When you combine pious people and the long-awaited redemption of Israel, add in that the baby is the Messiah and the Son of God, it’s a given that everything must be done completely and without fail, “by the Book.” Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, He was […]
In the Interlude, righteous living and piety bring about a desire to see God’s activity and His redemption of our lives from sin, fear, and shame. Even today, the most devout are those focusing on the return of Christ and the “evangelical” task of making sure no one misses out on hearing about their Savior. […]
Joseph was told “Don’t be afraid to take Mary home” (Matthew 1:20). Why would he be afraid? Fear is as old as the Garden. So is shame. They’re joined at the hip because of sin. After Adam and Eve both ate of the fruit of the tree God commanded against eating from, “the eyes of […]
During Interludes in which we feel like nothing’s happening, it’s not inaction. Don’t fool yourself thinking that God doesn’t care about sin or gives it a pass. Far from it! If you’re tempted to despair, only recall He kicked Adam and Eve out of Eden. Time went by and He scattered and confused people trying […]
How did we get to the point of needing a promised Savior? Better question is when have we NOT needed a Savior? Truth is, mankind has needed a Savior since we decided we’d prefer independence over the gift of “God with us.” Way back in the Garden of Eden, even at banishment, there was a […]
“Joy to the world, the Savior reigns Let men their songs employ While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy…” The Savior reigns, all joy indeed because it’s a Savior we needed due to our estrangement from our Lord and God. It was all our fault. Human sin created an obstacle […]
The Interlude continued until the One who was born King of the Jews, Jesus Christ. He would be from the “stump of Jesse” a throwback to before there was a royal line. He is the Holy Seed, and His Kingship is from above, not from any direct human right to the throne. Who is this […]
If you look at the genealogies of Jesus as recorded in Matthew and Luke, there are some lingering questions about why they differ and theories about why that is the case. I don’t want to focus on that. I want to think about Interlude and point out some interesting similarities that the Interlude makes clear. […]
When was God ever acknowledged as king? Better question is when was God not the rightful King? First, let’s acknowledge that He was never one like what He described earthly kings as doing in yesterday’s look at what brought about the Interlude’s royal vacancy. What did God’s kingship look like? From the time of man’s […]
God ended the royal line to create an Interlude. Got it. But, wait, didn’t God initiate the royal line? It was promised to Judah going way back before there ever was a king over Israel. And God sanctioned it, right? 1 Samuel 8: 5 [The elders of Israel] said to [the priest Samuel], “You are […]
