CHRISTMAS HOMILY 2024 – Meekness and Majesty!

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A. Meekness and Majesty! Jesus is uniquely human and divine.

‍Our reading from Hebrews1:1-4 emphasizes the traits of Jesus the Son of God, (i.e. the divine side of the gold coin). At the same time Hebrews 2:6-9 emphasizes Jesus the Son f Man, (i.e. portrays the human side of the same coin). It is not a case of either/or, but both/and! The Christian faith is a paradox in that the true nature of Christ is both fully human and divine.

B. Jesus, the Son of Man.

In order for God to redeem us and save us from our sin, Christ had to become fully human. As Gregory of Nazianzus said: ‘what is not assumed is not healed!’

The author of the Hebrews 2:6-9 makes the case for the humanity of Christ by adopting a Christ-centred interpretation of Psalm 8:4-6. ‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? (Gk: the son of man that you care for him?)

8:7. You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honour, subjecting all things under their feet.’

8:8.Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, 

8:9.  but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.’

The author of Hebrews in chapter 4:15highlights another important aspect of Christ’s humanity: ‘We do not have high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have a one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.’

This in turn enables us to: ‘approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need.’ Hebrews 4:16 - NRSV

C. Jesus, the Son of God.

In chapter 1:2-3 the author of Hebrews makes the case is made for the divinity of Christ, using seven consecutive clauses to describe the Son of God:

1. ‘heir of all things’ –(Hebrews 1:2b. i.e. the messianic Psalm 2:7)

2. the agent through whom God created the universe (Hebrews 1:2; John 1:3)

3. ‘the reflection of God’s glory’* (Hebrews1:3a and John 1:14)

4.‘exact representation**of his being’ (Hebrews 1:3b - NIV)

5.the one who sustains all of creation (Hebrews 1:3c and Colossians 1:17)

6.who ‘made purification for sins’ (Hebrews 1:3d – a ref. to Christ’s sacrificial death)

7. who has taken his seat at the ‘right hand of the majesty on high’ (A Jewish

circumlocution of God), and a reference to Psalm 110:1

* N.B. Paul in Colossians 1:15 puts it this way:

               ‘He is the image (GK: icon) of the invisible God.’

Moses on top of Mt. Sinai prayed: ‘Show me your glory.’  God responds by hiding him in the cleft of the rock and shielding him from his divine power and glory: ‘you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.’ ³

N.B. The LORD continued, ‘I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen. ⁴

Augustus Toplady (b.1740) refers to this event in his famous hymn Rock of Ages

(CH554),with the line: ‘Rock of ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.’

Likewise, the author of John’s gospel confirms the vital link between Christ and the glory of God:

‘And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14).

** N.B. Christ is the ‘exact representation’ of God’s being’ (Hebrews 1:3b - NIV).  The doctrine of the incarnation of Christ teaches us the vital truth: ‘It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.’ (John 1:18). Jesus told Thomas: ‘If you know me, you will know my father also.’ (John14:7).

So ‘Christ is the icon of the invisible God.’ ⁵

In a famous icon representing Jesus as the Good Shepherd, carrying the lost sheep home to safe pasture. On the one hand it is a very human image of Jesus that we can all relate to, especially here in Southland!

At the same time we recognize that the title: ‘Good Shepherd’ is taken from Psalm 23; in which God reveals himself to David as ‘Jehovah – Raah’. ‘Jehovah’ in the Hebrew means the great ‘I AM’ or ‘eternally existing one,’ and Raah means to ‘pasture, tend and graze.’

As we continue in worship on Christmas Eve and in the 12 Days following Christmas, let’s continue to meditate on the great mystery that Christ the Saviour is both fully human (Meekness) and fully divine(Majesty), and the implications that flow from this truth for the benefit of humankind.

3Exodus 33:18

4Exodus 33:20-23 - NRSV

5Colossians 1:15 - NRSV

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