Thrust Statement: Jesus is the One who was to come.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 11:1-6

            As Christians prepare to celebrate Christmas, this remembrance should be a time in which believers appropriate the wonder, awe, and mystery of the Incarnation. The celebration of Christmas acts as a spiritual wakeup call for reflection once more upon God’s action for the rescue of lost humanity, which action began before He created the world (Ephesians 1:4). For centuries, many Christians have observed the season of Advent—the four Sundays proceeding Christmas Day—as a time to re-orient one’s mind toward that Incarnation Event which brought to a climax the promises God made to Abraham when he was seventy-five years old (Genesis 12:4). From the time of Abraham (2166—1991 BC) to Christ, one sees a span of two thousand years of history. With the coming of Christ, one witnesses the Christ Event (God becoming flesh—John 1:14) as changing the world.

            Even before God revealed Himself in the Christ Event, God did not leave Himself without witness of His intent to bring about the salvation of all nations. Just a casual reading of the Old Testament writings, beginning with the Book of Genesis, reveals His love and purpose to redeem all humanity in and through Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15).  Even before the birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem, God communicated to men and women through history, prophecy, and Scripture. If one regards the season of Advent as only a time for exchanging gifts and the exhilaration of excitement from festivities, one has missed the true richness of this season, namely, the coming of the Christ Event. This season of Advent should be a time for every believer to reflect upon the implications of Christ’s coming.

            Advent commemorates the coming of Christ as God Incarnate. Advent celebrates the “One who was to come” as foretold by the prophets (see Isaiah 52:13—53:1-12; Zechariah 3:1-9; Malachi 3:1). John the Baptist’s question to Jesus should ring loud and clear in the hearts of men and women. What was the question? Listen to John as he asked: “Are you the One who was to come?” This inquiry has infiltrated the hearts of men and women down through the ages. Is Jesus the One predicted by the prophets? The writings of the New Testament are a response to this probing question of John the Immerser, commonly known as John the Baptist. Following the arrest of John the Baptist, one can feel the despair of John as he rethinks his own role as the forerunner of Jesus as foretold by the prophets. If Jesus is the One, why am I in jail?

            Even though John the Baptist had doubts, nevertheless, one is conscious that the Twelve, too, did not understand the full import of the events about to transpire as the ministry of Jesus came to a close on Calvary—the ultimate climax of the Christ Event. A classic example of failure to comprehend the mission of Jesus is Peter’s rejection of Jesus’ words to His disciples: “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21).^[1] At this saying, Peter took our Lord aside and rebuked Him for His remarks. Matthew preserves Peter’s response this way: “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’” (16:22). Prior to this encounter, Jesus had just asked His disciples as to what the people thought of Him. They replied by saying: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (16:14). Following their answer about Jesus’ identity, Jesus wanted to know what the Twelve thought about His identity. Peter immediately responds by saying: “You are the Christ,^a the Son of the living God” (16:16).

            John the Baptist’s question alerts every believer to a consciousness that the Jews expected the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah to rescue humanity. The air, so to speak, was full of excitement about the fulfillment of the long-promised Messiah. Even though this isolated study of John’s question cannot explore all of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah, this study will explore the “Branch” passages in order to set the tone for John’s inquiry concerning the role of Jesus in the ongoing drama of redemption. The third chapter of Zechariah is an excellent place to begin. Zechariah (520 BC) spoke of the coming Branch as the One who would remove the sin of the land in a single day. Listen to him as he writes:

    ‘Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. ⁹ See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes^c on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.’ (Zechariah 3:8-9)

            This third chapter begins with Joshua the high priest (He was symbolic of things to come.) standing before the angel of the Lord with Satan at His right hand to accuse him (3:1). This priest was “dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel” (3:3). Even though this priest fell short of God’s glory, nevertheless, God snatched this “burning stick from the fire” (3:2). The angel then announced that the Lord had taken away his sin and put rich garments on him (3:4). As stated above (3:8-9), one observes that “the Branch” is none other than the One that John inquired about. John wanted to know if Jesus is the One that Zechariah wrote about—the One who would “remove the sin of this land in a single day” (3:9).

