Part 1 - The Context of Jesus' Incarnation

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called Christ In Conflict With Religion.

It is shameful that so many Christians hold what they think are Biblical beliefs but ignore the context of their supposed supporting verses. Context is critical in serious Bible Study. This is because a belief held apart from Biblical context is simply a preconceived notion; it's not based upon Biblical truth. We need to approach our consideration of Jesus of Nazareth's earthly ministry according to its Biblical context.

We can establish the context of His ministry by noting that Jesus of Nazareth "came to His own"... that is the nation Israel. John the Baptist introduced Jesus with the proclamation: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt.3:2)... "the Kingdom" was in focus. Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus was known as “the Son of David.” the king with whom God made a covenant to establish His Kingdom forever.

Some of the most beautiful Messianic promises are found in the Psalms. Seventy-four are from Israel's King David; while Psalm 72 was the work of David's son, Israel's King Solomon. God spoke through the all the psalmists of Israel, often foretelling the arrival and rejection of Israel's promised Messiah/King.

  • Psalm 2 speaks of the Messiah, the One whom God will install as His King over Israel (v 7). Messiah will be given the nations as His inheritance, and He will rule over those who seek to oppose Him (vs. 1-3, 8-9).
  • Psalm 22 portrays the suffering of Messiah of Israel on the cross of Calvary. It begins with the words which our Lord quoted upon the cross, "My God, my God, why has Thou forsaken me?" thus identifying the Savior with the One whose sufferings are described in this Psalm.
  • Psalm 45 is written for the celebration of the king's marriage. It therefore focuses on the splendor and majesty of the coming King of Israel (v 3-6), and upon the fact that His throne is eternal (v 6). The bride of the King loves righteousness and hates wickedness and has been chosen by Him as His bride. The splendor of the bride is described as she has been prepared for her presentation to the King.
  • Psalm 72 depicts the reign of the Righteous King of Israel, who judges the people with righteousness and justice, and who vindicates the afflicted. He is the One who will answer the cries of the afflicted and will bring them deliverance.
  • Psalm 110 speaks of the installation of the Messiah of Israel at the right hand of God, who will rule over His enemies. Not only is He to rule as King, but He is also an eternal priest after the order of Melchizedek (v 4). He will come to the earth to destroy His enemies, and then reign as King through a believing Israel who is to be His co-regents on earth, for eternity (cf., Rev 5:20, 20:6).
  • Psalm 145 speaks of Jesus coming as Israel's eternal King. "Thy Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom, and thy Dominion Endureth Throughout ALL Generations." (v13).

Thus we see who Jesus of Nazareth was foretold to be... Savior, King, Messiah of Israel. Let's consider some of Jesus' encounters during His earthly ministry. He encountered the non-Israelite "Syro-Phoenician woman," seeking deliverance for her daughter (cf., Mark 7:25-30). But Jesus told His disciples "I am come but unto (only to) the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt 15:24), not to the Gentiles (cf., Matt 10:5-6). Gentiles are referred to here as "dogs." Yes, God had long intended that the whole world would be blessed...through Israel in the promised Kingdom, but first Israel needs to receive her Messiah.

Jesus of Nazareth came to bring Israel a foretaste of the prophesied blessings of the "kingdom of heaven," all being in accord with the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3) and Davidic Covenant (2Sam. 7:10-13). Seven times in the gospels Jesus proclaimed "the kingdom of (to come from) heaven is at hand." After Jesus' resurrection and appearing to His disciples for forty days afterward, the Bible says He spoke to His disciples concerning "the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3, 6), interestingly, not the cross.

"(He then) shewed himself alive after his passion (cross) by many infallible proofs, being seen of them (His Jewish Disciples) forty days, and speaking of the things Pertaining To THE KINGDOM OF GOD:" (Act 1:3).

The promised "everlasting kingdom" will appear with Jesus' 2nd coming, in the Millennium, fulfilling the promised restoration of the Davidic Kingdom. Christ will come this time not as a "Lamb of God," but rather "in wrath" to save the believers of Israel from her enemies. Christ will return as "the Son of David," being also the "greater than David" (cf., Matt. 9:27, 22:41-46). He will occupy David's literal physical throne on the literal physical earth. He will set up the literal "kingdom of heaven" on the literal physical earth in the literal physical Jerusalem at the close of the horrific 7-year Tribulation period, more precisely called "the seventieth week of Daniel." This precedes His promised Messianic Kingdom 1,000 year reign on earth.

