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Jesus yesterday, today and forever
Sometimes we approach the Christmas celebration of the Incarnation of God's Son with so much enthusiasm that we let Advent, the time when the Christian church year begins, fade into the background. The Advent season, which includes four Sundays, begins this year on November 29th and heralds Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The term "Advent" is derived from the Latin adventus and means something like "coming" or "arrival". During Advent, the three "comings" of Jesus are celebrated (typically in reverse order): the future (Jesus' return), the present (in the Holy Spirit) and the past (Jesus' incarnation/birth).
We understand the meaning of Advent even better when we consider how these three comings are related to each other. As the writer to the Hebrews put it: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 1 Cor3,8). Jesus came as incarnate man (yesterday), he lives through the Holy Spirit present in us (today) and will return as King of all kings and Lord of all lords (forever). Another way of looking at this is with regard to the kingdom of God. The incarnation of Jesus brought the kingdom of God to man (yesterday); he himself invites the believers to enter that kingdom and to participate in it (today); and when he returns, he will reveal the pre-existing kingdom of God to all mankind (forever).
Jesus used several parables to explain the kingdom he was about to establish: the parable of the seed growing in silence and invisible (Mark 4,26-29), that of the mustard seed, which emerges from a small seed and grows into a large shrub (Markus 4,30-32), as well as that of leaven, which leaven the whole dough (Matthew 13,33). These parables show that the kingdom of God was brought to earth with the incarnation of Jesus and is still really and truly enduring today. Jesus also said, "If I cast out evil spirits by the Spirit of God [which he did], then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matthew 12,28; Luke 11,20). The kingdom of God is present, he said, and evidence of this is documented in his casting out of demons and other good works of the church.
The power of God is continually being manifested through the power of believers living in the reality of God's kingdom. Jesus Christ is the head of the church, was so yesterday, is today and will be forever. As the kingdom of God was present in the ministry of Jesus, it is now present (though not yet in perfection) in the ministry of his church. Jesus the King is among us; his spiritual power dwells in us, even if his kingdom is not yet fully effective. Martin Luther compared that Jesus bound Satan, albeit by a long chain: “[...] he [Satan]can do no more than a bad dog in a chain; he may bark, run to and fro, tear at the chain."
The kingdom of God will come into being in all its perfection—that is the “eternal thing” we hope for. We know that we cannot change the whole world in the here and now, no matter how hard we try to reflect Jesus in our lives. Only Jesus can do that, and he will do it in all glory when he returns. If the kingdom of God is already a reality in the present, it will only become a reality in all its perfection in the future. If it is still largely hidden today, it will be fully revealed when Jesus returns.
Paul often spoke of the kingdom of God in its future sense. He warned of anything that might prevent us from “inheriting the kingdom of God” (1. Corinthians 6,9-10 and 15,50; Galatians 5,21; Ephesians 5,5). As can often be seen from his choice of words, he constantly believed that the kingdom of God would be realized at the end of the world (1Thess 2,12; 2Thess 1,5; Colossians 4,11; 2. Timothy 4,2 and 18). But he also knew that wherever Jesus was, his kingdom is already present, even in what he called “this present wicked world.” Since Jesus dwells in us in the here and now, the kingdom of God is already present, and according to Paul we already have citizenship in the kingdom of heaven (Philippians 3,20).
Advent is also spoken of with regard to our salvation, which is referred to in the New Testament in three tenses: past, present and future. The salvation we have already received represents the past. It was brought about by Jesus at his first coming - through his life, death, resurrection and ascension. We experience the present now when Jesus dwells in us and calls us to participate in his work in the kingdom of God (kingdom of heaven). The future stands for the perfect fulfillment of the redemption that will come to us when Jesus returns for all to see and God will be all in all.
It is interesting to note that the Bible emphasizes the visible appearance of Jesus at his first and final coming. Between “yesterday” and “eternal,” Jesus' present coming is invisible in that we see him walking, unlike the first-century living. But since we are now ambassadors for Christ (2. Corinthians 5,20), we are called to stand for the reality of Christ and his kingdom. Even if Jesus may not be visible, we know that he is with us and will never forsake us or let us down. Our fellow human beings can recognize him in us. We are asked to shed fragments of the glory of the kingdom by allowing the fruit of the Holy Spirit to permeate us and by keeping Jesus' new command to love one another3,34-35).
When we understand that Advent is at the center, that Jesus is yesterday, today, and forever, we are better able to understand the traditional motif in the shape of four candles that precedes the time of the Lord's coming: hope, Peace, joy and love. As the Messiah of whom the prophets spoke, Jesus is the real embodiment of the hope that gave strength to God's people. He came not as a warrior or a subjugating king, but as a Prince of Peace to show that it is God's plan to bring peace. The motif of joy indicates the joyful anticipation of the birth and return of our Savior. Love is what God is all about. He who is love loved us yesterday (before the world was founded) and continues to do so (individually and in an intimate way) both today and forever.
I pray that the season of Advent will be filled with Jesus' hope, peace and joy and that you will be reminded by the Holy Spirit day by day how much He loves you.
Trusting in Jesus yesterday, today and forever,
Joseph Tkach
President
GRACE COMMUNION INTERNATIONAL
