Shall Come with a Strong Hand

Follow us on the web

Subscribe to the Diocese's Email List

Join to receive messages from His Grace and event reminders or update your information.

home › resources › literature › Shall Come with a Strong Hand

Keraza Magazine issue 1-2 January 13, 2017

Usually when talking about Nativity scholars meditate upon the meekness of the babe Jesus, His humbleness, and self -denial as well as the baseness of the manger. Also, when talking about Resurrection, they usually meditate upon the power of the resurrected Christ and the glory of His victory. Even the church herself enjoys, along the Passion week, to praise Him saying, "Thine is the power, the glory, the blessing, the majesty...". Therefore, the Nativity became connected in people's minds with self-denial, poverty and weakness, while the Resurrection became connected with power, strength and majesty.

Today, I like to interchange positions by meditating upon the proclamation of God's power in Nativity, referring to the marvelous prophecy of Isaiah about Jesus Christ that says, "Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him" (Isaiah 40:10). Actually, this is not the only prophecy of Isaiah about God's power imminent to be proclaimed in His son's nativity, but he also prophesized saying, "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:1-2). Even David also prophesized saying, "He bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness under His feet" (Psalms18:9), and Malachi said, "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderers' soap" (Malachi 3:2).

The first appearance of might in Nativity is the angel saying to Zachariah about John the Baptist and forerunner to Christ, "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), and also his saying to Virgin Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). This means that the preparation for the birth of Jesus brought two powers granted by the Holy Spirit to both St. John the Baptist as a forerunner, and St. Mary as the uniting place of Jesus divinity and humanity. Also, when St. Mary realized the power of God imminent to be proclaimed in His birth through her, she praised joyfully saying, "He has shown strength with His arm" (Luke 1:51). St. John the Baptist himself gave a testimony about Jesus Christ later on saying, "He who is coming after me is mightier than I" (Matthew 3:11). The Lord Jesus Christ was mightier than him not only in ministry and performing miracles but also in the events accompanying His birth. If the birth of St. John the Baptist was so miraculous, due to the old age of his parents, to the degree that it was said about it, "Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea" (Luke 1:65), yet Jesus birth was more miraculous because of the remained virginity of His mother, and because of all the wonders that accompanied it, namely the appearance of the star in the East, appearance of the multitude of the heavenly host to the shepherds, and what happened to Herod upon whom it was said, "He was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him" (Matthew 2:3).

O Lord, grant us, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with this might of Your incarnation in our inner man so that we praise you saying, "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, who was born of the Virgin, have mercy upon us", and we sing in Your nativity, as in Your crucifixion and resurrection, saying, "Thine is the power, the glory, the blessing, the majesty forever, Amen."

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States