19. Messiah - Confirmation
March 2007
Topics:
Ministry
Thou art the Christ
A New Commandment: Love
The focus of the covenant is Jesus Christ, His coming to earth, His ministry, His sinless life, His redeeming sacrifice on Calvary, and His resurrection. However, Jesus never used the word "covenant". Only in Luke 1:72 is the word "covenant" used in any of the gospels, and there it is spoken by Zacharias. So, did Jesus have anything at all to do with the covenant?
It was prophesied that "He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" (Daniel 9:27). From this one verse we find that Jesus Christ is the pivotal point of the covenant. Throughout the Old Testament, the everlasting covenant was conditional upon the coming of the Messiah. Only then would the covenant be confirmed, or ratified.
Let’s look to see if there is more: The last two verses in Malachi, the last of the prophetic books of the Old Testament we find these words:
5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6 "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:5-6 KJV).
5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
6 "And he shall turn and reconcile the hearts of the [estranged] fathers to the [ungodly] children, and the hearts of the [rebellious] children to [the piety of] their fathers [a reconciliation produced by repentance of the ungodly], lest I come and smite the land with a curse and a ban of utter destruction" (Malachi 4:5-6 Amplified Bible).
We get in these verses a glimpse of the covenant. To turn the hearts of the fathers and the children to each other touches on a huge issue in modern life. Satan has attacked and all but destroyed the family in modern life. Efforts are being made to hold the line and restore the family through legislation. These are good, but these will not be successful unless . . . .
4 "Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments" (Malachi 4:4).
Unless we remember the law of God, remember the fifth commandment, remember God Himself and put Him first in our lives, all efforts to restore the family will fail. Before the "great and terrible day of the Lord comes" the prophet Elijah will return as a message of repentance. Not only will there be a call to restore the family, but there will be a call of restoration to the covenant of the fathers. People of today must make a commitment to return to our Creator, Redeemer, and the God who has covenanted to save us.
How did this play out in the life of Jesus when he came? The angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph about Mary in these words,
21 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
When Jesus came, He would not save His people in their sins, He would save His people from their sins. In this short verse is wrapped up the endless discussion of the place of justification and sanctification in the life of the Christian. This discussion is beyond the scope of this book. Rather let us note that this is exactly what God meant when He promised at Sinai, "ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation" (Exodus 19:6). God would make them "an holy nation."
In the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew chapters five, six, and seven Jesus emphasized keeping the ten commandment law. He supported the unchanging nature of the law in these verses:
17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17-18).
That was not all. He also showed the beauty of character expected of Christians in the Beatitudes (vs 3-12), their priestly responsibility to witness (vs 13-16), the writing of the law upon the heart (vs 20-24; 27-30), the nature of true love (vs 38-48), and what it means to make God first in our lives (vs 19-34). There are many other important concepts taught in these chapters. I have listed those things related to the law and the covenant. Jesus had much to say about the covenant which God desires to bring into our lives.
Jesus in His life on earth was kind, approachable, compassionate, willing to touch and be touched. People loved to come into His presence. As our High Priest in heaven it is the same.
"His tender compassion fell with a touch of healing upon weary and troubled hearts. Even amid the turbulence of angry enemies He was surrounded with an atmosphere of peace. The beauty of His countenance, the loveliness of His character, above all, the love expressed in look and tone, drew to Him all who were not hardened in unbelief. Had it not been for the sweet, sympathetic spirit that shone out in every look and word, He would not have attracted the large congregations that He did. The afflicted ones who came to Him felt that He linked His interest with theirs as a faithful and tender friend, and they desired to know more of the truths He taught. Heaven was brought near. They longed to abide in His presence, that the comfort of His love might be with them continually." White EG: The Desire of Ages, 254
Jesus was here beginning His priestly ministry. If anything He is approachable, He is now our Mediator in heaven. It is through Him that humanity is touched by Divinity and reconciled to God. It is through Him that what was lost in Eden is fully restored.
15 "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).
