|
|
|
THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST 1
Mary’s witness
The life story of Jesus Christ is not of human origin. He was not created like Adam and Eve. He had no beginning in time. In fact, he was not created at all. He was there, so to speak, with God, begotten, not made, of one being with his Father before the world was created. And this mystery Jesus revealed, little by little and piece by piece, to those he chose to be his apostles. And to them he revealed the future, God’s purpose and plan for the end of time: to gather up all things in heaven and earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10)
The Apostles, those closest to Jesus, were chosen for that very purpose of making known the mystery of life and death.
THE NIGHTMARE OF LIVING AND DYING
This is the mystery kept secret for long ages, (Romans 16:25) the mystery of God’s willingness and love to save mankind from sin and death. For centuries philosophers and scientists have tried to prize open the mystery of life. They have wondered if at one time the mystery was known but with the passage of time and change, lost. They have invented many gods of earth and sky to explain this mystery, many theories of existence: pre-existence, and dreams that this nightmare of living and dying will have a cause and a solution, a future hope, a lost paradise that will be recovered.
The knowledge of what happened to the human race from the beginning of time was indeed lost, save for the historical records preserved by the nation of Israel. It was to them that God revealed himself as Yaweh (YHWH )which may be translated the Lord God of Israel, the God who chose them, not because they were any better than other people; they were the least, (Deuteronomy 7:7) and by no means Godly, (Deuteronomy 9:6) but because he loved them and made a covenant with Abraham that from his seed (Galatians 3:16 KJV) would come the Messiah. And because Abraham believed unerringly in God he promised to make him the father of many nations and his offspring like the stars of heaven and the sand on the seashore.
Quote: ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands; and all the nations of the earth shall gain blessing for themselves through your offspring, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." (Genesis 26:4)
Here, in these words is God’s love for his people and the world.
THE MYSTERY IS UNVEILED BUT KEPT A SECRET
THE WITNESS OF MARY
We now know the truth. The answer to this mystery was known and was lost. We know, not because of science or philosophy but because God has made it known and restored a future hope and a lost paradise. This is how it became known and verified by many witnesses:
The first witness to the truth hidden from mankind for ages, was a virgin girl by the name of Mary. The knowledge of Christ’s birth, his identity, his existence and his fulfillment of prophecy was concealed from everyone save Mary and those few faithful people to whom God revealed him.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST: THE MYSTERY
UNVEILED BUT KEPT SECRET
This is how it took place: the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a girl named Mary, a virgin. She was engaged to be married to Joseph of the house of David by descent, and was thinking of her marriage, of being Joseph’s wife and having children of her own. It was in this frame of mind that a stranger greeted her with the words, ‘Mary, you are highly favoured and the Lord is with you; you are blessed amongst women.’
Mary wondered what manner of greeting this was. The stranger, said,
‘Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God, and you shall conceive in your womb and give birth to a son and you shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, the son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end. ‘
Mary was perplexed and fearful. She asked, ‘How shall this be seeing I know no man?’
The angel replied, ‘The Holy ghost will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; moreover the holy child born to you will be called the Son of God. And, behold, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived in her old age and is six months pregnant, she who was said to be barren. For with God nothing is impossible.’
Mary said, ‘I am the Lord’s handmaid. Let it be according to your word. Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:25-36)
The mystery of the promised birth of Jesus Christ was inexplicable to Mary, as it has been also to philosophers, theologians and scientists to this day. The explanation given be the angel Gabriel gave the only explanation that is logical and believable: ‘With God nothing is impossible.’
THE PLACE OF CHRIST’S BIRTH
The Christ child was placed in the care of Mary, a girl full of grace, the mother fit to raise a holy child. There was no other fit place for the Christ, the Messiah, to enter and live in this world. It was into this girls care and love whom God immortalised as the one blessed above all women to be the mother of God’s Son. Neither the ecclesiastical world of priests, rabbis’ or scribes was a fit world for the Christ child to grow up in, or be protected and loved; nor the political world of kings and governors who ruled over Judea and the Palestine of that time would rather have seen him dead than disturb their political or ecclesiastical status quo.
