Rediscovering Christmasنموونە

Counselor of Wonders

Though he was unhappy, Joseph was able to sleep because he had finally made up his mind. He loved Mary, and he had pledged to cherish and provide for her until the day he died. But she was pregnant, and the child wasn’t his. His heart was broken. He knew what he needed to do. Rather than report her apparent infidelity publicly, putting her through a scandal that would make her an outsider to her own neighbors, he decided to divorce her quietly. Maybe she can go somewhere and make a new life for herself, he thought. Maybe the father of the child will step up and take responsibility.

In that fitful sleep, Joseph was met by an ambassador from heaven, an angel sent to redirect his steps. Joseph, for all his godliness, didn’t have the full picture. He didn’t know that the child growing in Mary’s womb was not the result of some sordid affair but rather the long-awaited Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit. On his own, Joseph could never have discerned all this; he needed help from heaven. When it comes to life’s greatest challenges, you and I are no different. We, too, need help from one who sees more and knows more. We need a Wonderful Counselor.

The best kings of the ancient world were skilled strategists. They could survey a situation and determine the wisest course of action. Think of Solomon. “God gave Solomon wisdom, very great insight, and understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore” (1 Kings 4:29). When two women came to him, both claiming a single baby as their own, King Solomon was able to discern the child’s true mother (though his approach may have been a bit unorthodox; see 1 Kings 3:23–27). When it came time to build the Lord a grand temple in Jerusalem, Solomon expertly oversaw the project. And then there are his writings. Much of the king’s counsel has been preserved for us today in the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

When the Jewish people read Isaiah’s prophecy of a “Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6), no doubt they thought of wise King Solomon. But as wonderful a counselor as Solomon was, his understanding was limited, and in the end, he showed himself to be a fool, chasing after the false gods of the surrounding nations. Solomon was but a shadow of the one Isaiah promised. Jesus is the true and better Wonderful Counselor.

It's no wonder that as Jesus traveled from place to place, preaching, debating with the religious leaders, and announcing the kingdom of God, “the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes” (Matthew 7:28–29). No matter how the Pharisees and teachers of the law tried to trap Jesus in his own words, Jesus saw through their devices and navigated his way with expert precision.

Of course, Jesus’ wisdom extended beyond the crowds. In one-on-one conversations, he was like a skilled physician, able to diagnose and treat the specific wounds that were keeping people from the love of God. To one he spoke of the need to be born again (John 3:3); to another he offered living water (4:10); and to yet another he made himself a houseguest (Luke 19:5).

And when a situation called for more than words or simple action, Jesus brought a remedy from heaven: a miracle. In fact, it’s fair to say that Jesus is the Counselor of Miracles. That’s because the Hebrew word translated “Wonderful” in Isaiah 9:6 is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to refer to signs and wonders. Jesus brings the resources of the natural world and the supernatural realm, of earth and heaven, so that goodness flows from everything he touches. When we give ourselves over to his way, truly nothing is impossible.