Church splits are nothing new. For centuries, they have happened because of differences of opinion within the body of Christ. Often church divisions grow from different perspectives on important doctrinal issues. But personal taste or even petty disagreements can also grow into rifts that divide, disrupt, and even destroy a church family.

Early Christians experienced similar struggles. Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ sometimes had trouble accepting one another because of their differences. When Paul urged the “strong” to accept “the failings of the weak” in verse 1, he was referring to differences about things he described as “disputable matters” (Rom. 14:1)—disagreements mainly about abstaining from certain foods and the observance of certain sacred days (Rom.14:2, 5). Paul described those whose lives were governed by such rules as “the weak.” Their conscience obligated them to obey laws that Christ had fulfilled by His sacrifice (Mark 7:19; Rom. 14:14).

Paul did not demand that all Christians agree on disputable matters but commanded that all believers accept one another as those accepted by Christ (v. 7). When we bear with the opinions and practices of others, we choose to “please our neighbors for their good” rather than please ourselves (v. 2). There may be occasions when their weak conscience calls us to limit our freedom when in their presence (Rom. 14:19–23). It is wrong to force other Christians to go against their conscience. We may think we are doing them a favor, but in reality, we are causing them to violate their conscience and act contrary to faith. Their views need not shape our practice. And we shouldn’t force them to follow ours.

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When circumstances seem dismal, where does our hope come from? For Abraham, it came from his belief in God’s eternal purpose. He believed what God had promised, that he would become the “father of many nations” even when he was “as good as dead” (Rom. 4:18; Heb. 11:12). He believed what God had promised even when evidence pointed to the contrary. This is hope!

Hope is also woven through what Paul calls the “mystery” of Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. God’s people rejected Jesus as Messiah because of temporary spiritual blindness that will one day be removed. Their blindness was “a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom. 11:25). Even so, the certainty of this hope compelled Paul, “the apostle to the Gentiles,” to describe the gospel as “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16).

Salvation through Christ, then, is not just for Jews or only for Gentiles. The gospel makes its promises to both. When the good news about Jesus Christ was extended to the Gentiles, God did not revoke His promises to Abraham (11:29). Instead, God was using Israel’s rejection of their Messiah to open the door of salvation to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46; 14:27; 22:21; 26:23). The Gentiles, in turn, became God’s instrument of bringing the message of salvation to the descendants of Abraham (11:31). Salvation has come to the Gentiles to provoke Israel to turn to Christ (11:11). God’s purpose was not to exclude one group or the other but to work out His saving purpose “so that he may have mercy on them all” (v. 32). He provided hope to all through the gift of salvation.

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The Christmas carol we know as Joy to the World was written by the 18th- century pastor and hymn-writer Isaac Watts. Although we may think of it as a song meant to welcome the infant Jesus, it actually celebrates His coming reign. In other words, it is a song of the second Advent!

In a similar way, Psalm 48 speaks of joy to the earth. In this Psalm, however, Jerusalem is the source of joy. Jerusalem is called “Mount Zion” and “the city of the Great King” (v. 2). The Psalmist compares it to “the heights of Zaphon.” In Isaiah 14:14, Zaphon is the abode of God. It was the name of the sacred mountain where Canaanites believed their gods dwelt. Similarly, “Great King” was a title ascribed to the King of Assyria (Isa. 36:4).

These allusions to pagan worship help us understand why Zion is also characterized as a “fortress” in verse 3. There is a note of tension combined with this theme of joy in verses 4–8. Jerusalem is the joy of the whole earth because the God of Israel is the God of all the earth. There are no others. Yet, Israel’s God is not unopposed. Jerusalem is a city under siege. Earthly rulers seek to seize power from the God who claims this city as His own. The kings mentioned in verse 4 are exemplified by the coalition of rulers organized by Sennacherib, who surrounded Jerusalem in 701 B.C. but were miraculously defeated (2 Kings 18:13–19:37; Isa. 36–37). The New Testament church turned to passages like this to understand the opposition they faced from the governing authorities (Acts 4:24–31; see also Ps. 2:1–2). Jerusalem is still at the center of God’s plans for the future (Rev. 3:12; 21:2, 10).