HEIR TO THE THRONE OF DAVID
The Christ child was heir to the throne of David, the Messiah prophesied by Moses and the prophets. All this was known and believed by the core of scholars and doctors of the Law. They even knew where he would be born. (ref) They believed the Messiah would put the clock back to the time when Jerusalem was the centre of the world, when Rome did not exist and no kingdom ruled over the Promised Land, given to Israel by God. The prophecies were always interpreted as the restoration of Israel as the ruler of the world.
THE SECRET
Mary believed the angels words implicitly, only she pondered them, what these things might mean over time. She kept these things in her heart. (ref) The birth of Jesus was made known as behind closed doors to humble shepherds (luke 2:2) watching over their sheep by night, to Simeon, to whom the Holy Spirit made known that he would not die before seeing the Christ child, and Anna, a very old lady who did not depart from the temple but prayed and fasted night and day. She spoke about him to all who were looking for the redemption of Israel. (Luke 2:38) These witnesses confirmed what Mary believed but Simeon warned her that a sword would pierce her own heart. (Luke 2:35)
This was cause for Mary to ponder these things for it appeared that the clock would not be put back to David but put forward to bloodshed and sorrow, a prophecy that no one understood, not Mary, not the scholars and divines of Jerusalem, not the disciples of Jesus, only Jesus himself. That mystery will unfold as we follow the life of Christ.
Three wise men, sometimes referred to as kings, came from afar to worship the Christ child. They made a stir in Jerusalem because it became known that they had come to worship the birth of the Christ child. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, suggesting both kingship and embalming. Only after the burial and resurrection of Christ did St. Luke learn these things from Mary when she was free to divulge the events surrounding the birth of Christ to him, and when the full meaning of Christ’s kingship and suffering for the sins of the world became ‘the gospel’ we now know.
Mary’s witness
The life story of Jesus Christ is not of human origin. He was not created like Adam and Eve. He had no beginning in time. In fact, he was not created at all. He was there, so to speak, with God, begotten, not made, of one being with his Father before the world was created. And this mystery Jesus revealed, little by little and piece by piece, to those he chose to be his apostles. And to them he revealed the future, God’s purpose and plan for the end of time: to gather up all things in heaven and earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10)
The Apostles, those closest to Jesus, were chosen for that very purpose of making known the mystery of life and death.
THE NIGHTMARE OF LIVING AND DYING
This is the mystery kept secret for long ages, (Romans 16:25) the mystery of God’s willingness and love to save mankind from sin and death. For centuries philosophers and scientists have tried to prize open the mystery of life. They have wondered if at one time the mystery was known but with the passage of time and change, lost. They have invented many gods of earth and sky to explain this mystery, many theories of existence: pre-existence, and dreams that this nightmare of living and dying will have a cause and a solution, a future hope, a lost paradise that will be recovered.
The knowledge of what happened to the human race from the beginning of time was indeed lost, save for the historical records preserved by the nation of Israel. It was to them that God revealed himself as Yaweh (YHWH )which may be translated the Lord God of Israel, the God who chose them, not because they were any better than other people; they were the least, (Deuteronomy 7:7) and by no means Godly, (Deuteronomy 9:6) but because he loved them and made a covenant with Abraham that from his seed (Galatians 3:16 KJV) would come the Messiah. And because Abraham believed unerringly in God he promised to make him the father of many nations and his offspring like the stars of heaven and the sand on the seashore.
Quote: ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands; and all the nations of the earth shall gain blessing for themselves through your offspring, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." (Genesis 26:4)
Here, in these words is God’s love for his people and the world.
