A Son is Given
Day 22
CONSIDER
Joy has dawned upon the world, promised from Creation;
God’s salvation now unfurled, hope for every nation.
Not with fanfares from above, not with scenes of glory;
But a humble gift of love, Jesus born of Mary.
Shepherds bow before the Lamb, gazing at the glory;
Gifts of men from distant lands prophesy the story:
Gold – a king is born today, Incense – God is with us,
Myrrh – his death will make a way, and by his blood he’ll win us.
from Joy Has Dawned, a Christmas hymn by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
The Old Testament portion of God’s story ends in dramatic tension, as we’re pulled in opposite
directions by the twin themes of historical despair and prophetic hope.
On the one hand, the historical facts are that God’s people, God’s kingdom, and God’s land have
all been conquered by idolatrous outsiders. On the other hand, God’s prophets insist repeatedly and
consistently that God will certainly fulfill his promises at a time yet future, despite how hopeless things
look. It’s in the tension created by those two facts that the Old Testament ends and a period of “radio
silence” ensues, during which God sends no new prophets for nearly four centuries.
Until…
PART 1 - READ
Begin your time today by reading Luke chapter 2
A Promise Kept
The birth of Jesus, as recounted in the first 7 verses of Luke chapter 2, is described in eminently
mundane terms: an otherwise nondescript Jewish peasant couple takes a journey as the result of a
government census. While they were away from their hometown, the woman’s pregnancy comes to
term and she gives birth to a son. On its face there’s nothing remarkable about the details of this story.
Yet in recounting these simple facts, Luke includes details that
are significant to the Bible’s readers. Chapter 1 of his account describes
how God sent an angel to Mary to tell her she would miraculously give
birth to God’s own son. For the first time in 400 years, God is speaking
again! Though silent for a long time (from our human point of view),
God is not disengaged or inactive. He has not abandoned his people or
his promise.
Though silent for a
long time (from our
human point of
view), God is not
disengaged or
inactive.
And even in the description of the birth of Jesus, Luke is careful to note that the town in which
Jesus was born was Bethlehem, and that Joseph was a descendant of king David. At first these two facts
merely explain one another: citizens would register in their ancestral homeland, so Joseph had to
register in the city of David (Jerusalem) because he was a descendant of David. Since Bethlehem was
very close to Jerusalem, that’s where Joseph and Mary stayed.
However, first-century readers familiar with the Old Testament would
have immediately recognized that there was great prophetic significance to
these historical details! First, they would see the link to the prophet Micah who
had said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Second,
Joseph’s lineage was critical: as the human father to Jesus, Joseph’s ancestry
would determine Jesus’ ancestry in that society. And since God said in 2 Samuel
7 that the Messiah would be a descendant of king David, Jesus’ Davidic lineage
was crucial.
At long last, God is keeping his promises, just as he said he would! After so many centuries of
waiting and trusting God’s words, through so many ups and downs with God’s people, all the
exhortations to faith are paying off. The New Testament opens by answering one of the main questions
that has driven the Bible’s unfolding story up to now: when will the Messiah come? He has come now,
and his name is Jesus.
The Advent of Peace
The birth of Jesus was announced the shepherds in a field by a heavenly host of angels. They
proclaimed that his coming meant “peace on earth to those on whom God’s favor rests.” Peace. The Old
Testament idea means wholeness and goodness. When everything is the way it was meant to be, then
we have peace. The coming of Jesus is the way God establishes peace on the earth again, meaning that
Jesus is how God returns things to the way they were meant to be.
The language of the angelic announcement takes us all the way back to Genesis chapters 1-3,
where we saw God create a world that was good, whole, and beautiful. It worked, and living in that
world before sin entered the picture was supremely satisfying. But Adam and Eve wrecked God’s peace
when they sinned, choosing to rely on and to live for themselves rather than for God.
Mankind’s sin is how God’s peace is destroyed. Jesus’ mission as the Messiah is how God’s
peace is restored.
