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Morning Thoughts |
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Revelation
22:16, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the
churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning
star." This morning, our minds are once again stirred to the mysterious union of Divinity and humanity in the Person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. While this discussion cannot be fully examined and comprehended this side of glory (I Timothy 3:16), I do believe that our lack of complete knowledge on the subject is no excuse for failure to belief in its real truth. The human mind cannot fathom that the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth in Him bodily. (Colossians 2:9) The feeble, finite brain cannot search out the fact that while Jesus was talking to Nicodemus there in the flesh, He was still in heaven. (John 3:13) Yet, the Scriptures plainly declare these truths, and our lack of sight and understanding (capacity to comprehend) is no viable reason for denying them. There is not a more comforting thought (to me) than to think that my Lord became a servant for me. Truly, the most blessed words to hear are that for our sakes He became poor so that we might become rich through His poverty. (II Corinthians 8:9) Finally, the comfort climaxes when we understand that His doing these things was fully by grace and unmerited mercy and favour. His fulfilling of these things was not because we deserved them, but in spite of it. Hearing this testimony is one of the most stirring and compelling thoughts to live Godly in this present, evil world. One of the most common misconceptions about Jesus Christ is that He is just a man that was a "good teacher" with some "good life lessons." As we have laboured to make the point many times previous, how good would someone be if they committed falsehoods numerous times at every course? How good would someone say I was if I was known as a habitual liar? Truly, even charitable souls would be compelled to avoid me as they could not trust anything passing from my lips. Jesus declared Himself Divine on numerous occasions (John 8:58, John 10:30, among others), and to say that He is just a good man falls down on that argument alone. Furthermore, should He just be a man, there would be no comfort or consolation of the Scriptures in what He taught. What comfort is there to live Godly if there be no atonement, forgiveness of sins, or resurrection from the dead. The fact that He did fulfill the Divine covenant and rise from the dead is proof that He Himself is Divine. (Romans 1:4) By the knowledge of the empty tomb, we have comfort that He is who He says He is, and He fulfilled what He said He would fulfill. Therefore, the eternal Sonship of Jesus Christ is necessary for the comfort of His fulfilling work. Notice the language that John employs in our verse. Jesus is speaking (no question there), and He declares two things about His Person. He is David's Root and Offspring. Now, that language is confusing to the natural mind, for the man Jesus did not precede David by paternal origin. The man Jesus was conceived of the virgin Mary many centuries after David lived and died, yet Jesus declares Himself David's Root. Christ asked the same question of the Pharisees in Matthew 22:42. He asked them whose son Christ was, and they correctly answered, "The son of David." This correct answer is in fulfillment of the prophecy in Psalm 89, but Christ pressed the issue upon them by asking how David could call his own son his Lord. How is that? We today are blessed to know and understand that while Christ Jesus assumed flesh in the womb of the virgin with the body that was prepared Him, He predates David in not only a timely way but eternally as well. Who predated David? His very son (according to human, paternal chronology) predated Him in Divine origin and essence. But, it is no less an offense to say that Jesus was not David's offspring as well. There is a rather unusual thought (not nearly as prevalent as the first) that Jesus was not really human. He appeared human with a body that was not literally flesh and blood. Paul refutes that in the Hebrew letter (primarily the 2nd chapter) by saying that the nature of anything other than man (sin excepted) would not do for the suitable sacrifice. Why would the nature of angels not do? Angels are not tempted as we are tempted, suffer according to nature, or die naturally. Christ had to undergo these things as a suitable sacrifice, and His acquaintance with these things (Hebrews 5:8) makes His High Priestly work one of complete empathy. He knows what we suffer as He has suffered the same. He knows what we are experiencing as He has taken part of the same. (Hebrews 4:15) Therefore, as surely as Jesus is David's Root, He is as surely David's Offspring. Now, to the harder point that we desire to examine (although surely not fully). While the humanity of Jesus had a beginning (some 2000 years ago), what beginning does He have? The point of the question is that the verbiage of the Bible in reference to Jesus speaks of things that we, one the one hand, understand, yet on the other we do not. Many times, Jesus is referred to as the Son of God. We understand what the word son means as I, for one, have a son according to nature. But, what we do not fully understand (have not the capacity to explain fully) is that this Son is as old as the Father. I am not as old as my father, and my son is not as old as I am. Yet, in eternity (unbound by time) there is a Son that is equal with the Father, one with the Father, and as old (while not a truly proper term for an Eternal Being) as the Father. Paul makes the point clear that the Son was the One responsible for the creation of the natural universe. (Hebrews 1:2) While the Son was not a man (as of yet), He is still a Son according to the Divine Trinity that exists from all eternity. While the man Jesus did not have a human existence prior to the Incarnation, the Son Jesus did exist according to His Divinity (as per our verse under discussion). God blessed a wicked king (Nebuchadnezzar) to understand this mysterious point in Daniel 3. After the three Hebrew children, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were cast into the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar is astonished. His declaration was that he observed something different than he expected. He knew they threw three in the fire bound, but he observed four loosed and walking about. The fourth, according to the king, was like the Son of God. As a side note, many reversions to the Holy Scriptures have inserted in the place "the Son of God" to "a son of the gods." Yet, the Scriptures are correct in asserting that the fourth was the very Son of God that led them about, cared for them, and protected them in the fire and from the king. Even though His human nature had not yet come into existence in the world, He still existed to comfort and care for His little ones. Finally, John finishes the verse by saying that Jesus is the bright and morning star that sent His angel to testify to the churches these things. One of the things that has always interested me in listening to a man's preaching is to see where the focus was. Was the focus on him or something else? Jesus here specifically says that His angel (or minister as seen from Revelation 1-3 to the seven churches) testifies not unto himself, but unto the One that sent him. Ministers today are to proclaim Jesus and Him crucified. We today are still under the same command and have to account to Him for proclaiming Him and not ourselves. I cannot say that I am the bright and morning star. The stars, naturally, existed far beyond my feeble existence. He has existed far beyond even their feeble existence. As the bright and morning star, He precedes everything. When watching a sunrise, sometimes we see glimpses of it before it comes into view. As we watch the sky turn different colours and shades, we know that the dawn is coming. Today, we know that the dawn is coming, but like a sunrise, we know not the exact moment when the sun breaks the horizon. We know not the exact moment that the Son will break the horizon, part the skies, and carry us to be with Him, but surely we have seen evidences that He is coming as our salvation is nearer now than when we believed. One final thought is this: every day that we wake up is surely a blessed day, but the foremost reason is that this day (that the Lord has made) is closer to the Dawning of the Son than yesterday. Tomorrow will be better than today as it is closer to His coming than today. Even so, come Lord Jesus.  In Hope, Bro Philip |