requests, because we know that He hears us, loves us, and will ultimately do what is best for us. This confidence in God releases us from the grip of fear. As Paul told the Philippians, when we offer our worries to God, our hearts and minds are guarded, and we become better able to continue praying with faith. All fear is gone because we can trust that whatever answer we receive comes from a God who loves us no matter what. Such love means that he will never leave us or forsake us, and we can be assured that we are “heard” by One who is for us, not against us.
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DO NOT FEAR SERIES LESSON THREE YOU HAVE FOUND FAVOR Luke 1:26-33; 46-55
QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION 1) What does it mean when “we have found favor?” 2) Does having God’s favor translate into material blessings like wealth, houses, cars, etc.? 3) What is the favor that Mary received God’s favor? 4) If bad things happen to us does that mean that we do not have God’s favor?
INTRODUCTION The title of this week’s lesson is: “You Have Found Favor.” In the passage of Scripture that we are considering for this lesson, the word, favor, is used three times to express the honor and benefits of Mary being chosen to bear the Christ child. The questions we need to answer coming out of this passage are, “what does ‘favor’ mean, and how does it apply to us?” Moreover, considering the overall series title, “Do Not Fear,” how does this passage help us respond to the fears we face today? In other words, how does favor shown to Mary affect our fears?
day to day relationship with her son before he became a full-time itinerant (traveling) minister. Then, she too would have the sword pierce “through her soul,” spoken of by Simeon, when she must watch her son unjustly accused, tortured, and then crucified on a cruel cross. How would she interpret the angel’s message of “favor” on the day that she watched her beloved son die? Of course, she had received the gold, frankincense, and myrrh when he was a newborn indicating that he would be special, but no doubt she would have traded all her worldly goods to have her son spared the horrors of his murder at the hands of the Romans (at the insistence of the Jewish leaders). In looking for potential responses to the questions we have raised, we will take a deep dive into Scripture and theology in hopes of tying the two together as a message for Advent. Perhaps having a better understanding of what “favor” really means will translate into a better understanding of how we can approach the things that bring fear to us and our communities in our present society. Mary’s favor has become our own because of the message of universal salvation that Jesus taught all those who met him.
IS FAVOR “PROSPERITY”?
The other night as my wife, Sherri, and I were driving home from a trip out of state, we listened on Sirius radio to a message First, we must question the definition of “favor.” Is favor the same from Joel Osteen. Yes, I know – many people have issues with thing as ‘blessing’? Does being favored by God indicate material Joel’s message. Most people characterize his messages as wealth? Does it mean never having to suffer? In Mary’s case, and belonging to the so-called Prosperity Gospel movement. Many her cousin Elizabeth’s, favor meant that they were going to be tend to dismiss Osteen immediately because he is perceived blessed with babies, a tangible blessing. In each case, the baby as offering improbable hope for personal prosperity. Some say held significant importance to the message of salvation. he is deceiving his congregation (and listeners on media) with a message that is neither Scriptural nor feasible. After all, not In Elizabeth’s case, this blessing did not preclude the possibility everyone is going to get that loan, receive a raise, get healed, of suffering. Her son John decided to live in the wilderness, and a host of other things that he is perceived to be promising taking on poverty by wearing camel’s skin clothes, and eating 7 his listeners. locusts and honey. Not to be trite, but what would we say to our children today: “John, can’t you do something else, some Prosperity is certainly an element of the messages that Joel other job – there’s probably a position here in the Temple that Osteen brings when he preaches, but in the messages I have you should apply for; after all you are a Levite from the line of heard, he was not talking about prosperity in the sense of mere Aaron?!” Or, maybe: “you know that no one will hire someone who material riches. I have never heard him make promises to get smells of camel and locusts?” Favor, in the case of Zechariah and rich or have the biggest car or house, but I have heard him say Elizabeth, meant a willingness to accept the prophetic ministry that we should claim the blessings of God in the form of being of their son, and even his ultimate death through martyrdom. at peace; having a job; getting a good medical report; finding a In Mary’s case, she would get around 30 years of meaningful, spouse; or getting a loan. From what I have heard, his references to God’s blessing relate to having a life that is victorious rather
7 SIDENOTE: before giving your critique of “any” preacher, please do them the courtesy of listening to several different messages on different occasions on different subjects. We may differ with the theological drift of a preacher, but if they are not promoting heresy, we need to be careful what we say about a fellow servant of Christ. Jesus said: “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1-2) Our criteria of assessment should be: Are they theologically reasonable? Do they honor Christ with their words and lives? What are the results of their ministry? Verify these three things and you will be able to make a better comment on someone’s ministry.
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than downtrodden, and a mindset that says that I am a child of the King rather than a victim.
are unlikely to draw criticism for offering false hope to people; they recount events and activities that have happened in the past.
This is not a new message that has suddenly appeared on the scene. I find little difference in Osteen’s message from that of a preacher from a previous generation named Norman Vincent Peale. Peale wrote a very popular book titled, The Power of Positive Thinking, in 1952 that not only became a best-seller but was translated into 42 languages and sold over 15 million copies worldwide, according to the Los Angeles Times8. Dr. Peale founded Guideposts magazine in 1945 which offered spiritual advice along with inspiring stories of how God helped everyday people be victorious in their lives. In 1984, President Reagan granted him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Returning to Joel Osteen, and the message I heard the other night: Yes, Osteen was declaring God’s favor over those hearing his message (those who claim to be followers of Christ). His Scripture for this message was the story in Genesis of Abraham and Sarah, and the fact that long after they were of child-bearing age, God came to them and blessed them (showed them favor) with the news that they were going to have a baby. At the tender age of 80, Sarah’s worn-out body gave birth to a baby named Isaac, and thus the Covenant that God had made with Abraham was going to be continued through his direct bloodline. If God can make it possible for a very old woman to give birth to her first child, Osteen reasons, why can’t God help someone get a promotion, find a job, overcome their sickness, heal a marriage, and any other number of situations we human beings face in our lives?
