Ancestry: God became a Man

[Note: Yes, this is entirely quotations from Scripture. I have arranged them in a manner I hope is sensible. ]

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
(Hebrews 1:1-4)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by faith the elders received a good report.Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11.1-3)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. **

The earth was void and without form, and darkness hovered over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.***

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ***

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.**

[T]hen the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

     The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die...”     

      So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

(Genesis 2)

[E]ven though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

(Romans 1.21&22)

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
(Genesis 3:8-13 ESV)

   
     To the woman [the LORD] said,
     “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
          in pain you shall bring forth children.
     Your desire shall be for your husband,
          and he shall rule over you.”

     And to Adam he said,
     “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
          and have eaten of the tree
     of which I commanded you,
          ‘You shall not eat of it,’
     cursed is the ground because of you;
          in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
     thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
          and you shall eat the plants of the field.
     By the sweat of your face
          you shall eat bread,
     till you return to the ground,
          for out of it you were taken;
     for you are dust,
          and to dust you shall return.”

(Genesis 3.16-19)

The LORD God said to the serpent,
     “Because you have done this,
          cursed are you above all livestock
          and above all beasts of the field;
     on your belly you shall go,
          and dust you shall eat
          all the days of your life.
     I will put enmity between you and the woman,
          and between your offspring and her offspring;
     he shall bruise your head,
          and you shall bruise his heel.”
(Genesis 3:14&15)

 Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. (Romans 1.21&22)

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (I Peter 1)

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city....And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of  [judges, kings, heroes,] and the prophets--...of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

     And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11.13-16, 32, 38-40)

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.  **

Now while [Zechariah] was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth;  for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

(Luke 1)

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight--" John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1)

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.**

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.**

"Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you! Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus...The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.  For with God nothing will be impossible."" 

(Luke 1)

"Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).(Matthew 2)

And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. **

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (I Peter 1)

"He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end."  (Luke 2)

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world didn't know him. He came to his own, and his own people didn't receive him.  But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.**

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:  'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'" (Matthew 2)

And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;  for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2)

**John 1

***Genesis 1

Ancestry: A Gentile's Advent

My family has waited centuries for this moment. A grandfather so many greats back I cannot count them picked up his robe and staff, shod his feet with sandals, and started down this road; then his sons followed him; and their sons followed hard after. That first ancestor was a rebel; the next was called a son of God.  As our family grew and spread throughout the world, we had our share of civil wars, famine, drought, family drama, pestilence, massacres, enemies, traitors, cheats, adulterers, and cads. Some of us were mighty men; others pagan saints. From kings to slaves, from businessmen and artists to soldiers, priests, and prophets, farmers, ranchers, nomads, and seamen, my family's line has left no dominion untouched. They called us sons of God and children of light; the people who struggle with their God.

My greatest grandfather, they say, alone is responsible for our old enemy. He chose, and my greatest grandmother chose, and in choosing wrongly they both chose old age, hardship, and death. But this isn't what they wanted, no. They didn't hate our old friend; they loved him.  That day Heaven and Earth wept because the gaping maw of Sheol emerged from the womb of a thing that would kill us all.  But our friend made my greatest grandmother a promise, you see - a promise we're still waiting for: One of us, and we don't know who, be it myself or a great grandchild, pauper or king, seer or shepherd, this relative will be. But we wait, and we hope. 

Overtime, my greatest grandmother bore a son in her husband's image; but we didn't know this was the line until only one branch of our tree remained. And after that catastrophe, another oath was made. Time passed; our numbers grew; our numbers divided; our ability to communicate at will was gone. Broken was the oath to the One; broken the marriage vow; broken the filial love; now broken down our souls, enslaved to the enemy, entrenched in our own poisonous brew.

I have a cousin - it's simpler this way, so far down the line, to say 'my cousin' than discern the exact relational status - who was told a forever-king would come and unite us all again, break the back of the oppressors, this tyrant enemy, restore all these family woes and bring us back under one name, one song, one soul. He had twin grandsons, and our old friend's vow followed this branch of The Grandfather's tree.  But this poor branch was small and no one really believed it possible so delicate a thing could produce so mighty a king.

We watched, then, as this little branch struggled, with us, with our friend, and with our common foe.  Forgive us, Ancient One, for our deeds against our brothers and against you; forgive us the blood we shed, the violence done at our own hands, the knife we raised against our own. Some of us lashed out in indignation; others of us forgot friend and brother and father; some of us grew a deep-seated hate in our very souls: But it all led to one thing, this contempt for a brother and spite for the old family friend. 

The enemy gloats as he turns us on each other. The kings and queens of the earth have fallen; the prophets grow silent; the priests fail their charge. Where did all the laughter go? But we are grapes trampled on; we are wild donkeys refusing to be tamed; we are faithless and distrusting; we have failed our father and our friend. 

We watched, with muted pleasure, as the little branch grew strong, but we tempted her to evil out of jealousy, then watched as the Great King felled her in one stroke of the ax. 

Look now, to the little root, all that remains of the chosen  vine! The earth shuddered when the king's blade glinted in the sun, and the Heavens gasped when the sickle swung down and struck true. 

But we thought this was the coming one!

We wanted the Tree of Life!

Shall we now all perish under tyranny

where even our friend turns his face away?

My family has waited, so many thousands of years.

God, we're still hoping, even as hope turns to legend, and legend to myth;

Ancient One, we're pleading,

even as the stars go out; even as the moon fails us light.

Let the sun perish; let the earth shrivel away;

Let Sheol swallow us alive,

and let us catch in his throat--

But do not forsake us, my mighty friend;

Do not leave us in the cold.

I wasn't there when the tree he felled, when the earth entered such turmoil;

And I wasn't there when our families boiled with wrath by clan;

But I am here, some four hundred years later...

And I am here, standing guard, taking my turn at the wall, watching a buried root in hopes it might spring; 

daring not set hope too high;

What's that? Yes, even as time flies--

Even in my old age, even when my hair turns gray--

I will wait. We will wait,

for the slight chance a severed twig from a broken branch might become a new root and fill the earth, restore us all, heal the world, and destroy our taskmaster.

We wait for the foe's destruction;

we wait for our own redemption;

we wait.