The Coming Messiah

The writer of our passage quotes Psalms 40:6 about the coming Messiah. The Psalmist prophesies Christ’s humble service to the Father by saying, “mine ears hast thou opened” instead of “a body hast thou prepared me.” He was emphasizing the servant’s obedience and readiness to listen to the Master’s command. It may also refer to the Hebrew custom of boring a servant’s “ear through with an aul” (Ex 21:6), signifying his desire to serve his master forever! Both our text and the Psalmist are referring to a readiness to serve. In the incarnation of Jesus, the Father had prepared a human body for Him, whereby He “took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Php 2:7).

God fulfilled His promise that the Savior of humanity would be the seed of a woman (Gen 3:15). By the supernatural work of the Holy Ghost (Lk 1:35), the virgin birth was accomplished, and “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16)! Jesus, our Savior came into this world through the body of a virgin whose “name was Mary” (Lk 1:27). We are all sinners (Rom 3:23), because of the sin nature that was passed on to us by the seed of Adam (Rom 5:12). We all inherited his sin, which resulted in “condemnation” (Rom 5:18).

 But God’s plan involved sending a Savior Who would not inherit humanity’s sin nature – One Who would have a human body “yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). Through God’s power at work in a virgin’s womb, He was able to give Jesus a human body without inheriting man’s sinful nature (Gal 4:4). Our Savior lived without sin and died without sin; to be the pure and perfect sacrifice for fallen man (2 Cor 5:21)! He was able to obtain “eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12), to anyone who would trust and receive Him “by faith” (Gal 3:26). A body was prepared for Jesus so that we can be saved! God bless you!

-Pastor Melito Barrera