Peale believed that having a positive attitude could go a long way to helping a person achieve their dreams, and find peace in their present circumstances. He also believed that if we live into the evil and darkness that is all around us, we will end up being beaten down by it all, and will never be able to live the life that God had in mind for us. In explaining his reasoning, he put it this way in an interview in 1968: “This is an awful world, just frightening, and we’re stuck with it. But people are deserving of some help so they can live in this world and make the best of it. I plead guilty, gladly and happily, to helping people accommodate to living in this awful world.” Though I, myself, was young when Peale began his positivity ministry, I can still recall being stirred by the stories I found in his pamphlets, and I don’t recall the kind of harsh criticism from media and religious authorities that has been reserved for more recent exponents of this tradition. Sometime later, Robert Schuller, the pastor at the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, California began his ministry of positive thinking at a drive-in theater that became a drive-up church (you could go inside or drive up and put a speaker in the window like they do at drive-in theaters). He spoke a very similar message of positivity, full of inspiring stories, and considered Peale his mentor in this style of ministry. In an article in the Gospel Herald, Schuller is described as someone who espoused the concept of “possibility thinking.” As the Herald explains: “In 1970, he began a TV ministry called the “Hour of Power,” where he often promoted the idea of ‘possibility thinking,’ redemption, and grace. The program eventually became the most-watched religious program in the world, reaching as many as 20 million viewers during its peak. Today, the show is hosted by Schuller’s grandson.”9 Thus, this message of positivity and Christ are not new topics brought up for the first time by Joel Osteen – they can be traced back quite a distance in history. Ironically, I just reviewed and wrote a supporting statement about a new book being published by a dear friend, titled, Never Lose Heart. There are 52 inspiring stories recounted in this small book that are meant to inspire us to say: “if they can accomplish these amazing feats, why can’t I?” The author recounts amazing stories of courage and fortitude such as that of the inventor Booker T. Washington, the artist Renoir, and even the great racing horse Sea Biscuit. These stories, however, are not tied to a theological message, so they
Abraham and Sarah’s Faith The story of Abraham and Sarah is closely parallels the storyline that we looked at in our last lesson when Zechariah and Elizabeth found themselves pregnant in their old age, long after their child-bearing years were finished. The message is clear – God can do anything he wants to do, so why do we doubt that he wants us to succeed in this life? Osteen called on people to begin believing for miracles in their everyday lives: for getting a loan, receiving that promotion, finding their new job, and any other thing that his listeners had given up hope for. Osteen clearly believes that God still wants to show favor to his people if they will only believe for it, and claim it in faith. No – Osteen does not focus on the fact that it might not happen, but he does say that there will be challenges (perhaps even delays). And yet – how can one explore their own faith unless they live out the message of Hebrews 11:1 – “faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen?” Trusting God for favor, yet following God despite disappointment are not mutually exclusive positions in the Kingdom. Our discussion of prayer in the last lesson spoke of having mustard-seed faith that can move mountains. Should we condemn those who preach a message telling people to take God up on that promise? At the same time, as mentioned in the previous lesson, trusting in God for a miracle should not be same thing as our trust in God as our Savior and Lord. Our relationship with the Lord is not built on the premise of getting my promises fulfilled. The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego should give us a proper lesson at this juncture. When facing the fiery furnace for refusing to worship an idol, they told the King that the Lord could deliver them from the fiery furnace if he wanted to, but whether he did or not, they would not worship any other god. Their relationship with God was secure regardless of the outcome of their requests. As noted earlier, there are certainly those who stand absolutely opposed to this so-called Prosperity Gospel, and tell us that we should not expect God to do us any favors.
8 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-26-mn-5771-story.html 9 https://www.gospelherald.com/articles/54998/20150402/robert-schuller-legendary-televangelist-
founder-crystal-cathedral-ministries-died-88.htm
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IS SEEKING FAVOR SIMPLY MATERIALISM? In fact, some time back, I heard a speaker preaching to a small group of people who challenged those people to quit looking for blessings from God – this is not the way God works, the speaker said. Just because we are Christians, we should not expect any favors from God. This individual was challenging the Prosperity Gospel, but was also attempting to categorize Christianity, in general as a religion too often caught up in the materialism of modern-day society. Although the temptation to a materialistic lifestyle is certainly a reality for most Americans, the focus on this occasion was on the fact that we should not be looking for blessings from God. In the message, reference was made to a recent bestselling book titled: Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved, by Duke Professor, Kate Bowler. She wrote this book in response to her diagnosis of Stage IV Colon Cancer, and as a challenge to those who hold to the theological position of a Prosperity Gospel. Thankfully, from what I can tell, she is a Cancer Survivor for 6 years now, but her challenge still rings true for all who seek to understand how God’s favor (blessing) applies to them. Challenges like this always occur in the face of difficult times such as those experienced after Terrorist Attacks, Economic downturns, disease Pandemics like the present one we are living through, as well as in the personal circumstances of lost jobs, medical diagnoses, tragic deaths, and any number of other earth-shattering life experiences. I would go so far as to say that it should be the anticipated reaction of anyone who has had their prayer go “unanswered” by God. Considering the harsh realities of loss and pain, it would be natural to react against anyone (including Joel Osteen) offering seemingly “pie in the sky” hope for those who are naive enough to believe them. So, which message was correct? Osteen’s message of believing God for blessing, like Abraham and Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth? Or Kate Bowler’s message that God doesn’t give us favors and expecting them is a symptom of American materialism? Perhaps there is a more nuanced view that can bring the two together. Let us continue our consideration of the story of Mary in Luke’s Gospel to get a better understanding of what having God’s favor really means.
