HE WAS BORN A KING

 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.”

Matthew 2:2

The king who reigned over Judea when Jesus was born was Herod the Great. Herod had no legitimate claim to the throne of Israel. He was from an Idumean noble family who supported the Roman occupation of Palestine. As a reward he was appointed by the Roman Senate as the King of Judea. Despite his attempts to curry favour with the Jews, including several major public works programs (including completing the temple reconstruction) he was still largely unpopular among the Jews. Little wonder then that when the Magi arrived in Jerusalem with their large retinue and requested to view the birth of the prophesied King of the Jews, Herod was emotionally threatened by this revelation. Herod immediately ordered an enquiry from the chief priests and religious scribes.

And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
Matthew 2:4

What they told him would have troubled him even more. The prophesied coming king was to be born in the same town that Israel’s greatest king, King David, had been born: Bethlehem. This almost certainly meant that this prophesied coming king was a direct descendant of king David.

And I will set up over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:23

Isaiah had prophesied of this coming messiah and descendant of king David as being established and lasting “forevermore”:

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

Daniel the prophet foresaw the coming royal messiah as One who would establish His kingdom as “an everlasting kingdom” (Dan. 7:13-14). In king David’s Royal Psalm, the royal messiah is contrasted with mere earthly appointed kings – who often oppressed their people – and is described as one who would have regard for the poor and oppressed:

May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
Psalm 72:2-4

Thus, the prophesied royal messiah would be a Shepherd-King who cared for people, healed the sick, alleviated poverty, defended the defenceless, and dealt severely with the wickedness of oppressors.

 

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW DEPICTS JESUS AS
THE ‘LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH’

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Revelation 5:5

In Genesis 49:9 Jacob prophesied that the true king would arise from the tribe of Judah and be like a lion. Ezekiel the prophet described the guardians of God’s throne as four-faced heavenly beings who reflected the One they served. Each had a face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (Ezek. 1:10). Scholars point out that each of these face are also thematic of each of the four Gospels. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus is presented as a man. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus is presented as a king representing the lion’s face. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus is presented as a burden-bearing worker who ultimately is sacrificed for the sins of the world and represents the face of the ox. In John’s Gospel Jesus is presented as the divine messiah and represents the face of the eagle. Matthew’s Gospel thematically presents Jesus as the king.

The kingship of Jesus is borne out in Matthew Gospel by His repeated and most frequent references to the kingdom in His preaching and teaching. In Matthew 13 Jesus tells parables of the kingdom. In Matthew 25 Jesus declares what His kingdom will be like and how it will be culminated. Significantly Jesus commences this address by referring to Himself as the Son (of Man) and then immediately refers to Himself as the king:

¶ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him,
then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations,
and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on His right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:31-34

It was long believed that when the promised royal messiah would arrive He would be able to do what His ‘father’ David could do, namely cast out demons (1Sam. 16:23). Thus, when Jesus began casting out demons He was in the minds of the people establishing that He was indeed the promised royal messiah, the son of David.

¶ Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to Him,
and He healed him, so that the man spoke and saw.
And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
Matthew 12:22-23

The extent of Christ’s kingdom was not merely to geographic territory! His kingdom was comprised of people – and these demons were trespassing on His territory when they possessed people. As the rightful king of those within His territory He had a royal right to evict them! Thus, in His concluding parable of the sheep and goats where He is seated upon His throne and judges the nations, He is declaring that His kingdom is not bounded by the borders of Palestine! The kingdom of Christ is the whole world and everyone in it is expected to comply with His wishes – and He wishes for all people from every nation, tribe and tongue to repent, surrender to Him and receive His royal pardon (Rev. 7:9). The kingdom of Christ can only be entered into via a royal pardon. And once entered into can only be enjoyed when the pardoned pardon those who sin against them!

Pray then like this:“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
¶ For if you forgive others their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:9-15

As Christ approached the time of His earthly ascension to His throne of wood constructed by Roman soldiers which was to be installed at Calvary overlooking the once holy city of Jerusalem, He entered the city riding on a donkey accompanied by her colt. Matthew cites the prophet Zechariah when he says:

¶ “Say to the daughter of Zion,‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
Matthew 21:5

Once in Jerusalem, Jesus told several royal themed stories foretelling how His Father had sent Him and how He would be rejected by the proud religious leaders of Jerusalem. These included the parable of the tenants (Matt. 21:33-40), and the story of the King who invited His subjects to celebrate the wedding of his son:

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’
But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.
The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
Matthew 22:2-10

The deep pathos of Christ as He enters into Jerusalem is poignantly captured by Matthew as describes Jesus’ disgust at the wicked behaviour of the chief priests. Jesus leaves the city precinct and ascends the Mount of Olives where He laments:

¶ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!
How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Matthew 23:37

Christ’s kingdom was arrogantly rejected by those who claimed to be His subjects by ancestry. But His kingdom, He announced, would be embraced entered by those who were not physically related to Abraham but were eager to be pardoned by the King!

