Month: October 2021

Matthew 2; Luke 2:39-52

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

Let’s start by looking at Herod the Great.  This is the ruler that was given all 4 political districts to rule in Israel from Rome. Caesar told him he was in “charge” of the Jews.  Titled him: “king of the Jews”.   Click here if you would like to print this to take notes on.

Herod's Family Tree | Family tree, Christian history, Bible study

So Herod the great hears that one has been born called “King of the Jews”.  The word in verse 3 “disturbed” means “Stirred Up!”  (I bet he was).   When he asked where this infant was born they quoted Michah 5:2-

2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans 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.”

The Herod dynast came from the line of Esau, so when the Magi asked about the whereabouts of the King of the Jews, that they had seen the “star”- this was referring to the King that would come from Jacob NOT Esau: (ouch)

Numbers 24:17-   “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”

I wonder if Herod said “Oh my stars”-probably not, but he did lie to the Magi and say “find him so I can worship him”.

I love a good nativity scene at Christmas  BUT please know that is not what it looked like.   The Magi were a large group of men who came from the Babylon/Syria area. They were educated men (gentiles) who had studied the scriptures, astronomy, science, and history.

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Adoration of the Magi (Perugino, Città della Pieve) - Wikipedia

They did however give Jesus gifts representing and fulfilling his role as Messiah.

  1. Gold: for royalty, Jesus as King.
  2. Incense: symbolic of Prayers of the High Priest rising up to Heaven. (Jesus is the High Priest)
  3. Myrrh: a burial oil, a foreshadow of His death. (Messiah)

The wise caravan knew ignoring Herod’s wishes put them in danger so they returned a different way.  In the meantime, The Lord leads Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt for safety.  Fulfilling another prophecy of the Old Testament: Hosea 11:1

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and out of Egypt I called my son.

Remember who the book of Mattew was written for: The Jewish people: so Matthew is going to constantly refer to the fulfillment of the words of the prophets:  This time Jeremiah 31:15

15 This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

During the captivity,  Rachel (representing the LAND: Israel) weeps as the Hebrews were taken into captivity (ripped out of the arms of the Land), the same weeping now comes from the mothers of the children as they are murdered at the hands of Herod’s army.

So now what?  Where will Jesus live?  Egypt? Bethlehem? Jerusalem?  Well, after Herod the Great died, the Romans redivided the land and put Archelaus in charge of the Judea.(Look at the genealogy above)  Archelaus was evil and slaughtered 300 Jewish leaders, meanwhile, Antipas reigned over the Galilee area.

Herodian Kingdoms

So The Lord directed Joseph to safety by diverting him to Nazareth to live with Jesus.   Of course, fulfilling the scripture: Isaiah 11:1

11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

The word Branch is Hebrew is ‘Nazarene’.  However,  this will also make sense when the Jewish council will constantly call Jesus: “Jesus the Nazareth” because they didn’t think ANYTHING good could come from a town in the Galilee region. (Oh but it did!)

Luke 2:39-52- Don’t miss this!!  Jesus’ first words recorded in the Bible.

Mary and Joseph would take the Pilgrimage to the Temple, just as they were instructed in the Law to commemorate the Passover.  The Passover Festival commemorated the escape from Egypt, led by Moses in Exodus 12.  An innocent lamb was sacrificed, blood was shed, and all of those who believed that the lamb represented a “substitute” for their death was “passed over” when death came that night.  FAITH in the blood of an innocent lamb would take their place covered them (atoned) their life and they were Saved.  Jesus is the Passover Lamb.  Salvation in the Old Testament and the New Testament are EXACTLY the same.

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

If this is new to you, please ask questions.  But stop and think about this:

  • Jesus said these words on the Passover.
  • Jesus will fulfill the Passover.  When? (We say on Good Friday)  On PASSOVER!
  • Put that in your pocket because as we read we will hear Jesus say when people are trying to kill him “It is not time yet”.  It ALL lines up.
    • Exodus 12
    • His first words
    • the Crucifixion

…it will ALL lines up on the same day.  The Passover Festival.  The day innocent blood is shed and Faith that it substitutes or covers our sin Saves us.

 

Matthew 1, Luke 2:1-38

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

The book opens with a genealogy.  When I bought my first Bible I remember thinking…who in the world would want to read these names? No one knows who they are.  If you read through the OT, look closely…I bet you know MANY of them.  Crazy good.