BIBLICAL DEFINITIONS OF GOD’S FAVOR Let’s begin with some basic definitions of favor as it relates to individuals. (1) Dictionary.com says that favor is “something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or remuneration,” or, secondarily, “being held in high regard.”10 Thus, favor in this case means that something is given to us that is not required in response to our being treated unjustly or as payment for services
rendered. We are given benefits just because the benefactor chooses to give them. (2) Bible Study Tools says that favor is “gaining approval, acceptance, or special benefits or blessings.”11 Here the sense is that we are brought into the graces of someone or some group because we meet their criteria, and the benefits we receive come with that approval. (3) Pidiaa.com puts it another way: “Grace is God blessing us despite our unworthiness. Favor is the tangible evidence that a person has the approval of the Lord.”12 This definition is theological in nature and shows a tight distinction between grace and favor. Grace is given when we don’t deserve it, but favor is simply the physical evidence of God’s approval. The sense that we get from these definitions is that favor is both the feeling of high regard for someone, and the granting of benefits and blessings because of that attitude. There is a variance of the use of the term that encompasses the sense in a unique way. When we say to someone, “please do me a favor,” we are, in essence, asking the person to grant us a benefit based on their attitude towards us. We are, in the Biblical sense, asking that person to show us favor by doing what we ask. We find evidence of the first sense in the sixth chapter of the book of Judges when the Angel of the Lord comes to visit Gideon. During the conversation the Angel calls Gideon a mighty warrior, and when Gideon complains about the mistreatment of the Midianites, the Angel says that God will enable Gideon to defeat them. When the Angel of the Lord commissions Gideon to begin the deliverance of Israel, Gideon is not so sure of the credibility of his calling and responds with this statement: “If now I have found favor with you, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.” (6:17) Note here that Gideon asks for a sign (one of several that he will request – he has a lot of doubt), he does so to prove that God’s favor is really on him. That favor is defined as God being with him and enabling him to do mighty acts. There is a similar expression of this idea in the flood story found in the book of Genesis. God looks around and sees nothing but evil everywhere until he comes upon Noah. We are then told: “But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.” (6:8) The point is that God has high regard for Noah and values the quality of his relationship with him. This favor will, obviously, result in Noah surviving the world-shattering flood, but the term references the way that Noah, as righteous, is perceived by God.
New Testament Favor In the New Testament, the word for favor is charis (pronounced “karis”) and is only used 7 times (2 times in the Advent passage dealing with the Angel, 1 time describing Jesus, and the rest in the book of Acts). Luke, for example, in describing Jesus growing up in the town of Nazareth says that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.” (Luke 2:52) Thus, the society in which Jesus grew up was likely fond of him, and therefore they found it so hard to accept the possibility that he was the great Messiah that they had been looking for all these years.
10 https://www.dictionary.com/browse/favoring 11 https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/favor/ 12 https://pediaa.com/difference-between-favour-grace-and-mercy/
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This idea of receiving approval by society can also be seen in the early days of the church right after Pentecost. As new believers were brought into this young movement, the population initially looked on them with approval. “Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill (as the NIV notes, the word can also be translated favor) of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-70) Again, the sense is that having favor means that the person(s) is seen as worthy of approval and acceptance, and in the case of Acts results in more people being converted to Christianity.
Old Testament Favor The second sense of favor is also found in numerous places in Scripture, but primarily in the Old Testament. Favor can, for example, be defined as God helping us in our plans and actions. This is the sentiment of Moses in Psalm 90:17, when he writes, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands – O prosper the work of our hands!” In Proverbs we are told that if we are morally good people, then we will find success in the presence of God and human beings. “Do not let loyalty (hesed = steadfast love) and faithfulness forsake you…So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and of people.” (3:3-4) We see several examples of favor resulting in various types of benefits or privileges throughout the Old Testament. One example would be the way that Joseph was advanced in his position within the household of the Egyptian Potiphar. “So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.” (Genesis 39:4) And though things would eventually go sour for him, the fact is that favor meant advancement within the ranks of leadership. The same type of favor is seen in the way that Daniel gained approval from his Babylonian captors due to God’s blessing on him. “Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor and compassion from the palace master.” (Daniel 1:9) Eventually Daniel would become an overseer for the Babylonian King, further evidence of how God’s favor manifested itself in an expanded role of leadership in the Empire. The point, however, seems to be that favor is attached to the way the person is perceived by those who have control of their circumstances, and thus it is not really about material gain (although that may be attached to the elevation), but rather fulfillment of their gifting. QUESTION FOR CONSIDERATION: Is the favor of God measured by material values and things? If not, how do we measure it? How then was Mary seen to be favored?
