Category: Christ’s humanity

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing #1

Friday, December 3, 2021

“And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him” (Hebrews 1:6 KJV).

The first verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!”

Angels are very strange, and thus, often misunderstood, creatures. They are like humans in some respects but also drastically different from us. According to today’s Scripture, angels have a capacity to find worth in, and hence worship, their Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father, according to the book of Hebrews (today’s Scripture), does not consider His Son an angelic being but rather Someone apart from the angelic host, Someone worthy of their worship.

Psalm 103:20,21 says: “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.” And Psalm 148:2, “Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.” In the spirit of these verses, the writer of the book of Hebrews penned what he did in today’s Scripture.

The angels knew that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, had finally become flesh, and He could now fulfill the Old Testament prophecies going all the way back to Adam—chiefly, God’s literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom. On the night of Christ’s birth, Luke 2:13,14 says: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” In perfect accordance with the book of Psalms, the angels filled the night sky of Palestine and joyfully sang to praise the Lord of glory! (What that massive angelic choir sounded like to human ears, we can only wonder!!)

Let us, by faith, join that angelic host in praising the Lord of glory!

What Child Is This? #4

Thursday, December 2, 2021

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms” (Psalm 95:1,2 KJV).

The final verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

As the shepherds and angels gathered around Baby Jesus’ manger, we can only wonder what immense joy filled their hearts. In that world of old—plagued by the same basic problems of our modern world—He was a Beacon in the dark and a Solace in the misery. They undoubtedly sang right in the midst of all those farm animals! They were so thrilled to see God working in their presence. They were now standing before His baby crib!

Sinners today are greatly encouraged—yea, urged—to come by faith to God’s Son, Jesus Christ, right this moment. They are not to come by faith to His crib, for He is no longer a Baby. Rather, they are to come by faith to His cross, where He gave up that life for us! “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). What we need to do is rely exclusively on Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork, His shed sinless blood and His resurrection, as sufficient payment for our sins.

As with Jesus’ birth, for those who do not want to see anything, they do not see anything. Those who see are people who want to see. It has nothing to do with God hiding anything from anyone. What did Jesus tell the Jews? “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17).

Although Jesus Christ is not physically here today, we can still haste to bring Him laud. We can praise Him highly in a public context. First, we can believe on Him and His finished crosswork. Then, we can tell others how they too can be saved through Calvary!

What Child Is This? #3

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20,21 KJV).

The third verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come, peasant, king, to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

While commonly assumed the wise men came to visit Baby Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem, a careful study of Matthew chapter 2 shows us that they met Jesus in Joseph’s house in Nazareth, when He was as much as two years old (verse 16). The Bible never specifies “three” wise men or three “kings,” either. Regardless of their number, these wise men, Gentiles from the East, came to Jerusalem looking for Israel’s King. Upon hearing the wise men, King Herod and all of Jerusalem were “troubled” (verse 3). Israel should be ready to receive her Messiah-King, but she is not. Gentiles are seeking Israel’s King, and they, the Gentiles, are ready! How odd!

The wise men learn that Israel’s Messiah was born in Bethlehem-Judah (verses 4-6), but a “star” (angel) leads them to Nazareth (verses 7-10). Verse 11: “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” Jesus is a King, so the wise men have brought gold to Him. They have brought Him frankincense because He is a Priest. Myrrh has been brought to Him because He is a Prophet. Gentiles treat Israel’s King with more respect than Israel does!

Nothing has changed today. Some reject Jesus Christ while others accept Him. The songwriter, as does this author, urges people to accept Him!

Bible Q&A #905: “How is He ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ if He was born in Bethlehem?”

What Child Is This? #2

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

“And they [the shepherds] came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (Luke 2:16-18 KJV).

The second verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spears shall pierce Him through,
The cross He bore for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

It was just as the angel of the Lord had told them. The Saviour, Christ the Lord, the King of Israel, was indeed born in Bethlehem, but not in a palace. The shepherds found Him lying in a trough, a structure out of which farm animals ate! How odd!

There were just so many things about Jesus’ nativity that did not make sense in the human mind. Firstly, a virgin had conceived and borne a child. Secondly, the God of creation had confined Himself to a tiny body that could be held in human hands. Thirdly, that the King of Israel had been born in a stinky, dirty barn and His crib was literally a trough. Lastly, that Someone so important did not have thousands of people flocking to His crib. Strange!

