Two of the Gospels, Matthew, and
Luke, begin with the story of a young woman, her fiancé, and her firstborn
child. We will begin with Matthew and move on from there.
Matthew 1:18-25: Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.
When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together
she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her
husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to
divorce her quietly. (Note that Joseph was not consulted
beforehand. He did not react as many men would have. He could have demanded she
be executed by stoning. Instead, he took his time thinking things over.) 20 But as he considered
these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a
son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from
their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord
had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a
son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from
sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but
knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name
Jesus.
I am very impressed with the story in
Matthew and the portrayal of Joseph here. We do not know how far along she was
but it didn’t matter. Every day that passed she was farther along. Joseph was
important to the process because his ancestral lineage came from King David
through his son Solomon. Mary’s lineage came from King David but it was through
his son Nathan. The promise had been that the lineage for the Messiah would
come through the true heir of David. That heir was Solomon. Joseph was needed
to confirm the Messiah’s genealogical legitimacy.
Joseph had been confronted in a
dream. But Mary got a direct visit from a named
angel. Let’s look at Luke’s record of
the events.
Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a
city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a
man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was
Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored
one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at
the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And
the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with
God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a
son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will
give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will
reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no
end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be
called holy —the
Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old
age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called
barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And
Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to
your word.” And the angel departed from her.
The angel Gabriel had traveled from
Jerusalem where he had been speaking to Zachariah the father of John the
Baptist. It’s interesting to me that apparently, angels have to travel from one
place to the other the same way we do. It may be that Gabriel flew from
Jerusalem to Nazareth but it seems to me unlikely. The average everyday angel
is never described as having wings as they are depicted in paintings throughout
history.
Apparently, as soon as Mary ended her
interview with Gabriel and, we assume, settled the issue with Joseph she
traveled to Ein Karem, a village situated on the western slopes of Jerusalem
where, tradition holds, the home of Elizabeth and Zachariah was situated. The
journey would have taken several days since it involves a distance of more than
60 miles. When Mary arrived Elizabeth was in the house and we pick up the story
from Luke.
Luke 1:41-44 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby
leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and
she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the
mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the
sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Mary’s memory would have been very
sharp. Luke interviewed many people in producing his gospel and the book of
Acts. Therefore, the story is Mary’s! Elizabeth was a godly woman who
understood immediately who this young girl was. John, not yet born, immediately
recognized the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb. Is there a stronger example of
the life of a baby inside its mother? Mary would have been able to peacefully
assist her cousin, Elizabeth, right up until the birth of John. Then she left
and returned to Nazareth.
Whether in the inspiration of the
moment or in memory years later Mary produced a song, undoubtedly from the Holy
Spirit.
Since Mary and Joseph were of the
house of David it would be necessary for them to travel from Nazareth to
Bethlehem which is only a few miles from Jerusalem. Because the ruler of the
Roman Empire, Caesar Augustus, sent out an order to take a census of the known
world. Of course, that would be the world ruled by Rome. It would have taken
years for the census because of the great distances involved and the limited
ways of communication. At just the right time the decree was sent and it
required everyone to be registered in their ancestral home. in order for Jesus
to be born where the prophecies foretold the entire Roman Empire was shaken.
There are two places called the city
of David. Jerusalem where he ruled and Bethlehem where he was born.
When they arrived in Bethlehem there
were no rooms available at any price. The regular hotels were filled and the
bed and breakfasts as well. They had no way of sending ahead for reservation so
they had to take what was available, and that was space in a manger!
Luke tells us that there were
shepherds with their flocks outdoors. Either it was an unusually warm year or
it was not December when it happened. We have traveled in the Holy Land and
were there in March one year and there was a dusting of snow. Anyhow, the
shepherds were there and so was an angel! Gabriel? We are not told and it
doesn’t matter which angel it was. Let’s return to Luke’s account and see what
happened with them.
Luke 2:9-11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And
the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great
joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
All of the portrayals I have seen of
the event present an angel flying, with wings, and he is usually chubby and
cute. I submit to you that the angel that was standing in front of them was awesome
in appearance. He would have been one of Jesus’s guardian angels. I have no
doubt that angels looked on with great curiosity while the baby Jesus grew and
developed as a human. We do know that when Jesus was baptized and then went
into the wilderness to fast and pray angels ministered to him. Later, when
Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus assured his disciples that
he could call on the Father and he would provide 12 legions of angels to
protect the Son. Since we already have observed that angels had to travel much
as we do those angelic legions must’ve been available and in the vicinity.
