By the Reverend Almon Bartholomew

“INCREDIBLE AND INCREDULOUS”

Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7 and Matthew 1:18-23

INTRODUCTION

These three passages of Scripture make some of the most remarkable statements ever penned or spoken. Seven hundred years before Christ’s appearance upon earth the prophet Isaiah gave specific details regarding the birth of Jesus. We have read both bookends—Isaiah’s and Matthew’s—the prophecy and the fulfillment! These are not chance happenings. These are the divine enactments of the Sovereign God. The promises of God by written or spoken word are kept. To such a faithful and true Father in Heaven we submit ourselves for time and for eternity.

THE FACTS

The two words given to the title of this message sound so much alike. In truth they are very different. They are “incredible” and “incredulous.” The word incredible suggests awesomeness, the reverence one sees, hears or feels when witnessing what appears to have been impossible take place in his very presence. The evidence is so irrefutable; one can’t help but accept it as fact, as done, accomplished. It is an overwhelming conviction of a happening beyond comprehension. Its reality erupts in astonishment, in amazement. It brings one into a state of wonder, an atmosphere of reverence. From this we can see the all conquering love of God as we sing “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”

The word incredulous brings one to another conclusion. The Webster’s dictionary defines this as the inability of a person to believe in spite of the empirical evidence. A person exposed to the same stimuli which stirs one to believe and he chooses rather to disbelieve. He may say, “This defies reason.” “This disregards natural law.” “This does not fit within my box.” “It rejects reality.” “It is anti intellectual.” “It is mystical and mythical.” “This nonsense must be debunked.”

One can readily see these two words are in a collision course. The conflict between these two comes to a climactic battle at the birth of Jesus Christ.

The prophesy in Isaiah that a virgin would conceive and bear a child appeared to be so illogical, so biologically impossible that critics would write it of as fiction, a fairy tale. It was incredulous. Yet, the prophecy was fulfilled as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew and its witnesses with utter astonishment said we have witnessed an incredible miracle. The war was on.

Let us draw an analogy:

Incredible	Incredulous
Bright lights and angels to peasant shepherds	Ludicrous yarn spun by dreaming shepherds
Baby born to a virgin	Write it off, impossible
King born in a stable	Kings are born in royal palaces
Rich men from east travel from far with gifts following star	Herod got out prophecy to direct them, cruel plan to destroy
Wise men warned in a dream, took another way	Herod thwarted, made new plan, kill all babies
Joseph warned by an angel. Went to Egypt	Herod thwarted again
Jesus, wondrous healings: Crippled man healed and	Religious leaders ask, who can forgive sins but God?
Man blind from birth also healed.	Accused of practicing medicine on the Sabbath.
Casts out demons	Accused of being in league with Beelzebub
“No man ever spoke like this man.”	Angry defiance from religious leaders, and feared loss of authority.
Wisdom	Confusion
Jesus said, “Peace be still.”Winds and water obeyed Him.	Who is commanding nature to obey?
Jesus crucified	Mission accomplished
Jesus rose again	Evil defeated

There are any more comparisons for which you could make illustrations.

Among the titles given to Jesus in Isaiah, chapter nine, we find the first appellation; “Wonderful.” Some insist on linking this to the second, “Counselor.” In reality He is the “Wonderful Counselor.” However, His ability to elicit wonder stands sufficiently in its own right. Here, again He is so incredible at every level He becomes the object and the source out of which “wonder” emanates.

Let us look at it. People wondered at His birth. They wondered at His life. They wondered at His miracles. They wondered at His words, His works, His Wisdom. They wondered at His death and at His resurrection. And they will wonder at His return. He indeed is “Wonderful.” Again, this is the incredible, incomparable Christ. With Him, there is none to compare. It totally baffles the incredulity of Christ’s antagonists.

Conclusion:

What will it be for you, incredible or incredulous? Will you stand in awe and reverence, or stand in rejection and irrecoverable loss? Let us in light of the miracle of the Christmas season believe and live!

A message delivered by Almon M. Bartholomew, during his long ministry in New York State.