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Bible Study - The Christmas Story Part 11 - Matthew 2:1-23

We begin this last portion of our study of The Christmas Story at Matthew 2:1-23. Last week, we heard of ceremonies that Jesus and His family went through, as part of Jewish law, since He was born “under the law” and was to fulfill it perfectly and completely, in our place. Now we hear of an important story that happened “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem.” We do not know just when, but Herod (the Great) was still living and was the king in Israel at that time. Herod had been appointed to this position by the Roman Senate in 40 BC, and reigned from 37 BC till 4 BC, or some say, 1 BC. He was not even Jewish, but was a powerful leader and builder, including having much work done on the temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1).

Wise men then came to him in Jerusalem from the East, asking, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” These men were called “magoi" or "magi” and were not kings but advisors to a king, probably from the area of Babylon, in what had been the Persian empire.

You can find this same word in Daniel 2:2,10 for wise men, “magicians,” who probably used astronomy and astrology and other ancient “arts” in order to give advice to a king. Daniel was a young Jewish man taken as a captive to Babylon long before, but by the power and wisdom of God, he became a trusted advisor of the king at that time. (See Daniel 2:44, 46-48.)

Daniel also knew the Old Testament Scriptures and used them in helping and teaching his fellow advisors. There were many prophecies of a future king, including one in Numbers 24:17, combining the coming of a star and a scepter, an instrument of a king. We don’t know for sure, but maybe these Scriptures and others were preserved and helped the wise men around the time of Jesus to know that the unusual star that appeared to them was the sign of the coming king of Israel. They then traveled from the area of Babylon, most likely, to Jerusalem, assuming the newborn king would be born in the capital city (Matthew 2:2).

King Herod and others in Jerusalem were not excited but “troubled” (shaken up, stirred up) probably by the thought of a newborn king who could be a threat to them and their power and authority. Herod called together the chief priests and scribes and asked where “the Christ,” the promised Messiah, the Anointed One, was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet” Micah. They then quoted, in their own way, Micah 5:2,4. A shepherd and ruler is to come from Bethlehem, as David was, long ago (Matthew 2:3-6). (See also 1 Chronicles 11:2 and 2 Samuel 5:2, where much the same is said of David, and the discussion later on among ordinary Jews who knew the Christ was to come from Bethlehem, in John 7:40-42.)

Herod, who had his own ideas about all this, then called and questioned the wise men secretly about when the star had appeared. As we shall hear, it seems to have been about two years earlier. He then sent the wise men to Bethlehem to find the child, and then to return and tell him where the child was, so that he, Herod, could also worship him (Matthew 2:7-8).

The star seems to have disappeared at some point, but as the wise men headed for Bethlehem, only about 5-6 miles away, the star reappeared and led them and rested over the place where the child was. Clearly, this was no ordinary star or conjunction of stars and planets, at this time. Like no other star could, it led them right to Jesus, and they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” They found Jesus in a “house” with Mary His mother, where Joseph was able to move them, some time after Jesus was born (Matthew 2:9-11).

Often the Christmas story is pictured with the wise men coming to the stable and manger, along with the shepherds, on the very night that Jesus was born, but the wise men clearly came later. Maybe you remember the Christmas song, “We three kings of Orient are.” As we can see from Matthew 2, the wise men were not kings. There is no indication of how many of them came (the guess comes from the number of gifts given), and they were not from the Orient as we often use that term today, from East Asia, but from the Middle East, likely Iraq.

The wise men did realize that this was not just a human child, but also one sent from God, for they fell down and worshiped Him, as they would worship God. They also gave Him gifts of gold (a gift worthy of a king) and frankincense (a fragrant gum resin used in offerings made to God) and myrrh (a resin used as a perfume for embalming the dead). This all predicted that Jesus was a king and God and would one day make the ultimate sacrifice, giving His life for the salvation of the world. (See how myrrh was used on the body of Jesus after his death, before being put in the grave, in John 19:39.) Note also that only Jesus was worshiped and given gifts. Joseph and Mary were not honored in this way (Matthew 2:11).

The wise men were then warned in a dream, a revelation, not to go back to Herod, and they departed, withdrew, from Israel and went back to their own country another way. Then an angel appeared to Joseph, also in a dream, and told him to rise, take the child and Mary, and flee, probably that very night, to Egypt, since Herod would soon search for Jesus in order to kill Him. They were to stay in Egypt until told by the angel that they could return to Israel.

All this fulfilled another prophecy, from Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt I have called My Son.” The people of Israel were God’s children, and He had called them out of slavery in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land, working through Moses and Joshua and others. Now God would rescue His own Son, Jesus, the Son of God, from danger and then from Egypt and bring Him back to the Promised Land, to grow up and do His saving work for the whole world.

Note how this passage also affirms that the Scriptures are the true Word of God. It was the Lord who spoke through Hosea and all the prophets. Angels and the Jewish authorities and now Matthew and Luke and the New Testament writers quote the Scriptures as the very Word of God (Matthew 2:12-15).

