The Purpose has become the
Person
(Luke 1: 67-80)
Zechariah
had a great vision for his son. He thought of him as the prophet and the
forerunner who would prepare the way of the Lord. All devout Jews hoped and
longed for the day when the Messiah, God’s anointed king, would come. Most of
them believed that, before he came, a forerunner would announce his coming and
prepare his way. The usual belief was that Elijah would return to do so based
on Malachi 4:5, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great
and awesome day of the Lord comes.” Was this fulfilled in John the Baptist?
Will Elijah be reincarnated? It seems best to view the prophecy of Malachi as a
reference to John the Baptist and not to literally-returned Elijah. While
announcing the birth of John the Baptist, the angel said, “He will go before
him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a
people prepared.” John the Baptist
himself declared to the priests and Levites sent by Jews that I am not the
Christ and not Elijah. (John 1:19-21)
This
particular passage is known as Benedictus, the first word of v68 blessed in the
Latin Translation. Zechariah’s prophecy. We read in Luke 1, when it was
foretold that his wife would bear a son, Zechariah asked Gabriel, “How shall I
know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” Gabriel said
since you did not believe my words, you will be unable to speak until these
things take place.” (Luke 1:19) This happened just before he could come out of
the temple and pronounce his benediction upon people. When his speech was
restored, the first word he uttered was ‘Blessed’ – benedictus in Latin.
In
the process of prophesying about his son in this passage which is filled with
OT prophecies, Zechariah spells out three reasons as to why the Messiah, Christ
would come into this world and why we should celebrate His birth. What are the
implications of His birth on us today?
To
give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.
(v77)
Even
today the knowledge and understanding of God on the part of people is not the
same. It varies from person to person; culture to culture; religion to
religion. The Greeks thought of a passionless God, beyond all joy and sorrow,
looking on men in clam unmoved detachment. The Jews thought of a demanding God,
whose name was law and whose function was that of judge – nothing but terror.
The Hindus and Muslim’s knowledge of their God.
It
is a simple but profound fact that people did not know what God was like until
Jesus came. He came to this earth and lived among people primarily to reveal
God and His eternal love for His creations.
If
he had not been born, we would have never possessed any knowledge of salvation.
In spite of OT being filled with prophecies concerning the birth of a Saviour,
only very few understood the significance of the birth of Christ. Christmas is
being celebrated in the world today for various reasons. Houses, commercial
establishments and business streets are decorated for various reasons. These
celebrations do not mean that the people of this world have understood the
significance of Christ’s birth. Millions of people across this world have not
still understood the need for salvation or deliverance from the consequences
and curse of sin.
Salvation
and forgiveness of sins are inseparable as one cannot exist without the other. Forgiveness
of sins is the heart of salvation. In fact, salvation is deliverance from the
consequences and curse of sin. There can be no salvation for people without the
forgiveness of their sins.
In
the context of his meeting with Zacchaeus, the hated tax-collector and visiting
his house, Christ Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the
lost.” (Luke 19:10) How can He seek and save us? Only by the forgiveness of our
sins. This is what we read in Matthew 1:21 as announced by angel to Joseph,
“Your wife Mary will bear a son and your shall call his name Jesus, for he will
save his people from their sins.”
He
is a programmed baby, born with a name, tile and job description.
All
of us know by heart John 3:16, but you know what John 3:17 says, For God did
not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the
world might be saved through him.
During the Spanish-American war Clara Barton was
overseeing the work of the Red Cross in
Cuba. One day Colonel Theodore Roosevelt came to her, wanted to buy food for
his sick and wounded Rough Riders. But she refused to sell him any. Roosevelt
was perplexed. His men needed the help and he was prepared to pay out of his
own funds. When he asked someone why he could not buy the supplies, he was
told, "Colonel, just ask for it!" A smile broke over Roosevelt's
face. Now he understood--the provisions were not for sale. All he had to do was
simply ask and they would be given freely.
He
was born to give the knowledge of salvation – that it cannot be earned only
received freely by faith and forgiveness of sins.
To
give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death
(v79a)
The
second purpose of His birth is to give light to those who sit in darkness and
in the shadow of death.
While
prophesying about the birth of the Messiah, Saviour, Jesus Christ 700 years
before He was actually born, Isaiah says, The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them
has light shined. (9:2)
The
coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ is synonymous with the coming of light to
remove the darkness of captivity and to dispel darkness. (42:16, 49:6,
58:8)
Christ
Jesus reiterates in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as light, so that
whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”
“And
this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the
darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who
does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his
deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so
that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God. (John
3:19-21)
“And
even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In
their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to
keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the
image of God” says the Apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 4:3-4.
Lord Kenneth Clark, internationally know for his
television serials Civilization,
lived and died without faith in Jesus Christ. He admitted in his autobiography
that while visiting a beautiful church he had what he believed to be an
overwhelming religious experience. "My whole being," Clark wrote,
"was irradiated by a kind of heavenly joy far more intense than anything I
had known before." But the "gloom of grace," as he described it,
created a problem. If he allowed himself to be influenced by it, he knew he
would have to change, his family might think he had lost his mind, and maybe
that intense joy would prove to be an illusion. So he concluded, "I was
too deeply embedded in the world to change course."
Are
you too deeply embedded in the world to change course?
Some people change their ways when they see the light,
others only when they feel the heat.
To
guide our feet into the way of peace (v79b)
Once
we have the assurance that our sins are forgiven and we are not in darkness any
more, we are guided into peace. Third purpose of His birth is to guide us into
the way of peace. He is the only one who is qualified to do that as one of the
royal titles given to Him much before His birth was Prince of Peace.
While
talking to His disciples, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give
you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27) In me, you may have
peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome
the world. (John 16:33)
Above
all, in Eph. 2:14 the Apostle Paul says, “For He himself is our peace…”
He
is our Emmanuel – God with us. The real secret of peace.
Pastor Clifford S. Stewart of Louisville, Kentucky,
sent his parents a microwave oven one Christmas. Here's how he recalls the
experience: "They were excited that now they, too, could be a part of the
instant generation. When Dad unpacked the microwave and plugged it in,
literally within seconds, the microwave transformed two smiles into frown! Even
after reading the directions, they couldn't make it work. "Two days later,
my mother was playing bridge with a friend and confessed her inability to get
that microwave oven even to boil water. 'To get this darn thing to work,' she
exclaimed, 'I really don't need better directions; I just needed my son to come
along with the gift!'" When God gave the gift of salvation, he didn't send
a booklet of complicated instructions for us to figure out; he sent his Son.
He
was born to give us the knowledge of salvation eventually He has become our
salvation; He was born to give light but eventually He has become our light and
He was born to guide out feet into the way peace but eventually He has become
our peace. The purpose of Christ’s birth has become the person of Christ.
