Month: December 2024 (Page 1 of 3)

Matthew 2:19-23

Once again Joseph is given instructions in a dream to ensure the safety of the Christ child. Initially it must have been comforting to know that Herod was dead, and they could go home.  It seems he planned to go back to Bethlehem in Judea where they had been living. Then he hears that Herod’s son, Archelaus, is reigning there and he is afraid, and for good reason. Whilst disputing his father’s will, Archelaus had overreacted to some trouble that occurred during the Passover and had killed around three thousand pilgrims. He was as dangerous as his father.

So, Mary, Joseh and Jesus go to back to Nazareth and there they stay, and the child Jesus becomes a man and ready to begin his ministry. Nazareth is in the south part of Galilee on a major trade route where travellers from across the world could be seen.

Through all this Jospeh has kept an open heart to hear from God. It suggests he is a devoted man of faith who God could trust to take care of his Son. He has been landed with a great responsibility, but he doesn’t resent it and keeps an open responsive heart.

Reflection

Once Jesus begins his ministry we do not hear of Joseph again, only his mother and brothers. So it would seem as though by the time Jesus is about thirty years old that Joseph has died. He does not get to see the outstanding ministry this Son will have. I wonder what sort of reception he receives in heaven?  Often we don’t get to see the fruit of our labours, we might imagine then that there isn’t any, but God asks us to serve by faith. The important thing is that we have done what he asked and that is enough.

Matthew 2:13-18

Here we see Jospeh caring for his family and being given instruction to move them to Egypt for their safety until he is told it is safe to return. He is made aware of just how dangerous Herod is; something which the end of this passage makes horribly clear.

Egypt has often been a part of Israel’s history as a place of sanctuary during persecution or famine, and of course it was also a place of slavery from which they needed to be delivered by Moses. Because of this there is quite a sizeable Jewish community living in Egypt. The full text that Matthew quotes says ‘When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.’ Once again Jesus, the Christ child, is not living in comfort or ease but now is a refugee fleeing from persecution with his parents.

Herod is a dangerous, violent and paranoid man who has already murdered his wife and two sons and is now very angry. He has worked out from what the wise men told him that the baby would be under two years old and so, mercilessly, he preserves his power by murdering every baby boy in Bethlehem who is under two. Herod perhaps personifies the devil’s hatred of Jesus and determination to destroy the Messiah. Joseph’s obedience is key to their survival.

The son of God has been born into a world full of evil and pain, from which even he is not safe. He will become the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. But evil will not win, Herod will die, the baby will become the saviour of the world. God’s plan will prevail.

Reflection

One imagines that Joseph’s life is definitely not going as he might once have imagined! A pregnant fiancée, a birth in poverty, a baby in a manger (and he’s a carpenter), shepherds and wise men, and now he is a refugee. Yet at no point are we told that he rebels or complains at what is happening to his life. May God give us the grace and strength to embrace what is asked of us in life and remain open and obedient to the voice of the Spirit.

Matthew 2:9-12

After months of searching the wise men have found what they were searching for. Joy at the safe arrival of a baby is our natural response, and it is no different in this story. The angels have announced news of great joy, the shepherds have rejoiced, Mary has praised God and rejoiced in the Magnificat and the Magi have expressed joy and worship on finding the baby. That is the right response to this Christmas story.

Mathew tells us that these men fell down and worshipped the infant Jesus. The word he uses implies that a person prostrates themself in homage, as to a king. It must have been an extraordinary sight to see these Magi face down on the floor in front of a little child. As part of their worship, they have brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Because of the three gifts it has become traditional to think of them as three wise men, but scripture doesn’t tell us how many, there may have been a lot more than three. Gold is a traditional gift for a king, frankincense which was part of the incense used in the Temple is seen as a gift for a priest and myrrh, which was used at Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, is a sign of his death. These spices can be used for other things and indeed myrrh in the OT is a symbol of joy but here it points us forward to what is to come.

We know very little about where these wise men came from exactly, or how it long it took them, how long Mary and Joseph had been at Bethlehem when they arrived or how long the wise men stayed. It probably wasn’t for long as they are warned to leave and avoid Herod who is on the war path. The hearts of these Gentile worshippers were open to God who was able to direct them and keep them and the baby Jesus safe. We cannot underestimate through whom and how God may speak.

Reflection

The gifts the Magi brought were costly. Our worship too should cost us something. Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him. Worship that is flippant and shallow is no worship at all, true worship that is lived out in life will cost us at times. True worshippers, Jesus tells us, worship in Spirit and in truth.

Matthew 2:1-8

It is Matthew who gives us the story of the Kings or Magi who came from a distant eastern land to visit the newborn king of the Jews. They are astronomers and astrologers; they read the skies and believe that what they see in creation is speaking of what is happening in the human world, they are serious people.

Expecting a king to be born in a palace, they arrive in Jerusalem to see Herod, the king. They explain their intent is to worship this new king. This was not a great move on their part. Herod is bothered by this threat to his position and power. Calling together the priests and teachers of the law he asks where this king is to be born. They know the answer, the Christ is to come from Bethlehem, so that is where the Magi go. Astonishingly, even though the Jews are looking for the Messiah to come they apparently show no interest in going with the Magi to find out for themselves, a big contrast to the response of the shepherds.

