Historians know that in order to try and substantiate a thesis, we need to get as close to the original source as possible. So, how close to the life and times of Jesus can we get, in order to try and understand the mystery of his birth?
Well, besides the words of the Scriptures themselves, we get a glimpse of Jesus, through the eyes of Ignatius of Antioch. His name may not mean much to you, but he is a very important figure in the history of our faith. He was born around 50AD and lived until 117AD. More importantly, it is widely recorded that he was a disciple of the apostle John.
Ignatius wrote a lot of letters to the first Century Church and this is what he wrote (italics are mine):
"There is only one physician, who is both flesh and spirit, born and unborn, God in man, true life in death, both from Mary and from God, first subject to suffering and then beyond it, Jesus Christ our Lord.""For our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived by Mary according to God’s plan, both from the seed of David and of the Holy Spirit."
"Consequently, all magic and every kind of spell were dissolved, the ignorance so characteristic of wickedness vanished, and the ancient kingdom was abolished when God appeared in human form to bring the newness of eternal life."
Like I mentioned yesterday, let us not become side-tracked by the actual date of Jesus birth, but rather contemplate the incredible gift He is to the world.
Luke 1:29 - But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.’ (The Message)
Living in Grace
D3LM3
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