Christ and Causality
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days."
—Micah 5:2 (ESV)
One of my favorite movies is Back to the Future, partly because of the entertaining way it raises questions about time and causality, and partly because “The Power of Love” may be the best movie intro song ever. In my class this semester, we have been discussing causality and looking at some interesting instances of it in scripture. The assumption that cause precedes effect underpins virtually the entire scientific and engineering enterprise; without it, how would we be able to make sense of our world? And yet C.S. Lewis reasoned that, through prayer, we can “at noon become part causes of an event occurring at 10 AM.” (Miracles, Appendix B)
Our passage prophesizes that in one of the most insignificant and unlikely places a mighty ruler would be born. A parallel passage from Isaiah 9 – often heard during Advent in the Messiah oratorio – identifies the ruler as a king who will break the rod of the oppressor to govern with justice and righteousness forevermore, ushering in an age of peace with no end. While Isaiah peers forward into eternity, Micah hints that the business of breaking rods and ruling is already somehow a done deal, already decided “from of old, from ancient of days,” even “from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8). They offer two views of the same seminal event, its effects rippling through past, present and future.
Trying to imagine God’s perspective, unbound by the limited nature of our human experience, makes my head spin. Though we may struggle to reconcile the eternally begotten Son with the child born in Bethlehem or make sense of the already-and-not-yet nature of the kingdom over which the Ruler presides, Advent calls us to celebrate and take comfort. For even as Christ was barely a babe in a manger, it could rightly be said of His work to conquer sin and death, “It is finished.”
Personally, during the weeks leading to Christmas I also find myself contemplating what motive could possibly carry enough weight for the Father to send the Son, the very King of kings, to take up the mantle of humanity and endure unimaginable suffering. I may never fully understand, but I have an inkling that it all boils down to, of course… the power of love!
May God bless the Baylor family this Advent season as we celebrate the everlasting joy, peace and love offered through our Savior.
Guided Reflection
God’s plan for Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection was formed long before human beings would know they needed that plan. In your past, can you see God working to meet a need before you ever realized it or even prayed about it?
About the Author
Ian Gravagne, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Ian Gravagne, Ph.D., is Professor and Associate Chair of Baylor’s Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, where he has served since 2002. Dr. Gravagne teaches classes in robotics, dynamical system feedback control, and digital signal processing. His current research interests include data fusion methods for nondestructive material evaluation and testing. He has been recognized twice as a Baylor outstanding professor for research, but he gets most excited when discussing the integration of Christian principles and practices in teaching. A lifelong musician, Dr. Gravagne plays piano for his church, Greater Waco Baptist, and viola for the Waco Symphony. He previously lived on campus with his family as a Faculty in Residence at Teal Residential College, and now lives north of Waco raising kids, cows, chickens, scorpions, and mesquite trees.