THE MYSTERY IS UNVEILED BUT KEPT A SECRET
THE WITNESS OF MARY
We now know the truth. The answer to this mystery was known and was lost. We know, not because of science or philosophy but because God has made it known and restored a future hope and a lost paradise. This is how it became known and verified by many witnesses:
The first witness to the truth hidden from mankind for ages, was a virgin girl by the name of Mary. The knowledge of Christ’s birth, his identity, his existence and his fulfillment of prophecy was concealed from everyone save Mary and those few faithful people to whom God revealed him.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST: THE MYSTERY
UNVEILED BUT KEPT SECRET
This is how it took place: the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a girl named Mary, a virgin. She was engaged to be married to Joseph of the house of David by descent, and was thinking of her marriage, of being Joseph’s wife and having children of her own. It was in this frame of mind that a stranger greeted her with the words, ‘Mary, you are highly favoured and the Lord is with you; you are blessed amongst women.’
Mary wondered what manner of greeting this was. The stranger, said,
‘Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God, and you shall conceive in your womb and give birth to a son and you shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, the son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end. ‘
Mary was perplexed and fearful. She asked, ‘How shall this be seeing I know no man?’
The angel replied, ‘The Holy ghost will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; moreover the holy child born to you will be called the Son of God. And, behold, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived in her old age and is six months pregnant, she who was said to be barren. For with God nothing is impossible.’
Mary said, ‘I am the Lord’s handmaid. Let it be according to your word. Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:25-36)
The mystery of the promised birth of Jesus Christ was inexplicable to Mary, as it has been also to philosophers, theologians and scientists to this day. The explanation given be the angel Gabriel gave the only explanation that is logical and believable: ‘With God nothing is impossible.’
THE PLACE OF CHRIST’S BIRTH
The Christ child was placed in the care of Mary, a girl full of grace, the mother fit to raise a holy child. There was no other fit place for the Christ, the Messiah, to enter and live in this world. It was into this girls care and love whom God immortalised as the one blessed above all women to be the mother of God’s Son. Neither the ecclesiastical world of priests, rabbis’ or scribes was a fit world for the Christ child to grow up in, or be protected and loved; nor the political world of kings and governors who ruled over Judea and the Palestine of that time would rather have seen him dead than disturb their political or ecclesiastical status quo.
HEIR TO THE THRONE OF DAVID
The Christ child was heir to the throne of David, the Messiah prophesied by Moses and the prophets. All this was known and believed by the core of scholars and doctors of the Law. They even knew where he would be born. (ref) They believed the Messiah would put the clock back to the time when Jerusalem was the centre of the world, when Rome did not exist and no kingdom ruled over the Promised Land, given to Israel by God. The prophecies were always interpreted as the restoration of Israel as the ruler of the world.
THE SECRET
Mary believed the angels words implicitly, only she pondered them, what these things might mean over time. She kept these things in her heart. (ref) The birth of Jesus was made known as behind closed doors to humble shepherds (luke 2:2) watching over their sheep by night, to Simeon, to whom the Holy Spirit made known that he would not die before seeing the Christ child, and Anna, a very old lady who did not depart from the temple but prayed and fasted night and day. She spoke about him to all who were looking for the redemption of Israel. (Luke 2:38) These witnesses confirmed what Mary believed but Simeon warned her that a sword would pierce her own heart. (Luke 2:35)
This was cause for Mary to ponder these things for it appeared that the clock would not be put back to David but put forward to bloodshed and sorrow, a prophecy that no one understood, not Mary, not the scholars and divines of Jerusalem, not the disciples of Jesus, only Jesus himself. That mystery will unfold as we follow the life of Christ.
Three wise men, sometimes referred to as kings, came from afar to worship the Christ child. They made a stir in Jerusalem because it became known that they had come to worship the birth of the Christ child. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, suggesting both kingship and embalming. Only after the burial and resurrection of Christ did St. Luke learn these things from Mary when she was free to divulge the events surrounding the birth of Christ to him, and when the full meaning of Christ’s kingship and suffering for the sins of the world became ‘the gospel’ we now know.