VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today on Anchored by Truth we are going to continue our look at 15 key scriptures in the Bible as it proceeds from Genesis to Revelation. We’re using these key scriptures to illustrate the fact that the Bible is a single story that focuses on a single person, Jesus and a single plan, the redemption of God’s people. Thus far we’ve gone over 10 of the 15 verses that we want to focus on. At this point in our journey we’ve completed our very quick trip through the Old Testament. In our last episode of Anchored by Truth the last scripture we discussed was from the book of the prophet Malachi who was, chronologically speaking, the last prophet before the Lord ushered in a period of hundreds of years of prophetic silence. I’m here today with RD Fierro, author and founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, would you like to make any opening comments before we begin our look at three of the most famous scriptures in the entire Bible?
RD: Yes. As you’ve noted the scriptures that we heard at our opening today are 3 of the most well-known scriptures in the Bible and of course they all pertain to the life of Jesus. The first two scriptures are from two of the four gospels, Luke and John. The last scripture is from the book of Acts which most scholars believe was also written by Luke. We’ve selected these scriptures because they help illustrate what the entire Old Testament was pointing toward: the arrival of the Messiah, the Anointed One, on the earth. So, one feature of the Messiah’s, Jesus’, life, that we should note immediately is that even though Jesus came to earth as an ordinary human baby His coming was anything but ordinary.
VK: Of course, you’re referring to the fact that an angel announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds in the field. And right after the first angel made his announcement he was immediately joined by a host of other angels and all of them were praising God.
RD: Yes. Today, 2,000 years after Jesus lived we have grown used to the fact that Jesus, the Messiah, was born, lived on earth for 30-some years, and then died. But, for just a second, think about what an event that was at the time. For over 4,000 years God had been promising and preparing the world for the arrival of the Messiah. Then one day, likely some time in winter, it actually happens. So, God marks that occasion by commanding a host of his holy angels to make the fact that the Messiah had come very plain by announcing it to a very unlikely group, shepherds.
VK: Being a shepherd was essentially the lowest rung of the ancient Jewish social and employment ladder. So, one point you’re making is that God had the most amazing news of all time announced first to shepherds in a field, not to kings in a palace. That does start to put some of the wonder back into the birth narrative. God cares so much for the humble people of the world that He first brought the good news, the gospel, to them – not to people highly esteemed by the world.
RD: Exactly. But there’s something even more remarkable about what was happening that ancient winter night. Remember the first few verses of the Bible.
VK: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” Wow. I think I see what you mean. In a very human way, the Messiah’s appearance on earth was a perfect reprisal of what happened in creation.
This is episode 284.
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