The Rest of the Story

A series on Isaiah 9:6 – The Child of Prophecy
 – Son of Man
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Daniel 7:1-18; Hebrews 4:14-16 

[Jesus was a child of prophecy. The Christmas story in the Bible was predicted in many Old Testament prophecies but the centerpiece of these is Isaiah 9:6. It was written nearly six hundred years before Jesus’ birth. In this series we’re going to look at the meaning and implications of this amazing prophecy.]

 

The story below was taken from a Paul Harvey radio broadcast in 2004.

 

During a winter storm one Christmas Eve, a man discovered that a flock of birds had flown into his picture window seeking shelter from the snowstorm. They were huddled outside under the window trying to survive.

 

Seeing their plight, he attempted to save them by getting them into his barn. First, he opened the barn door and turned on the lights. Then he made a trail of bread crumbs leading to the door. Finally, he tried shooing them into the barn. Nothing worked.

 

Suddenly, he realized that they were afraid of him. He thought, if only I could become a bird, then they would follow me into the safety of the barn. No sooner had this thought passed when he understood. That’s exactly what Jesus had done to save us.

 

In 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and defeated Judah. The king ordered that some of the best and brightest of the Israelites be deported to Babylon where they would serve him in his court. Daniel was among them.

 

Being uprooted was a challenge for Daniel and the others. They were forced to leave their family, their home and their Temple; to live in a land that they had never seen and amongst a people whose culture and gods they were in conflict with.

 

In chapter 7 Daniel has an apocalyptic dream about four beasts that represent four kingdoms that rise to power on earth. They were the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian alliance, the Greece kingdom and the Roman Empire. But then Daniel saw a vision of another kingdom.

 

¹³ As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.                    NLT

 

From these verses, Jesus chose the title that he most often used for himself… “Son of Man”. Like the man in Paul Harvey’s story, Jesus realized that he needed to become one of us so that we would trust him and not be afraid.

 

Isaiah prophesied, “For to us a child is born”. He became one of us… not a god or a king, but a child. The writer of Hebrews described what it means for the Messiah to be born a child.

 

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.    NIV

 

As Paul Harvey said at the end of all of his broadcasts, "And now you know... the rest of the story".

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

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