Jesus of Nazareth came the first time to "His own (Israel) and they received Him NOT" (John 1:11). He preached... "the kingdom" and spoke of it 102 times in the four Gospels as being to and for "the circumcision (Israel)" (Rom 15:8). Yet, they rejected the king and His kingdom by crucifying Jesus. But after Jesus' death and resurrection He returned again for a short time.

The promise of the coming "kingdom of heaven" to earth, was referred to as "the Gospel Of The Kingdom" in Matt 4:23. It was the focus of the ministry of  Jesus of Nazareth to "the circumcision"(Rom 15:8). This is in contrast to Paul's "gospel of the grace of God" (Act 20:24).

Israel historically had long resisted "the Lord" (Act 7:51) and His Law. First they killed His prophets of the OT, then they killed Jesus. Since Israel had long rejected God and his prophets, Jesus' proclamation was that the people of Israel had to, as a Nation, receive John the Baptist's message of the "baptism of repentance." He "(John the Baptist) came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the Baptism of Repentance for the remission of sins; (Luke 3:3). John said, "... he (Jesus) shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. (Mark 1:8). This promise was that repentant Israelites would be baptized in water and "clothed" with the power with the Holy Spirit.

God intended that the whole world would be blessed by the offer of the Kingdom that would come through a Holy Spirit anointed Israel as His agents on earth (cf., Rev 5:10, 20:6). This has not yet occurred but it will in the Millennium Kingdom on earth.

Jesus came and performed many miraculous "signs" that were intended to add veracity to His words proclaiming to Israel "the kingdom of (from) heaven is At Hand." After Jesus' ascension to heaven, Peter at Pentecost then made a bonafide offer of "the kingdom" saying, "(The Lord) SHALL SEND JESUS CHRIST (the King)" if Israel by its leaders would "repent be baptized for the remission of sins" (Act 2:38, 41).

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the Presence Of The Lord; 20HE SHALL SEND JESUS CHRIST (the promised Messiah), which before was preached unto you: (Acts 3:19-20).

We know of course that Israel rejected their Messiah yet again. Jesus thereby became a "stumbling stone" (Rom 9:32-33, 11:11-12) to Israel. Thus, Israel's promised "kingdom" to come on earth is delayed "UNTIL the fullness of the Gentiles be come in" and the "body of Christ" is completed. Israel's rejection of Christ fulfilled Jesus' words by His parable predicting Israel to say; "we will not have this man to rule over us" (Lk 19:14). So after the cross Israel rejected Peter's words at Pentecost and then again by the witness of Holy Spirit through Stephen, stoning Stephen to death (cf., Acts 7:51-60). This rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit was the unforgivable sin. Previously, Israel had been unique, "not to be counted as among the nations (ethnos, Gentiles)" (Num 23:9). Israel rejected the Apostle Peter's words and ultimately did "fall" by unforgivably rejecting the witness of the Holy Spirit when they stoned Stephen to death. Paul tells us Israel has "fallen," that is, from what was their original lofty position of at one time being "above all people" in God's eyes (cf., Exo 19:5).

"I  say then, Have they (Israel) stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their FALL Salvation Is Come Unto The Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them (Israel) the riches of the Gentiles... (Rom 11:11-12)

"I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of This Mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that Blindness In Part Is Happened To Israel, UNTIL the Fulness Of The Gentiles Be Come In. (Rom 11:25)

Israel has in fact "fallen" and become "blinded... until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled" (Rom 11:25, cf. Luke 21:24). With Israel's fall the age turned from Israel to the Gentile "body of Christ." Today Israel is set-aside and will remain so "until" after the rapture (1Thes 4:13-18) of the "church, which is the body of Christ" (Eph 1:22b-23a). Christ's "body" members will then dwell "eternal in the heavens" (2Cor 5:1b). Now Christ's kingdom" won't come until after the Tribulation with the establishing of His Millennial reign.