Letters to a Samuel Generation: Joy To the World
written December 2002
Joy to the world!
The Lord is come. The desire of every nation, every true heart, has come. The King is here. The Messiah. The One who will never let you down. As much as you have been hurt, so He will heal. As much as you have become disillusioned, so He will fill all your beliefs. As much as you have run dry, He will fill you up–with His love. Oh, His love!
There He is, a dirty little child in a dirty little manger; and that young girl is his mother. He can’t sleep because the sheep are making too much noise, but it’s all right. He’ll sleep later. Tonight is not a night to sleep, anyway.
The King has come.
See Him grow. See how the people love Him, how everywhere He goes He commands respect. His following begins to form, a band of devoted ones begins to gather around Him. They are not great men, not mighty warriors or deep philosophers. Mostly they are fishermen, and tax collectors, and very common men. It is good that their King was born in a manger, or they might not dare follow Him.
Now look… do you see how the world begins to hate Him? It is because He obeys and loves His Father so much. He loves too much for a world of hatred. They react the only way they can. They loathe Him. They taunt Him. They plot against Him.
But here and there someone sees Him for who He is. John the Baptist sees, as the Holy Spirit descends from heaven before his wide eyes and remains on this young cousin of his. Mary of Bethany knows. That’s why she sits at His feet, content to let the world fall apart around her.
The woman with the alabaster box knows. Do you see what she has done? She has wept on his feet, anointed Him with perfume, dried His feet with her hair. He describes her actions best… “She has done what she could.” May we all do the same.
Peter and John and James know. They were there when the veil was stripped back from their eyes and they saw Him as He really was, shining with the brilliance of all the stars and talking with the Law and the Prophets, Moses and Elijah.
Why has He come? Because there is a gap between God and man, and it must be closed. The disciples come to Him and ask, “Lord, teach us to pray.” And He says, “Begin this way: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name.” In the past the prophets and kings prayed to the King of Heaven. They prayed to the Lord of Hosts, to the Creator of the Universe. They prayed to the God above all gods. But now a new thing comes: “Call Him Father,” Jesus says. Abba. Father. Daddy. This is why He came.
And now watch and see His death. See it in all of its horror. This is the night the world went mad. They mock, they spit, they murder without thought for what they do. For three terrible, horrible days, light is extinguished in darkness.
But not forever. He is risen! He has come back to us. It is true what He said:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” (John 16:20-22)
Joy to the world.
The Lord is come!