As the shepherds left Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus, they spread the news about what they had heard and seen. The Bible says that this audience “wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.” They could not fathom how it was possible, either. Even today, the natural (lost) mind of man not only struggles with, but outright refuses, to believe the simple truths of the Bible. They rather rail against and reject that which they do not understand, than acknowledge that they do not know everything and the God of the Bible is wiser than they are. To accept those truths would mean validating how Jesus Christ came to live that He would die for us sinners.

Yet, some hearers believed!

Our two latest Bible Q&As: “What is a ‘maul?’” and “What is a ‘sheepcote?’”

What Child Is This? #1

Monday, November 29, 2021

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:30-33 KJV).

The first verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“What child is this, who, laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

Such an event had never before happened in human history. God had promised “the seed of the woman” to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15), but it was 4,000 years later that Mary was identified as that “woman.” That the Creator God would take upon Himself the flesh of sinful man, though Himself never being defiled by sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22). Unheard of in pagan religions!

The angels understood the Old Testament prophecies about God’s Son being born of a human mother. She was a “virgin,” a young woman (perhaps in her teens) who had never had any sexual relations with a man (Luke 1:34). On the night of Baby Jesus’ birth into the human race—the culmination of humanity added to His deity—the angels appeared in the sky and sang, to encourage the shepherds in the nearby fields to hurry to Bethlehem to see a little Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes (Luke 2:8-14).

“[15] And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

Once the shepherds came to Bethlehem, and found Baby Jesus, they beheld such a strange sight!

Our two latest Bible Q&As: “Can you explain how Jesus ‘set his face’ in Luke 9:51?” and “What are ‘benefactors?’”

Seven Men Named Before Birth #4

Thursday, August 5, 2021

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1 KJV).

Who are the seven noteworthy men in Scripture named before their births?

After Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, the LORD addressed Satan the serpent: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). One day, a Man would be born to completely destroy Satan’s work in creation, a Man who would reverse the ruin and take care of the sin Adam invited into the world. It would take 4,000 long years to establish His bloodline—but He would come!

Throughout the numerous centuries of the Old Testament Scriptures, Israel’s Prophets foretold of that coming Messiah/Christ, that “Anointed One,” who would fulfill all the LORD’S promises to her: “Therefore the LORD himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Remember, however, sinful Israel—like the nations or Gentiles around her—began to increasingly oppose the Creator’s will. Thus began the 400 years of God’s silence. With John the Baptist’s ministry, God again speaks to stubborn Israel: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness,…” (Mark 1:1-4).

Some 700 years following Isaiah’s prophecy, the angel told Joseph concerning his wife Mary: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS [“JEHOVAH-Saviour”]: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:21-23). God Himself was made flesh, able to shed His blood for man’s sins.

Now, we summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

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To Savour the Flavour of the Saviour #3

Monday, July 12, 2021

“But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men” (Mark 8:33 KJV).

What can today’s Scripture and its context teach us about Satan’s policy of evil?

The Bible is always honest, even about its heroes. Peter the Apostle was a mighty vessel of the LORD—and will be throughout the endless ages to come! Yet, Peter was just a man like all of us. He had his faults, weaknesses, limitations. His faith wavered. Many times, he blurted out silly comments without thinking. He meant well, but he should have simply agreed with the Lord Jesus in Mark chapter 8 and Matthew chapter 16. When he learned of Calvary—Christ’s death—he should have responded, “Amen! So be it!”

Jesus Christ was undiminished Deity and full humanity. As a Man, there came days when He was reading His Hebrew (Old Testament) Scriptures, those Messianic prophecies, and exclaimed, “Hey, that is Me being described there! I need to fulfill these verses. My Father wants Me to do that—and I will enjoy doing it with Him too!” Let us be mindful of Psalm 40, a direct reference to Calvary: “[6] Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. [7] Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, [8] I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (cf. Hebrews 10:5-10).

When the Lord Jesus revealed His impending suffering and death in the context of today’s Scripture, He was fully aware of the prophecies that had to be fulfilled (Psalm 22, Isaiah chapter 53, and so on). Yet, Peter was walking in the flesh, thinking like a lost man, encouraging Jesus not to fulfill Bible prophecy. Therefore, Jesus was prompted to reply most sharply to Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” (That is, “Move out of My way, Adversary!”) Indeed, Peter was inadvertently functioning as Satan’s spokesman….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why forgive ‘seventy times seven?’”