When Herod realized that the wise men were not going to return to him and tell him where the baby born to be a king was, he was furious, exceedingly angry. He realized that he had been “tricked” by them. The word used indicates that he felt they had made fun of him and mocked him. So, he quickly carried out his plan he had all along to kill this potential king. But now, he would have to send people to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and “in the surrounding region” who were two years old and under. He was taking no chances that he would miss Jesus, based on what the wise men had told him about the appearance of the star. Bethlehem was a very small town, but with the surrounding area, scholars guess that it might have been 5 or 6 babies or as high as 30. We don’t know, but it was a terrible slaughter for all those involved (Matthew 2:16).                   

Again, Matthew is led by God to quote words from Jeremiah 31:15, where the wife of Jacob, Rachel, was pictured as loudly weeping for Jewish descendants, carried away into captivity because of their sinfulness. Rachel herself had wept and died in childbirth, long ago, on her way to Ephrath, another name for the Bethlehem area. (See Genesis 35:15-19.) Now Rachel is pictured as weeping again for the Jewish babies of the Bethlehem area, killed by Herod, a supposed Jewish king, in opposition to God and His plans for the true King and Savior, Jesus (Matthew 2:17-18).

Very sadly, Herod’s action was entirely in character for him. He had a number of his own children and relatives killed because he was paranoid and afraid they would try to overthrow him. He did other terrible things described by Josephus, a Jewish historian. When he was near death, Herod ordered many Jewish leaders rounded up and put in an amphitheater he had built.  When he died, they were all to be killed, so that there would be at least some mourning at his death, even if not for him. This command was never carried out. Once Herod was dead, others did not feel compelled to do what he had said.

The Jeremiah 31:15 quotation about weeping does not end with weeping, though. Just after that, we hear, “Keep your voice from weeping… There is hope for your future…  I will surely have mercy… declares the Lord… For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth… Thus says the Lord… I will surely satisfy the weary soul and every languishing soul, I will replenish” (Jeremiah 31:16,17,20,22,23,25). And in Jeremiah 31:31-34, God promises a whole New Covenant, New Testament, centered in the work of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins through Him. That is what the whole New Testament is about, beginning with the Christmas story we have been studying. Always there is hope in the Lord, through Jesus, no matter what.

Matthew 2 ends with the good news that after the death of Herod the Great, the angel appeared again to Joseph and told him he could return to Israel from Egypt. He was warned in another dream, though, that a son of King Herod, Archelaus, was in control in Judea, and the family returned to their previous home, Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, also in fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 2:19-23).

The reference to being a Nazarene probably means that Jesus would live in this small town in the despised area of northern Israel around Galilee. Jews from Jerusalem tended to look down upon Jews from the north, where there were also more Gentiles mixed in. It had been predicted that the promised Savior would be “despised and rejected by men.” (See Psalm 22:6-8 and Isaiah 53:2-3, for example.)

We then hear about Jesus only once more, when He was 12 and went to the temple in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-52), and then not until when his public ministry began when he was about 30 (Luke 3:23).

A few last comments about Matthew 2. How different was the worshipful joy of the non-Jewish wise men, in hurrying to Bethlehem and finding the infant Jesus and honoring Him as God and King, from the attitude of King Herod and the Jews in Jerusalem. The Jews heard about the star and what the wise men said, and even found for themselves in Scripture where the Christ was to be born. They were only 6 miles away from Bethlehem; yet it seems that none of them even bothered to make that short trip to see if the infant Messiah might be there. This was sadly prophetic of how many of God’s own chosen people rejected the Savior when He came for them.

Also, Jesus escaped, by God’s grace, from Herod the Great and his son, Archelaus; but another son of Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, was ruler of Galilee and Perea during the life of Christ. This Herod had John the Baptist arrested and put to death. Jesus was sent by Pontius Pilate to this Herod, because he was a Galilean; but this Herod only wanted Jesus to entertain him with miracles and Jesus would not do any or answer his questions. So he and his soldiers “treated Jesus with contempt and mocked Him” and sent Him back to Pilate, where He was soon condemned to die (Luke 23:6-12). So this Herod failed Jesus, too.

Finally, there is a saying that “Wise men still follow the star to Bethlehem today.” We have been doing that by being in this study of the true Christmas story. We are wise people when we listen with open hearts to what is revealed about who Jesus is and why He had to be both God and man and why He was born in Bethlehem for us. Jesus is “God with us” and only He can forgive us and “save us from our sins” and guilt.

If you were a child or have children or grandchildren, you have probably seen the Charlie Brown Christmas TV movie. Charlie Brown is not sure about what Christmas means, but Linus tells him with simple childlike faith, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). That is the essence of the Christmas story, to be believed by us all.

