Christmas Time is Here
Good day and thank you for taking time to read this column on Christmas.
First off, why do people put Merry Xmas and not Merry Christmas? Have we gotten so insensitive not to mention the word Christ for Jesus is the reason for the season.
Have you read the birth of Christ and have you noticed the differences between Matthew and Luke?
Mark and John don’t give us information about the birth so let us jump in and begin with Matthew and the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David.
How do we know this? Turn to Isaiah 11:1 (NIV) A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary says the Messiah (who will set up the true and godly empire, the counterpart of Assyria’s) will be a descendant of the promised line of David, God here declares. After the tree of David felled and only the stump left, this neser or Branch, a significantly Messianic title, will spring up.
The dual witness is shown in Revelation 5:5 where the Lion or Jesus the Root of David fulfilling the promise of the Messiah in the Old Testament.
Jesus’s parents, Joseph and Mary belonged to the house and line of David. Matthew 1:16
The NIV Bible says the Old Testament is filled with prophecies that the Messiah would be born in David’s royal line (Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 33:15, Ezekiel 37:24 & Hosea 3:5.
Matthew shows us that Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, a righteous man who did not want to expose Mary to any public disgrace as she was pregnant.
Joseph, faced with the thought of divorcing and Mary being stoned to death was in a quandary. I wonder if Satan had placed this thought in Joseph’s mind?
Joseph receives an appearance from an angel of the Lord in a dream and is told to not be afraid and take Mary as his wife for what is conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit. Here we would see that Jesus is both God and human.
Joseph and Mary will give birth to a son who will be named Jesus which means the Lord saves. Jesus will also be called Immanuel or “God with us.”
Again, Joseph, a righteous man, did what the angel said and took Mary home as his wife.
Now Luke goes into further detail of the birth where Joseph went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David for Jesus was born in the very town prophesied for his birth even though his earthly parents did not live there. Look no further than Micah 5:2 (NIV) “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
When receiving further commentary from the Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Bethlehem (Heb. House of Bread) in the district of Ephratah was too small to have a place among the thousands (or families) of Judah, yet was to be destined to be exalted throughout the world; for the Messiah was to be born in this humble place, in the village of the great ancestor David. His going forth are from everlasting, for this future ruler in Israel is the eternal angel “Angel-Jehovah” coequal with Jehovah throughout the Old Testament.
The manger, as shown in Luke 2:7 is the belief that Jesus was born in a stable, but stables were actually feeding troughs or mangers carved into rock walls and that his surroundings were dark and dingy instead of having been born into a royal surrounding.
It is with great interest that shepherds out in the fields nearby where the first to be alerted of the birth. Not the magi, but shepherds.
Terror, then joy swept over the shepherds as the angel of the Lord appeared to them and give them the good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
When the angels left the shepherds, the shepherds hurried off and found Mary, Joseph and the baby lying in the manger. These same shepherds spread the word concerning what had been told them about the child, thus glorifying and praising God.
Eight days later, circumcision time and time to be presented to the Lord, the family, according to the writing in the Law of the Lord was that every firstborn male was to be consecrated to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice in the keeping of the law.
Jesus was God’s son so Jesus family carried out the Law of the Lord for Jesus was not born above the law, rather he fulfilled the law perfectly.
Here the family meets Simeon who was righteous and devout and what tell both parents what Jesus would become. Upon speaking with both parents, they were marveled at what Simon said about Jesus.
Amazed, yes and for three very good reasons—Simeon said Jesus was a gift from God, Jesus was savior of the world and the light for the world.
Here Mary receives a second time about Jesus for Elizabeth, the first woman besides Mary to hear of the coming savior and welcomed her as the mother of her Lord.
Simeon then says to Mary to Luke 2:34-35 that Jesus would change the world in what he said, what he did and how he did it. Yes, there would be those who believe and those who would fall away and that there would be those who would speak against him and the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed.
The line in the sand would be drawn and their would-be no neutral ground with Jesus for people would have the choice of either accepting or rejecting him.
Simeon finishes verse 35 by telling Mary that a sword will pierce your own soul too—Sorrow comes to mind, for Simeon is letting Mary know that she would, as a mother, be grieved by widespread rejection that Jesus would face.
Anna is then introduced as a very old prophetess, close to God by never leaving the temple, fasting and praying. Anna, like Simeon, both righteous and devout gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
I have to believe God placed Simeon and Anna to meet Joseph & Mary and the baby so that they would the first to bear witness. Remember, Anna was a prophetess and her prophecies carried much weight along with them both being elderly and considered full of wisdom and experience. The other thing has to do with the Holy Spirit, where it was the Holy Spirit who led to these interventions.
This concludes the birth and first eight days for verse 39 says they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. Matthew 2 picks up after the birth, during the time of King Herod and the Magi from the east. My belief is that this was a couple of years later and not a few days after the birth for the Magi had to travel thousands of miles. This is indicated in Matthew 2:11 where the Magi come into the house and not the manger and that Herod in verse 16 gives orders to kill boys two years and under.
So many questions for the Bible does not give us a time frame for when the family left after spending 8 days in the manger and the temple and when they came to settle in the house. In fact, we don’t know how many Magi, whether it was 2, 3, 5, but we do know that Jesus became strong for he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
So here is something to ponder—Between the infant stage and 12 years old, there is no history, but turn to Luke 2:41-51—Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. Jesus then stays behind after the feast is over and the family leaves him behind, only to return and look for three days later.
Turn to Luke 2:48-49 (NIV) 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
- 49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[a] Luke 2:49 Or be about my Father’s business
There is no history for the next 18 years of what Jesus did, where he was or how he went about his father’s business?
The general belief is that Jesus assisted Joseph in his carpentry work and to take care of the family, but this is the Son of God and at the age of 12, he was found in his Father’s House and about his father’s business.
There is no evidence of Jesus carpentry work and I respect those in the carpentry business, but this raises the question, what was Jesus doing?
I think this question bodes another lesson as I would like to hear your thoughts.
As I close, my wish is that before you open gifts, read the birth of Christ and rejoice in knowing that Jesus was born, the savior in the world for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son for you and for me.
Physical gifts or the gift of eternal life, what is your choice?
Please take the time to give thanks for the birth of Jesus and take the time to read about the birth and allow the Holy Spirit to fill you as you read.
