A Mystifying Message Of Christmas.

A Mystifying Message Of Christmas - 

Why didn't the Scribes and Chief priests not understand the prophecy or reveal it until the king Herod enquired?

Jesus said, "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the door of the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you don't go in, and you don't allow those entering to go in" (Matt.23:13).

Even if the Pharisees and the Scribes knew, they won't let it reveal it out. But when the Wise men asked they had to reveal about the birth and the place of Jesus. Prophecies sometimes may be ambiguous and hold a secret inherently.

Of course there is an interesting wordplay in the prophecies of the Prophets -

For example, Isaiah 11:1 reads, "Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit." Here, the Hebrew word "Branch" "נֵצֶר" (netser), is the Promised King, who shoots out as a new branch. The same word, "נֵצֶר" has the same root for "Nazareth". After the king Herod's death, as said by the angel, "..he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He would be called a Nazarene" (Matt 2:23).

In another example of wordplay, "This is what the Lord of the Arimes says: Here is a man whose name is Branch; he will branch out from his place and build the Lord's temple" (Zech 6:12). In the Septuagint Version, the word, "Branch" (ἀνατολή Gk, anatole) was translated as, "East". Now this becomes interesting - the Magi comes from the east (Matt 2:1) to king Herod saying that, "we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him" (Matt 2:2). "The East, on the one hand , generally held the Magi to be kings... Now, the Magi themselves, on recognising Him (Jesus), honoured Him with gifts, and adored Him on bended knee as Lord and King" writes Tertullian in AD 197 (160-230 AD) (ANF 3.162). Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) writes, "Those who composed the Persics related that in the highlands, in the country of the Magi, three mountains are situated on an extended plain. Those who travel through the locality, on coming to the first mountain, hear a confused sound as if of several legions shouting in the battle array" (AD 195) (ANF 2.488).

What is this unusual sound that the Magi heard as they came across the first mountain when they started to follow the Star in the East? Can this might be as Luke recorded "..a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests'" (Lk 2:13,14). The multitude of heavenly host in other words is the heavenly army. Why would a heavenly host glorify Jesus? As said by an angel to Mary, "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end" (Lk 1:31-33).

To summarise the Scribes and Chief priests though having the knowledge of Jesus' birth and his place of birth didn't reveal about this to the  king Herod until the Magi who started from the East guided by the Star who on their way witnessed the unusual sounds which might be the praises of angelic host that Shepherds witnessed until they reached Jerusalem. On reaching Bethlehem as said by the Scribes and Chief priests, the sorcerer magi came with gifts like gold, frankincense, and myrrh which were the standard way of honouring a king or god [King Seleucus II Callinicus offered to God Apollo at the temple in Miletus in 243 BC].

Sometimes, we too may be too stubborn as Chief priests and Scribes to recognize and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior or might postpone which might cost our life. So, "..now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!" (2Cor 6:2).

Merry Christmas.

* ANF - Ante Nicene Fathers.

Nehushtan, The Cross, And The Hadza Tribe - A Nous.

Nehushtan, The Cross, And The Hadza Tribe - A Nous.

1Peter 2:24 reads, "He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness."

Colossians 2:14 reads, "He (Jesus) erased the certificate of debt, with it's obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the Cross."

Romans 6:10 reads, "For the death He died, He died to sins once for all time; ..."

John 19:30 reads, "It is finished."

The above verses all point to the Cross of Christ on the Calvary and the work of the Redemption and the Salvation that Jesus did for our sake. In other words or the way I understood it as, "There is no sin beyond the Cross of Calvary; absolutely no sin". The Cross of Christ is the prophetical fulfillment of the Brazen Serpent of Moses.

Book of Numbers 21:4-9, gives us an idea of sin, it's consequence and the redemption of the sin. The Israelites murmured against God and His will, the consequence was that, they were bitten by poisonous vipers. The remedy is looking upto the Bronze Snake that Moses made according to the Lord's saying and installed it on the pole; and whoever saw that in faith were recovered and lived. This Brazen Snake that was installed on a pole continued to be a standard of healing amidst Israelites till king Hezekiah (approximately 715/716 - 687/686 BC). It was at this moment that Sennacherib (705 - 681 BC) king of Assyria, launched a war against Judah in 701 BC. King Hezekiah asked God for forgiveness and, "He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the Bronze Snake that Moses made, for until then Israelites were burning incense to it. It was called Nehushtan ["nahash" (Heb) means Snake; "nehset" (Heb) means Bronze] 2Kings 18:4.

The archaeological evidence of 8th century BC records, "two bullae" (clay seals) which seems to be royal seals depict features of winged serpents with names of the cities Tza'ananim (Judges 4:11) and Apheka (Joshua 15:53) on each of the bullae, which are mentioned in the Bible.

In another archaeological evidence of the same time in the city of ancient Calah (Nimrud), archaeologist Austen Layard (1817-1894) found from Sennacherib's booty (Assyrian king in the time of king Hezekiah) a bronze bowl depicted with two snakes with wings mounted on poles. Among the same group of items, was a bowl with the name "I'hyw", corresponding to "YHWH", the sacred name of the Lord on the rim of the bowl. It was a Judean booty taken by the king Sennacherib in 8th century BC.

This is a clear evidence that Sennacherib has attacked Judah. However, our interest is not about the evidence or the booty he collected, but about the "Nehushtan", which is a prelude to the "Cross of Calvary". "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up" (John 3:14).

Today, in a world of innovations, science, and robotics, it might be difficult for someone to believe in such a redemptive plan of God for us. But an African tribe belief in a technique or in an operation will help us understand the redemptive plan of God. The "Hadza tribe"(?) ["Hadzabe" as known by the locals] of northern Tanzania are known for hunting poisonous snakes for food apart from other animals like antelopes, wild boar, baboons etc. What's interesting is this part, as they have no permanent houses they used to live in the hallowed-out or the burl of a Boabab tree. They even dry the hunted meat, store honey on the branches of the tree. They sometimes make delicacies with the fruit of the tree. In a simple sentence, the Boabab tree is an essential lifeline as well as sacred to them. These tribes, sometimes hang dead snakes on the lintel of their tree houses. They believe that by doing so, they would keep the other poisonous snakes like Puff Adder from entering their house. This would also secure their food on the top of the tree as well. It really works for them (Watch videos - the links provided at the bottom of the article).

My point here is to make you understand how by doing a task will keep you secure and peaceful. This is the same application with the Cross of Calvary too. By laying His life, Jesus kept us safe and secure from sin and it's consequences. "It is finished" (John 19:30) for sin now, and as said above "There is no sin beyond the Cross of Calvary; absolutely no sin". By His Sacrifice, we can now live confidently. We are free from Hell, and now, Heaven is our eternal home forever. Come to Jesus now, and make Him your Lord and Savior. 

God bless.

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