December 2002

Christ:
The Landscape of Life

Part Fifty-four

“LO and BEHOLD”

“Guarding our garments” (S)

          Scripture gives no reason to doubt that the virgin “blessed among women” (Lk 1:42) bore the Messiah in her body for the usual gestation period of 9 months. In fact, Lk 2:5 says she was, “Great [Gk 1471/2949- lit. “bursting”] with child”! This Holy Occupation of Mary’s womb with God’s “Blessed Fruit” prompts scholars of Scripture numerics to ascribe the number, 9, to mean: “Fruit of the Spirit”. This is confirmed by the 9 Fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5:22-23: “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.”
Mary was a type for the Mother Church which today is, “Great- lit, bursting with child”! Her bulging, Blessed Fruit [later called “Bread of Life”] had to be taken from Nazareth- which was disreputed for its cultural inadequacy, moral laxity and spiritual privation- away from deadly Herod; and uncomfortably conveyed to Bethlehem [Gk 965 “House of Bread”]. God’s Church has also had to remove her bulging Fruit of the spirit from the influence of Babylon’s organized religions with its deadly “letter-of-the-law” doctrines; and transport them to Christ’s safe House of Bread! This has been a long and difficult journey for the pregnant Church- leaving family and friends and familiar surroundings for the sake and safety of the Son about to be birthed in their hearts! Being misunderstood and maligned for departing from men’s traditions has been painful; but worthwhile!
           No earthly, regal fanfare has accompanied this fleeing fellowship of overcomers; no royal halls with satin, birthing chambers attend the delivery of their Blessed Fruit! Only the lowly stable of Humility is secured for the birthsite of God’s many-membered Manchild!
           The fruit of Unconditional Love is produced by painful contractions of the heart when we are “Despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, esteemed falsely as stricken (as retribution for sin) when we are smitten and afflicted by God (deliverance from sin)!” (Isa 53:3-4) Jesus Christ comforts all true disciples, “If the world hates you; know that the world hated Me before it hated you! If you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you are not of the world- for I have chosen you out of the world; therefore the world hates you!!” (Jn 15:18-19) Our heavenly Father doesn’t want His people seeking comfort from this dead world of cultural inadequacy, moral laxity and spiritual privation; He wants us to “Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness” (Mt 6:33) for all our consolations! Only the Spirit of the Lord knows the nature of our every need! He, alone, knows the objectives, conditions, and foreordained duration of each fiery trial He sends to spur us onward and upward to Glory!
           Mary didn’t know what provisions awaited her Holy Child’s birth in Bethlehem. She could only trust that God would provide something appropriate and befitting such an auspicious occasion. She could not know that her birthing bed would be a smelly bed of straw! She could not imagine that the cradle for her special Son would be a feeding trough for beasts! But, by the same token, she never could have guessed that her Son would be visited, and worshipped, by some lowly shepherds; as well as three highborn kings who presented her Babe with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh befitting the King of kings! But such is the road to Heavenly Royalty: first, the humbled estate of the natural man; then the exalted kingship and great rewards of the spiritual man!
           The transition from Reconciliation to God- secured by Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross; to Salvation- provided by Jesus Christ’s Resurrection Life birthed in us- requires that we first pass through the “Valley of the shadow of death” (Ps 23:4) which is carnal-mindedness! (Ro 8:6) This necessary excursion is revealed in this genealogy of Mt 1:17, “All the generations from Abraham (Father of Faith) to David (Love) are 14 years [14 = deliverance; salvation]; and from David (Love) till the carrying away into Babylon (confusion) are 14 years [14 = deliverance; salvation]; and from the carrying away into Babylon (confusion) unto Christ (Anointing) are 14 years!” [14 = deliverance; salvation] This trilogy of 14-year generations equals 42 which speaks of: Israel’s oppression; the Lord’s Advent!]
           Trees are beautiful in the spring when clothed in their colorful garments of appealing fruit; but if that fruit remains attached to its Mother’s branches, it cannot fulfill its destiny of replenishing temporal life to the earth! Likewise, had Mary’s Manchild remained fixed in her womb, He would never have fulfilled His purpose of restoring Eternal Life to the earth! For just as all men are born “dead in sin”, so their earthly existence must end in death; our Savior Jesus Christ was born to SLAY DEATH FOR ALL MEN; so His earthly existence had to end in Resurrection Life! This is the high calling of all mankind- each in his own order! First we must share the deadly fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with our natural father, Adam; which serves to sustain our temporal life here on earth. This crafty cunning of mankind masquerades as Godly Wisdom- until the real thing is revealed! But then, we must one day share the Live-giving Fruit of the Tree of Life with our spiritual Father, the Last Christ-Adam; which serves to sustain our Eternal Life in Heaven!!
           This endless Fruitbearing Tree will never stand naked when there are no more changing seasons; that is, no more “fall into sin” or “dead of winter”! O heavenly Husbandman, clothe our vine with your everlasting Blessed Fruit!

[TO BE CONTINUED]