Spiritual Favor vs. Wealth Although much more can be said about this question, we can say that there are several variables to keep in mind when one thinks about the favor of God. One is that the Scripture seems to indicate that having the favor of God is not the same thing as material prosperity. There are several passages in the New Testament alone that speak to this issue. In the Sermon on the Mount, for example, Jesus makes several telling comments on the dangers of material gain. In the section
of his sermon warning against outward shows of religion (“beware of practicing your piety before others”), Jesus also takes on the question of materialism as a lifestyle. (Matthew 6:1-18) He tells his audience that it is best to store up “treasures in heaven” rather than on earth. The reason is simple: earthly treasures can easily be lost; heavenly treasures are eternal in value. But, even more important to his argument is the fact that when we focus all our attention on earthly matters, we lose the desire to live in the eternal realms. As he puts it: “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (6:19-21) Before launching off into the importance of trusting God rather than worrying, he gives one final warning about material gain. “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (6:24) In his parable of the rich young ruler, Jesus has no negative comments to make about the moral value system of the young man. What he goes after is his wealth that has become his idol or false god. This young man offered a chance to join Jesus’ team chooses his wealth over his God and goes away sad. Jesus then makes the telling comment that it is harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Luke 18:25) But, when his Disciples ask who can then be saved, he gives everyone hope – “what is impossible for mortals is possible for God.” (18:27) We can leave this consideration with one final parable that Jesus used to warn the people he encountered in his preaching. On a certain occasion, a man in his audience brought a practical, true-life question to Jesus to get his help. The man asked Jesus to help him get his family to divide their inheritance fairly. Many families over the centuries have had this kind of struggle; when the parents die the siblings fight over who gets what and how much. So, here on this occasion, this man was enlisting Jesus to help him get what was rightly his. Instead of being the arbitrator, however, Jesus used the moment to give another teaching on materialism. He begins with the principle: “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15) He then tells a parable in which a farmer has an all-time bumper crop and decides to build a bunch more barns (to expand his business) due to his success. But, unknown to him, this was to be his last day on earth: “‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ Jesus drives home the point: “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20) This is the same point made by Solomon in the book we know as Ecclesiastes. As he notes – when it is all said and done, all the hard that I did to amass wealth, prestige, privilege, all of it will be left behind when I die. Thus, how foolish is it for me to think that favor is measured in material possessions. This is what the king discovered about living to acquire wealth and material possessions: “I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me—and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.” (2:18-21) The application of all this is that having material treasures is not
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really the issue; it is all about what you love most, and where your trust system is placed. If you love God with all your being, and your neighbor as yourself, you fulfill God’s law completely. In doing this you settle the question of who you put your trust in – material things are merely the background in which you live out those two commandments.
Mary’s Favor That brings us all the way back to the passages in the Advent Story of Luke’s Gospel. When the Angel speaks to Mary, and chooses to use the word “favor,” to describe her circumstances, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that she is somehow going to gain wealth or material value from the birth of the Son of God. Nor is favor associated with the fact that Mary can get pregnant (something that is more appropriate to the situation with Zechariah and Elizabeth – Mary’s kinswoman). The favor that Mary is receiving is in the person who Mary is going to give birth to in nine months. Mary has the privilege of becoming the Mother of God; the Savior of all humanity (implied in his very name: Jesus from Yeshua whose root means to save or deliver). We see this position reinforced in the Matthew account when the Angel speaking to Joseph says this concerning Mary’s pregnancy: “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (1:21) It is hard to imagine that either Joseph or Mary fully understood just how earth-shattering this miracle was. Can anyone fully comprehend the very idea that a God could take on human flesh, and then die and be resurrected in order to secure complete cleansing from sin and eternal life in the process? QUESTION TO CONSIDER: What if our life appears the opposite of favored? What if things seem to continually fall apart for us? Do we take this to mean that we don’t have the favor of God; that maybe God is out to get us? How can we explain God’s favor in light of continuous struggle and pain?
LACK OF FAVOR One question that has not been addressed to this point is related to the troubles we experience in this life. If we believe that we have the favor of God, how can life be so bad at any given moment. All of us have, at one time or another, likely come across a family that seems to have particularly “bad luck.” Whereas a normal everyday family may experience some difficulties, this family just can’t seem to get a break. To overstate my point, this family not only has house issues, but one of their trees falls on their house. Not long after this they are riding in the country and hit a deer. If that weren’t bad enough, one of their children breaks his/her leg, and the other gets kicked out of school. Then, one of the parents gets a diagnosis of cancer, and the list goes on and on and on. At this point, we can certainly be excused from asking – did they do something to tick God off? I mean, how can so many bad things keep happening to the same family? I would appeal to the same Scripture that Jerrod, our worship leader here at Frazer, used the other day in his message to the congregation. He referenced the story of the man born blind who was healed in the 9th chapter of the Gospel of John. When the
Apostles saw this man who was born blind, they asked Jesus a telling question: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) Much like the theory of Karma in Hinduism, the assumption of the Apostles was that evil happens to people because the people earn it with their bad lives. In addition, my bad behavior can lead to devastating results in the lives of my children as well. Jesus discounts their theory and says that neither viewpoint is acceptable. He then says that this happened so that the work of God might be revealed in him. Christ’s point is that there is not a cause-and-effect system operating in the lives of human beings. God is not some type of Celestial Judge out there ready to whack us with his hammer as soon as we mess up. I also think that we need to be careful to not take another potential solution as to the man’s dilemma. When Jesus says, “he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him,” he is also not saying that God made him blind so that one day Jesus would come along and heal him for the glory of God in Christ Jesus. What he is stating for the Disciples is that this works out perfectly for them to be able to see the goodness of God. It is kind of the same way that we respond sometimes when something turns out well for us after it cost us a great deal. We hear this principle in sports quite often. Sometimes a quarterback or running back will say that they got really upset when they had to sit the bench for a year, but then have an amazing follow-up year. When asked to reflect on the experience you often hear them say that they would never have become the success that they are today if they had not gone through what they experienced. It is that view from a different perspective that makes the experience explainable. Likewise, this blind man offers a perfect opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed through his healing at this time. What we learn in this story, however, is a deeper spiritual truth, and which is that difficulties, trials, and suffering are not evidence of God being angry at us or hating us; they are evidence of the fallen state in which our world exists. So, it is not the cause of our suffering that we need to focus on, but rather the way that we handle it in Christ. What Christ offers to us is not an escape clause from all difficulties and trials? Instead, he offers us his strength and endurance to take what appears to be evil, and to turn it in a different direction. The Early Fathers in the first and second centuries of the church said that what makes God great is not that he keeps us from ever having anything go wrong in our lives, but the fact that he can make something bad that happens to us work out to be something good in us. When Henri Nouwen wrote his book, Wounded Healers (1972), this was the principle he was adhering to – as a Christian, our wounds can be used to bring healing to others suffering in similar ways. We see this same principle in St. Paul’s work as well. Here’s how he puts it in 2 Corinthians 2:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.” The principle of empowerment here is built around the experience of suffering not victory. When God offers his healing mercies to me during difficult times, it is my responsibility to use that mercy to then bring healing in the lives of others.