The Old Testament prophets predicted that the Messiah would be born of a woman (Gen. 3:15), of the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22:18), through the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), and of the family of David (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Jesus qualified in every respect.

Matthew deliberately constructed his genealogy in three groups of 14 names.

  • 1st 14- The Patriarchs
  • 2nd 14-The Kings
  • 3rd 14- The Exiles

#14 on the list is King David- The Focal Point.

17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

The genealogy tells us 3 things:

  1. Jesus is the Messiah
  2. Jesus is the Descendant of David
  3. Jesus is a descendant of Abraham.

Note that 4 women are included in the Geneology, This is not typical but highlights that Gentiles were included.

  • Tamar and Rehab-both Canaanites! (gentile)
  • Ruth -a Moabite (gentile)
  • Uriah’s wife (Uriah was a Hittite so legally she was a gentile)

Joseph was “engaged”.  He could have disgraced Mary but instead, he planned a quiet divorce “from their engagement”.  But God interceded in a dream.  Not only was Joseph instructed to marry her BUT was also told the name he was to give.  We learned yesterday that the “Name” was the family identity.  He was told NOT to name him a family name but to name him Jesus (Salvation).

 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

What prophet?

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Luke 2: 

Micha 5:2–“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans 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.”

So the Lord moves on the mind of Caesar Agustus to decree a census ( tax purposes).  Well, actually to fulfill Micah.  Jesus needs to be born 90 miles away to fulfill scripture.  That’s a long walk when you are pregnant.  Bethlehem is the “House of Bread” in translation.

I am going to keep this a light post (I will go deeper in Matthew)

Then the reading ends with a Prophecy of Simeon.

29“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”

At the Birth of Jesus, we already are talking about Revelation!  The Greek word in this text is apokalypsis.  (Apocalypse) and the definition is: a very serious event resulting in great destruction and change

I want to take a little time on the Circumcision:  VERY important background here.  Jesus was not born above the law, instead, He filled it perfectly!  So these paragraphs are very important.

  1. Circumcision is part of the Abrahamic Covenant.  In Genesis 12 God promises that through Moses ALL people on earth will be blessed.  In Genesis 15 God makes that promise a Covenant.  With every covenant there must be a death and blood must be shed. (why Jesus had to sacrifice himself).  So if you go to Genesis 17 the Jewish part of that Covenant was circumcision.  It represented being set apart from all others and their relationship with the Lord.
  2. Luke 2:23 talks of the consecration of the firstborn.  Why? WOW, this is awesome, go back way back to Exodus 11-13.  Remember when the Jews were delivered out of Egypt.  Do you remember how? Yes! The Plagues.  Each one to combat a false god.  The last plague was the death of the firstborn children, and God sent an angel of death to take them all but the Jewish children were spared called the Passover.  In remembrance of God’s deliverance and mercy,  the Jews consecrate their firstborn to the Lord acknowledging that it is all His!

Matthew Overview for tomorrow

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

The Gospel of Matthew

Gospel/Godspell/Good News.  There are 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  The first three Gospels are called “synoptic” because they “see together with a common view” (the word synoptic literally means “together sight”).  It is like shooting the same movie from 3 different angles.

Matthew is written for the Jews.  Matthew’s emphasis is Jesus was the Messiah as foretold in the Old Testaments from the Prophets.  Matthew quotes from the Old Testament more than any other New Testament author.

The keyword in Matthew is “fulfilled” through the prophet…

You may have heard the book of Matthew referred to as the “Gospel of the Kingdom”, the term kingdom of heaven is used 43 times in this book.

Matthew’s name means Gift of the Lord.  Matthew was a man originally names Levi.  If you read the Old Testament you would be able to guess just from his name that he was born into a priesthood family (the Levites).  However, he chose to be a Tax Collector.  The tax collectors were extremely corrupt: they would pre-pay the taxes for people and then charge the people heavy interest and pocket it.   We can also guess that he made a lucrative living.  This was against the Law of Moses stated in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, so the tax collectors had bad reputations with the Jewish Leaders. But he gave it all up when Jesus called him to follow him.  (Ch. 9)

The book of Matthew has 3 Great Discourses

  • Sermon on the Mount
  • Kingdom Parables
  • Olivet Discourse

The book focuses on Jesus is the King of the Jews.  He writes about Jesus being the son of Abraham  (fulfilling the Covenant that He would bless all nations) and the son of David ( fulfilling the Covenant that He would establish a Kingdom that would last forever).

If you have read through the Old Testament, this might be your favorite Gospel since we will be looking at the prophecies of the Old Testament being fulfilled on every page.

Luke 1 and John 1:1-14

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

Luke 1 (I bolded some fun words for those who have been reading through OT and NT)

  • The political figure in Rome was Caesar Augustus, but the appointed leader in Judah (Jerusalem) was Herod the Great).  The Jews were a self-governing body as long as they remained peaceful and quiet. (put that in your pocket for later)
  • Priests (from the tribe of Levi)  took turns taking care of the temple, chosen by “casting lots” (like dice that God controlled) to see whose turn it is daily.  Part of taking care of the temple was burning incense which represented prayer (the smoke going up to the Heavens like our prayers do).  So this day, it was Priest Zechariah’s day-chosen by God.
  • It is noted that Zechariah is a descendant of Aaron.   Aaron was Moses’ brother, which meant Zechariah came from a line of High Priests (great importance).

OK, back to Luke. Wait…before we begin:

  • Zechariah means “God Remembers”
  • Elizabeth means “HIs Oath”

We open the Gospel with GOD REMEMBERS HIS OATH!!

Zechariah was chosen (by God) to burn the incense in the Temple.  There were 20,000 priests at that time to be chosen…God chose Zechariah specifically for the duty of burning the incense: the incense in the Temple represented prayer.

QETORET: The Fragrance of Jerusalem | Halakha of the Day

The angel tells him that his barren wife will give birth.  (Impossible made possible) and here is the “Bridge” between Old Testament and the New Testament.  A scripture from Malach 4:5 bridged to Luke: (God remembers His Oath through Zechariah and Elizabeth)

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:16 and Malachi 4.5)

John will come before the Messiah in the spirit of Elijah the prophet. He will be dedicated to the Lord as “His” through a vow called a Nazarite Vow.

 Numbers 6 (click here), the Nazarite Vow.

A parent could dedicate their child to the Lord by committing them to not drink alcohol, cut their hair,  or touch a dead carcass. Other Nazarites in the Bible included Samson and  Samuel.

Elizabeth recognized the miracle that they were able to conceive.  Zechariah was in doubt and the Lord kept him silent until the day of the birth. (Wait for it…..there is a test of Faith here Zechariah will get an A+ on)

The same angel,  Gabriel,  now speaks to Mary about Jesus being born through her.  She is from a small town called Nazareth, so insignificant the Bible had to note:  Nazareth, a town in Galilee.

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.

It is very important that the “legal” (not birth) father is a descendant of David.  In 2 Samuel 7 we read about the Davidic Covenant. This is an unconditional covenant made between God and David through which God promises David and Israel that the Messiah would come from the lineage of David, the tribe of Judah, and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever. The Davidic Covenant is unconditional because God does not place any conditions of obedience upon its fulfillment.  It’s HIS Covenant-His Oath.

Abraham's Family Tree Chart

Jesus, the Greek word for ‘Joshua’ in Hebrew means “The Lord Saves”. Do notice that Mary believes Gabriel not just because an angel is before her but because she is a woman of faith, and KNEW the Word of God through studying scripture.  How do I know this??  Read her song we call the Magnificat-weaved through this song are roughly 15 Old Testament quotes.  This young woman knew her Scriptures.

Explore the Life of Mary This Advent Season - LogosTalk

When John is born, Zechariah’s family adhered to the law by circumcising and naming him on the 8th day.  Naming a child after the father meant he would follow in his footsteps.  They knew this would be an only child so others at the circumcision just assumed he would be a “Junior”.  Zechariah’s decision to name him John was a profession that it was only by God that he had a son (even though he was conceived the old fashioned way).  A+ !  And Zechariah’s mouth was opened and he immediately praised God through a song too called the Benedictus. (To be Blessed)

(This reading was long and the post was long BUT if anyone wants to continue the conversation in the comments there are a million things I could have talked about) 😃

John 1:1-14

In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

The word “Word” was Logos which spoke to both the Jew and the Gentile.  The word God was so reverent that they used other words in its place.

This is the foundational scripture of the Trinity being present at the creation of the World.  Genesis 1 says:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

and now add John 1:1 to it.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus is the Word. (How do we know it is the 3rd part of the Trinity?… How can we defend Genesis 1 that Jesus was present at the creation? 

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.