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When a newly elected official gives an inaugural speech, they usually outline the values and goals that will mark their administration. When Jesus preached His own inaugural sermon, He chose portions of Isaiah 61 as His text. Jesus began by saying: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

The fact that Jesus did not read all the verses in Isaiah’s text may have been a signal that some aspects of this prophecy would not be fulfilled during His earthly ministry. Jesus had come to proclaim the good news of salvation, not to judge (see also Luke 12:14). The inauguration of Jesus’ earthly ministry was the beginning of the age of grace. Jesus came to offer forgiveness of sin and freedom from its bondage. But He also warned of a coming day of judgment when it would be more tolerable for the people of Sodom than for those who rejected His offer of mercy (Matt. 11:24). This other side of the gospel is reflected in Isaiah 61:2, which indicates that “the year of the Lord’s favor” will ultimately culminate in “the day of vengeance of our God.”

On the surface, this might seem like a contradiction, especially given the promises in verses 3–7. Here we read of a joy that will replace mourning and rebuilding what has been destroyed. These promises of hope, however, belong to those who are God’s people. They are the people of the Messiah, both Jews and Gentiles, who are called “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16. The day of vengeance is when all God’s promises and warnings will be proven true. It will be the day when those who set themselves against God are punished. It is also the day when the faith of all who have trusted in Jesus as the Messiah will be vindicated. Which of these will be true of you?

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Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the beautiful Baroque choral piece titled Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, celebrating the joy that comes from knowing Christ. In Isaiah 60, the prophet seems to express a similar statement: “I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations” (v. 15).

However, the joy Isaiah describes is referring to Israel. These two joys, Jesus and Israel, are closely intertwined. Isaiah 60 is describing the rule of the Messiah. In verse17, the Lord promises: “I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler.” This is more than a description that the quality of life in Israel will be restored. Verse 13 points to Jerusalem’s singular privilege of serving as the place where the Lord had established His sanctuary. Although some aspects are reminiscent of Solomon’s Temple, the promise of verse 19 that Jerusalem will no longer need the light of the Sun or Moon is echoed by John in his description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:5.

Is this language literal or figurative? Perhaps it is both. The use of “light” speaks of the nature of Christ’s Messianic reign and also of the reversal of Israel’s fortunes that will take place as a result. Jesus, who is “the light of the world” will serve as Israel’s everlasting light (John 8:12; 9:5). With Him, Israel’s fortunes will also rise so that their sun never sets, their moon never wanes, and “your days of sorrow will end.” The Lord promised that at this time, “all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever” (v. 21). Based on promises like these, the apostle Paul saw a bright future for Israel and the hope of a great turning to Christ. At that time, “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26).

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At Christmas, twinkling lights add beauty to our evergreen trees and illuminate the outside of our homes. The tradition of lights seems the perfect way to celebrate the birth of our Savior. After all, Jesus described Himself as the “light of the world” (John 8:12).

In Isaiah 60, the prophet seems to speak of Jesus, when he says, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isa. 60:3). But in its original context, the prophet was describing Israel. Israel’s fortunes would eventually be restored through the Messiah’s reign. The prophet had foretold Jerusalem’s fall. He told Hezekiah, “The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon” (Isa. 39:6).

Isaiah points forward to when Jerusalem will be rebuilt and “the riches of the nations” brought into it (v. 5). A similar thought appears in Revelation 21:26, which says the “glory and honor of the nations will be brought into” the New Jerusalem after the New Heavens and Earth have been established. These blessings involve more than the restoration of Israel as a national entity and the repopulation of Jerusalem. They are features of the Messiah’s reign. This will be the time when God will fulfill His promise to bless all the nations through Abraham (Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 26:4).

The promise to elevate Jerusalem is not political favoritism. It reflects God’s interest in all people and His desire to bless every nation through Christ. The God of Israel is “the Lord of all the earth” (Zech. 4:14; Rev. 11:4). In the New Heavens and New Earth, Jerusalem will be a place where the blessings of God will flow to all people. Its gates will always stand open (v. 11).

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The U.S. Department of State has a publication titled “Treaties in Force.” It lists treaties the United States has on record and in force. In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul describes God’s peace treaty with sinners that unites Jews and Gentiles by reconciling both with God. In verses 11–12 Paul reminds the Ephesian Christians, whose background was Gentile, that they were once outsiders to the promises God made to Abraham and his descendants. As Gentiles, they were “separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”

All of this changed with the coming of Christ. Jesus is our peace treaty. He tore down the barrier that separated all humanity from God and also divided Jews from Gentiles. By offering His own body as a sacrifice for sin, Jesus set aside the condemning record of the Law by eliminating its power to accuse (v. 15). Jesus accomplished this through the cross by acting as our substitute. He obeyed all the commands and ordinances of the Law perfectly and offered His body as the required sacrifice. By His obedience, death, and resurrection, Jesus destroyed all grounds for hostility between Jews and Gentiles (v. 16). Jesus made peace with God by paying for our sins. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by removing the barrier of the Law that separated them.

