The Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of our Lord
and God and Savior Jesus Christ is behind, and another year is now yet to
come. The question in my mind is still that it has been nearly 2000 years since
Jesus’ birth and yet it is possible we do not really fully know or understand
why He came. Isaiah 1:3 in the JPS Tanakh reads as follows:
"The ox knoweth his owner, and
the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, My people doth not
consider."
Of course, many claim that they know why He came, and that
they know who He was. Some say he was The Messiah, some say He was the Son of
God, some say He was the Second Adam, and some say many other things. But, is
it possible that the ox and the ass in that manger knew what we still to this
day do not know? The German Theologian, Paul Tillich, once said: "Doubt is
not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith." Perhaps, on this
journey of faith we are slowly beginning to know, but are yet very far from
knowing, although we may think we know. Jeremiah 4:22 in the JPS Tanakh reads
as follows:
“For My people is foolish, they
know Me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they
are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”
The Gospel of Mathew in Chapter 16: 13-17 in the RSV Bible
reads as follows:
“Now when Jesus came into the
district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say that
the Son of man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say
Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who
do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God.’And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven…’”
Some read the passage, and are convinced they understand;
however, others read and ask for understanding. Blessings and a prosperous new
year are what I desire for all of you! I also hope that we never stop asking
questions with the hope that perhaps one day we will know.
References:
JPS Tanakh
RSV Bible