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This turns the principle of disfavor on its head, doesn’t it? Instead of worrying about what we have done to anger God, we seek God’s assistance in finding ways to utilize our suffering for the greater good. Thus, we find favor with God even in our suffering because in that suffering God comes to us with consolation and comfort. The favor that God shows to us in loving us through our pain is formed into a tool for the consolation of others. As several different authors have put it – we should “never waste our pain;” we must let it become the catalyst for doing healing in others. We need to, as the saying goes, turn our lemons into lemonade; go from seeking a place to assign blame to working to contribute grace and mercy to others. Only then will be able to see God’s favor as linked to relationship rather than to things like prosperity, material value, or power.
CONCLUSION Here is the application – during this Advent Season many of us need to take a new look at ourselves. We need to understand that even though life may be very difficult at the present time, this does not change the fact that we are favored by God. We need to see fear for what it really is – it is a lack of understanding of just how much God loves us. The words that John penned so
long ago must be taken to heart during our difficult lives. John said to his readers that “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” (I John 4:18) Here in this passage two different perspectives of love are tied together. On the one hand, Paul tells us that nothing in earth or heaven “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39) There is no more perfect love than the love of God for his children, so we can release our fear knowing that we have the favor of God. On the other hand, from the human to divine perspective if I truly love God with all my being then I can be, like Paul, content in all things and in all circumstances. “I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him (Christ) who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13) The favor of God arises out of God’s love for us, and it is exemplified most completely in the Christ of Advent. He favors us with his presence here on earth so that his love can redeem a fallen race. His favor took a name – Jesus, and the Angel wasn’t just speaking to Mary – he was speaking to us as well. His name shall be Jesus for he will save all people from their sins!! There can be no greater favor than this!
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DO NOT FEAR SERIES LESSON FOUR I BRING GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY Luke 2:8-21
QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION: 1) What is the Good News of Christmas? 2) Which Scripture passages of Christmas are you able to quote most accurately? 3) What do the birth narratives found in Scripture tell us about the coming King and Messiah? 4) How could we best become messengers of the Good News (the Gospel) this Christmas? 5) How can I keep the true spirit of the Christmas story in a day when society is all about the stuff we get and the things that we do to celebrate the Season?
INTRODUCTION Today we celebrate the birth of Christ; a truly High Holy Day throughout all of Christendom. We once again remember the fact that at a very inconvenient time in Jewish history a child entered the arena of human history. This was not an ordinary child, but a child born with the natures of God and humanity intermixed into one single person. Because of this unique combination of natures, this person, Jesus, could make a bridge between the fallen line of human kind and the pure righteousness and holiness of God. The bridge was made when this person absorbed into his person all of humanity’s sins and took them to death in his body. His resurrection assured them entrance into Heaven. The key to crossing the bridge was their faith or trust in this work of Christ Jesus for themselves. As we close out this series, we are going to dig deep into the meaning of this Good News, and what the Angel was trying to convey to those shepherds who were blessed to be among the first to hear about this great miracle that had taken place in Bethlehem. As we do this, we will also look at the person of Jesus, and how he is described in Scripture.
THE GOOD NEWS The real question of Christmas is what the Angel meant when he said that he was bringing Good News to all people (the world)? Certainly what the Angel said next gives us a hint as to
the meaning of this event: “to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah (Christ), the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) The implication seems to be that the actual Good News is the birth in Bethlehem of the Messiah/Christ. And the purpose of the Messiah born in the City of David is to be a Savior. So the Good News is actually a message of salvation. It is interesting that the Church has co-opted the words Good News to also be applied to the term Gospel. Most of us have heard someone as they teach say that the very word Gospel means Good News. Well, that is kind of true and not true at the same time. The literal word, Gospel, actually derives from the Anglo Saxon word, “god-spell,” which means “good story.” That word is rendered from the word that we find in the Luke 2 passage when the Angel says to the shepherds: “I am bringing you good news.” The Greek word translated here is “euangalidzo,” which is, itself, a combination of two other word forms: “eu” which is actually a prefix that means “well or good;” and “angellos,” which means “tidings or news.” The Angel has a message of good tidings for everyone to hear. There is something else that is interesting here, and it is something that should be kind of obvious – the second part of the word for Good News, is also the root word for the noun, “Angel.” So, the very word Angel is rooted in one who brings news or tidings. When the Angel hovered over the Shepherds to announce the coming of the Savior of the World, he was doing what his very nature existed to be – he was giving out the News. But, this message was not just any news; it was the “good news,” of all good news – a Gospel that would be lived out for 33 years here on earth, and read for centuries afterwards. But, perhaps the question can be asked: why is this proclamation given by the Angels (God’s Messengers) good news for all people? What makes this Good News universally worth knowing; how will it impact people everywhere? Well, to understand this it will be helpful for us to look at how the Old Testament passages describe the expected Messiah, now revealed as a babe lying in a manger somewhere in the city of David. 13 Let’s begin our search in the Gospel of Luke, probably the most quoted Gospel in the Christmas tradition. Within the Gospel of Luke there are several places that Luke supports his narrative with “fulfillment Scriptures” from the Old Testament. Often he sets them up with a statement like, “this was done in order to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet,” and sometimes he will add the name of the prophet, but not always (early followers knew who he meant; we, of course, rely on Google). To give you a sense of how the Gospel writers did this let’s look
13 BIBLE QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION: how many of the four Gospels tell the story of the Birth of Christ? If less than 4, where will you find the baby Jesus?
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at some of the early passages that they use in describing this Messiah who has come to bring salvation to his people (read: all humanity). Working within the Advent story alone, we find many different ways that the Old Testament prophecies are utilized by the Gospel writers to link the Messiah to earlier Biblical Tradition.