As the apostle explains in Galatians 3:28–29, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Nobody has an advantage over anyone else in obtaining a relationship with God. The entry point is not a matter of birth, heritage, or status. It is only by faith.

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It would be hard to imagine a Christmas without our favorite carols. These much-loved songs focus our hearts on the reason for the season. In Luke 1, we find the very first Christmas carol. Mary’s song in verses 39–56 is sometimes called the Magnificat. This title is based on the Latin translation of Mary’s first sentence: “My soul glorifies the Lord.”

While Luke writes that Mary “said” rather than sang these verses, her words are a song (v. 39). The form is clearly poetic. Mary’s hymn is similar to what we find in the book of Psalms. Here she praises God’s might, goodness, and mercy. In particular, she celebrates God’s exaltation of the lowly, which is also how Mary viewed herself (v. 48).

Mary’s words demonstrate a sense of history. She clearly understood what God had already done for His people. She saw Jesus’ promised birth as a continuation of the grace shown by God to His people in the past (v. 50). There is also a political sensibility in her song that reflects the national experience of her people. Like many others, she initially expected and longed for a deliverer like Moses, who would rescue her people from their enemies.

The surprising order of God’s kingdom, depicted in verses 51–53, was fleshed out later by Jesus in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3–10; Luke 6:20– 26). Mary would soon learn that Jesus was more than a national deliverer; He would be the One to deliver us from the oppression of sin. He does what we cannot do for ourselves. Mary’s hymn of praise echoes Psalm 118:14: “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Where Jesus is concerned, this is literally true. Perhaps this is why she declared that “my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (v. 47).

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Some people seem to be born with a sense that they are destined for great things; Mary was not one of them. When the angel Gabriel suddenly appeared to her and told her she was “highly favored” and that the Lord was with her, Mary was perplexed. She wondered what the angel’s words might mean (vv. 26–29). Clearly, she did not anticipate becoming the mother of Israel’s Messiah. Engaged to Joseph at this point but not yet married; her only ambition was to be a carpenter’s wife.

The angel’s greeting to Mary echoes the call to serve God given to others in the Old Testament (Judg. 6:12; 2 Chron. 15:2). If Mary was perplexed because she wondered what God was about to ask of her, she did not have to wait long. “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High,” the angel said. “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (vv. 31–33).

Mary was well familiar with the promises of Scripture. So, we may be surprised by her question in verse 34. Instead of asking why she was chosen, she wondered how God would accomplish this. “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” Mary was already engaged. Why didn’t she assume all this would occur after her marriage to Joseph? The angel’s reply emphasized the Child’s miraculous birth and His singular nature. This conception would be like no other because Mary’s Son would be “the holy one” who was also “the Son of God” (v. 35). Zechariah questioned God’s ability to do what the angel promised. Mary asked about the process. One question springs from doubt. The other from wonder.

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When the angel Gabriel told Zechariah he would have a son, John the Baptist, Zechariah asked for a sign. Gabriel rebuked Zechariah but granted the request in a surprising way. “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens,” the angel predicted, “because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time” (Luke 1:20).

Zechariah’s silence was a confirmation, not a punishment. He had become the sign that he had asked God to give. When the couple named the child as the angel commanded, Zechariah’s “mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God” (v. 64). This was a “song” like Mary’s, a hymn of praise like many we find in the book of Psalms (Ps. 72:18; 111:9). Also like Mary’s song, these words were not Zechariah’s alone. He spoke because he was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 67). Zechariah predicted what God would do through John (vv. 76–79). He also spoke of what God would do through Christ.

Zechariah declared that God had “come to his people and redeemed them” and had “raised up a horn of salvation…in the house of his servant David” (vv. 68–69). This emphasis on Christ was fitting, since John’ was born to show others that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, 36). Zechariah describes Jesus as both a visitation of God and an act of redemption. He is “the rising sun” who has come to “shine on those living in darkness.” John’s mission was to point others to Jesus Christ, who would guide their feet to “the path of peace (vv. 78–79).

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