The angel that confronted the
shepherds was immediately surrounded by a large number of angels praising God!
When the angels went away from them into heaven the shepherds hurried over to
Bethlehem. They immediately were put on the right path to see Joseph and Mary
and the baby lying in the manger. They told their story to Mary and,
remembering their first responsibility, hurried back to their sheep. But they
were changed from laborers into worshipers. Luke tells us that they returned,
glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard.
At the end of eight days, the baby
was circumcised and named Jesus!
According to the law of Moses 33 days
after being circumcised and named the mother and child were both considered
purified. They brought with them a pair of turtledoves and sacrificed them
according to the law.
There was a man named Simeon in the
temple that day, as he was every day. God had promised him that he would see
the Lord’s Messiah before he died. The Spirit moved him into the path of this
young family. He took the baby in his arms and praised God.
Luke 2:29-32 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
Simeon continued his blessing when he
told Mary that the child was appointed for the fall and rising of many in
Israel and a sword would pierce through her soul. There was also a prophetess
named Anna. She joined Simeon in praise giving thanks to God. Immediately she
began to tell everybody what had just happened.
Who was this Baby? He was called King
of the Jews when he was born…
Matthew 2:1-2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days
of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying,
“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.”
And when he was crucified…
Matthew 27:37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is
Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
We do not have time to look at all
the names and descriptions of the Son of God.
When John the Apostle wrote his
gospel he began with a description of the one who came: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.” (John 1:1)
Let’s conclude with John the Apostle’s
description towards the end of the Book of Revelation.
Revelation 19:11-16 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!
The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he
judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and
on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but
himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the
name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the
armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on
white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which
to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will
tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On
his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of
lords.
That’s who the baby was! He came into
the world as a lamb and left the world as a Lion! The wise men from the East
came looking for one born King of the Jews! The existing government made every
effort to destroy him! But in the end, the government of Rome proclaimed him to
be, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the
Jews.” (John 19:19) He’s My King! Is he yours? Trust in him today!
All
scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version.
2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.
Two of the Gospels, Matthew, and
Luke, begin with the story of a young woman, her fiancé, and her firstborn
child. We will begin with Matthew and move on from there.
Matthew 1:18-25: Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.
When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together
she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her
husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to
divorce her quietly. (Note that Joseph was not consulted
beforehand. He did not react as many men would have. He could have demanded she
be executed by stoning. Instead, he took his time thinking things over.) 20 But as he considered
these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a
son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from
their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord
had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a
son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from
sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but
knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name
Jesus.
I am very impressed with the story in
Matthew and the portrayal of Joseph here. We do not know how far along she was
but it didn’t matter. Every day that passed she was farther along. Joseph was
important to the process because his ancestral lineage came from King David
through his son Solomon. Mary’s lineage came from King David but it was through
his son Nathan. The promise had been that the lineage for the Messiah would
come through the true heir of David. That heir was Solomon. Joseph was needed
to confirm the Messiah’s genealogical legitimacy.
Joseph had been confronted in a
dream. But Mary got a direct visit from a named
angel. Let’s look at Luke’s record of
the events.
Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a
city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a
man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was
Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored
one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at
the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And
the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with
God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a
son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will
give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will
reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no
end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be
called holy —the
Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old
age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called
barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And
Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to
your word.” And the angel departed from her.
The angel Gabriel had traveled from
Jerusalem where he had been speaking to Zachariah the father of John the
Baptist. It’s interesting to me that apparently, angels have to travel from one
place to the other the same way we do. It may be that Gabriel flew from
Jerusalem to Nazareth but it seems to me unlikely. The average everyday angel
is never described as having wings as they are depicted in paintings throughout
history.
Apparently, as soon as Mary ended her
interview with Gabriel and, we assume, settled the issue with Joseph she
traveled to Ein Karem, a village situated on the western slopes of Jerusalem
where, tradition holds, the home of Elizabeth and Zachariah was situated. The
journey would have taken several days since it involves a distance of more than
60 miles. When Mary arrived Elizabeth was in the house and we pick up the story
from Luke.
