Salvation is here!
‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
who is Christ the Lord.’
‘… so shall your God rejoice over you.’ (Luke 2:11, Isa 62:5)
Today we celebrate the great joyous news of the birth of a Saviour in the city of Bethlehem; this happened some two millennia ago, but the work of the Saviour is ongoing to date; indeed we need the Saviour in all spheres of our lives and nations. His name Jesus is actually an ordinary name, similar to Joshua, Jeshua, Elisha, and Isaiah: they all mean ‘The Lord is Salvation’. Since there could have been many other people bearing the same name, the Messiah is always referred to as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus son of Joseph, and later Jesus Christ. The prominent bearers of the names above lived to exemplify the very message ‘The Lord is Salvation’, by virtue of their ministry actions. Let us concentrate on just two, Isaiah and Jesus.
Isaiah is quoted directly in the New Testament over 65 times, far more than any other prophet, and mentioned by name over 20 times. As partial proof that Isaiah was a true prophet, the efforts of Sennacherib the Assyrian Emperor to overthrow and take Jerusalem failed, just as Isaiah had said it would (37:6-7), the Lord healed King Hezekiah’s critical illness, as Isaiah had predicted (38:9, 2Ki 20:7), and Isaiah named Cyrus as Judah’s deliverer from the Babylonian captivity, long before he appeared as king of Persia (44:28, 45:1); these and many more signs exalt the God Isaiah spoke for – indeed ‘The Lord is Salvation’!
His loudest prophecy was about the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah speaks more about the Messiah than does any other Old Testament prophet. He foretold the virgin birth of Emmanuel (7:14) and his universal and eternal government of peace (9:1-7). He describes the Messiah in several other passages as a Suffering Servant and a Sovereign Lord.
This Christmas comes at a time when our education and health services are crying out for help: the great Ivory Tower Makerere is on her knees, and so are many voiceless schools all over the country with dire needs. Our hospitals and health centers are sick and suffering from inadequate supplies and personnel; all these would be helped by a more caring governance, and if selfishness and stealing of public resources were stopped. These evils not only deprive of physical wellness but also threaten masses with eternal damnation. We need deliverance and salvation! This Christmas is an opportunity for us to warmly receive our Saviour and His message of consolation in the face of our needs.
In the dispensation of the Messiah as Sovereign Lord, Isaiah encourages that all nations would partake of the blessings of wellness, splendor and glory conferred on Zion; Zion would be as beautiful and glorious as a royal crown, and Yahweh would delight in peaceful Zion as a young married man delights in his bride (Isa 62:1-5). Our salvation is in Jesus Christ, and His incarnation means Salvation is here!
Merry Christmas and God bless you all.