These Magi are Gentiles, they have travelled a very long way, and it must have been costly in many ways but they have seen a sign for the ‘King of the Jews’. What was the sign? Many people have tried to work this out from examining the sky as it was at that time. The most likely explanation seems to be that it was an alignment of planets; Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Their arrival is our first indicator that this Messiah is coming for the salvation of the Gentiles as well as the Jews .

The declarations of Mary and Zechariah in Luke were focussed on Jewish salvation and deliverance, and the first to worship are the poor shepherds. Here, Matthew, a very Jewish writer tells us of these Gentiles who, like the shepherds, have seen a sign and set out to find a saviour. God is coming for the foreigner, the outcast and the poor. Jesus is King of the Jews but as Son of God he will become Saviour and King for the whole world.

Reflection

The difference between those who have journeyed across countries to seek the Saviour and the local priests who won’t go to the next town is stark. Why do you think they wouldn’t go? Let us pray that we do not become indifferent to the celebration of the Saviour’s arrival this Christmas.

Luke 2:15-20

After the shock of what has just happened to them these irreligious, tough shepherds behave just as you would hope. Instead of sitting around their fire keeping warm and discussing what just occurred until they talked themselves out of responding they get up and go.  They leave in a hurry, urgently, to find this baby. There may not have been many babies born that night but finding the right one probably took a little while. They don’t give up until they have found him.

We have no sense of the time scale of this part of the story, but as soon as they have visited with this family and shared what happened they go and tell everyone what they’ve witnessed, and who the angel said this baby was. Everyone is astonished, as well they might be. I wonder what Mary and Jospeh thought when these rough men turned up to find the baby with this incredible story. Mary ponders all of this in her heart – it is another confirmation of this baby’s identity.

Finally, the shepherds go back to their flocks with joy in their hearts, glorifying God for what he has done. The shepherd’s response contrasts strongly with that of Herod and the Jewish priests’ response to the wise men. They showed no desire to go and see for themselves, as we will find out tomorrow.

Reflection

Maybe you have already found Jesus or perhaps you are still on that journey, either way we can follow the shepherd’s example. If you are searching, then do it urgently and don’t stop until you find him. If you have already encountered him then the shepherd’s act of bearing witness to what they experienced, and worshipping God is an example for us to follow.

Luke 2:8-14

The birth of the baby is first announced to shepherds in a field: a strange choice. Even stranger in an age when shepherds were considered of very low standing, not religious, not moral and not to be trusted.

Luke’s care for the poor, that was evident in chapter one, is here again. It is to ordinary work-a-day poor people that the angel comes. Whatever their lifestyle and irreligiosity they would still perhaps have longed for the Messiah to turn up and change their lives for the better, and here comes an angel with the news that he has arrived. Not just that but the heavenly messenger has come to them.

Heaven’s joy at what is happening breaks into this world with the arrival of a heavenly choir praising God and declaring his favour over those of good will. Nowhere else in scripture does this happen. God is announcing his Son’s arrival.

The sign they are given to find this baby is that he is wrapped in cloths, as would be expected, and lying in a manger, definitely not to be expected. No shiny new cradle for this baby, just what will suffice for the moment.

We can only guess at how overwhelmed the shepherds must have been – the terror, the glory, the joyful message of a Saviour born. The Lord has come – and is in a feeding trough! God has bypassed the religious and pious to reveal his Son to the poor and lowly. This is God’s plan for salvation in action. We used to sing an old chorus, some decades ago, with the line ‘whosoever wills to the Lord may come’. The whosoevers are coming.

Reflection

Have there been times when you were astonished at God’s working in your life, such as he answered a prayer or chose you for a task? The shepherds discover God is not a respecter of persons as we so often are, a willing and open heart is all that is required.

Luke 2:1-7

From Luke we learn how it was that Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem, the city of David (his place of birth), and not Nazareth, and that he was born in less-than-ideal circumstances. Although the exact history of census at the time is difficult to verify Luke sets the historical context as being a census of a Jewish tradition which would require people to return to their ancestral home, and it seems this is what is happening to Joseph, and he has taken Mary with him.

The emperor Augustus, under which this census takes place, had been referred to in his time as the political ‘saviour of the world’, but we know they were false hopes. Human agency is not going to save the world, the true saviour is being born in Bethlehem.

Travelling 85 miles either on foot or by donkey over difficult terrain; their journey was not easy. A lot of traditions have built up around the nativity story, and it may be disappointing to find there is no ox or ass in the stall, no stable and no inn keeper! Bethlehem was a small town and may not have had an inn. The word for ‘lodging’ that Luke uses could also mean a house or guest room. Often poor families lived in the same space or the floor above their animals, as happened in Europe in the past. In that case the manger would have been in the dwelling. Some have suggested Jesus was born in a cave or a courtyard.

What we do know is that Jesus did not arrive in easy circumstances. I’m sure this is not what Mary would have chosen for her first-born child, especially when there is so much promise attached to his arrival. Kings are meant to be born in palaces, but this Son of God is going to identify with the poor and needy from the beginning. In this plan, salvation is coming to all people.

Reflection

Having a baby can be a risky business today, it was even more so in Mary’s day. There was so much that could go wrong. The Son of God has become as vulnerable as it might be possible to be in order to identify with our humanity. What does it mean to you that Jesus was fully human as well as fully God? What difference do you think that makes to your personal faith?

Matthew 1:18-25

So, while momentous things are happening to Mary and Elizabeth, what is happening to poor Joseph. He has a lot to deal with!

Our secular culture has a very different attitude to marriage compared to the biblical view. Many choose to forego the formal public declarations of a marriage covenant. As we have already discussed betrothal was very different for Mary and Joseph. They were considered ‘married’ but not living together; so, for Mary to be pregnant means she has been unfaithful. Rather than bring her to public shame Joseph decides to deal with this quietly and divorce her.

So, God intervenes and answers his distress in a dream, the angel re-iterating what Luke has told us, that Mary’s baby is the Son of God, conceived (created) by the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth is a difficult concept for the modern world to accept, it is seen as foolish to believe it. God, however, works in the supernatural realm as we have seen already several times in this story. Creation is a miracle, resurrection is a miracle and so is the conception of God’s Son.

‘Perhaps the strongest theological argument for the necessity of the virginal conception is that in this way we see that it is God alone who has done all that is necessary for salvation. ……we have contributed nothing to the coming of Jesus among us. Jesus is God’s gift to us. Our salvation is entirely of the grace of God.’[1]

Joseph is often in the background of the Christmas story, but he pays a vital role. He is just, kind and obedient to God. He stands with Mary through a very difficult time. He is the earthly father to Jesus and would have taught him about the Jewish faith and God his Father. The baby will be called Jesus meaning ‘God saves’. Every part of this plan for salvation comes from God alone.

Reflection

Are there people in your world now or in the past who have played a significant role in your journey of faith but are perhaps unseen? Why not take a moment to thank God for them, pray for them and if possible send them a message (letter, card, email) and thank them for what they have done.

[1] Paul Beasley Murray, Joy to the World, (Intervarsity Press, Leicester , 2005) p.27

December 14^th

Luke 1:67-80

This song of praise by Zechariah is known as the Benedictus. Like Mary, Zechariah draws together his knowledge of the Old Testament scripture. In this he anticipates the deliverance that God is bringing to his people. Prophetically Zechariah is declaring that salvation is coming, God is going to do what he had promised long ago; he has not forgotten. There has always been a plan.

Jesus, the light of the world, is about to be born and the ‘morning light from heaven’ is coming for those who sit in darkness. Jesus’ death and resurrection will bring hope and peace to those in the shadow of death, that is, all of us. Zechariah maybe sees this salvation as being one of freedom from their political enemies, so that they can serve God without fear. However we know that Jesus is not the political or military leader the people were expecting at this time.

He does accurately predict the role his son is to play in this unfolding drama, he will be the first prophet in Israel for four centuries. John cannot save people, but he can point people to Jesus and declare the necessity of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Again, prophetically, Zechariah speaks as those these events have already happen.

Reflection

Jesus’ coming is about God’s plan for the salvation of all humanity and John will not be shy in telling people what they must do to be saved. We can take something from his example and his love and zeal for God. Is there someone you can invite to hear the gospel this Christmas?

December 13^th

Luke 1:57-66

A happy family event! Elizabeth gives birth to a son, and everybody comes to share in the joy of this longed for child. On the eighth day the assumption of everyone around is that he will be named Zechariah after his father and according to their tradition. Elizabeth says no ‘his name is John’. In their concern the visitors gesture to Zechariah as to what he thinks about this. It seems a little odd that they gesture when he is dumb not deaf, but the word Luke uses ‘kophos’ can mean deaf and dumb. So perhaps their behaviour is not so odd, and Zechariah’s situation worse than we may have first thought. Either way, he confirms the name of the child is John, in accordance with the angel’s instructions, and immediately he can speak again!  This miracle causes more awe, astonishment and pause for thought. Clearly John is a special baby, and maybe their hopes for God’s intervention in their nation are not in vain

John, Yohannan, means ‘God is gracious’ and indeed he is. He has been gracious to Elizabeth and is going to manifest his grace through Mary’s son, the Messiah, and make that grace available to everyone who will receive him as Saviour.

Zechariah’s obedience in naming his son John brings about his immediate restoration and he can speak. He is going to make up for his nine months of silence, as we will see tomorrow.

For God to do something new sometimes we have to break with tradition, with what is familiar. There is going to be a lot of that when Jesus arrives and ushers in the Kingdom of God. Salvation will require ‘new birth’, a letting go of the old to embrace the new.

Reflection

Sometimes a change of routine or tradition can help us grow in our relationship to God in new ways. Is there an area of your life that you think might benefit from a change of routine? If so then why not journal that and record what you intend to do instead.