Luke 15-17 & 21-22
I don’t know if you are aware
but apparently God is called James, and he is living with Anne in South
Manchester and works as a landscape gardener.
This, from a programme on Radio Four in the Illuminated series broadcast recently.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00219dj?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
This reminded me of an Assembly at my Church of England Senior School back in 1964/65. Our RE teacher, Mrs Hopkinson asked what our reaction might be if a man was to stand up in Tommy Field Market and declare that he was God incarnate.
Perhaps the reason I remember
it was because I assumed laughter would be the right response, not that I found
it funny, but I laughed anyway – and was the only one who reacted in anyway.
Lancashire in the 20th
or the 21st century is very different from 1st Palestine
where Messiahs popped up regularly. And very often disappeared just as quickly,
some with the followers brutally put down by the occupying Roman forces.
And therein lay something of
the problem.
In reading prophecy about the
Messiah, the main thought was that such a figure would establish the Israelite
Kingdom and dispatch the Roman’s back to their own country. Then there would be
peace and prosperity, perhaps even ushering in the Age to Come.
And out of the Judean wilderness come John. And we are told what John was wearing not because the Gospel writers were fashion critiques. But because John’s garb was that of a prophet, and not just any prophet but aligned with Elijah who, according to tradition was to be the harbinger of the Messiah’s arrival.
.jpg)
2 Kings 1.8
They replied, “He had a
garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.” The king said, “That
was Elijah the Tishbite.”
The baptism of Jesus is to be
found in all four Gospels, and it would be a fascinating exercise to find all
the link to the Old Testament. Virtually every word and line have a reference
and a link back into what we know as the Old Testament.
We haven’t got the time to
take that journey this morning.
But one thought I do want to
present this morning. This idea comes from a study I was listening to on a
podcast recently and I thought it was very illuminating.
Let me see if I can put it in
short order.
Recall King Charles 111 coronation. Several of the rituals at the coronation derive from the coronation of Israelite Kings.
Take Solomon, the son of David, anointed king during
David's lifetime to secure the succession. In 1 Kings 1:39, it
is described, "Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle
and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people shouted,
'Long live King Solomon!'" Solomon's coronation was marked by public
acclamation and the support of key figures like Nathan the prophet and Zadok
the priest.
The coronation ceremonies in the Bible often involved
anointing with oil, a practice that symbolized the Holy Spirit's empowerment
and God's blessing upon the king. The use of oil, as seen in the anointing of
Saul, David, and Solomon, was a tangible sign of consecration and divine
selection. The presence of prophets and priests during these ceremonies
underscored the theocratic nature of Israel's monarchy, where the king was seen
as God's representative on earth.
Note, prophet, priest, anointing, acclamation.
In the New Testament, the concept of coronation takes on a messianic dimension
with the recognition of Jesus Christ as the King of Kings.
What do we note in Jesus’ baptism.
We see a prophet, John the Baptist, from a line of priest,
his father, Zechariah was a priest. We see the ‘anointing’ of the Holy Spirit
alighting in the form of a dove.
(The dove is rich in allusion to the creation story where
the ‘Spirit of God’ hovered over the waters of chaos like a mother bird over
her brood, and we have the dove that brings back signs of new life to Noah.)
There is the acclamation from heaven, ‘this is my Son in
whom I am well pleased.
Psalm 2.6-7
“I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I
will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
And interestingly, John is the last and the greatest of
the prophets.
Jesus confirmed that John was a prophet. And not just any
prophet, but the greatest of them all. He said: “What then did you go
out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of
whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will
prepare your way before you.’ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there
has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:9-11).
Immediately after John’s ministry, Jesus appeared. This meant
that Old Testament prophecy had ended. The shadows passed. The sun had come.
John was the last prophet.
Therefore, if John is the last prophet then there are no
more prophets to anoint any further Kings – Jesus comes as King, is anointed,
Christ, Christus, the ‘anointed one.’
Finaly, the ultimate coronation of Christ is depicted in
the heavenly vision of Revelation, where He is portrayed as the Lamb who is
worthy to receive power and glory. Revelation 19:16 declares,
"On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS." This eschatological coronation signifies the fulfilment
of God's redemptive plan and the establishment of Christ's eternal reign.
At the end of Matthews Gospel, Jesus gives what has become to be known as the Great Commission…
Then Jesus came to them and
said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am
with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Note...
1) “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
King Jesus reigns supreme no
matter how much earthly rulers strut and stride and seek to rule.
2) Therefore,
go and make disciples of all nations,
We are called to witness by
word and action to everyone, everywhere, all the time.
3) baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
We are to invite people to
become the New Covenant People of God through the waters of baptism, following
our Lord’s example, and signifying their being buried with Christ and rising to
new life in Him.
4) And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
And the people of God said,
Amen and Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment