AUGUST

August

I used to wonder why the Winnipeg Ukrainian population got to celebrate two Christmases each year, one in December and another in January. Then I discovered the source of the difference. In 1582 the Pope of Rome, Gregory XIII, introduced a new calendar to replace the Julian calendar. We’d joke about the Manitoban Ukrainians being smart waiting till the after-Christmas-sales before doing their Christmas shopping! Manitoban Ukrainians still follow the old Julian system! However, unlike Ukraine, this new way of computing time was adopted and spread by Great Britain in 1752.

The eighth month in the Gregorian calendar gets its name from Augustus, an Emperor of Rome who gets a mention in the Bible. In 27 BC the Roman Senate gave to Gaius Octavian, the grandnephew of Julius Caesar, the title Augustus. The word means grand, majestic, awe-inspiring, or sublime and apparently comes from a Latin word meaning to increase. ‘And it came to pass in those day that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered’ Luke 2:1. It was on account of this census that Joseph went to Bethlehem ‘to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered’ Luke 2:4b-5. Thus Augustus was used by the sovereign God to fulfil the prophetic words of His prophet Micah, ‘But you, Bethlehem Ephratha … out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting’ Micah 5:2.

The eternal Word became flesh and in the fullness of the time Jesus was born into what is known as the Pax Romana (a lengthy time of Roman Peace). This time of peace had begun during the reign of Caesar Augustus. Augustus has been called a benevolent ruler and a great builder. He made adultery to be against the law, and accepted the title of Pontifex Maximus (Highest Priest). To be sure, though anything but a Christian, in Augustus and his reign we see a dim reflection of Christ and His Kingdom. Jesus too was a builder of sorts, a ‘carpenter’ Mark 6:3, ‘the stone the builders rejected’ Mark 12:10, the One who said, ‘whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart’ Matthew 5:28, of whom Scripture says, ‘We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man’ Hebrews 8:1b-2, ‘and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end’ Isaiah 9:6b-7a. Thus Christ Jesus is the true Augustus, for only He is truly august.

The Roman Senate might have given Octavian the name Augustus but, regarding Jesus, ‘God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ Philippians 2:9-11.

"Torpedo Factory", Alexandria, Scotland

Jesus Christ and the works He did are grand, majestic, awe-inspiring, and sublime. By His cross He has purchased for us everlasting peace, i.e. reconciliation with God. It is a peace begun by the Spirit of Christ in the heart of every believer and it transcends understanding. The Great Artificer begins the work of rebuilding the believer into the true likeness of God, for just like Caesar Augustus, every human being has become but a faint reflection of what we were supposed to be when God first created us. Each of us has become a little Caesar. We are our own High Priest. We are our own god. Like Adam and Eve, like Caesar, we want to pass our own laws without consulting the Creator. But then Jesus comes along and challenges us. He points to the heart of the matter which is a matter of the heart. Though Caesar Augustus passed a law making adultery a crime, he himself was guilty of committing adultery by divorcing his first wife, Scribonia (for producing him only a daughter, Julia, but not a son) and marrying Livia whom he had been lusting after. A wife not producing a son is hardly grounds for divorce! Please don’t be a hypocrite by passing judgment on the hypocrisy of Augustus. It has been said that the Church on earth is full of hypocrites. There may be some truth to this judgment. True Christians are those who have been sprung by Jesus. His Spirit working with His Word in their hearts has convicted them (John 16:8). They know that they have been guilty of setting themselves up as little Caesars, even a Caesar Augustus. But they have been humbled by God into submitting to Him. There is only one Man who is truly august. No matter how polished, all others are tarnished in comparison.