In His final visit with the disciples before His ascension Jesus gave this covenant promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Through the Holy Spirit He is with us today.
How did John the Baptist know that Jesus was the Lamb of God? No doubt he knew the history of the sacrificial system, as well as the prophecies of the Messiah. He knew Isaiah 53. But Bible truth is not always available just from study. As it was with Peter, it requires revelation from God to arrive at salvation truth. See Matthew 16:16,17; and John 14:16,17,26, 16:13.
John the Baptist knew not just that He was the Messiah, but that Jesus was One "which taketh away the sin of the world." By His sinless life and His sacrificial death, He would "confirm the covenant" and would make efficacious all the sacrifices of the centuries past. He was the true Lamb of God.
This was a new idea for the Jews of that day. They trusted in their lineage from Abraham and their meticulous observance of the law. John the Baptist’s call for repentance from sin was a new approach for them.
An even greater question was, How did Jesus know that He was to suffer and die for the sins of men? Did He retain His divine consciousness so that He knew already? This would make Him more than human and not subject to life as we know it. We do know that Jesus studied the prophecies enough so that he could ask hard questions of the "doctors" in the temple (Luke 2:46-47).
How much did God the Father tell Him directly? As human beings we need to experience and know that God does answer prayer, that He does give us wisdom when requested (James 1:5). We must learn to pray and to listen as Jesus did.
God very carefully chose the family into which Jesus was born. Mary and Joseph were both able and willing to listen to messages from the angel. They were guided by the Holy Spirit and obeyed promptly. Mary and Joseph both knew that Jesus was special. They knew that He was the Messiah, though their concept of the Messiah, like the Jews generally, was faulty. Jesus was given a thorough upbringing in the truths of the Bible and in the prophecies.
Jesus resolutely refused to attend the schools of the rabbis. Yet He had a knowledge that far surpassed theirs. "And the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned" (John 7:15)?
Jesus lived a sinless life even as a child. Because of His kindness, His stand for what was right and because of the knowledge He gained from study of the Bible and of nature He was different from his childhood companions. Children do not understand this. Jesus early learned to meet opposition and ridicule. "The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil" (John 7:7).
His popularity increased greatly as He went about preaching, teaching, and healing. People were willing to accept Him as a miracle worker and even as a king. They failed to recognize that He was the Son of God and that His purpose was to "save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus faced continual opposition from the religionists of His day. This He came to expect. But it was hard when even the common people misunderstood Him and turned against Him. After He fed the 5,000 this came to a crisis. The "great multitude" were enthusiastic. The Messiah had come! He would take the throne of David! He would give them manna as did Moses! Against such an army as He could feed, the Romans had no chance! They intended to "take him by force, to make him a king" (John 6:15).
Jesus refused to cooperate with the plans of men (See John 6:15, 26-65). He came to establish the kingdom of grace, not a human kingdom supported by arms. He came to "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21), to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He came to be "light" and "salt," to change the hearts of people and to thereby uplift society. Jesus tried to direct their thinking to the real purpose of His mission to earth to show the power of the unconditional agape love of God.
It was a major attempt by Satan, through the errors of the people, to divert Jesus from His true mission, which was to live a sinless life and to offer Himself a sacrifice for our sins. With wisdom and single minded purpose, Jesus dismissed the multitude. They, looking for more bread, found Him the next day. Jesus gave His famous discourse on the "Bread of life." Jesus spoke plainly to them of His mission, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you" (John 6:53).
The people refused to believe the symbolic meaning of Jesus’ statement and took offense. So that they would have no excuse, Jesus explained, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). At this many of His disciples left Him.
How could the Jews have determined how Messiah would be presented? There were prophecies of the conquering king, and prophecies of the suffering servant. How could they know that Jesus would come twice, and that both prophecies were true—only applying to different times? Do we today risk making a wrong application of a prophecy? Some prophecies are structured and detailed enough to give a picture of the future. Where this is not true, a person must know how the prophecy reads, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and recognize fulfillment when the events occur.