To Savour the Flavour of the Saviour #2

Sunday, July 11, 2021

“But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men” (Mark 8:33 KJV).

What can today’s Scripture and its context teach us about Satan’s policy of evil?

Although certain individuals have great difficulty accepting the following truths presented in Luke chapter 2, we who follow the leading of the Spirit of God simply believe what the Bible says. “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” (verse 40). “And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (verses 51,52). In these two opening chapters of Luke, Christ’s infancy and childhood are outlined. True to his major theme, throughout his Gospel Record, Luke underscores Jesus’ humanity.

In today’s Scripture (cf. Matthew chapter 16), Christ has been studying the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament) for over a quarter-century. He is a Man of 33 years of age. His earthly ministry, underway for the last three years, is now finally drawing to a close. We remind ourselves of the Prophet Isaiah quoting Him over 700 years prior: “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting” (Isaiah 50:4-6).

Like us, as a Man, Jesus grew physically, mentally, and spiritually. He listened to His Heavenly Father teaching Him. The more He learned from the Prophets’ writings, the more He realized His horrific death by crucifixion was imminent. It was His Father’s will for Him, and He would not be rebellious or turn away back….

The Judge—the Son of Man and the Son of God #5

Friday, July 9, 2021

“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:22,23 KJV).

Why has God the Father committed all judgment unto God the Son?

Sinful man devises various and sundry “clever” excuses to free himself from all responsibility—or partly minimize his guilt. One such defense is, “How can Almighty God actually know what it is like to be a human? He has never experienced the pressures or situations in which I have found myself! How could that distant Deity fairly judge me? We are totally unalike!” Of course, the creature could never outsmart the Creator. Anticipating those excuses, the LORD God has already replied: “But [!] I [!] have [!] experienced the pressures or situations in which you found yourself! I can be touched with the feeling of your infirmities; but in all tempted like as you are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

At the Incarnation, when God the Son took on human flesh, He entered creation: once separate from it, He forever became part of it. In that instant, He became subject to the temptations of this evil world system currently besetting us (Galatians 1:4). As recorded in Matthew chapter 4, Mark chapter 1, and Luke chapter 4, He was tempted of the Devil. Although victorious (sinless) throughout, Christ Jesus nevertheless underwent the test that Adam and Eve, and rebellious Israel in the wilderness, failed. Hebrews looks forward to the test under the Antichrist.

John chapter 5 makes it clear Jesus Christ is both the Son of God (Deity) and the Son of Man (humanity). As God, He exercises supreme authority as to determining who is right and who is wrong, what His Father deems right and what His Father considers wrong; as man, He can fairly assess mankind concerning his failures. “You are without excuse! It was possible for you to overcome this evil world system! After all, I did it when I was on Earth! You could have relied on Me to have victory over sin too—but you did not!”

The Judge—the Son of Man and the Son of God #4

Thursday, July 8, 2021

“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:22,23 KJV).

Why has God the Father committed all judgment unto God the Son?

In chapter 4, the writer of Hebrews penned: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (verses 15,16). Also, chapter 2, verse 18: “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour [aid, comfort] them that are tempted.” Obviously, these refer to Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12,13; and Luke 4:1-13. Here, Satan challenged Jesus—or, better yet, where Jesus allowed Himself to be tested or proved as per the Father’s plan. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:…” (James 1:13). Since God cannot be tempted, and John’s Gospel Record focuses on Jesus Christ’s Deity, John does not record Christ’s temptations.

As described in 1 John 2:16, Satan’s evil world system uses at least one of three avenues to entice us: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” The order of Christ’s temptations in Luke 4:1-13 follow this pattern: “the lust of the flesh” (bread, or “I want it!”), “the lust of the eyes” (kingdoms, or “It looks good!”), and “the pride of life” (angels, or “I deserve it!). It was also the configuration of Satan’s attacks on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: “good for food,” “pleasant to the eyes,” and “a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). Where Adam and Eve failed, of course, Christ triumphed. He was the perfect Son of Man, able to fairly judge other sons of men….