COLUMN: Think Again – Good news of great joy

“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people’” (Luke 2:10).

Most of us have heard these words countless times. It’s a key part of the Christmas story, where angels appeared to shepherds while they were watching their sheep at night.

The angels said that they brought good news to the shepherds. The Greek word translated as good news in this verse is euangelizomai, which is the verbal form of gospel. According to the angels, this gospel message would bring great joy to all the people.

Thousands of years earlier, God had a similar message for Eve. Immediately before expelling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, God pronounced judgment on the serpent (Satan) and made an important promise.

“I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

Imagine the sorrow that Adam and Eve would have felt upon being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Not only that, but God also told them that they would both die. Being kicked out of paradise was a crushing blow. And yet, amid their sorrow, God promised that one of Eve’s offspring would eventually crush the head of the serpent.

Biblical scholars often call Genesis 3:15 the protoevangelium—the first Gospel. It’s the first time a promise is made about a future Messiah. This prophecy was eventually fulfilled when Jesus was born in Bethlehem thousands of years later. The entire Old Testament is filled with messianic prophecies that point to this pivotal moment in history.

Thus, when angels told the shepherds that they were bringing good news of great joy, they announced the fulfillment of a longstanding prophecy. Ever since the first couple was cast out of the Garden of Eden, one generation after another had been longing for the coming of the Messiah who would conquer sin, set the captives free, and bring peace on earth.

On that day in the fields near Bethlehem, angels told a group of shepherds that the promised day had finally arrived. The newborn baby in Bethlehem would bring good news of great joy to all people because that baby was the promised Messiah. Soon the head of the serpent was going to be crushed.

Lest there be any misunderstanding as to the identity of the Messiah, the angels provided the shepherds with some important details. “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12).

This fulfilled other important messianic prophecies, notably that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the same city King David had been born in. It’s appropriate that this message was delivered to lowly shepherds, since this is what David had been before he became King of Israel.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead, things that only God could do. Then through his death and resurrection, Jesus defeated the powers of darkness once and for all.

No wonder the angels described the birth of Jesus as good news of great joys for all the people. It marked the point when God himself entered a fallen world to rescue us from our sins 2,000 years ago.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Michael Zwaagstra is a teacher and deputy mayor of Steinbach. He can be reached at mzwaagstra@shaw.ca.