Promise Fulfilled
Last week we explored the importance of the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel account. His genealogy showed that His divinity could not be corrupted by His humanity and in that union (of the divine and the human), lies the secret to a godly life for the rest of us. That’s why Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NIV).
As we continue to explore the nativity story, today we go back to explore a promise fulfilled. The angelic declarations we read in Matthew, Luke and the rest of the gospels are not the first mention in the scriptures of The Messiah. Matthew structured his account by deliberately identifying prophecies Jesus fulfilled. Some Bible Scholars say Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament. I have just started re-reading Matthew and I have come across eight already.
Separated by about 800 years, the promise of The Messiah by virgin birth met its fulfilment in the birth of Jesus. Matthew noted that “All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).” (Matthew, 1:22-23, NIV). This is a direct fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin birth “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, NIV).
Matthew recorded that Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:6, NIV) and noted that this is a fulfilment of Micah 5:2. That Jesus was a refugee in Egypt was prophesied by Hosea in chapter 11:1 and fulfilled when Joseph was warned by an angel that Herod sought to kill the child. (Matthew 2:13-15, NIV). The prophets spoke comprehensively and accurately about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Exploring the accuracy of these predictions on its own is enough for anyone to know that something beyond humanity is going on here. This is divine arrangement that is impossible to interrupt, alter or prevent! When God speaks, that settles it!
Peter Stoner, a Mathematician, worked out the probability of Jesus fulfilling only eight Old Testament prophecies and he described it like this: "Let us try to visualize this chance. If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all of the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state.
"Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote using their own wisdom."
If God kept an 800-year-old promise to send The Messiah, why will anyone think His promise that Jesus will come back again to judge the world is not true? Some will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4, NIV). Peter’s response to is this: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).
Jesus' virgin birth is a promise fulfilled. His second coming is a promise awaited, but make no mistake, it is a done deal, it will happen. Be on the right side of history. Be on the Lord's side by asking Jesus into your life today.