A CHILD WITH AUTHORITY
It might be helpful at this point to take note of the various elements found in this passage that seem to link the coming Messiah with Jesus.
child having authority upon his shoulders is that his authority is over the word due to the fact that he was and is the Living Word (a fact identified in the first chapter of John’s Gospel).
Let’s start at the beginning of the passage in Isaiah. Isaiah 9 opens with the statement that the land in the territory of the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali (two of the twelve tribes of Israel) in We can start with the Angel’s conversation with Joseph, the fiancé previous times lived in gloom and contempt, but in the latter time of Mary. When he finds out that Mary is pregnant, he decides to (the future) will be made glorious. The land is further identified put her away privately (divorce her quietly) so as not to publicly as the “way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of humiliate her. The Angel then comes to clarify the situation with Joseph, and Matthew connects the message of the Angel to a the nations.” (9:1) It is to this very passage that the Gospel of passage in the book of Isaiah for Biblical support. “All this took Matthew appeals in support of the Messiahship of Jesus. In fact, in place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the Matthew 4, we are told that Jesus leaves Nazareth, his childhood prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and home, and makes his home in the town of Capernaum, by the they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, God is with us.’” Sea of Galilee in the region of Zebulon and Naphtali. Matthew says that he does this in order to fulfill the passage in Isaiah 9 (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23) which references this territory. He then quotes verse 2 in ninth Further clarity and connection come to us in the conversation chapter of Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen that Mary has with the Angel who comes to inform her of her impending pregnancy. In describing the great favor God has a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on shown her by making her the mother of the Messiah, the Angel them light has shined.” (Matthew 4:16) His point to his readers makes the following point to her: “He will be great, and will be is that Jesus chooses to live and begin his ministry here in this called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to region so as to be in fulfillment of Isaiah’s words so long ago. him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the So, what is it that is going to bring about this light – it is the child house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no that is described just four verses later in verse 6. Here we are told end. (Luke 1:32-33) Even though Luke does not say that this is a that a Child, who is also a Son, is born (is this prophetic present quotation from a prophet, the Angel’s message makes a strong tense?) for us (ironic in that Jesus Christ will actually die FOR connection between the historically bounded kingdom of Israel, us in the future time frame). In particular, it says that “authority and the eternal reign of the coming Messiah. In this verse, for rests upon his shoulders.” (9:6) Interesting isn’t it that one of the example, the Angel tells Mary that her son will have both earthly things often said of Jesus as he did his ministry in Palestine was and heavenly kingship. He will be from the Kingly line of David, that he taught them “as one having authority, not as the scribes.” (tribe of Judah). He will reign over the “house of Jacob” referring We see this phrasing used, for example, at both the end of the to the kingdom of Israel, which is connected by the story of Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:29), and again, after he taught Jacob wrestling all night with the Lord and being named Israel the people in the synagogue in Capernaum (Mark 1:22). Since as a result. And yet, at the same time, he will also be “called the Jewish scribes were students of the Law and Prophets (the Son of the Most High,” which identifies him as individually and written Scriptures) it was their job to copy the laws and their inherently God. interpretations as well as to teach about them. As one scholar There are a number of other passages in the Scriptures that notes, Mark seemed to see them as high officials and advisers reinforce the underlying meaning of these two Scripture passages, to the chief priests; Matthew presented them as learned leaders but one, in particular, has been quoted more often than perhaps of the Jewish community; and Luke seemed to feel that they all others during this season. Many a choir has done a Christmas were closely connected to the Pharisees and the chief priests, cantata in which these two verses have been centerpiece. in particular.14 If there should have been any people who spoke These verses are found in the 9th chapter of Isaiah, and describe with authority about the Scriptures, it should have been the rabbis, the birth of a little child who is also the everlasting God and Father and yet, the people felt that Jesus, not the rabbis, taught with of all that exists. Of all Advent passages it has the most power to authority. It is also ironic that on a number of occasions Jesus, clearly evoke the images of what the coming of Christ Jesus as himself, was identified as a rabbi. Even more ironic, perhaps, is a baby truly represents. “For a child has been born for us, a son the fact that in the 2nd chapter of Luke, we read about Jesus given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named amazing the priests and teachers in the Temple, when he was Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of accidentally left there by Joseph and Mary. “After three days they Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (2:46-47) will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7) What Isaiah might have been hinting at in his statement about the
14 https://bible.org/seriespage/7-scribes
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Wonderful Counselor Since there are no punctuation points within the original Hebrew text, the words wonderful and counselor can be taken as singular or as a pair. The two words have particular meanings that offer to us a view of an a absolutely unique individual. The Hebrew term translated as Wonderful is peleh, and has the connotation of something marvelous, extraordinary, and unusual. This child is both unusual and extraordinary, a marvel in the eyes of those who see him. But, coupling this word with the next makes the passage take on even more depth. The next descriptive word is Counselor or yaw-ats and is often used to describe one who advises or gives counsel or advises. This individual helps guide and put together plans, offers purpose, and devises strategy. The two words together describe an individual of incredible depth and wisdom who offers advice and strategy to others, and who helps develop a plan while helping guide those who follow it.
