The Heart of God: The Messenger of the Covenant (4)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on John 1.1-18 and Philippians 2.1-11.
As the Messenger of God’s covenant, Jesus of Nazareth is uniquely qualified to bring God’s promises to fulfillment. Son of God and Son of Man, Jesus unites heaven and earth in His own Person, thus fulfilling in broad outlines the covenant purposes of God.

For reflection
1.  Meditate on Matthew 1.1-23 and Luke 1.26-55. The New Testament is emphatic that Jesus of Nazareth is both God and Man, but it does not explain how this can be so. But do we really need to know how? Can we accept that there are some things about the union of God and Man in Christ that only God Himself can fully understand? Explain.

2.  Meditate on John 1.45-51 and Genesis 28.12-17. Because Jesus is both God and Man He is able to bridge the gap separating the temporal and eternal, earthly and heavenly, material and spiritual worlds. What differences can you cite between Isaac’s dream and Jesus’ appropriating that dream unto Himself? How does this incident guide us in reading the Old Testament (cf. Jn. 5.39)?

3.  Meditate on Luke 4.16-21 and Isaiah 61.1-11. In Isaiah 61.1, the word anoint is from the Hebrew word for Messiah. By applying this Old Testament passage to Himself, what was Jesus saying about Himself and His mission?

4.  Meditate on John 8.53-59 and John 18.3-6. Jesus claims the name I AM for Himself. What is the significance of this? Did the people who heard Him understand what He was saying about Himself?

5.  Meditate on John 18.33-37. How did Jesus position Himself with respect to the promised coming of the Kingdom of God (cf. Gen. 49.8-11; Dan. 2.44, 45; Dan. 7.13, 14; Is. 9.6, 7)?

Summary
It is impossible to read the New Testament and conclude anything other than that Jesus’ disciples, and His contemporaries understood Him to be making some extraordinary claims. Those claims point to His unique role as Son of God and Son of Man, to bring God and His people together – for glory of the One and the eternal blessedness of the other. Why did Jesus have to be God and Man in order for this to be the case?

Closing Prayer
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The LORD shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.’”
Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Psalm 2

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documents provides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understood the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your God develops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

We are happy to be able to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in this series by clicking here. Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.