Matthew 2: 1-12
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, Magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem,
These "wise men" were magos, Oriental scientists, who were astronomers who studied the skies, among other disciplines.
saying,
"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
They had seen a particularly specific "star" that was different from the other stars, and were so impressed by it that they embarked on an extensive journey to find this One. How these far-away professors even knew about a Jewish King is beyond me! God does work in mysterious ways!
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
These Wise Men made their query in the full court of King Herod, which would have included all the entrenched leaders of the Jewish people who were working with/for King Herod. So the established government were upset at the possibility that their little apple cart would be overturned by some new King of the Jews!
Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
So of course Herod consulted all the lawyers who were familiar with the Scriptures.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the Prophet:
"And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel" (Micah 5: 2).
These scholars knew even the obscure Minor Prophets, and understood the prophesies. But did they believe them? Even as they came true before their eyes?
Then Herod secretly called the Magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
Secretly means privately, without all the other members of his court. This meeting was behind closed doors.
And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."
We know that he was lying, that he wanted to cut off this interloper before He would have a chance to have any effect on his power.
After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the East, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
This is a most amazing and unusual "star," that moved and guided them, and then stopped moving to shine on just the right place. Very curious.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
They were so glad to have their "guide" back, they'd come so far, now they'd be able to finish their journey.
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother;
So they weren't in a cave or barn or stable, they were in a house. And Joseph was probably at work, so he wasn't there with Mary.
and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
They worshiped Him first. Then they got into their baggage and got out the gifts they brought for this Child: Gold, because He is a King; Frankincense, to denote His priesthood; and Myrrh, to signify the importance of His death for us all.
And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the Magi left for their own country by another way.
These Magi were wise enough to recognize the Truth, that this "star" would lead them to the Messiah, and they also listened to God's message in the dream, and obeyed it, too.
These Oriental men were Gentiles, so far away from the life of God's people Israel, yet even as they were searching with honest and sincere hearts, God called them to be an important part of this Christmas story.
God can use any part of His creation to do whatever He wants it to do to accomplish His purposes. Like this "star." I have no idea what this is; I have read several theories, but none of them really hold up, none of them can explain all the things this heavenly being did. So that's one thing I'll find out about when I "get to Heaven."
And these astronomers from the Far East--they're like, out of left field! Where did they come from? How did they get involved in this story at all? What's their connection?
God Loves all of His creation, and has chosen the human race to be His children. So why would He not show His power and authority to call out these foreigners from across the globe, to worship and honor His Son? He's God, He does whatever He wants!
And whoever you are, where ever you live on this whole Earth, you also are one whom God can call to faith. You also are part of History (His story) of Mankind. God will use each and every one of us in His weaving of the Tapestry of Time, as either dark or light threads, deep velvet or bright colors and shining highlights.
God gave us the power of choice, and whoever chooses to seek Him with their whole heart, will find Him; because He will be found by all who want Him.
But He will not interfere with our free will. Those who choose to reject the light that is given to them will only get more darkness. We find what we're looking for. And if you're looking for only what promotes your own ideas, your own finances, your own popularity; then you will find only that, and never be satisfied.
But if you humble yourself, recognizing the weaknesses and sinfulness your own humanity, and look for Redemption in the Lord, then God will come to you, as He came to me. We are all different, and God knows each of us. Your experience of Salvation will be different from mine, and I enjoy hearing all the stories.
If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, then you know a lot of my story. Share with me how God called you into faith.
And every created thing and being will fall down in worship of our God: we cannot but bow and kneel to our Sovereign Potentate, and glorify our Almighty God!
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Luke 2: 8-20
In the same region
The region surrounding the village of Bethlehem.
there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
It must not have been too cold for the shepherds to be outside in the fields with their sheep, instead of in a warm sheepcote.
In any case, shepherds were considered the lowest rung of the society of the day, as their work kept them outside and dirty, and unclean by Temple standards.
Shepherds symbolize those who care for God's people, like the Lord Himself; they are the common, ordinary folk, like many Christians today, who joyfully receive the Word of the Lord and proceed to pastor God's flock.
And an Angel of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
Angels are very impressive beings, and always frighten those they come to. The shepherds' terror reminds us of Zechariah. It was not only the Angel that terrified them, but also the manifestation of the Glory of God--something neither Zechariah nor Mary had seen. So the Angel spoke reassuringly.
but the Angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
The Angel announces "good news," the Gospel, that brings "great joy" to not just one group, but for "all people" everywhere. The whole human race.
"for today in the City of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
This is the most startlingly direct pronouncement possible. Christ the Lord has been born as a Baby this very night.
"This will be a sign for you: you will find a Baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
The sign, what they will be looking for, is a newborn Baby that has been specially cared for, being wrapped in the swaddling clothes, but laying in an animal food trough, denoting poverty.
And suddenly there appeared with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly host
"Suddenly" denotes the unexpected nature of God's acts, especially of eschatological events. What appeared here was a throng of Angelic Armies from Heaven. This sounds like wave after wave of armies upon armies of Heavenly Angels.
praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
This reflects both Heaven and Earth. When God in Heaven receives the glory, then His peace is upon the Earth among those of Mankind with whom He is pleased.
When the Angels had gone away from them into Heaven,
The Angels didn't disappear, they went "away from them into Heaven," an expression that reveals Luke's awareness of spacial relationships. They went somewhere, they didn't just, "poof!" disappear!
the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."
When the shepherds finally closed their gaping mouths, they started to say, "What are we doing still here? Let's go see this thing they just told us about, it sounds fantastic!"
So they came in a hurry
They didn't dally or waste any time.
and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the Baby as He lay in the manger.
Bethlehem was a small village with a population of only about 300, so it was not difficult to find the Newborn who had been laid in a manger.
When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
Then they saw everything just as the Angel had told them, and they were so excited that they were telling everyone all the way back to the fields where they'd left the sheep.
And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
Everybody who heard them were scratching their heads, trying to figure out what these "liars" were talking about.
But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
And Mary just quietly watched everybody and how they reacted and responded to this Baby, and just thought about it all and treasured every moment in her heart. This precious Baby had a huge effect on everyone who came by, and He was still just an Infant.
The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
And the shepherds were giving God all the praise and glory for telling them, and they found everything just as they'd been told.
How often have I marveled at seeing what God said would happen, just the way He said it would? Or was surprised by the exact answer I had asked for? That's why I like to journal, so I can go back and see how faithful He is.
So why am I surprised? Don't I expect God to answer? Don't I trust Him to do what He said he would do? I say that I do. But do I really?
O my Father, You are so faithful to me, and I let You down so often. Please strengthen me, keep my eyes on You and Your ways; don't let the World pull me down to its level of chaos. Keep my feet securely planted on Your Rock of Salvation. Keep my hand in Yours as I follow Your every step on the road You set before me. Give me good success in accomplishing Your will for me, Father, and You will receive all the glory, because You are doing it all, not me.
Help me to keep my focus on Your eternal spiritual realities, instead of the temporary material World around me. Teach me to think Your thoughts, not mine; that I might be Christ to those around me who don't know You yet.
Let this Christmas season bring Your healing into our relationships and wounds. And draw to Yourself our loved ones who are yet to turn to You.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Luke 2: 1-7
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited Earth.
This was the first census taken while Quirinius was Governor of Syria.
Apparently Luke wanted to convey the exact time when Jesus was born, noting the census ordered by Caesar. But the records are unclear concerning when "Quirinius was Governor of Syria," having apparently held the office twice.
We know that Luke was very careful with his research, so he may be noting here what could have been common knowledge at the time; but we only have a partial, incomplete manuscript to hint at a previous governorship of Quirinius in Syria at the time of the Birth. More complete records have him holding this office six years later.