out the mountains. This God knows the stars by name, and sees the nations as mere drops in a bucket. Human beings are mere grasshoppers to this God, and had no part to play in creation at all. (40:12-26)
Then, in chapter 44, God attacks the premise of idol worship, and shows the folly of believing that idols could ever help a person out. The Lord begins with the clarification that idols have no existence, and are not alive. “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god,” he tells the people of Israel. (44:6) God then goes into a sarcastic description of the absurdity of idolatry. He notes that an individual will often go into the woods and cut down a tree for the purpose of carving an idol. Half of the tree he will carve into an elaborate idol, and then fall down before it and beg for its help. The other half of the tree is used as firewood, and he cooks his supper over it. So – either half could have been the idol or the firewood, and yet he thinks that one half can somehow save him or protect him. His conclusion: “He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he With this phrase we see the nature of God as described by cannot save himself or say, ‘Is not this thing in my right hand a Jesus himself in the Gospel of John. As Jesus is spending his fraud.’” (44:20) last evening with his Apostles, he tries to offer them comfort and encouragement for the future. He tells them that when he His language in chapter 45 is explicit: “I made the earth, and leaves them, he will send to them a companion who will be created humankind upon it; it was my hands that stretched out representative of himself. “And I will ask the Father, and he will the heavens and I commanded all their host. They have no give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the knowledge – those who carry about their wooden idols, and keep Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither on praying to a god that cannot save. There is no god besides sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is no one besides me. you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) The word translated Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!” (45:12, 20-22) here as Advocate is the Greek word, paraklehton, which has It is here in this kind of language that we see the stark reality of several meanings of interest to our study. The Paraklehtos is the incredible miracle that occurred at Christmas – a God of Might an intercessor who pleads the cause of another, or one who and Power wrapped in fragile humanity; a Baby Boy dependent consoles; a helper or assistant. on his parents with the authority of Almighty God. In the latter part of this message to the Apostles, he further delineates the role that the Holy Spirit will play in the lives of the believers who will take up the mantle of the movement. “But the Everlasting Father Advocate (Counselor/Adviser), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father With this pairing of nouns, we see the fact that relationship defines will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you this God. Apart from the contrast of calling a child a father, the of all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26) The Spirit will bring greater emphasis must be the everlasting nature of this relational to their attention the things that Christ taught, and will be their position. Fatherhood can certainly have widely varying meaning, adviser and guide along the way as well. but in this case we must see it from the perspective of Scripture.
Mighty God This description is probably most enlightening within the overall passage. Here we have diametrically opposed realities side by side. On the one hand, we have a child with all the connotations that being a child brings with it. A child is small, needs the help of parents and family, cannot take care of itself, and cannot protect itself from threat. At the same time, this child is a Mighty God with all that comes with that title. A God has no boundaries or restrictions. A God needs nothing and no one to contribute to his existence. A God controls all things, and is controlled by none. Isaiah, better than any other prophet, describes the nature of a Transcendent God for his readers. As we read in a previous lesson, chapter 40 of Isaiah’s prophecy has God portraying the differences between himself and humanity. The God depicted here measured out the heavens and the waters, and weighed
We are talking about fatherhood in the very highest possible sense. Here we must draw to our minds the pictures of the very best fathers in Scripture. 15
As noted in the question, we can certainly find evidence of failed parenting models in Scripture. We need only name a few to help us get the picture (we find mistakes in both major and minor ways). There are cases in Scripture of favoritism being shown by fathers. Here we see examples like Isaac who favored Esau over Isaac, or Jacob who seemed to have a particular fondness for Joseph even though there were eleven other sons who were older than him. We have cases of poor judgment in giving spiritual guidance. King Omri is one example that comes to mind. Omri is one of the kings in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and in order to cement an alliance he has his son, Ahab, married to the Phoenician Princess Jezebel, who brings with her all her priests for the gods of Baal (male god of storm and war) and Asherah (goddess of sex and love), thus polluting the purity of religion in
15 QUESTION FOR CONSIDERATION: Can you name some of the fathers in Scripture who did less than their very best in parenting?
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the north. Jezebel’s actions as the Ahab’s Queen will result in her very name coming to be known as the symbol of evil and sin. We might even say that the whole generation of elders who entered the Promised Land with Joshua were failures with regards to their duties as leaders of their families. It is clear in the Laws of the Book of Deuteronomy that the father has responsibility to pass on the teachings and the laws of God to the next generation (see Deuteronomy 4 and following).
When the elder son finds out about the return of the son, and is indignant that they would throw a banquet for a man who had frivolously spent his money on friends and “prostitutes” (how did he know this – was Jesus implying that he had been keeping up with little brother). The father then lovingly counsels his elder son to rejoice over the return of his long-lost brother, and know that his love for him remained always the same.
Now who wouldn’t want a father like this – one who never gives But, what do we learn from this verse from Judges, chapter 1: up on us, and who loves us, but waits, watching and hoping that “The people worshiped the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all we will come to our senses. Who would not want the everlasting the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all love of a father who equally shows forgiveness and justice, mercy the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. Moreover, that and equality to all his children? The phrase Everlasting Father whole generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another has such depth and meaning within the context of this person generation grew up after them, who did not know the Lord or being described by Isaiah’s prophesy. In some ways, this mindset the work that he had done for Israel.” (1:7,10) The key words are is emphasized in the song by Chris Tomlin, Good Good Father the last ones “who did not know the Lord or the work he had (2015), in the phrasing of the chorus: “You’re a good, good, father; done.” How is that possible if they are retelling the stories of it’s who you are. And I’m loved by you; it’s who I am.” The tag the Passover and God’s provision for the 40 years in the desert. line gives the reason this can be said: “Because You are perfect These fatherly failures can be seen in the lives of very great in all of your ways.” leaders as well. Even the mighty Samuel, who was Israel’s last Judge and first prophet, failed to train his sons in the ways of Prince Of Peace the Lord. After he made his sons judges over all of Israel, this is the assessment of the Biblical writer: “Yet his sons did not follow We hardly need comment on this phrase. Whether we separate in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and the words into simply Prince (representing the royal nature of perverted justice.” (I Samuel 8:3) The point here is that simply Christ) and Peace (Jesus, in his very nature is peace), or combine being a father does not guarantee anything about how we will them to mean Prince of Peace, either meaning is lived out in the parent. Our responsibility to pass on our