THE CHURCH IN PROGRESS

JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD

Continued

In the confession that “Jesus is the Christ,” it is important to learn what is meant by “Christ”. When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am,” it may be assumed that the Apostles knew who he was personally. So to them, Jesus was his personal name. They knew where he was born. They knew his family and where he lived. They knew that he was baptized by John the Baptist; that he worked miracles and that he taught the people. We know that “Jesus” means: “God with us.” These are all facts that can be gathered about his physical person. Now, we must add to these facts about his person that he was also “the Christ.”

The Old Testament had prophesied about the coming of “the Messiah-the Christ.” Is Jesus the one who fulfills all the predictions of the Old Testament? Is he “the Christ—the Anointed One?” In Matthew’s narrative, King Herod asked the chief priests and scribes where “the Christ” would be born. This shows that King Herod was familiar with the story of the coming of the Christ to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies. The religious leaders—the chief priests and scribes, related to him what they knew of the Scriptures—in Bethlehem of Judaea (Matt. 2:4,5; Mic. 5:2). Their answer was quite clear, that anyone born anywhere else than in Bethlehem could not be “the Christ” when he came.

There is an old story of a man who was promised that “the Christ” was coming to visit him one day. He hurried about making detailed preparations for the divine visit. He cleaned the house, straightened the furniture, made sure the Bible was lying in plain view, dusted and opened to the second chapter of Luke. During the day of busy preparation, a knock came on the door. He caught his breath, combed his hair and breathlessly answered the door. There stood an old man in tattered clothing, shoes that would barely stay on his feet and clearly in need of food. The man turned him away telling him that he did not have time for him as he was expecting a visit from a great individual. The man left hungry and in his same state of need.

A few hours later there came another knock on the door. Thinking that this surely was the divine visitor, he walked in a stately manner to the door and opened it. There stood a little old lady in need of food, drink and clothing. He brushed her off with the same unconcern, feeling that she was wasting his time, for, after all, what if his divine visitor happened to appear while this ner-do-well was standing in his doorway.

With the day nearly to close, the man was becoming fearful that the divine visitor was not going to keep his promise and come to see him. Just before midnight, another knock came on the door. Not worrying about how he looked, walked or talked, he rushed to the door with eager anticipation, that surely this was the divine visitor. When he opened the door, there stood a small boy who was crying, lost, hungry and shivering in the night air. The man became angry, and in his frustration, drove the young lad away with the parting words, “and never come back again.”

Then the clock struck twelve midnight. In the man’s extreme disappointment, he broke out in the following lament. “Dear Lord, why didn’t you come to visit me? You promised. Now my soul is in despair.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying: “But I did come, O blind servant, and you turned me away. I was the little old man, the little old lady and the little boy who came to visit. They were in need and you turned them away. “In that you did it to the least of these my children, you did it unto me.” As it was with this man and Herod, so it will be for those do not see “the Christ” when he comes.

-Gene A. Ellmore-