            No doubt, Zachariah reflected upon the words of Isaiah (739 BC), who two hundred years earlier, had also spoken of “the Branch” (Isaiah 4:2). Prior to this statement by Isaiah, he also predicted the coming of the Messiah during the last days of the nation of Israel, which nation was destroyed in AD 70. In other words the “scepter” (political power) departed Judah in AD 70, which prophecy Jacob foretold to Judah as recorded in Genesis 49:10. For example, Jacob told Judah: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs^cand the obedience of the nations is his” (49:10). “Until he comes to whom it belongs” is none other than the Christ, the promised One. The NIV translates “Shiloh” as “until he comes to whom it belongs.” Just a casual reading of Chapters 2—3 of Isaiah reveals that God reiterates His promise to Israel as recorded by Moses in Deuteronomy 32, which is commonly known as the “The Song of Moses.” This Chapter describes the events that climaxed the down-fall of Israel in AD 70.

            It is to this event that Isaiah relates to the coming of the “Branch” in chapter four. Listen to him as he describes the events that will occur “in that day” (4:2):

    In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. ³ Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. ⁴ The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit^a of judgment and a spirit^b of fire. (4:2-4)

            Approximately one hundred years later, Jeremiah (627 BC) also spoke of the “Branch” to come. Jeremiah explains:

    “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David^a a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. ⁶In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

One thing that stands out in addition to “a righteous Branch” is His name, “The Lord Our Righteousness.” Paul, over six hundred years later, speaks of this prophecy as having its fulfillment in the Christ Event. Listen to him as he writes about God’s wisdom in this scheme of redemption: “It is because of him [God] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord”^b (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

            In other words, God made Jesus our Righteousness, our Holiness, and our Redemption. This is the reason that Jeremiah spoke of His name as “The Lord Our Righteousness.” One is conscious of “the Branch” as the One who would do away with sin in a single day. Remember that Isaiah (739 BC), Jeremiah (627 BC), and Zechariah (520 BC) all prophesied concerning the coming One of whom John desired to know if He was the One to come. During the time of Zachariah, God raised up another prophet, Haggai (520 BC) who also prophesied of the coming Messiah. Pay attention to Him as he writes: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. ⁷ I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Haggai 2:6-7). This shaking of all nations occurred during the final days of Judah. The “desired of all nations” came before this final shaking of the “heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.” Daniel (605 BC), too, spoke of the coming of the Anointed One. Daniel writes

Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree^d to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,^e the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. ²⁶ After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.^f The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. ²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’^g In the middle of the ‘seven’^h he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.ⁱ^j” (Daniel 9:25-27)

            Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Daniel 9 address the spectacle of Gethsemane and Calvary. God’s wrath was poured out in all its fierceness upon His righteous Servant—His Anointed One. Isaiah wrote about this Servant:

    Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. ²He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. ³A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; ⁴he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope. (Isaiah 42:1-4)

Prior to this prophecy, Isaiah also foretold the coming of John the Baptist. Listen to him as he writes about the one who would prepare the way for the coming of God’s Anointed One:

    A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord^a; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.^b⁴Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. ⁵And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (40:3-4)

 Matthew understood this prophecy as Messianic in overtone. He explains the prophecy of Isaiah this way:

    In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”^a (Matthew 3:1-3)

In the eleventh chapter of the Book of Matthew, he records the now famous question of John the Baptist:

    After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.^a ² When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples ³ to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (11:1-3)

            Once again, the season of Advent celebrates a fact, not a theory. The Incarnation is not myth. Both the Incarnation and the supreme Christ Event upon Calvary are not myths, but rather they are historically attested facts. Peter, in his second epistle, wrote to those who had accepted the Incarnation and the Crucifixion and the Resurrection: “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). Surely, Peter must have reflected upon the Mount of Transfiguration experience as still vivid in his own life as he recalled seeing Jesus in His glory (Matthew 17:1-8). As one reflects back upon God becoming flesh, one cannot help but think about the shepherds who received notice of this happening from “an angel of the Lord.” Luke, a co-laborer of Paul, gathered information about this birth and recorded this information for Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4). Luke writes about the circumstances surrounding this birth of the Son of God:

