Luke 2:13 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Luke 2:13

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This was just too remarkable, too amazing. It needed the appearance of the angel and the angelic host to authenticate such an amazing thing. Suddenly! One shock after another. First of all the blazing light and then the voice and then the message and then suddenly – that word is intended to shake them and surprise them – at full volume almost comes this great song of praise from the skies as the angels give glory to God for this great event. A multitude of the heavenly host praising God. These shepherds were Jews and the Jews were deeply trained in the old testament Scriptures. They were trained and even had to learn by heart, great portions of the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel. They knew those passages that refer to Almighty God being attended to by thousands of thousands of angels. So when suddenly there was this tremendous heavenly choir they knew that the one who was to be born in accordance with the word was God himself. Only God, according to the prophet Daniel, is attended by thousands of thousands of angels. They hear this great heavenly choir, what does it all mean? Well God is saying to them this is the great event of history. What about creation? Was that not a great event? Yes, but it wasn't as great as the incarnation. At creation the universe was created, the human race was created; wonderful amazing staggering. God did it in a word; it was so easy for him. But look what happened to the human race. It fell. Sin came in, and here is creation now distorted, and human beings, the highest of God creature on earth, scarcely resemble their original form. They are full of sin and deception and misery and weakness; they cannot control themselves, cannot control their problems in the family, among the nations. Creation isn't the greatest thing. There is something else has happened, something which will restore creation one day. God has done something which has made it possible which has put in motion the process by which sinful men and women can be saved. And one day God will end this present world and reconstruct it, and those who are forgiven those who are saved will dwell in a new heaven and a new earth ‘wherein dwelleth righteousness’ as the Scripture says. The greatest event is what makes it possible: the incarnation of Christ.

Application

There is so much superficiality, so much misrepresentation, of this staggering marvellous event at the present time. The Scriptures show that the incarnation of Christ does not mean so many of the things which people today imagine it means. We hear various texts wrenched out of context and the idea among the general public is that somehow or other the incarnation of Christ brings peace and goodwill to all people born. Well that cannot be the purpose of Christ’s coming because it hasn't worked, and all that God does works perfectly. But in some vague way, the coming of Christ is said to be all about nations living at peace with each other and everything being harmonious. The message of Christmas is supposed to be that people should love one another and get on with one another and be kind. Well all those things are right and obvious, but that is not what the angel means when he uses the word peace. Various other ideas are bandied about until the real purpose of Christ's coming is obscured under a cloud of utter confusion. We saw in the previous chapter that this is all about the remission of sin.

We can explain it by turning to Isaiah 57 because the angels are using these words just as the prophets used them. ‘For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones’ (Isaiah 57:15). Through Isaiah God is saying I am the holy God, and I dwell not with everybody, but only with those who are humbled and contrite, that is to say, they repent of their sin. ‘For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. ¹⁸ I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. ¹⁹ I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him. ²⁰ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. ²¹ There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked’ (Isaiah 57:17-21). When that heavenly host says these words and in their praising and in their giving glory to God, they say ‘peace, good will toward men’, they don't mean no more war, no more fighting, and quarrelling between human beings, everybody being kind to one another. That's not the subject. Like the prophets, they are saying, God is holy and perfect and righteous. He will not deal in general with members of the human race. Not until they humble themselves and seek the forgiveness of their sin. Not until they are ready to come to him and know him, and believe in him and then he will make peace with them. We are at war with God by nature. The gospel isn't about wars between nations ceasing. The Lord Jesus Christ said there will be wars and rumours of wars to the very end of time. The message of Christmas and of the gospel is about peace with God. We are at war with him, but God in his mercy is ready to make peace and to forge links with repentant sinners. Why does he not just condemn us all? The great glory of God. He is determined to save men and women and not to let this created world just go finally under ruin and judgement.

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Luke 2:13 Commentary and Bible Study