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Why a Messiah, anyway?
Posted by Fr. David in Fr. David's Blog
Wednesday, December 19. 2007Why a Messiah, Anyway?
By Father David
Icon "of the Sign," for Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a child ... called Emmanuel"It is Christmastime! The secularized and the commercialized scream out their siren songs, beckoning us to buy and eat. Christian churches counter this by cheering the faithful that Jesus “is the reason for the season.” The newsmagazines grind out proudly iconoclastic cover-stories about Christmas. They tell us the latest and greatest avant-garde theories — by the latest and greatest avant-garde scholars — about “the real nature” of the “birth stories” in the Gospels. Conservative and traditional Christians then rise up and defend the historic Christian teaching about Jesus Christ: that what was born in that manger two millennia ago was no mere man, but rather the eternal Word of God made human flesh. In the words of the Nicene Creed, Jesus of Nazareth is “God of God, true Light of true Light, … of one essence with the Father” and that he “became incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man.”
In all this, we’ve become like that fantastic creature of Dr. Doolittle fame: a kind of spiritual “Push-Me, Pull-You:” a creature with two heads, each pointing in the opposite directions. In the midst of all this tug of war, it seems that something is getting lost. Secular Christmas, or Christ-centered? Pop-heretics, or Jesus as really the Son of God? Yet, where’s the why? We are endlessly debating penultimate, though admittedly important, issues. Why did God become flesh — incarnate? Why was the Christ — the Messiah — promised by the prophets? We are so busy defending and expressing of the doctrine of who Jesus is, and how we should celebrate Him, that why He was and is “who He is” has gotten lost in the shuffle.
So, let’s take a quiz, to get the juices flowing in the right direction. Here it is: Jesus is God-become-man to…:
- Boost consumer confidence in the economy.
- Make it possible for me to go to heaven when I die, if I accept him as my personal savior.
- Invent a sentimental Victorian Christmastide, replete with lovely tree, sumptuous dinner, cozy hearth, and gifts.
- Create free-floating myths about a magical grandfatherly fellow who gives presents to good children.
- To redeem a People as their Messiah, revealing the reign of God and renewing all creation.
The Creed gives us a clue when it say: “who for our sake, and for our salvation, became incarnate ….” Notice the word “our.” The Messiah was promised by Israel’s prophets to redeem God’s People. Somehow, in our individualistic age, we’ve interpreted the meaning of Christ and his salvation as mere personal salvation. You know — so I’m “OK” with God! Yet, the Scriptures are clear, even if we are not: “God is with us” (Isaiah 7:14f) in order to save his people. Here is no mere salvation as a personal transaction! This is a “people,” including all ethnicities; fulfilling the “blessing of Abraham” (Gen. 12). Again: “Unto Shiloh (the Messiah) shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen. 49:10). And we all know Isaiah 9:6-7:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.
The point is this: Jesus is the Messiah of the Church — first. In fact, the Messianic prophecies lead us not just to Christmas, where it all starts — nor simply to the Cross or even to the Resurrection. Rather, the Messianic prophecies lead us to Pentecost: to the gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews God’s People, and is sent by the Messiah! Therefore, If you really want to “do Christmas right,” there’s only one way: as a part of the gathered Community of the Messiah — the Church — worshiping, serving, fellowshipping, learning. Let us obey the ancient yuletide carol: “Come, let us adore Him!”
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