Jesus – Page 25 – Three Minute Bible

December 22, 2018December 21, 2018

A Tail of Two Towns

In the days when Israel had newly entered Canaan and the land was being divided up by lot for each of the tribes, there were two towns called Bethlehem. One was in the north in the territory of Zebulun, the other was in the south in the territory of Judah. The Bethlehem in Judah was in a territory known as Ephrath, thus the reference to Bethlehem Ephrathah. It was probably not unlike saying Portland, Oregon, or Vancouver, B.C.

“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.”

Micah 5:2

The prophet Micah not only nails the precise location of Jesus’ birth, but he makes sure there is no confusion by distinguishing between the two Bethlehems. This particular Bethlehem is mentioned in the first chapter of the Book of Ruth and is the place where Ruth and Naomi return to live after the famine is over. Naomi marries Boaz and they have a son, Obed who grows up and fathers Jesse, who in turn fathers the man who would become king of all Israel, David. Thus it is David’s hometown that Joseph and Mary must return to.

December 18, 2018December 17, 2018

Adoption

This month we are preparing for Christmas by focusing on the events leading up to the birth of Jesus as they are recorded in the Gospels. So far we have focussed on the Gospel of Luke, but today we take a detour and look at the Gospel of Matthew’s account of how Jesus’ adoptive father took the news.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew 1: 18-25

Something I had never thought about until this year is the fact that Jesus had an adoptive earthly father. Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, and yet he accepted him as his own son on the say-so of an angel in a dream. (My guess is that if an angel visits a person in a dream, the experience is much more than just a dream!) And while this would have been a challenge for Joseph as a father, it would also have had some impact on Jesus as the son. In Luke 2: 41-52 we see that Jesus is aware that Joseph is not his actual father so we know he was aware of the facts about his birth.

December 15, 2018December 14, 2018

John’s Mission

As we get closer to Christmas Day, we are walking through the scriptures that tell us the story of Jesus’ birth. We have seen the Annunciation or formal announcement of the coming events by the angel Gabriel to Mary. We have seen Zechariah’s voice restored after proclaiming his baby’s name to be John as the angel Gabriel instructed him. Now we hear John’s words of prophecy by the Holy Spirit regarding the coming Messiah and his own son’s mission as the herald of the coming king. John will be called a prophet of the Most High and will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him…

… to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins…

Luke 1:77

John’s mission was to proclaim salvation through the forgiveness of sins. He must have been a very effective preacher because people came from all over the Holy Land to hear his words. Many of them humbled themselves, admitting their sin and confessing their desire to repent. Those that did receive a symbolic baptism of water, a ceremonial washing as it is called in some places.

December 14, 2018December 13, 2018

Vision

Up until this point in Zechariah’s prophetic song he has been talking about the coming Messiah, Jesus. Now his vision switches to his own newly born son, John.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him…

Luke 1: 76

At the time John is born, Zechariah and Elizabeth are old people. It seems unlikely that they would have still been alive when John started his ministry, so they would never see the fulfillment of his calling with their eyes of flesh. Through the Holy Spirit, however, Zechariah is able to see what John will become: a prophet of the Most High, preparing the way before Him.

December 8, 2018December 9, 2018

Baby John

This time of year we hear a lot about “the baby Jesus,” but no one ever seems to talk about “the baby John.” From a human perspective, John is a very important person in history holding a place of renown. He was the one who announced the arrival of Jesus, did the advanced groundwork, prepared the hearts of the people to be repentant and open to God’s will, and baptized the Savior himself. From God’s perspective, however, John is just a herald: No more than the guy in the Robin Hood story who rides out on a horse bearing a trumpet and a scroll to read from. He gets people’s attention and then relays the royal decree. Exit stage right.

Even so, this herald is very important to God’s plan. God fills John with the Holy Spirit from birth and keeps him set apart for a very special use. Today’s story is the follow up to the angel’s announcement of the coming birth.

Luke 1: 56-64

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.

Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.