    And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^a the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:8-14)

            This “baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” is none other than “Christ the Lord” promised to Adam and Eve, Abraham (Abraham 2166—1991 BC), Isaac (2066—1886 BC), Jacob (2006—1859 BC), Moses (1526—1406 BC), David (1010-930 BC, forty-year reign), and all the prophets. The foundation of Christianity is Christ. As one recalls the events recorded in the Old and New Testament writings, one is conscious that Christianity sprang out of history. It is not dead history, but it is a living and spiritual history. Christianity must be built upon the complete life of Christ, which life includes His Birth (first coming), His Death, His Burial, His Resurrection, and His second coming in judgment on the apostate nation of Israel for its rejection of Him as the promised Messiah and Savior of the world.

            One stands in awe and wonder as one contemplates the love of God Who sent His Son into the world for the sins of lost humanity (John 3:16-18). The One who controls the heavenly host came to earth as a babe. Isaiah, seven hundred years before God became flesh, foretold this event of the birth of the Christ. He, through the Holy Spirit, writes: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you^c a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and^d will call him Immanuel^e” (Isaiah 7:14). Once more, he foresees this coming of the Christ: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,^b Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (9:6). One cannot read this prediction without a consciousness that “a child is born” and “a son is given.” Advent celebrates the Christ Who came to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Toward the end of Paul’s ministry, he wrote to Timothy concerning the birth of the Christ: “Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He^c appeared in a body,^dwas vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

            One of Paul’s earliest epistles focuses upon the very core of the Christian Gospel—the coming of Jesus in bodily form. He writes to the churches in the province of Galatia the following words: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵ to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). In this same epistle, he defends the Gospel he proclaimed to them on his first missionary journey. Listen to him as he reminds them of the Gospel he made known: “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. ¹² I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ” (1:11-12). Paul, unlike the Twelve, had not known the historic Jesus, as far as is known, during Jesus’ earthly ministry. He had not listened to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7); he had not witnessed the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44); He had not communed with Jesus in the final Passover meal as the Twelve (Luke 22:13-22); he had not stood sorrowing before Calvary’s Cross and later rushed breathless into the empty tomb on Sunday morning (Luke 24:1-12). Paul had not experienced the events that the Twelve and many others had experienced concerning the Christ. To Paul, these past events did not belong to his personal experiences. Nevertheless, Christ became real and present in his life through a direct encounter with the risen Christ.

            Once Paul came across the living Christ, he made Christianity his own affair. In his coming to Christ, he died to himself (2 Corinthians 11:23-29; Philippians 1:21). As one reflects upon the Incarnation, this contemplation should call forth a life of worship. In Jesus, one witnesses His human life as an activity of God in time and space; one observes Jesus dealing with the last enemy of humanity, namely death. With the coming of Jesus, one witnesses Jesus bringing in the New Age, that is, the life of the eternal world.  Without the Incarnation, there would be no real uniqueness in Jesus Christ and no real redemption. The question asked by John, “Are you the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” is still relevant today. The miraculous powers of Jesus should convince anyone who truly seeks an answer to this inquiry. Listen to Jesus’ reply: “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy^b are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor” (Matthew 11:4-5). Jesus offers redemption. With the coming of Jesus in the flesh, one witnesses a word-from-the-beyond for the redemption of men and women, which redemption is mediated through the events of history.