faith will always be a teachings and life of Jesus. Let’s take a quick snapshot at how part of the parenting process if we are Christians. We should pray Jesus fits the title of the One who came to secure our peace. fervently that when our sons and daughters are assessed, they In that last teaching that Jesus gave to his Disciples before will be seen as having followed in the ways of their godly parents. his arrest, he tried to prepare them for what was coming by But, poor parenting is not what the present passage is about – we explaining that peace originated in him not their circumstances. are talking about the Everlasting Father – the Eternal Fatherhood “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to of God. Perhaps the greatest example of this ideal is found in you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and the story told about Fatherhood by Jesus himself. Even though do not let them be afraid.” (John 14:27) His point was that the the story is often titled, the Prodigal Son, it could perhaps be world offers no real peace, it is only found in him. So, as things better titled the Faithful Father!! I suspect that most of us know look bad, they should seek his peace, and in doing so fear would this story all too well. An apparently well-to-do father had two be overcome. A little later in his message he returns to the fact sons, and the younger son asks for his future inheritance to be that they can’t look to the world for peace; it is only found in the given to him early. Israelite tradition certainly favored the elder Prince of Peace. “I have said this to you, so that in me you may brother, but there is the sense that the younger brother received have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; a substantial amount of money. He then goes off into a far country I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33) and wastes all of it in partying and a negligent lifestyle. Knowing this, it makes perfect sense that on the several occasions Eventually it all runs out, and being perhaps too proud to ask for that Jesus showed up to make first contact with the Disciples help, he tries to make it on his own; an effort that fails spectacularly! after his resurrection, the first words out of his mouth was “peace He sinks so low that he begins working for a pig farmer (pigs are be with you.” (Luke 24:36) Now, they were living out the words considered an unclean animal in Mosaic law) and becomes so in his final message – everything all around them seemed out hungry that he considers eating what these animals eat. Finally, of control and threatening. Jesus simply reminded them – his as Scripture puts it, he comes to his senses, and decides to return peace was theirs to have – not worldly peace, but peace from to his father’s house. He plots the language he will use when he their Lord and God. returns, deciding that he will ask to receive the same benefits of But, this Prince of Peace offers more than mere peace under housing and food as the servants in his father’s household. And duress and persecution. He offers peace earned by his sacrifice so, he heads for home. on the cross. Paul expresses this in his letter to the Roman church: Jesus tells his audience that his father sees him while he is still a “As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring long way out from the house and runs to him. He slips the family good news!’” (Romans 10:15) In this passage, the language of the signet ring on his finger, and though the son states his case, he Greek clearly says the “good news (word also used for Gospel) brushes his request aside and welcomes his son back home. of peace.” The good news being proclaimed is that Jesus has He sets up a big banquet to celebrate the return of his son who obtained peace for us by his blood sacrifice on the cross, a fact borne out by Paul in Romans, chapter five. “Therefore, since we was dead to him, but is now very much alive.
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are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (5:1) In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul identifies the source of peace – “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups (Jews and Gentiles) into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” For Paul, Christ Jesus represents the sacrifice that brings all human beings back together with God, regardless of whether they are from God’s chosen people or pagan backgrounds. In reality the payment for sin and separation was made in full by Christ’s suffering. This peace, given to us by Christ, is the inheritance for all Christians, and should be the expectation of every soul seeking a deeper relationship with Christ. This is the hope Paul has for every member of every one of his churches, and often became his parting benediction to them. One example can be found in his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16) He offers a similar blessing to the believers in Colossae: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)
GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY Good news indeed – this Advent story is all about Angels and Proclamations and babes in a manger. Ultimately, however, the message delivered by messengers (Angels) is that God has done something that could never have been anticipated. The message seems simple enough: “to you is born a Savior, Christ the Lord.” Humankind has had heroes before – men and women who did mighty deeds. But, this has the feel of a different circumstance entirely. This hero is a baby born to a family with little that would cause us to take notice. And though this baby looks like every other babe born to a mother on this planet, there is something quite different about this child. This child has the smell of Heaven on his breath, and shepherds and Magi (wise men) rightfully offer him honor and worship. Though the rustic surroundings say to us that there is nothing significant happening here, we sense that there is much, much, more to this babe than we first anticipate.
The Good News of Great Joy is that we need fear no more. There is nothing that we face that is not anticipated in the Christ of Christmas. If we feel lost and can’t seem to find our way, we need In fact, he felt that the believer who learns how to pray prop- look no further than the Wonderful Counselor who guides our erly during times of stress and anxiety will be the recipient journey, and helps us plan our path. Do we feel overwhelmed of peace afforded to us by a Lord who leans into our lives by the evil and chaos around us; then we need only turn to the with his love and mercy. “Do not worry about anything, but God who called the Universe into being and who calls the stars in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving by name. If we fear that we can never be good enough, and that let your requests be made known to God. And the peace we are being overwhelmed by our circumstances, we need only of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your rush into the arms of the Father who has been waiting for us hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) This from eternity, and who will bring us back safely to his Heavenly is the same thought process evident in the prophet Isaiah’s Kingdom. And when life seems most fractured and full of threat, description of victory in the land of Judah. “You will keep in we find that the Prince of Peace is already at work mending our perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast (leaning upon brokenness and protecting our well being. God), because they trust in you.” As we lean on the Lord, we find that peace is naturally generated by our confidence in It really comes down to one simple statement of truth: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) The message of his love and concern for our well being. the Angels rings true to the statement: “I bring you good news To sum up, there is no question that the kingdom of Jesus Christ that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of is characterized by peace in every possible way. There is peace David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah (Christ), that comes from being in the continuous presence of Christ. the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11) In this babe we have the Savior for our There is peace because our sins have been dealt with Christ’s sins; the anointed one who intercedes for us; and the King of blood and sacrifice. There is peace as we live into the richness our lives. God IS FOR us – how can we fail? of the community of faith. But, in the fullest sense, the peace we seek is generated within the complexities and challenges of life as we learn how to live in a trusting relationship with Christ Jesus our Lord, the true Prince of Peace.
