by David Brenneman
THE CHRISTMAS SERVANT
"I will give you as to a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. " Isaiah 42:6-7.
At Christmas many all of us feel of tremendously cozy as we think about the familiar Nativity story. Filled with all kinds sentimentalism, it is as we entirely possible for us to completely disengage from the whole panorama of God's purpose: to allow familiarity with the scene
to blind us to the awe-inspiring truth that as we look at the baby in a Bethlehem manger, we are looking in on the Servant of God.
This Servant, Jesus, had a mission. Even Mary and Joseph had only an inkling about all
He would accomplish---yet hundreds of years before Jesus arrived, God had announced what He would do to fulfill His purpose (Isaiah 42:1-4)
Jesus came to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, During His earthly ministry, He gave a wonderful illustration of this by granting physical healing to the blind. The greatest issue, however, concerned not the body but the soul. He came to open the eyes of men and women who were blind to God's truth.
The Servant also came to free captives from prison. Many of us have felt the captivity of our guilt, trying countless hoped-for solutions to wash it all away. But nothing works except Jesus. He breaks our chains and sets us free. Once slaves of sin, we have now been rescued. Our Savior releases from the dungeon those who sit in darkness, if only they see His light.
The story of the Servant is a story not about what we must do but about what Jesus has done. He came down into the dungeon, into our enslavement, into our blindness, and said, You've failed and broken the law, and you are entirely unable to rectify your condition. But I save sinners. I open blind eyes. I release captives. I bring light. I have done everything required for you, Turn to Me in simple faith and childlike trust and you will see. You will be
free, and your darkness will give way to sunshine.
The one who has done all this is the one you are gazing at as you consider that familiar Nativity scene. Never let it fail to move and inspire you to praise and worship of the divine Son, who came as our Servant.
- Truth for Life, Alistair Begg for December 24th.
Jesus came just as the Scriptures said He would. The leaders of the day knew to look but were more interested in their own piety. That their status was more than what it was. They abused the system and saw nothing wrong with it. They had established a hierarchy that kept them in control. The Scriptures had become nothing more than words on a page. They knew exactly where to look for the Messiah but never looked.
Fast forward to today. We live in a world where we are gorging on information overload. We have access to looking up the Scriptures unlike any earlier time in human history. Yet it's still missed as to the importance of the Word of God about the coming of the Son of God in the form of a baby in a Bethlehem manger.
We look all about us at the exceedingly huge commercial venture that Christmas is in the eyes of the world. When children are not more excited about the truth of the birth of Jesus than they are over presents there's a problem. Another generation sucked into the presents meaning more than the reason for the season.
What is missed is what Alistair Begg says oh so clearly.
"The Servant also came to free captives from prison. Many of us have felt the captivity of our guilt, trying countless hoped-for solutions to wash it all away. But nothing works except Jesus. He breaks our chains and sets us free. Once slaves of sin, we have now been rescued. Our Savior releases from the dungeon those who sit in darkness, if only they see His light.
The story of the Servant is a story not about what we must do but about what Jesus has done. He came down into the dungeon, into our enslavement, into our blindness, and said, You've failed and broken the law, and you are entirely unable to rectify your condition. But I save sinners. I open blind eyes. I release captives. I bring light. I have done everything required for you, Turn to Me in simple faith and childlike trust and you will see. You will be
free, and your darkness will give way to sunshine.
The one who has done all this is the one you are gazing at as you consider that familiar Nativity scene."
Jesus came to a world not looking for Him.
I think this is what He meant by finding the faith when He returns.
Will He find a world yet still not looking for Him?
We read in the latter parts of the book of Luke where the Jewish leaders realized completely that some of Jesus's parables were about them specifically in that they missed the coming of the Kingdom of God in the person of the Messiah before them.
Jesus is God. Jesus is the real reason for this season. It's not about what gifts we get or don't get. It's not about anything but the reason we find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger...that at the right time Jesus came to save sinners such as all of us. Doing what we could never do to make the way to finally be right before a Holy God.
So stop and really reflect on what today is really about before you start complaining about all that isn't right in your life.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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