When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
They said to Him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the
vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
Matthew 21:40-41

 

PRIOR TO CHRIST’S ASCENSION TO HIS THRONE HE ISSUED A ROYAL COMMISSION

Even the language of Christ’s return to heaven is royal language when He described as ascending (Jn. 20:17). Just prior to His ascensions He makes a royal pronouncement – all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me (Matt. 28:18). The magnitude of this declaration is seismic. The risen, sin and death conquering Jesus is not merely a king over a small slither of the Mediterranean coastline! He is the King of kings and Lord of lords! His disciples are not merely incidental officers in an insignificant domain – they ambassadors of a King and His Kingdom that demands embassy representation in every city, town and village around the world. His ambassadors are now His royal priesthood summoning whosoever to turn to the Pardoning King in full surrender and humbly accept His gracious offer of pardon.

Where is He who was born king of the Jews? asked the Magi. Today we know the answer. He is seated upon His royal throne at the right hand of His Almighty Father.

God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 5:31

And it is not just to Israel that He gives repentance and forgiveness of sins! His offer of a new life and pardon for sins is available today to whosoever will seek and receive it.

Your Pastor,

Andrew

Let me know what you think below in the comment section and feel free to share this someone who might benefit from this Pastor’s Desk.

A CHRISTMAS REFLECTION

 THE SURPRISING CHARACTERISTICS OF SINLESSNESS

by Dr. Andrew Corbett, 24th December 2020

¶ Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel
Second Timothy 2:8

As we reflect on the birth of the Saviour once again this Christmas it is easy to get distracted with the gift buying, present wrapping, Christmas lunch preparations, and summer holidays, and in doing so lose sight of who it is we are remembering. With a hint of noëlic advent in his exhortation to Timothy, Paul reminds his protégé to remember the One who was born as the offspring of David. The promised offspring of David was to be the Messianic king of Israel and Saviour of the Jews. This is why Jesus was born in the town of David and made an annual visit to His ancestral territorial region of the city of David (which was located up from lower Jerusalem on Mount Zion and a little below the site of the Temple) according to Luke 2:41-42 — “Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.” And while we could consider how Jesus was indeed the ‘consolation of Israel’ as the elderly Simeon spent his life longing for, there is something that we might not consider too closely about the birth of Jesus. He was born sinless and lived a sinless life.

“Who among you can prove Me guilty of any sin? If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe Me?”
John 8:46 NET

“We’re only human!” We all say it to justify our failings. But Jesus never did. It would be too simple to retort that this was because He was God in the flesh — and in so doing, diminish the fact that He had become human “just like us” and was subsequently tempted in every way just as we are.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15

None of us can ever attain sinlessness in this lifetime. (In the Resurrection we will receive a new glorified body like Christ’s and be partakers of the divine nature which cannot sin.) Therefore, an examination of Christ’s life gives us a revealing picture of what a sinless life looks like, and therefore a glimpse of what our potential was before the Fall. Consider the following and perhaps on Christmas Day offer a prayer of thanks that Christ exhibited these characteristics and what their implications mean for each of us:

Even though Christ was sinless, He was still-

◊ learning – in Luke 2:52 it tells that Jesus grew up learning to be wise and how to get along with people. This is remarkable considering that He maintained His omniscience, yet was able to have the human learning experience of discovery.

◊ keeping customs – in Luke 2:42 it tells that Jesus kept the customs of His family and in particular their religious customs. Later on we see that He made it His custom to be in a synagogue each sabbath (Luke 4:16).

◊ developing independence – in Luke 2:46 it tells that Jesus developed independence from His parents which afforded Him the privilege of spending time with other members of His kin beyond His immediate family and yet not in defiance of His parents. We see Him in the Temple learning and asking questions of the scribes and elders which reveals that He was formulating His own independent ideas and opinions.

◊ respectful – in Luke 2:47-49 it tells that Jesus was very respectful especially of His imperfect earthly guardians.

◊ submissive – in Luke 2:51 it tells that Jesus submitted to His parents which is also a demonstration of remarkable humility.

◊ spiritual – in Luke 3:21-22 it tells that Jesus was deeply spiritual and even though He was sinless, He was prepared to be water baptised (even though He had undergone both the Jewish rite of circumcision and purification as a child) and in Luke 4:43 He was engaged in preaching the good news about God and His kingdom.

◊ tempted to sin – in Matthew 4:1 it tells that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the Devil and yet did not yield to this very genuine temptation.

◊ compassionate – in Matthew 9:36 and Luke 7:13 it tells that Jesus had compassion on people who were sinful. He spent time with them, ate with them, taught them, and healed them of their infirmities.

◊ emotional – in John 2:14-17 it tells that Jesus was angered with what some people were doing in the Temple precinct which resulted in the poor being taken advantage of. In Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34 we see that Jesus was sorrowful. In John 11:5 and Mark 10:21 we see that Jesus expressed love. And in John 17:13 we see that Jesus had joy.