Mankind’s sin is how God’s peace is destroyed.
Jesus’ mission as the Messiah is how God’s peace is restored.
Peace Through Pain
But it will be costly. Genesis 3:15 was the first prophecy of the Messiah in the Bible, where God
told the serpent that the Messiah would crush his head (defeat him) yet the serpent would bruise the
Messiah’s heel (wound him in the process). It’s the image of killing a dangerous snake by stomping on its
head, yet being bitten in the process. In other words, the Messiah will defeat sin, but doing so will cost
him.
The prophetic words of the faithful priest Simeon in Luke 2:33-35 reflect this aspect of the
Messiah’s mission. While Simeon is overjoyed at getting to see and hold the one whom God sent to save
the world from sin, he also has some sobering words about the boy’s future for his parents. He tells
Mary that the Messiah will face significant opposition from powerful people, with the result that her
own mother’s heart will be pierced as with a sword. It’s an ominous note on an otherwise celebratory
occasion: Jesus’ mission will not only cost him personally, but it will also cause tremendous pain to those
closest to him.
MAJOR BIBLICAL THEMES
Creation/New Creation
Shalom is the Old Testament word for peace, meaning wholeness and rightness. Shalom is
when everything is the way it was meant to be, and God’s shalom characterized the world he
made prior to mankind’s sin. But the sin of Adam disrupted the essential goodness of God’s creation,
introducing death and brokenness to the world. In this context, the angelic announcement that Jesus’
birth means “peace on earth” takes on significant meaning: it is through the mission of Jesus as Messiah
that God will restore shalom to the world. In Jesus, God will fix what mankind broke by our sin,
redeeming not only people, but reversing the Curse God put on the entire world.
Relationship/Reconciliation
At the heart of what was broken by mankind’s sin is our very relationship with God. Adam’s sin
caused God to expel him from Eden, cutting him off from the direct presence of God. Mankind
has lived “east of Eden” ever since: alienated from God and cut off from his life-giving presence. Jesus’
birth signals an end to this alienation! Because of what Jesus will do, mankind can be restored to a
close relationship with God again. Just as it was meant to be.
Messiah
The ominous words spoken by Simeon to Mary foreshadow the ugliness of the cross. The
Messiah will indeed crush the head of the serpent, but he will be stricken in the process, just as
Genesis 3:15 had foreseen. Our joy comes at the price of his anguish, our redemption at the price of
his sacrifice, and our life at the price of his death. The Messiah will have to suffer in order to see God’s
redemptive plan through.
PART 2 - REFLECT AND CONNECT

Have you ever had a prayer that was answered long after you began praying about it? What
were you praying about? How did God answer your prayer?
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For four hundred years, God sent no new prophets to Israel. Based on all that we have learned
about God’s character and plan for our redemption, how would you encourage someone who
feels that God’s timing is too slow or that he is silent in their life?
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
In Jesus, God will fix what mankind has broken through sin. List three of those broken things.
Now, what would it look like for those things to be as they were meant to be? Write your
answer next to the broken things that you have listed.
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
While we celebrate the joy of Jesus’ birth, we must also acknowledge the suffering he went
through to bring our redemption. In a short response below, finish this sentence – Jesus
suffered and died in my place because I...
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
As you come to the close of your time today, choose one or both the following suggestions as
your worship response.
o
Sing the well-loved Christmas carol – O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
O come, thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.
Refrain
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
thine own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory over the grave.
Refrain
o
O come, Desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind;
bid thou our sad divisions cease,
and be thyself our King of Peace.
Refrain
Consider listening to the song God With Us by All Sons and Daughters (Suggested
Youtube link https://youtu.be/udJjT-LMnIs )
PART 3 - Respond
Please use the space below to respond to today’s prompt (or use one of your own).
Respond to the following – Jesus’ mission as messiah is how God’s peace is restored.
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