1. The King is Here!
Week 8 • Day 1
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Let’s soak it all in for a moment! Here is what - or “who” rather - the entire Hebrew Scriptures has been anticipating up to this moment:
The seed of Eve who will crush the serpent and allow the serpent to strike his heel.
The Abel and Noah-like servant of God who would remain faithful to God’s rule of “good” and “evil” amidst a sinful generation.
The descendant of Abraham who will extend God’s blessings to all nations.
The substitute ram of God who would be sacrificed in the place of Abraham’s children of promise.
The Isaac-like promised son who would willingly give his life as a sacrifice in obedience to his father trusting that God would raise his life from the grave.
The Joseph-like ruler who would rise from the pit of death to the throne of power.
The king from Jacob who will take the scepter to rule from the tribe of Judah.
The Moses-like prophet who will rescue God’s people from their serpent enemy.
The eternally blameless “passover lamb” whose blood will forever atone for sins.
The new High Priest who will grant God’s people permanent access to the Lord’s dwelling place and intercede on their behalf.
The one who will give Israel a new heart to listen and obey (shema) the ruling commands of God.
The Joshua-like leader who will conquer the enemies of God and lead His people back into His promised kingdom place.
The Judge, the Lawgiver, and the King who will be chosen by God to eternally rule from the lineage of David with true justice and righteousness.
The David-like King who will conquer temptation and pride then humbly seek after God’s own heart all the days of his life.
The Solomon-like King who will lead God’s people to the incredible blessings, splendor, wisdom, and peace of God in God’s kingdom place.
The Good Shepherd who will protect and lead God’s people by inaugurating a New Covenant which places God’s Spirit in their hearts to rule over them.
The Suffering Servant who would bear the iniquities of sin and lead His people to the New Temple place in which “God is there!”
The Everlasting Messiah who will be like a son to God.
The Servant of God who is full of wisdom and will remain faithful to his covenant “hesed” relationship with YHWH even in the bleakest of circumstances.
The one like a Son of Man who will approach the throne of God on behalf of humanity and establish an everlasting kingdom over the kingdom of the serpent.
The King who will rebuild God’s kingdom place that would bless all people from every nation, tribe, and tongue by living under God’s good rule!
The Old Testament reveals that all of human history has been pointing to the gospel of the kingdom that is entirely dependent upon the one who would rescue God’s people from the kingdom of the serpent, return them to His kingdom place, and restore them towards becoming image-bearing rulers who follow His reestablished rule of what is “good” and what is “evil”.
This week, we meet the “anointed” (Hebrew Messiah / Greek Christos) serpent-crusher who ushers in God’s powerful rule over God’s people in God’s place so that YHWH’s blessings and glory might extend to the ends of the earth.
GOD’S RESPONSE - JESUS
It is true that throughout the Old Testament, we have seen glimpses of the gospel of the kingdom “breaking through” a myriad of people. None of these people, however, had the ability to fully overcome the serpent and his kingdom of sin. Now, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John testify that the one we have been looking for is finally here!
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. - John 20:30-31
There are three very important points to take with us into today’s journey.
Jesus is a real person. He is fully human!
Jesus is truly divine. He is fully God (what a marvelous mystery)!
God keeps his promises.
I love to read fictional books, especially when I’m on vacation. When it comes to books, I’m a thriller fan. I love a good murder mystery and find myself getting so into the book that sometimes it’s hard to separate characters from reality. One incredibly well-written book is one that we have access to - you guessed it; the Bible. I think one of the most important parts of reading the Bible is the truth that we are not reading some fiction thriller! In particular, the gospel accounts were meant to be read as eyewitness testimonies about real events that happened to real people in real places (see week 1)!
1. Jesus is a real person. He is an actual human who is part of history!
At the start of the New Testament - the first 16 verses of Matthew to be exact - we get to walk through the genealogy of Jesus. Jesus was a real person, with a real family and a real bloodline. It also states, incredibly clearly, that Jesus is from the line of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah, and from the line of David. Take a look at his genealogy and watch how the Hebrew Bible comes to life in Jesus Christ!
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah (this is Bathsheba), and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. - Matthew 1:1-16
Let’s not get too excited, though. We have seen a countless number of messianic candidates who have had the proper bloodline yet have all failed to overcome the kingdom of the serpent and sin. All we have to do is flip to the book of kings, remember? What makes Jesus any different from all the other sons of David? It is at this point that we must realize that…
2. …Jesus is God Himself!
