Isaiah 9:1-4: Christians have always related this prophecy to the
coming of Jesus, the one whom we believe fulfilled Israel's hopes for a
Messiah. However, the context is related more to a significant event
promising a new era after a disastrous period of privation resulting from war
or a foreign invasion.
It is more likely that the oracle was first
intended for the coronation of new king of Israel or the anniversary of that
event. The word Messiah meant "the anointed one." After being anointed the
monarch became a sacred person and stood in unique relation to God. Something
similar is expressed in the anointing of the British monarch as the "Defender
of the Faith."
Psalm 27:1, 4-9 (UMH 758): This very personal prayer expresses
trust in God in the face of hostile opponents. The psalmist seeks access to
the temple where he may meet God as if face to face.
1 Corinthians 1:10-18: There appear to have been some serious divisions within the
Corinthian congregation. Paul seeks to address these by calling on all who
are quarrelling to remember that they belong to Christ, not to the particular
apostle who may have baptized them. It is the death and resurrection of
Christ, symbolized in their baptism, which brings them together and is the
secret of their salvation.
Matthew 4:12-23: At first, Jesus preached a
message quite similar to that of John the Baptist: "Repent, for the kingdom
of heaven has come near." The difference was that in Jesus, this good news
was to be fulfilled. The calling of the first of his disciples, four
ordinary fishermen of Galilee, was the beginning of this fulfillment the
creation of a community of those who would believe in and follow him. His
healing ministry was also a sign that the reign of God had already begun.
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