Sermon for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany - January 16, 2022

Sermon for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany, based on:

Isaiah 62:1-7

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 

John 2:1-11

Sermon originally delivered January 20, 2013

Preparing for Worship - January 23, 2022

In Psalm 19:(1-6)7-14, David praises God for His glorious creation, but is even more grateful for the Word of God, including the laws and statutes, which is better than gold and sweeter than honey. That Word convicts him, and he knows he cannot even comprehend all his sins. He prays that his Redeemer will forgive him and not allow sin to have dominion over him and help him to meditate more on that Word.

In the Old Testament lesson, Nehemiah 8:1-3,5-6,8-10, God has helped Nehemiah and the people to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, for their protection after they returned from the exile in Babylon. Now Ezra the scribe and others help them be spiritually protected by reading the Word of God to them. The people were feeling sorrow at what they had been failing to do when they heard the Word, but they were reminded that this was also a new year and a holy day and and a time for celebrating, because there was forgiveness, and the “joy of the Lord” would be their “strength.”

The Gospel lesson is Luke 4:16-30. Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth and in the synagogue quoted the Word of God, a prophecy from Isaiah 61:1-2 about Himself and His bringing “good news” of spiritual freedom and blessing, as God brought His “favor” to people through Him. Jesus also knew that many in His own hometown were not accepting Him. He gave several examples of how God’s own people missed out on His help and mercy in Old Testament days, too. The people became so angry at Jesus that they tried to kill Him. It was not yet time for Him to die, though, so He escaped.

The Epistle lesson is the second of six readings from 1 Corinthians 12-15. This reading is from Chapter 12:12-31a. The church is pictured as a human body which has many parts with many functions. It is best when every part, no matter how seemingly important or unimportant, is doing what it should be doing and working together with the rest of the body. In the church, then, everyone is important, and we are called to care for each other in times of rejoicing and suffering, as we follow our Head, the Lord Jesus, and His Word.

Bible Study - The Christmas Story Part 10 - Luke 2:8-38

Today we continue the Christmas story by looking at what happened right after the birth of Jesus, beginning with Luke 2:8. There were shepherds outdoors in a field near Bethlehem watching over their flock of sheep that night. Being a shepherd was a lowly occupation, but important in protecting sheep from thieves and other animals who could harm them. Sheep were not very smart and could sometimes wander off and endanger themselves and needed to be rescued and kept together.

The shepherds were having an ordinary evening until an angel of the Lord stepped up to them, standing by them. Angels are spirit beings who serve God. They are holy and in the presence of God, reflecting His glory, and sometimes serve as His messengers. We hear that “the glory of the Lord shone around” the shepherds, like the very bright cloud that appeared in the temple in the Old Testament or the pillars of cloud and fire that appeared in the wilderness during the time of Moses to show God’s presence with His people. The appearance of the angel in such brightness was very frightening to the shepherds. This is a typical reaction, as when angels appeared to Zechariah and to Mary, as we have heard, and when sinful people are in the presence of holiness (Luke 2:9).

The angel told the shepherds to stop being afraid and to pay attention because “good news” (the word we call “the Gospel”) of “great joy” was being brought unto them and to “all the people” - ultimately for the benefit of everyone in the world. For that very day in Bethlehem, the city from which came the great King David, the “Savior” had been born, as prophesied in Micah 5:2-5.

This is the one who would rescue people and “save them from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). This One is also “the Christ,” the One Who was “anointed” by God to do His special work of salvation. The Old Testament Hebrew word for this anointed person is “the Messiah.” (See Isaiah 61:1 and John 4:25-26, for example.) This one would also be the Lord God Himself, come to be that Savior of people. (See Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23, for example, as another name for Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us,” and Isaiah 40:3, where the special name for God, the LORD (Yahweh) is used.)

His way would be prepared by John the Baptist, as this passage is quoted about John and Jesus (Luke 2:10-11). (See passages like 1 Corinthians 12:3 and Philippians 2:9-11 and Revelation 17:7, as well). Note that Jesus was revealed first to the lowly shepherds and not to the proud and mighty in Jerusalem, not far away. This is evidence of what Mary spoke of in the Magnificat (Luke 1:51-52).

The angel also gave the shepherds a “sign” to help them find Jesus, the Savior, Christ the Lord. “You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” As lowly as He seemed to be, He was the One. Suddenly, to reinforce this Good News even more, the heavens were opened and with the one angel was “a multitude of the heavenly host (the heavenly “army” of angels), praising God and "saying" the words which follow. (We often think that they were singing, and maybe they were, but the Scriptures only say that they saying these words - with an emphasis upon the words themselves and their content and message.) They said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.”

The last three words, in Greek, are understood by scholars in different ways. Some translate: “on earth peace, good will toward men.” Others translate: “on earth peace toward men of good will.” Still others translate (and this is the most popular, likely way to render the words): on earth peace to men on whom His good will rests” or ”men with whom He is pleased” or “men He delights in.” (Isaiah 62:4 uses this last phrase and verses 1-5 emphasize the care of God even for undeserving people and bringing “Good News” to them and all people, as the angels were doing, by sending a Savior to them. It is not our human “good will” toward others that brings true peace, but God’s care and work for us in the Savior, Jesus, that bring us peace and joy in Him.)

Some also think that passages like 1 Peter 4:11 and Acts 10:36 and following give us also a sense of what the angels were conveying from God - Glory to God in heaven, but peace and hope to us people on earth through the promised one, Jesus. One last note on these words. The word “men” here is the word for all human beings, both male and female. There is another word for “men” that can be used to refer to males only. The Savior who came at Christmas is Christ the Lord and is for all people (Luke 2:12-14).

The angels then went away from them into heaven, and the shepherds were saying to one another that they needed to go to Bethlehem, literally to see this saying, this Word “which the Lord had made known,” had revealed to them. Quickly they went to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger, and saw with their own eyes just what the angel had said. Then they spread to others “the saying, the words, that had been told them concerning this child.”

Note that they did not talk about Joseph or Mary. They told people the message about Jesus; and all who heard this wondered (marveled and were amazed) at what the shepherds “had told them.” Notice how much more the emphasis is upon the sayings of the angel and what the shepherds had heard, rather than just what they saw. The Word of God, God’s own explanation, is most important for us still today to listen to (Luke 2:15-18).

Mary recognized this, as well. Literally, she treasured up, protected and held firmly onto these “sayings,” these words, pondering them, considering them in her own heart. Some think that Luke may have recorded this verse because he much later heard directly from Mary these “sayings,” the words that he wrote in Luke, chapters one and two, as helped by Mary and inspired by God (Luke 2:19).

Finally, we hear that the shepherds returned to their field and sheep, glorifying and praising God. They rejoiced in what they saw, but especially in “all they had heard, as it had been told to them.” Again, God’s Word is key for them, as it still is for us (Luke 2:20).

We now hear of several Jewish rites that every family was expected to participate in at the birth of a son. Joseph and Mary tried to follow God’s Law, and so they did all of the things described here. In this way, God was also making sure that Jesus was also perfectly following God’s will, even at a very early age, as a substitute for our imperfections.

First, Jesus was circumcised when He was eight days old. This was required according to Genesis 17:9-14. If a baby boy was circumcised, he was part of God’s covenant people. If he was not, he was cut off from his people; he had broken God’s covenant. Circumcision could be done wherever the baby was. The name of the child, Jesus, was then given to him at that time, as John was named at his circumcision (Luke 1:59) and as the angel had instructed (Luke 2:21).

The other ceremonies needed to be done in the temple in Jerusalem, about 5 miles north of Bethlehem. A woman who had given birth to a child was considered unclean, spiritually. 40 days after giving birth, the mother needed to offer an animal for sacrifice at the temple, to be purified. For poor people, like Mary and Joseph, the sacrifice was of two turtle doves or young pigeons (Luke 2:22,24). Joseph was not considered unclean, but he still participated in this ceremony with Mary.

Then, baby Jesus needed to be presented to the Lord, as the firstborn son of Mary. See Exodus 13:2,12ff. Since the firstborn Jewish babies were spared from death at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, these babies were considered to belong to the Lord. Some time later, the tribe of Levi was considered the Lord’s, in place of the firstborn children, and became the priests serving in the tabernacle and then the temple (Numbers 3:12ff). The firstborn in this case, Jesus, still had to be presented to the Lord, and then a fee of 5 shekels (about $2.50 in those days) had to be paid at the temple to redeem Jesus, to set Him free from this obligation.

This ceremony did remind Jews, though, that they were still dependent on the Lord and belonged to Him (Numbers 18:16). All this needed to be done with regard to Jesus, because the Scriptures say that He was born “under the law,” which still required all this for Him and His family. Through His saving work, though, Jesus would “redeem” all people from these laws, including us. He paid the price for us by His death on the cross, and we do not need to worry about such rules any more (Galatians 4:4-5).

While Jesus and family were at the temple, though, two other people met them, by the guiding of the Lord. The first was Simeon, a devout Jewish man in whom the Holy Spirit was at work. Somehow, the Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the promised Messiah, the “Lord’s Christ.” Led by the Spirit, Simeon came to the temple that day and was able to recognize that Jesus was the Savior. He blessed God, spoke highly of Him, and picked up baby Jesus, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke the words we call the “Nunc Dimittis” (Latin for “Now you can depart”), which we still use sometimes after Communion before the end of worship (Luke 2:25-28).

Simeon knew that he could now depart in peace, even if it meant that death was coming soon, because he knew the promises of God’s Word and had seen His Savior, who would be also the Savior for His fellow Jews and for non-Jews (Gentiles) - for “all peoples.” Jesus would be the “Light” revealing God’s Good News, coming through Him and His saving work. Simeon finally had the “consolation” he had been waiting for (v.25),
the comfort and eternal hope and help of Jesus, who had come for him (Luke 2:28-32). (See also Isaiah 40:1-5 and the words of Jesus in John 14:27.) Remember! We can sing these words of Simeon, too, because Jesus has come to save us, also, as we trust in His redeeming work for us. Read also the words of 1 John 5:11-13.

Joseph and Mary were amazed at what Simeon said about their son. They did not really understand about Him, themselves. Simeon spoke a blessing for them and then spoke a prophetic word to Mary, preparing her for difficult times ahead. God had “appointed” her son “for the fall and rising of many in Israel.” There would be no neutral ground with Jesus. See what he says in Luke 11:23. The true thoughts of hearts would be revealed by whether people trusted Him and stood with Him as Savior or opposed Him and spoke against Him. For Mary, there would be great sorrow, like “a sword piercing through her soul” when she saw her son, Jesus, die on the cross. See John 19:25. Yet that sorrow and suffering by Jesus would be necessary to pay for the sins of the world; and Mary would know His resurrection victory over death and be with other believers in joy later on (Luke 2:33-35 and Acts 1:14).

An elderly woman, a widow for many years, Anna, was also at the temple that day, as was her custom, worshipping and praying, night and day. She had special gifts from God, too, and realized that Jesus was the promised “Redeemer” and kept on thanking God and telling others who were also waiting for redemption, that Jesus was the one to hope and trust in (Luke 2:36-38). (See prophecies like Isaiah 52:9-10, also, and Jesus having to explain, even after His resurrection, that His suffering and death, and only then His resurrection were all necessary for His saving work. See Luke 24:20-21 and 25-27.)

One last thought. The temple in Jerusalem was a magnificent place, the center of religious activity for Judaism. Yet only a few people even noticed baby Jesus, the LORD, coming to His temple, fulfilling prophesy. Later on, it would be this child standing against most all the religious establishment of His day. It looked as if He had lost when He died on the cross. Yet He had won the victory for us and all who trust in Him. With this child, Jesus, there is always hope for us, too, no matter what we face.

Next week, we will hear of the coming of the Wise Men and more dangers for the child Jesus, in Matthew 2.

Preparing for Worship - January 16, 2022

Three of the four readings for this coming Sunday, the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, have references to marriage. God Himself instituted marriage for the man and woman He created in the garden, even before the fall into sin. The image is often used in the Scriptures, then, of God being like a bridegroom who loves and cares for His bride, his Old Testament people, and then the church, the believers of the New Testament.

The Psalm is Psalm 128. Blessings are promised for those who fear the Lord, with awe and respect, and who seek to walk in His ways. Blessings come to homes and marriages and families and children’s children and peace for God’s people, in the Lord.

The Old Testament Lesson is from Isaiah 62:1-5. The reality is that because of sin, people can become like an unfaithful bride in relationship to the Lord our Bridegroom. That rebellion can bring people to forsake God and live in desolation, apart from Him, and can bring sorrow to marriages and families, too. And the wages of sin, death, come for all. That rebellion was the case for God’s Old Testament people too often. Yet God still loved them and wanted to save and bring His people back into “marriage” with Him, trust in Him, with the rejoicing and blessings that follow.                                                          

The Gospel Lesson is from John 2:1-11. Jesus showed His concern for people and marriages, as He attended a wedding and solved a problem when the wine ran out, by changing water into wine for the celebrating that could go on for a week. We hear that in this, “the first of His signs, Jesus… manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.” Jesus was beginning to show that He was the promised Savior, who could bring people to trust in and follow Him.

The Epistle Lesson is from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 and is the beginning of six weeks of readings from 1 Corinthians 12-15. We hear this week of the importance of the Holy Spirit and the gifts He brings to us in His love for us. Above all, He enables us to trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. “No one can say, “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.” Then He gives gifts to us and other believers in order to encourage one another, that we may remain in faith, “married” to our Lord.

Bible Study - The Christmas Story Part 9 - Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7

Today we hear of the birth of Jesus from the perspective of Joseph and then the simple, most familiar words of the Christmas story. We begin with Matthew 1:18-25. Matthew wrote his Gospel primarily for Jewish people. In Chapter 1, he traces the ancestry of Jesus back to Abraham, father of the Jewish nation. Then he tells us that Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. (Mary was also related to King David in some way. See Romans 1:3.)

We would say today that they were engaged to be married, but as was proper, had not yet lived together; but betrothal was much more serious in Judaism. If the commitment of betrothal was broken, then people would need a divorce to end the relationship. The person guilty of unfaithfulness could even be put to death by stoning. (See Deuteronomy 22:21, for example. Under the New Covenant, we do not have such penalties, though adultery is always sinful and could be a grounds for divorce.)

Joseph discovered that his wife-to-be was expecting a child, and he knew he was not responsible, since they had not yet “come together” as husband and wife. What else could he assume, but that Mary had been unfaithful to him? He was a just man and still cared about Mary, though, and did not want to shame her even more and was thinking that he must divorce her, but quietly (Matthew 1:18-19). What an agonizing situation for him and Mary!

Joseph did not make a quick decision, though, and was still considering all this when an angel appeared to him in a dream. He was told not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, as she had done nothing wrong. It was rather a miracle of God by the power of the Holy Spirit that she was expecting (Matthew 1:20). In fact, the angel said, Mary will have a son, who must be named Jesus (the Savior, or the Lord Saves), for He will save His people from their sins.

This was all in fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 (more than 700 years earlier) that a virgin would conceive and bear a Son, who would also have the name Immanuel, which means “God with us.” This tells us who Jesus would be - a real human boy, according to the flesh, from the line of King David, who would be one of us and be tempted as we are and yet not sin, and yet God, also, great enough to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world - the God/man, exactly what we needed.

Clearly, also, Jesus was not going to be a “political” Savior, who would overthrown governments and bring political liberation to people. He would deal with the much greater problem of “sin” - that we have all departed from God’s path and missed the mark of what we should be and would be eternally lost without a Savior to rescue us. The name “Jesus” is the Greek form of the name “Joshua.” The Old Testament Joshua led God’s people into the Promised Land. The New Testament Jesus will lead people to eternal life and joy, by what he does for them (Matthew 1:21-23). (See Acts 4:12 and Psalm 130:7-8 and Hebrews 10:9-10, for example.)

God also gave Joseph grace and strength to believe what the angel said and go ahead and take Mary as his wife and name the child “Jesus.” Joseph also had no sexual relationship with Mary, “knew her not,” until she had given birth to Jesus. It was completely a virgin birth, as prophecy had said, by the miracle of the Holy Spirit. The brothers and sister of Jesus who are mentioned later in the Scriptures were then most likely children of Mary and Joseph conceived and born in the normal human way, after the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:24-25, and Mark 3:31 and Mark 6:3, etc.).

We turn then to Luke 2:1-7, where the birth of Jesus is told in the very simple way that we know best. Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, had made a decree (a dogma) that “all the world” (all the people under his control, in all the “inhabited houses” where he reigned) were to be “registered” (counted, inventoried) with the purpose of taxing them all.

Caesar Augustus (“the exalted one”) had the power to do this. He ruled from 31BC to 14AD and had the authority and respect to carry this out. This decree was given in 7-6BC, the time when Quirinius was governor of Syria, one of the Roman provinces (Luke 2:1-2). Both of these people are well known among Roman historians. (Do remember that we just had a census in 2020 in the US that was delayed and barely completed, even with all our modern technology. It will take years to sort our all the information collected, and we will not have another census until 2030. It took much longer to get things done in the ancient world. Some kind of decree was made about the Roman province of Gaul, and it took 40 years to carry out.)

It is no surprise then that Joseph and Mary did not have to travel to Bethlehem, to their ancestral home, the city of David, until years later, when Mary was close to giving birth to Jesus. The trip from Nazareth, in the Northern part of Israel, to Bethlehem, was more than 70 miles, and they had to go “up” because Bethlehem was in hill country, near Jerusalem. The name “Bethlehem” literally means the “House of Bread.” Jesus was “the Bread of Life” and would provide eternal life for people, as they were brought to faith in Him and were spiritually nourished by Him (Luke 2:3-5 and John 6:35).

Then we are simply told that while Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for the birth of Jesus. Bethlehem was a very small town and many extra people were there, probably for the registration. There was no room for them in the inn,  a normal place of lodging; and babies come when they come, so Mary had to place baby Jesus in a “manger,” a feeding trough or box for animals. It is from this one word that we know Jesus was born and placed in a stable or maybe a cave, as animals were sometimes kept in caves, also. Only in those places would be mangers from which they could eat food. It was certainly a lowly, unsanitary, smelly place for Jesus and Mary and Joseph.

That Mary did the wrapping of Jesus in strips of cloth, the customary way of covering an infant at that time, indicates that she and Joseph were poor and far from home. If at all possible, couples would try to have someone like a midwife to help the family. Mary had to do all by herself, with what help Joseph could give (Luke 2:6-7).

This very humble birth of Jesus was exactly what other Scriptures tell us. Jesus was “rich” (true God in the glory of heaven) “yet for our sake He became poor” (a tiny baby in a food trough) “that we, by His poverty might become rich” with all the blessings Jesus came to bring to us (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus was God, and yet “made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant… in human form He humbled Himself, by becoming obedient for us, even to the point of death” later on (Philippians 2:5-8).

This was the plan of God for our salvation in the humble coming of Jesus. It was prophesied in the Old Testament, Jesus predicted His own suffering and sacrifice in our place to save us, and He had to explain it again even after His resurrection (Isaiah 53:2-12, Mark 8:31-32, Luke 24:25-27, 44-47).