Luke 1:41-44 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby
leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and
she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the
mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the
sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Mary’s memory would have been very
sharp. Luke interviewed many people in producing his gospel and the book of
Acts. Therefore, the story is Mary’s! Elizabeth was a godly woman who
understood immediately who this young girl was. John, not yet born, immediately
recognized the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb. Is there a stronger example of
the life of a baby inside its mother? Mary would have been able to peacefully
assist her cousin, Elizabeth, right up until the birth of John. Then she left
and returned to Nazareth.
Whether in the inspiration of the
moment or in memory years later Mary produced a song, undoubtedly from the Holy
Spirit.
Since Mary and Joseph were of the
house of David it would be necessary for them to travel from Nazareth to
Bethlehem which is only a few miles from Jerusalem. Because the ruler of the
Roman Empire, Caesar Augustus, sent out an order to take a census of the known
world. Of course, that would be the world ruled by Rome. It would have taken
years for the census because of the great distances involved and the limited
ways of communication. At just the right time the decree was sent and it
required everyone to be registered in their ancestral home. in order for Jesus
to be born where the prophecies foretold the entire Roman Empire was shaken.
There are two places called the city
of David. Jerusalem where he ruled and Bethlehem where he was born.
When they arrived in Bethlehem there
were no rooms available at any price. The regular hotels were filled and the
bed and breakfasts as well. They had no way of sending ahead for reservation so
they had to take what was available, and that was space in a manger!
Luke tells us that there were
shepherds with their flocks outdoors. Either it was an unusually warm year or
it was not December when it happened. We have traveled in the Holy Land and
were there in March one year and there was a dusting of snow. Anyhow, the
shepherds were there and so was an angel! Gabriel? We are not told and it
doesn’t matter which angel it was. Let’s return to Luke’s account and see what
happened with them.
Luke 2:9-11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And
the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great
joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
All of the portrayals I have seen of
the event present an angel flying, with wings, and he is usually chubby and
cute. I submit to you that the angel that was standing in front of them was awesome
in appearance. He would have been one of Jesus’s guardian angels. I have no
doubt that angels looked on with great curiosity while the baby Jesus grew and
developed as a human. We do know that when Jesus was baptized and then went
into the wilderness to fast and pray angels ministered to him. Later, when
Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus assured his disciples that
he could call on the Father and he would provide 12 legions of angels to
protect the Son. Since we already have observed that angels had to travel much
as we do those angelic legions must’ve been available and in the vicinity.
The angel that confronted the
shepherds was immediately surrounded by a large number of angels praising God!
When the angels went away from them into heaven the shepherds hurried over to
Bethlehem. They immediately were put on the right path to see Joseph and Mary
and the baby lying in the manger. They told their story to Mary and,
remembering their first responsibility, hurried back to their sheep. But they
were changed from laborers into worshipers. Luke tells us that they returned,
glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard.
At the end of eight days, the baby
was circumcised and named Jesus!
According to the law of Moses 33 days
after being circumcised and named the mother and child were both considered
purified. They brought with them a pair of turtledoves and sacrificed them
according to the law.
There was a man named Simeon in the
temple that day, as he was every day. God had promised him that he would see
the Lord’s Messiah before he died. The Spirit moved him into the path of this
young family. He took the baby in his arms and praised God.
Luke 2:29-32 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
Simeon continued his blessing when he
told Mary that the child was appointed for the fall and rising of many in
Israel and a sword would pierce through her soul. There was also a prophetess
named Anna. She joined Simeon in praise giving thanks to God. Immediately she
began to tell everybody what had just happened.
Who was this Baby? He was called King
of the Jews when he was born…
Matthew 2:1-2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days
of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying,
“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.”
And when he was crucified…
Matthew 27:37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is
Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
We do not have time to look at all
the names and descriptions of the Son of God.
When John the Apostle wrote his
gospel he began with a description of the one who came: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.” (John 1:1)
Let’s conclude with John the Apostle’s
description towards the end of the Book of Revelation.
Revelation 19:11-16 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!
The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he
judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and
on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but
himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the
name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the
armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on
white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which
to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will
tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On
his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of
lords.
That’s who the baby was! He came into
the world as a lamb and left the world as a Lion! The wise men from the East
came looking for one born King of the Jews! The existing government made every
effort to destroy him! But in the end, the government of Rome proclaimed him to
be, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the
Jews.” (John 19:19) He’s My King! Is he yours? Trust in him today!
All
scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version.
2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.
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