            Christianity is built upon the historical facts surrounding the coming and ministry of Jesus. Christianity is not based on one’s theological or ethical views, but rather it is based on the person of Jesus. John, one of the Apostles, writes with conciseness when he pens the following words:

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood^a it. ⁶ There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹ The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.^b ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent,^c nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,^d who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ” ¹⁶ From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,^e ^f who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. (John 1:1-14)

            God the Father is beyond one’s ability to see and to know; on the other hand, one can know the Father through Jesus who makes Him known. With the coming of Christ, one now has history. Remember, Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13). Jesus is a historical person; He declared Himself to be the One the prophets foretold. The critical question still is: Who is Jesus? This question is the critical issue and the true starting point in one’s investigation of Christianity. This season of Advent is a wake-up call to believers to reevaluate their concept of Christianity. Unfortunately, Christendom is full of Christianities, that is to say, the world is full of denominations. To the shame of God’s people, far too many believers fail to proclaim Jesus as the center of gravity of Christianity.

For many saints, Jesus is no longer the glue, so to speak, that binds His people together, but rather it is now traditions.  The church has forgotten its purpose—preaching Jesus as God’s way of salvation. The church today is constantly in danger of being a slave to its historical past and, at the same time, cemented to quotations from the church fathers of their heritage, which traditions are equated with the Word of God itself. These pronouncements become the final word of truth, not Jesus. Christianity today is bound up with various views, especially ecclesiastical rites. Christians will exclude one another from their local fellowships. He who believes not the traditions will be damned. Love is no longer a factor in fellowship. One should never forget that Jesus did not come to establish a system of theology, but rather He brought a system of salvation based on faith in His finished work upon the Cross (John 19:30). Jesus, as it were, pointed to His own person. Do you want eternal life? Remember, Christians know the One who is the keeper of the keys of the grave. The Incarnation is a part of the process of the Divine life.

As one reflects upon the coming of Christ, one is immediately conscious that sin involves one coming short of God’s glory. Since sin cuts one off from the life of God, one must accept Jesus as God’s Atonement for the sins of humanity. The Incarnation was necessary in order that there might be Atonement for sinners. It is in this vein that Paul writes to the Christians in Rome:

    God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^a through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:25-26)

Have you responded to the call of God? Do you want eternal life? One ought never to forget that God removed the barriers holding one back from salvation. With the coming of Christ, God removed the barricade holding men and women from salvation. Jesus is the window through whom one sees God. Jesus calls attention to this truth as he responds to a question by one of His Apostles. In this scenario, John reports Philip’s question and Jesus’ response: “Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ ⁹ Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:8-9). Again, one stands in awe of God’s grace as one contemplates the Incarnation. The Incarnation is the Divine and merciful answer to one’s falling away from God. In Jesus, the world of eternity is present in His person.

Since the past belongs to each individual, one is no longer a blank page. Everyone has a history of sin in his or her life. Paul writes with insight as he cites the Old Testament writings:

    But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:21-24)

One now has a history—a history of sin and rebellion. The biblical doctrine of the Incarnation cannot be understood apart from God’s holiness. In the Incarnation one witnesses Divine wrath as well as Divine righteousness. Without Jesus, every individual is stripped absolutely naked in God’s presence. In the Incarnation, God breaks through His wrath against sin. In the Incarnation, one sees the self-movement of God toward men and women, which movement is the theme of God’s written Word. In the Incarnate Word, God comes to every individual. The Bible, from beginning to end, is the story of God breaking into human life. The coming of God’s kingdom, in and through Jesus, challenges one’s lovelessness and hardness toward others. How do you answer John’s question? It is only in Jesus that Satan is silenced on the ground of God’s choice, namely, Jesus. Is it any wonder that Paul, in his epistle to the Philippians, soars into the heights of heaven, as it were, as he seeks to capture the wonder of it all? Listen to him as he expresses his joy in knowing Jesus:

    But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)

            Do you feel this way about the One whom John inquired about? Have you accepted Him as the Savior of the world? Are you in fellowship with Him and the Father? Do you know the answer to John the Baptist’ question about Jesus’ identity? Another John, one of the Twelve, reflects upon this One called the Christ:

    That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our^a joy complete. (1 John 1:1-4)

But last of all, one should listen in on the conversation of Jesus with Nicodemus as He explains to him about His ministry.

    No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.^d ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.^e ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^f that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.^g ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”^h (John 3:13-21)