Wednesday, June 02, 2004

12:31 am



Before we begin in Matthew, let's briefly consider what led up to this time in history, and how God has reached out to man in the Old Testament.

In Genesis, we learned that God created mankind for fellowship and relationship. He wanted company! It was possible for man to know God intimately, without shame or guilt, because man was made in God's image. God and man naturally loved each other. But man had free will; God was not forcing him to stay and obey.

Eventually Satan tempted man to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil – and suddenly man's very nature was changed. And man's view of God became darkened and poisoned. Sin entered man's heart, and tended to grow if unchecked, because God had declared earlier that man would be fruitful and multiply. Now man's sin nature was multiplying and bearing fruit.

God reached out to man, despite his sinful condition, and invited man to live in relationship with Him by faith. Because God could not dwell with sin – and mankind was not able to live a sinless life - God introduced a ransom or amnesty system: animals would be sacrificed to pay for man's sin.

God also gave man laws, or commandments, a morality code by which to live. Obeying these laws wouldn't make man acceptable to God – only sacrifice could do that. But the laws were intended to show man how to live in a way that would keep him from escalating his sinfulness. If man lived by this code, the law, God promised to bless his life on earth. If man violated these laws, God declared that man's life would worsen – which would hopefully get man's attention and prompt him to return to God's ways. (See Leviticus 26 for a good synopsis of these principles of rewards and punishments.)

God used the nation of Israel as His collective spokesman to the nations. But more often than not, the spokesman nation needed correcting themselves. Over the centuries, God raised up individuals to speak to His people and call them back into a true relationship with Him. These individuals often exhibited supernatural powers as a demonstration of God'' power in their life.

God's people didn't have a good track record throughout the Old Testament. They were prone to worshipping idols or man-made gods, and forgetting their true Maker. God consistently called them back to Him through prophets - individuals who listened carefully for God's voice, then boldly spoke His words to others at the risk of being killed.

Then comes Jesus, God's own Son. He comes during a time when Israel is occupied and under captivity by the Romans. The Jews are wondering why they are under the control of another, less godly nation. But throughout the Old Testament, they were enslaved or exiled when they had turned away from God and His commands. So the nation of Israel is in captivity. But in the Lord's eyes, they are far more captive to sin, shame, self defeat, hopelessness and despair. They, like all of mankind, are captive to themselves and to a desperate self-centered nature. If we peek ahead, we see exactly why Jesus has come: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18-19 and Isa 6:1)

So Jesus has come on a search and rescue mission! Talk about your Special Forces operations. He is coming to rescue mankind from an invisible enemy, one they may not even recognize, one they cannot defeat on their own. He has come out of love.






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