From the start of his gospel account, Mark equates Jesus with the Son of God mentioned in the Psalms. Moreover, John immediately identifies Jesus as the Word of God made flesh who was simultaneously with God and was God from the beginning. In fact, the gospel of John records some of Jesus’ strongest claims as the great YHWH (or “I am”) including Jesus’ usage of the Son of Man title found in Daniel or Jesus’ other divinity claims which put routinely put his life in jeopardy because he - a mere mortal man - was claiming to be God.
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God… - Mark 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:1, 14
Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” - John 1:48-51
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. - John 8:58–59
“I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” - John 10:30-33
If Jesus truly is YHWH in the flesh, consider this AMAZING news! God loves us so much that He Himself - the God of the universe and the creator of all things - has come to us to rescue, return, and restore you and me. And if Jesus is God, then Jesus must immediately rise to the top of our candidate list as the one who would reestablish God’s rule by fully overcoming the temptations of sin and the serpent! Sure enough, before Jesus starts any ministry, the gospels record Jesus and the serpent going head-to-head in the spiritual arena!
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ”
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ”
And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. - Luke 4:1–13
Could Jesus finally be the messianic serpent-crusher all of human history has been anticipating? In case there was any doubt, the gospel accounts continuously show that the story of Jesus is one of prophecies fulfilled. We read example after example of the promises found in the Hebrew Bible having life breathed into them in the coming of Jesus - the Word of God becoming human flesh.
Isn’t it incredible that even prophecies completely out of his control - such as the events of his birth and death - were perfectly fulfilled? Hopefully, it’s becoming abundantly clear that Jesus is the one the Hebrew Bible has been anticipating! And if you believe that Jesus is the long-awaited messiah, you will start to see that Jesus’ ministry was all about fulfilling the gospel of the kingdom.
Jesus is the serpent-crushing “Christ” who would set us free from the shackles of the serpent so that we may have renewed kingdom life as God’s family of people under God’s rule in God’s kingdom place!
3. God keeps His promises!
Something I value immensely is integrity. When someone tells me what they’re going to do, and then they do it - trust is created. The faithful remnant of Israel had constantly read about this new era of hope, trusting that YHWH would bring to them this source of renewed kingdom life. Now, from the outset of His ministry, Jesus constantly follows through on his word as God incarnate.
And he went throughout all Galilee [kingdom place], teaching in their synagogues [kingdom rule] and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people [kingdom people]. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. - Matthew 4:23-24
What an incredible freedom to know that our King has always been in control. He is not frantically pacing, worried, anxious, or surprised by anything that has happened over the course of human history. He remains seated on His throne, steady and secure with plans to establish His rule over His people in His place through Jesus!
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” [Freedom from serpent]
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” - Luke 4:17-21
A lot of this may feel far fetched or unlike any history book you have read. However, the authors of the gospel wrote these books to implore you to confidently believe and trust that Jesus IS real, that Jesus IS God in the flesh, and that Jesus IS the Messiah that we have been looking for to fulfill the gospel of the kingdom! Centuries of prayer, longing, and hoping have led to this moment. It’s no coincidence that when Jesus finally delivers his primary message in ministry, it is all about the arrival of the gospel of the kingdom!
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” - Matthew 4:17
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. - Mark 1:15
I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose. - Luke 4:43b
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. - John 3:16-17
Yet one question remained, especially amongst the Jews in the 1st century. What would this kingdom actually look like? In the Hebrew Bible, you may have noticed a close intersection between the restoration of God’s people from the serpent and the liberation of the nation-state called Israel. Would this be a national resurgence of Israel? Even Jesus’ 12 disciples believed that his primary kingdom mission was setting up his throne of justice and righteousness in the temple at Jerusalem and liberating Israel from the thumb of the serpent-like Roman empire!
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” - Acts 1:6
Jesus did not correct or rebuke his disciple’s understanding. We have seen throughout the Bible that there is something unique about the kingdom place and people of Israel in the plans of God. However, Jesus knew that the ultimate key to unlocking the full blessings of the gospel of the kingdom was to primarily set his sights on crushing the serpent - the very source of all problems in God’s cosmic temple place. As we have seen in the Hebrew Bible, everything revolved around the prophecy of the seed of Eve who would crush the head of the serpent while allowing the serpent to strike his heel. Once the serpent was defeated, Jesus could set up his rule of justice and righteousness over the entire cosmic temple place and in the temple of the human heart to transform His people. Over the next two days, we will continue to see whether or not Jesus would finally be the one to crush the serpent once and for all!
Share the Gospel: Jesus, the descendant of Abraham from the line of David, has been identified as the Bible’s next candidate to bring salvation to God’s people under the reign of sin in order to bring them back to God’s family under God’s rule in God’s presence. The 4 gospel accounts document Jesus’ life so that you would come to believe that He is the promised serpent crusher!
