Messiah: Origin

Messiah: Origin. Matt Dorff (Adapter). Kai Carpenter (Illustrator). Mark Avey (Translator). Grand Rapids, MI: Zonderva. 2013. 176 pp. $19.99.

Just in time for the Christmas season comes Messiah: Origin from Zondervan. Merging scripture with a comic book-style format, the birth and early life of Christ makes this the first book in what promises to be a serial graphic adaptation of a Gospel harmony, though I am unaware of how many more volumes the authors intend to produce. The book features a fresh translation of the Bible text set in a backdrop of artful illustrations. Unlike other Bible-turned-comic-book products, Messiah: Origin does not deviate from the text of the Bible or abridge the text. In that aspect it is more like the Gospel of John film, whereas its illustrations are more worthy of a comparison with Mel Gibson's high quality production The Passion of the Christ. Because of duplication between the Gospel narratives, it is not a full harmony of the Gospels, but it does combine them into one unified story.

The book's arrangement of the biblical material is excellent. It's begins with the prologue from the Gospel of John and then moves into the birth announcements and infancy narratives of John the Baptist and Jesus. Of special note is the placement of the Magi's visit after the temple dedication. While it is popular to portray the shepherds in the Magi visiting Jesus on the night he was born, a closer look at the narratives would suggest that the Magi came at some point after Jesus was dedicated in the temple, which was 40 days after he was born. The fact that the authors got this right makes the book a welcome addition to this season of Advent.

The illustrations are top notch and generally flow out of the passage instead of distracting from it. The depiction of Angels is interesting, but without any authoritative drawings, that aspect is open to artistic license. My one real criticism stems from the translation, not the art. At one point a term usually translated as baby is rendered "fetus." (Later he is referred to a baby.) Although the term "fetus" may be scientifically accurate, it is a bit of a loaded term in American society, and I would rather we use the term "baby" when referring to the unborn instead of "fetus."

I plan on sharing this book with visitors to my home this Christmas season as a discussion starter about not only the events of Jesus birth, but their significance as well. Although there are more volumes to come, this one can function nicely as a standalone book.

I received this book from the publisher for the purposes of review. The opinions expressed on my own.

“Pleased as man with men to dwell”

This line from the song “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” is one of my favorites from all Christmas songs. This line, from a later verse of the song, speaks of Christ in a rather poetic (and memorable) fashion that makes the ear tingle and the heart raise.

I think one of the reasons why hymns have been losing their edge in public worship, besides the style of music itself, is the work it takes to understand them. Just singing the words “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see” is impossible to understand without a thinking brain rearranging the words to get:

“See the Godhead veiled in flesh.”

Even that may take some people a few seconds to draw out exactly what it means.

But I like some of the old hymns, and an electric guitar and talented drummer can liven up even the slowest and oldest of tunes. Christmas time is the one time of the year when even contemporary churches hearken back to the old hymns. And that gives me an opportunity to look at this special line from this old, old song.

“Pleased”

If I’ve learned one thing from John Piper’s books, articles, and sermons, it is that God pursues His own joy. The incarnation was not a bit of drudgery that the Son was obligated to perform. He did it willingly, joyfully, for our sake and ultimately for His glory. The self-humiliation of God in the incarnation was merely a precursor to the self-humiliation of God on the cross. At the onset, the outset was understood, yet Christ still went through with it all.

The author of Hebrews tells us in 12:2 that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him.” And Isaiah tells us in 53:10, according to the NASB, that “the Lord was pleased to crush Him.”

“As Man”

“In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh.” The eternal Son condescended to become man. Galatians 4:4-5 tells us “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Christ was born as a man at just the right time in history to complete the righteous requirements of the Law for us and thus make our adoption possible. Paul gives an even greater emphasis on the lowliness of Christ’s condescension in Romans 8:3-4, which says, “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us…” Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh.

“With Men to Dwell”

The incarnation is made even more wonderful by the fact that the Son was pleased to dwell with men. The holiness of God requires that sin be punished. It was precisely for that reason that Christ came. But in order to bear our punishment, He chose to live among us—sinners wallowing in our own retched filth. His indignation at sin was apparent from His interactions with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, but He summarized His mission early on: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:7).

This is only one small line from one hymn many of us know by heart. It is good to take time to study and know these songs with our heart as well.