‘Son of David’
The news spread fast and wide; crowds gathered from everywhere—and they were astonished and excited! ‘Who is this Man? His birth was supernatural; astronomers from far away came to worship Him and brought expensive gifts; He forgives sins and heals the sick; He even calmed the storms and walked on water! And just listen to His wisdom and with what authority He teaches us… Who is this Man? Could this be the Son of David?’
‘No, man, what are you talking about? He is the son of Joseph, the carpenter from Nazareth; we grew up together.’ But another person in the crowd objected: ‘But didn’t you hear that He healed a man born blind? I was there—I saw it! It was incredible! Nothing like this has ever happened. This is no ordinary Man.’ ‘Yes, indeed,’ cried another person in the crowd. ‘I believe He is the Messiah, the Son of David, just as God had promised.’
King, Messiah, Saviour
The special Child born 2,000 years ago, was announced King, Messiah and Saviour. Yeshua is all of this. He is God’s salvation and demonstrated that God is still with us—He has not abandoned humanity, and therefore there is hope. He is the Messiah, God’s anointed and chosen Redeemer to set the captives free and bring light into darkness and hope into despair. He is King, the Ruler who would shepherd God’s people and establish justice in the world and give peace on earth.
The wise men from the east followed the light of the star and came to seek and worship the King—and wise men and women still seek Him today in order to worship Him. The shepherds in the field came to honour the Child. Millions of people throughout history have found hope in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Saviour of the world. They found hope because He brought freedom from captivity!
The Child grew up to become a great Light to people dwelling in darkness. He was recognised as the Light of the world through whom people can walk in the light of God’s holiness, no longer in the darkness of Evil’s sin. The devil (dEvil) is simply Evil with a ‘d’… but Jesus is God’s goodness incarnate. He came to give life and life in abundance (John 10:10).
Jesus also fulfilled many prophecies in His life and two of the Messianic prophecies were of special importance. At Shabbat one day, Jesus read a portion of Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah and said that ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ (Luke 4:17–21). He read the following:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. To set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Messiah would be a powerful Saviour to bring freedom from captivity, pain and oppression. He was anointed with God’s Spirit to bring supernatural healing and deliverance to people oppressed by evil forces (Acts 10:38). Jesus is God’s Son, empowered to bring salvation to humanity lost in sin and darkness. The ‘acceptable year of the Lord’ speaks of the year of the release of debts—Messiah came to bring freedom from captivity!
Another powerful prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah was quoted by Matthew in his gospel (Matthew 12:17–21 NASB):
This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles [nations]. He will not quarrel, nor cry out; nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out, until He leads justice to victory. And in His name the Gentiles will hope.
The crowds had gathered around Jesus and He was busy healing all their sick (Matthew 12:15). He asked them to keep it low-key (v 16). After all, He did what He did not to show off or become famous, but simply because He loved people and had compassion on the suffering ones. His motives were pure—He was the real deal.
God sent Him to spread His love and power. He was humble—a servant. He was chosen—the Beloved of God. God’s Spirit was upon Him—He was the Messiah. He came to fulfill a mission: healing for the sick, justice for the oppressed and freedom for the captives. He was sent to the humble and meek—they would inherit the earth. He wouldn’t crush the little they had left after loss. He would lead a quiet mission to bring justice over evil in the world. He would spread hope, because hope is from God. He would spread love, because God is love. He would bring justice, for God desires it. He came to bring peace, because He is the Prince of peace. He came to bring forgiveness, because He paid the price for it: He died on the cross to carry our sins so we can have forgiveness from God and reconciliation with the Creator.
As Saviour, Jesus was ‘God with us,’ the demonstration of God’s love and faithfulness—according to Scripture. Jesus came to bring freedom from captivity. Christmas is about freedom! The Child that was born humbly in a manger, was worshipped by the wise men and shepherds—and by millions of people the world over throughout history. He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the All in all. His Name is above all names.
He is Messiah, King, and Saviour. His beautiful Name is Jesus.
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