One more thought. Caesar Augustus thought he was in control, ordering everyone to go to the places he told them to go, to be counted and taxed. Over time, the emperors thought they were gods and demanded to be worshiped. The emperor was “savior” and “son of God” and “Lord.” Emperors would usher in the “golden age” and could do miracles and on and on. In reality, though, in the birth of Jesus, God was in control, working through the Emperor to get Mary and Joseph just where they needed to be for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, just as Micah had predicted hundreds of years before. (We will hear more of this later.)

This is very comforting for us. We worry that governments and leaders are not what they ought to be and use their power for what is not good. Yet God is still working for our good, even in troubled times. The commentator, Donald Miller, wrote of God teaching us about “the meaning of history. By the decree of Caesar Augustus, the Messiah was born where God had chosen. By setting the Babe over against the Caesar, Luke is proclaiming that God is the Lord of history. History is not ruled by fate, nor by the will of man, but by God. Not Caesar, but Christ, is Lord.” We will see this more and more, as the Christmas story goes on.

Sermon for the Baptism of our Lord - January 9, 2022

Sermon for the Baptism of our Lord, based on:

Isaiah 43:1-9

Romans 6:1-11 

Luke 3:15-22

Sermon originally delivered January 13, 2013

Sermon for the Epiphany of our Lord - January 6, 2022

Sermon for the Epiphany of our Lord, based on:

Isaiah 60:1-6

Ephesians 3:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12 

Sermon originally delivered January 6, 2013

Preparing for Worship - January 9, 2022

This is the Sunday of the Baptism of Jesus and remembering the value of our own baptism or the need for our own baptism in Christ Jesus, if we have not yet received it.

The Old Testament lesson is from Isaiah 43:1-7. God speaks of what He has done for the people He has created. He has redeemed them and called them by name and saved them and calls them to Himself. “Fear not,” He says, “for I am with you.”

In the same way, our Epistle lesson, Romans 6:1-11, tells us that as Jesus died and rose again to new life, in our baptism we have died to our old life and been raised to a new life in Christ Jesus. We are no longer enslaved to sin, that it must reign in us. We are now alive in Christ and His enabling grace (v.14) and we will also live with Him, by faith.

The Gospel lesson is from Luke 3:15-22. John has the people ready and wondering about the Christ, the promised Savior. John makes it clear that he is not the Savior, but the Mightier One will come, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then, Jesus is baptized and identifies with all the sinful people who need baptism, including us. The Holy Spirit then comes upon Jesus in a visible way, as a dove, and the Heavenly Father declares that Jesus is His Son, perfectly pleasing to Him. The one true Triune God is at work in Jesus to rescue the sinful world through Him.

The Psalm is Psalm 29. This is a great Psalm of praise to the God of glory, whose voice was heard at creation “over the waters,” making our marvelous universe and world, and whose voice would be heard again “over the waters,” when His own Son would be baptized at the Jordan River. God’s power and strength can be seen in mighty storms and floods in the natural world; but above all, He is able to give spiritual strength and peace to His people (as is seen above all in Christ Jesus and what He did for us).

Bible Study - The Christmas Story Part 8 - Luke 1:57-80

Last week, we heard of the visit of Mary to Elizabeth and the encouragement they received from each other, as God’s Holy Spirit worked through each of them and God’s promises to them, especially in their Savior, Jesus.

Now we move to the story of the birth of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son, John, in Luke 1:57-80. It was a time of rejoicing for these parents and their neighbors and relatives, as this child was safely born. The Lord had truly shown His “great mercy” to these elderly people in giving them a child. They followed, in thankfulness to God and doing what God in the Old Testament asked of them, in having their child circumcised on the eighth day after his birth (Luke 1:57-59).

See Genesis 17:9-14 and how important circumcision was. Baby boys were brought into covenant relationship with God as His chosen children through this process. There are parallels with baptism, which brings forgiveness and new life to little children and all others who are baptized, under the New Covenant, with water and the Word, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (See Colossians 2:11-13, also.)

It was the custom to give the child his name on this day, and most everyone expected that the child would be named after his father, Zechariah, or with another family-related name. Instead, both parents indicated that his name should be John, following what the angel Gabriel had said (Luke 1:13). Elizabeth spoke, and Zechariah wrote this on a tablet, since he could not speak. The name “John” was very appropriate because it means: “The Lord has been gracious.” God was gracious to this couple and to the whole world, in finally sending this child, John, who would prepare the way for the Savior Himself, born of Mary (Luke 1:59-63).

The people “wondered” at all this, until Zechariah suddenly could speak again and “blessed God,” speaking well of Him in praise. Then, awe and fear came upon the people, who talked and thought much about all this. “What then will this child be?” they were saying. Clearly, “The Lord’s hand was with this child” (Luke 1:62-66).

Zechariah was then filled with the Holy Spirit and inspired to give a great prophecy that we still sometimes sing in worship, the “Benedictus” (the Latin for his first word, “Blessed”), praising and speaking well of “the Lord God of Israel” (Luke 1:67-68).

