0205. 202. Christ, the Great One
202. Christ, the Great One
“He Shall Be Great” Luk_1:32
This is one of the positive statements Gabriel gave to Mary regarding the Infant Christ. There are seven “shalt’s” and “shall’s.” The “shalt” of incarnation: “Thou shalt conceive;” the “shalt” of designation: “shalt call His Name Jesus;” the “shall” of exaltation: “He shall be great;” the “shall” of determination: “shall be called the Son of the Highest;” the “shall” of identification: “The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David;” the “shall” of dominion: “He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever;” and the “shall” of continuation: “Of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” Christ is great in many ways.
1. “Great God” in Being. “Our Great God and Saviour” (Tit_2:13, R.V., margin). He is great in many ways. Great in Nature, for He is “Love;” great in Character, for He is holy; great in Name, for He is Jehovah; great in Creation, for His works declare His skill; great in Revelation, for He expresses the Father; great in Promise, for He is “yea and amen;” and He is great in Purpose, for He is the Sum of all things.
2. “Great Love” in Action. “Great love wherewith He loved us” (Eph_2:4), To take only the setting of this statement, we see seven things love does among the many, namely, quickens in His life, saves by His grace, raises by His power, fashions us by His skill, makes us nigh by His Blood, reconciles by His Cross, and gives us access by His Spirit—Eph_2:4-18.
3. “Great Salvation” in Blessing—Heb_2:3. Salvation is at least a sevenfold blessing. God is its Author, Christ is its Embodiment, man is its object, the Holy Spirit is its Power, deliverance is its meaning, holiness is its fruit, and glory is its consummation.
4. “Great Mercy” in Grace. “Great is His mercy towards them that fear Him” (Psa_103:11). Mercy is lovingkindness in action. Joseph’s lovingkindness to his brethren, David’s to Mephibosheth, Ahasuerus’ to Esther, Boaz’s to Ruth, the Good Samaritan to the robbed, and Christ in His many acts of mercy.
5. “Great Power” in Operation. “Great is our Lord and of great power” (Psa_147:5). See how His power is stated in Psalms 147. Ponder the setting of the words, “healeth,” “bindeth,” “telleth,” “lifteth,” “casteth,” “covereth,” “pre-pareth,” “giveth,” “maketh,” “filleth,” “sendeth,” “sheweth,” etc.
6. “Great Light” in Revelation. “People that sat in darkness saw great light” (Isa_9:2). In all the religions of the world they only lead man in on himself to fruitless effort to be good, and into the bogs of despair and the darkness of uncertainty; but not so with Christ, in Him is light to illuminate, life to quicken, love to inspire, liberty to free, bread to satisfy, joy to gladden, and power to be.
7. “Great Rock” in Protection. “Shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isa_32:2). Weariness and woe in all around us. Sorrow and pain oft distress us. Trials and temptations often haunt and harass us. Things often seem to go wrong, and we know not what to do. Then the Saviour is found to be all we need as we shelter beneath His protecting presence; and as we nestle under Him we realise the warmth of His heart, the power of His hand, and the sufficiency of His grace.
8. “Great Shepherd” in Power. “Great Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb_13:20). Sin, Hell, death, disease, and the grave all stood in His way when He was on earth, but He banished disease, put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, conquered the powers of Hell, vanquished death, and was victorious over the grave. Now He can overcome our enemies, keep us by His power, and lovingly tend us by His sufficient grace.
9. “Great King” in Splendour. “The city of the Great King” (Psa_48:2). None so great as He. He is glorious in holiness, munificent in grace, beautiful in character, unsurpassed in love, exceptional in giving, constant in care, faithful in promise, almighty in power, victorious in battle, altogether lovely in appearance, and righteous in rule.
By: DR. F. E. MARSH