◊ desirous – Jesus had certain physical and aspirational desires. (This contrasts sharply with Buddhism which sees desire as the cause of all human suffering.)  In John 19:28 it tells that Jesus desired a drink. In John 17:5 it was his prayerful desire that His disciples would be guarded and protected after His crucifixion, and He also prayerfully aspired that they would be united (John 17:26).

What this brief list of sinless characteristics reveals to us is that these characteristics in themselves are not sinful. This list should also reinforce to us that the Christmas Child was and grew to be the most perfect human being who was incredibly strong, but incredibly gentle. He was supremely knowledgable, yet supremely patient. He was unlimitedly powerful, yet forbearing of those who maligned Him. He was the Ruler of the Cosmos with the power to instantly summon 12 billion+ of the cosmos’s most fierce warrior beings to obliterate any who withstood or defied Him, yet He surrendered to His enemies and permitted them to humiliate and desecrate His body. And when being tried by His judge, Pontius Pilate, He had the composure to tell the one who was judging Him that he was committing sin by doing so. 

Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over Me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered Me over to you has the greater sin.”
John 19:11

As you wake up Christmas morning, spare a thought for what a sinless life looks like and consider these characteristics that only the Lord Jesus the Christ has ever displayed. Then after some long pondering on these characteristics, consider how Christ’s sinless life gives us the gold standard for the kind of life that we too should aspire to live. Merry Christmas.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8

“Maker of the sun, He is made under the sun. In the Father He remains, from His mother He goes forth. Creator of heaven and earth, He was born on earth under heaven. Unspeakably wise, He is wisely speechless. Filling the world, He lies in a manger. Ruler of the stars, He nurses at His mother’s bosom. He is both great in the nature of God, and small in the form of a servant.”
Augustine

 

Your pastor,

Andrew

Where Do We Find God?

One of the most universal truths known to man, yet injuriously denied by those with a vested interest in doing so, is that man can find God. Two thousand years ago a large kith of Zoroastrians arrived in Jerusalem to do just that and every Advent Season we remember them in a distorted fashion...

¶ Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
MATTHEW 2:1

These "wise men from the east" (Greek, 'Magoi', transliterated into English as Magi) would have held to the traditions established by 6th century BC mystic, Zoroaster. He claims that he experienced God who revealed to him that there was a Satan who opposed the purposes of God, but one day God would send forth His Son into the world to vanquish Satan and save mankind. For centuries the followers of Zoroaster's revelations were looking for any phenomenological signs that God was beginning to fulfil this prophecy. When they observed a strange star in the west, they suspected this might be it. A company of around 600 kith were assembled to follow this roving star from Persia. Eventually they arrived in Jerusalem.

saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”MATTHEW 2:2

The Magi understood that the Creator-God had revealed Himself through His creation. They knew how to read this 'book' - the Book of Nature. We now know that God has revealed Himself through three books. And the second of these 'Books' would be needed to complete their quest.

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
MATTHEW 2:3-5

"It is written", these chief priests were familiar with God's 'second Book'. The Magi weren't. By adding to their knowledge of God's book of Nature from the more authoritative book of Scripture, the Magi were able to find God and fulfil their commitment to "worship Him."

¶ “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”MATTHEW 2:6

What is striking about this episode is that the Chief Priests knew from their study of Scripture where the Christ was to be born (Micah 5:2). But they would have (or at least should have) known about when He was to be born based on Daniel 9:25-27 which linked the appearing of the Messiah to the decree to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Yet, despite this highly prized priestly knowledge they were not interested in seeking the Messiah! Unacceptably, it is often the so-called "religious" who are the least helpful in assisting people to find God! These Chief Priests had the knowledge of the most authoritative book, Scripture, but they did not have knowledge of God.

And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” MATTHEW 2:8

Neither are political authorities a reliable source of direction to finding God. King Herod was selfish, evil and deceitful. These are precisely the qualities that inhibit anyone from finding God. 

After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. MATTHEW 2:9-10

This 'star' led them to Christ. Sometimes God places 'stars' in people's life in order to lead them to His Son. These 'stars' may be a converted friend, or a strange set of circumstances that leads them to ponder to eternal things. When these wise men found Christ it was the occasion for exceeding joy. It always is. Even today. The Magi were about to discover that God has a third book, His Living Word, the Logos, the Word Made Flesh, His Son.

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.MATTHEW 2:11

Their gifts reflect something profound about who this Christmas Child truly was. Gold, because He is a King. Frankincense, because He is the Priestly Mediator between God and Mankind. And Myrrh (the spice used for preparing dead bodies), because He is the Sacrifice for the sins of the world. They offered these gifts and we too are reminded that to find God we must approach Christ and acknowledge Him as our King, High Priest and God, and the Atonement for our sins.

Andrew Corbett