In Jesus’ case the Jewish leaders cannot be faulted for misreading the prophecies. They can be faulted for refusing to recognize Him when He came as the promised Messiah, and refusing to give up cherished ideas when much evidence was given as to Who He was. Jesus confronted the Jews after healing the lame man at Bethesda, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me" (John 5:39 NIV). If the Jews had really studied the scriptures with an open mind, they would have found Christ there.
32 "Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven."
35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:32,35).
The Jews asked for a sign and referred to the manna which was provided for the trip through the wilderness. It was a practical necessity for them as they traveled in the wilderness, and a symbol of the mercy of God in providing for them. Now, settled in the promised land, manna was not needed. However, they had a greater need. They needed to accept the true Person and ministry of the Son of God. They needed to be born again, to be cleansed from sin. However, they felt no need of this. Weren’t they Abraham’s seed? At this time many followers left Him. He turned to the twelve and asked,
"But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 16:15-17).
Jesus’ close associates, the twelve disciples, had no question as to Who He was, though they continued to misunderstand the purpose of His mission to earth. From this point on the crowds that followed Jesus diminished, and the opposition of the scribes and Pharisees increased.
Repeatedly, Jesus came into close questioning by the Pharisees. They rejected every point that He offered. Finally when He said, "Before Abraham was, I am." The Pharisees recognized this as a claim to divinity and took up stones to kill him (John 5:16-47; 8:12-59). Jesus walked through the crowd and disappeared.
When people demanded a sign, why did Jesus not comply? He knew that giving a sign would reinforce their wrong concept of who He was. He was quite willing to invoke the power of God to help and to heal, but never just to satisfy curiosity.
The time came when He did give them a sign. He had resurrected the son of the widow of Nain. He had raised Jairus’ daughter. But these were both in small towns. Now Lazarus, living in Bethany, close to Jerusalem, died. After four days Jesus called him back to life. Many Jews witnessed the event. Instead of believing, they counseled to put Him to death (John 11:53). They even planned to put Lazarus to death, too (John 12:10). As Jesus knew, now that they were given their sign they still refused to believe. What more could God do to reach them?
Jesus brought a new principle to bear in keeping the law. This is presented in detail in the Sermon on the Mount. See Matthew chapters 5-7. It is not enough to just "not kill" your brother, you must love him too. It is not enough to just fulfill legal demands, you must go the "extra mile." It is not enough to love just your friends, you must love your enemies too.
In keeping the ten commandments you must do so from the great principles of love to God and love to man. (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37, 39; Mark 12:30, 31). This principle was given first in the Old Testament, then emphasized when Jesus came to earth. Jesus showed that love is not just a feeling, but a principle of life. Paul says of Him, "but God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
"The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan's deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God's government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world's dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, ‘with healing in His wings.’ Malachi 4:2." (Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, 22).
"His tender compassion fell with a touch of healing upon weary and troubled hearts. Even amid the turbulence of angry enemies He was surrounded with an atmosphere of peace. The beauty of His countenance, the loveliness of His character, above all, the love expressed in look and tone, drew to Him all who were not hardened in unbelief. Had it not been for the sweet, sympathetic spirit that shone out in every look and word, He would not have attracted the large congregations that He did. The afflicted ones who came to Him felt that He linked His interest with theirs as a faithful and tender friend, and they desired to know more of the truths He taught. Heaven was brought near. They longed to abide in His presence, that the comfort of His love might be with them continually" (Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, 254, 255).
In instructing the disciples, Jesus emphasized the principle of love. Agape love. A love that will love the unlovely. A love that does not require a reward. A love that comes only from God. Jesus associated this love with keeping His commandments:
- "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" (John 13:34).
- "And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another" (2 John 1:5).
- "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).
- "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love" (John 15:10).
- "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).
The command to love was not truly new when Jesus came to earth. In the Old Testament men were commanded to "love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:5); and "thy neighbour as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18). It is so easy to forget to love. Love is actually the basis for the law of God. Jesus emphasized this anew in His teaching and in His life.
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