“When Christ came into the world, he said: “You did not want a sacrifice and an offering, but you prepared a body for me; you were not satisfied with holocausts and sacrifices for sin. Then I said: “As it is written about me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God”” (Hebrews 10:5-7).
These verses are from the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews. They are the first words of Jesus at Christmas time, Jeremiah J. Johnston, PhD, told Fox News Digital.
This Sunday marks the fourth Sunday of Advent, the last week in the preparation period before Christmas.
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Johnston is an elected member of the New Testament scholars guild Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, president of the Fellowship of Christian Thinkers, and pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Perstonwood Baptist Church in the Dallas area.
“The scriptures reveal a conversation between Jesus and God in His incarnation,” he said. “Quoting Psalm 40:6-8, the author of Hebrews portrays the pre-existent Christ speaking through the psalmist.”
The Fourth Sunday of Advent is a time to reflect on Jesus' example of devotion. (iStock)
The birth of Jesus was during a time of “religious and political exhaustion,” Johnston said.
“Second Late Temple Judaism had expanded God's commandments into 613 laws of which 248 were positive (“do…”) and 365 negative (“don't…”) commands,” he said.
This, he said, turned the practice of religious faith into a mechanical “burden of endless rules” that lacked heartfelt devotion.
Jesus followed God's will on behalf of mankind.
Furthermore, the situation was bleak for most people living in the Roman Empire during Jesus' time, Johnston noted.
The average life expectancy was only 20 years, he said – and about a quarter of the population was in urgent need of medical attention.
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“As much as 40% of the population lived in slavery,” Johnston said. “The much-celebrated 'Pax Romana' failed to secure real peace.”
True peace was achieved in the world not through religious rituals or political power, but because Jesus followed God's will on behalf of humanity, he said.
“His first recorded words, as echoed in Hebrews 10:7, reveal this mission: “Then I said: “Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do your will, O God. ” ”
True peace was achieved in the world not through religious rituals or political power, but because Jesus followed God's will on behalf of humanity, a prominent faith leader said. (iStock)
During Christmas, “these words remind us that God wants wholehearted obedience, not empty rituals,” he said.
In the verse, the use of the phrase “on the scroll” is a display of Jesus' devotion to the scriptures, Johnston told Fox News Digital.
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“From His first words to His last moments before death, Jesus constantly supported the fulfillment of God's Word,” he said.
“Unlike the four Old Testament sacrifices mentioned in Hebrews, which often lacked accompanying faith, Jesus' sacrifice was voluntary and wholehearted.”
“From His first words to His last moments before death, Jesus constantly supported the fulfillment of God's Word.” (iStock)
God, Johnston said, “repeatedly rejects empty religious acts without sincere devotion.”
Unlike animal sacrifices, “Jesus willingly gave His life to fulfill God's eternal will as planned before the foundation of the world,” he said.
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This, he said, is evidence that “what God wants is not outward performance, but inward faithfulness,” Johnston said.
As the world prepares to celebrate the birth of God's son, people should “ponder the deeper meaning of Jesus' words and actions,” Johnston said.
These verses, he said, “capture the essence of Jesus' mission.”
“Only through the incarnation could Jesus put away sin and fulfill God's will in His physical death, burial, and resurrection.”
“Only through the incarnation could Jesus put away sin and fulfill God's will in His physical death, burial and resurrection,” he said.
“His life reminds us that true worship involves heartfelt convictions, not empty traditions—something we can never achieve on our own, without His atoning help.”
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During the final week of Advent and leading up to Christmas, “let us follow the example of Jesus by offering our lives in sincere devotion to God, exalting His love and peace through our actions and relying on Him,” he said .
