WALK WITH ME!  

Week One (Jan 1-7) (Matt 1:1-4:11; Mark 1:1-13; Luke 1:1-4:13; John 1:1-14)

Thanks for looking in on my thoughts during our journey in the Harmony of the Gospels.  My hope is to share with you my thoughts and insights on the week's upcoming readings.  

The First Advent

Since we just shared Christmas many of the Nativity thoughts are fresh and recent.  Reading through the names may seem pointless but the ‘Word became flesh’ is a most staggering concept – the Divine created the material but did not co-mingle.  Only in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ did God become man – 100% God and 100% man.  Inexplicable to mortal minds and inconceivable to the angels of Heaven – yet only by such a miracle are we redeemed.  It should be noted that 5 women are included in the genealogy of Jesus.  Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba), and Mary.  Each of them is a story of God overcoming sin or scheme or prejudice or even murder to keep His promise for the Messiah.  God in every event is a Redeemer!

The Wise Men

The three gifts of the Magi deserve some thought – Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.  Gold was a precious metal and was a universal currency. Its value could very well have financed Joseph and Mary’s trip to Egypt. In the Tabernacle, gold was the emblem of deity – covering the Mercy Seat.  The gift of frankincense to the Christ child was prophetic of His willingness to become a sacrifice, wholly giving Himself up, symbolically as a burnt offering.  Myrrh symbolizes bitterness, suffering, and affliction. The baby Jesus would grow to suffer greatly as a man and would pay the ultimate price when He gave His life on the cross for all who would believe in Him.

Jesus Baptism

If John’s baptism was only for repentance, then it was not needed for Christ – He was without sin!  I will give three motives for this incredible event: 1) As John was a Levite this announcement takes on a very priestly sanction as the ‘Lamb of God’ is given by this descendant of Aaron.  2) Such humility of Jesus identifies Him with common men – not as a fellow sinner but as a mortal (flesh) man.  3) Maybe most importantly, as baptism is a testimony, the witness of the Father and the Spirit in Matt 3 is enormous!  The sending of the Father, the offering of the Son, the ministry of the Spirit – Salvation in the Trinity.

Temptation of Jesus

There is not room in a blog to explain the impeccability (could not sin) of Jesus.  However, I must share why He was tempted – to demonstrate two key concepts:  1) He was tempted as we are but without sin to identify with us and be the atonement for us! (Heb 2:18; 4:15). 2) Jesus came as the second Adam – to face what Adam faced but overcoming the temptations of Genesis 3.  We read in 1 John 3:16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  Please see the chart below:

1 John 2         Gen 3     Matt 4

Lust of the flesh Good for food     Stones to bread

Lust of the eyes Delight to the eyes     Showed Him the kingdoms

Pride of life Make one wise     Leap from the pinnacle of the Temple

In each category of sin in 1 John the first Adam failed yielding death and the second Adam had victory giving us life!  As C.S. Lewis said, “One suggests evil wins; the other announces that evil has been forever wrecked.”  Praise God for ALL sin overcome by our Savior!

Check back here next week for more – Walk with me!