Verses 68-75 then speak of what God will do through the child of Mary, Jesus, in fulfillment of many prophecies and picture images of the Old Testament. This comes first, for Jesus is most important, as the Lord and Savior of the world. Then, verses 76-79 speak of the child, John, who would prepare the way for the Lord Jesus, calling people to be ready to receive the “tender mercy” of God, through repentance and “forgiveness of their sins.”

Some call the “Benedictus” the last prophecy of the Old Testament, Old Covenant times, and the first of the New Testament, the New Covenant, centered in Christ Jesus.

God was “visiting” and “redeeming“ His people through “a horn of salvation” coming from a descendant of King David, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy (Luke 1:68-70).

• When God “visited" His people, it meant He was ready to go into action on behalf of His people, “remembering” His “covenant” promises to His people. He had not forgotten, but it was now the right time for Him to act, beginning with the promises made to Abraham (Luke 1:72-73).
  • See Genesis 21:1-2, where God “visited” Sarah and Abraham with the birth of their child, Isaac, in their old age, through whom would eventually come the Savior, Jesus, who would bless all nations (Genesis 12:3).
  • See also Joseph’s words about God visiting His people and rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, in Genesis 50:24; God “visiting” and providing food for Israel in Ruth 1:6, so that Naomi and Ruth could go back to Israel and play a part in the coming of King David; and on and on.
  • In Psalm 8:4, the word for “caring” is really a caring visitation, as in Jeremiah 15:15. That is quoted in Hebrews 2:6, where the Greek word is “visited," the same as in Luke 1:68. The greatest visitation, of course, is that of Jesus, as he came to be the Savior. See Luke 19:44, where Jesus spoke of fellow Jews rejecting Him and missing that “time of visitation.
• The “horn of salvation” is an Old Testament term for the strength to save people. The horn of a a strong wild animal represented that strength. See Psalm 18:2-3, where God is called “the horn of our salvation.” See also Psalm 132:17 and Ezekiel 29:21, for example. Jesus as Lord has that strength to save us.
• God’s greatest “redeeming” work in the Old Testament was in rescuing His people from slavery in Egypt and setting them free by His work for them. See Exodus 6:5-6, where God’s remembering and redeeming are combined. See also Exodus 15:15 and many other such passages. Jesus is the great Redeemer of the New Testament, shedding His blood to pay for our sins. See Ephesians 1:7 and 1 Peter 1:18-19 and Galatians 3:13, etc.

All of this redemption is predicted and described in Zechariah’s prophecy in this passage. God’s people were saved, too, so that they could then go and serve the Lord in the freedom He brought them. See Exodus 5:1-3 and 7:16 and passages like Psalm 106:7-12, where God saved His people, that they might “remember His steadfast love” and “believe His Words“ and “sing His praise.”

So also, Zechariah predicted, we New Testament people are “saved” and delivered” by our Lord Jesus, so that we might “serve Him without fear,” knowing that He has counted us as “holy” and “righteous” in His sight “all our days” by what He has done for us. “Perfect love casts out fear” - that perfect love of Jesus for us. (See 1 John 4:10-11, 16-18, along with what Zechariah prophecies in Luke 1:71-72 and 74-75.)

Zechariah then turned in his prophecy to his child, John, who would be “the prophet of the Most High” God and “go before the Lord to prepare His ways.” John would point people to “the knowledge of salvation” through Jesus, who would be, as John said, “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) and who brings us “the forgiveness of our own sins,” through the “tender mercy of God” (Luke 1:77-78).

All this about John is predicted in passages we have already looked at, like Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3-6 and the prediction of the Elijah to come (Malachi 4:5-6) whom Jesus identified as John. Note also in Malachi 4:2-3 the prophecy of “the sun of righteousness rising with healing” and the wicked being defeated “on the day when the Lord acts.” This points again to Jesus.

Notice how similar this is to the words of Zechariah in Luke 1:78-79, promising “the sunrise who shall visit us from on high” and bring “light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” and bring us peace. A rising star led the wise men to Jesus, the Light of the world, not John, as we shall see in weeks ahead. Yet John had the great privilege of “bearing witness to the Light, that people might believe in Him” (Jesus).

See John 1:1-14. All this is exactly what Zechariah predicted, in this remarkable prophecy in Luke 1:67-79. (See also 2 Peter 1:19-21 and 1 Timothy 1:2, where we hear of the “Grace, mercy, and peace which come to us from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,” born as a tiny baby in Bethlehem.) Our future and hope are always in Jesus alone, not in John or any other human person.

Luke 1 ends with mention that the baby John also grew and became spiritually strong (he was not perfect, but was a great witness for His Lord) and spent time in the wilderness, fulfilling his Nazarite vows (Luke 1:15-17) and preparing for his work of calling people to repent and receive baptism and forgiveness and to be ready for the Kingdom of God, coming in Jesus (Luke 1:80).

Next week, we will finally get into the familiar Christmas story itself. But even there, there is much to remember and learn.