And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
People needed to travel, if they didn't still live in the same district as their ancestors, to register with the government.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register
Joseph lived farther North from where his family had begun in the Promised Land, he lived on the other side of Samaria, in Galilee. He and Mary both lived in Nazareth, so he had to travel.
along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
Even if they weren't married yet, Joseph was still responsible for Mary, as a betrothal was considered as binding as marriage. But since he would not have marital relations with Mary until after the birth and her ritual cleansing, they were still considered engaged.
Mary had gone out-of-town and returned pregnant, and it took Gabriel appearing to Joseph to convince him that the pregnancy was of the Holy Spirit, and that Mary was not unfaithful to him. But the rest of the town was probably abuzz with gossip.
I think this is why Joseph took Mary with him to Bethlehem.
While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
The Christmas Carols all sing about His being born that very night they arrived, but that's not what Luke says. They may have been there several months, we're not told.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son: and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The word for "inn" here is not the usual word that would be used for a public lodging-place, pandocheion. Luke uses the word, kataluma, which means "a room" like a guest-room. So they may have been staying with friends or relatives in a room too small to birth a baby, so they went to the area where the animals were kept, which was often in the same house with the people. And the manger was just right for a cradle for the Baby.
Mary took good care of Him, wrapping Him in the long cloth to swaddle him. And the swaddling clothes and manger were also a sign.
God had planned everything out in detail for all of this to take place exactly as He planned.
So God used the government leaders and officials to do what He wanted to move Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem for the Birth, and He moved Mary out of the guest-room into the barn for the actual Birth.
(And we'll see that when the Wise Men came, they were in the "house.")
O my Father, thank You for Your Word! Thank You for using the precise words for what You want us to know. So Joseph didn't try to get Mary into a public lodging-place that could have been dangerous; he cared enough for her to find a friend or relative to stay with, instead. Joseph really did love Mary, and was a good husband to her, and father to Your Son.
You are so wise and good, Father; of course You would see that the family You placed Your Son into would be a good family, with healthy, loving relationships.
Just as You want for all of us.
Father, I pray for families this Christmas season, that You would help us all to forge closer relationships with each family member, mending riffs and healing wounds. Teach us to love one another as You have Loved us. Show us how to be Christ to those relatives who don't know You yet. Draw to Yourself all of our loved ones this holy season when we are focused on that little family that night.
Even so, come again quickly, Lord Jesus!
Matthew 1: 18-25
We continue the Christmas Story:
Now Mary has returned from her visit with Elizabeth and she's three months pregnant, and may be beginning to show.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
This is a real problem; she tries to
explain to her fiancee, but it's just too incredible. Here she's been
out of town, and now this!
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned
to send her away secretly.
Joseph loved Mary, and thought she was a godly woman, but now this is really a shock, what a story she made up to cover! How can he believe this?
He is in a quandary, how can he marry this girl, does he really want to still make her his wife, pregnant with someone else's baby? But he doesn't want her stoned or ridiculed. He'll just divorce her quietly and send her back to her father to deal with her.
He'll have to sleep on this, and do it in the morning.
But when he had considered this, behold an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Woah, is this just a dream, or is this really God's messenger, actually talking to me? What? You mean she was telling me the truth?
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
This must be real, God must be answering all of our prayers, and fulfilling the promises He made to send us His Messiah! Wow! And using my Mary!
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
Behold the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His Name Immanuel (Isaiah 7: 14),
which translated means "God with us."
So this Child growing in Mary's womb is to be named "Savior" because He is "God who is with us." This is so unbelievable, God had to send His Angel to Joseph to convince him.
And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,
So that next morning, all their arguments were ended, Joseph could support her now, and go ahead and marry this girl he was in love with, and take care of her and this precious Child God was giving them. He would be His legal father, and be a dad to Him.
but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son;
But he didn't have marital relations with her until after the birth and cleansing that the Law proscribed. He wanted to make sure to do everything right. He was a righteous man. A simple carpenter, who only wanted to live a good life.
and he called His Name Jesus.
Both Mary and Joseph agreed that the child would have the Name the Angel had told them to give Him, when they named Him Jesus at His circumcision when He was eight days old, according to the Law.
God really does do everything, possible and impossible, for us. This miracle of a virgin girl being pregnant with God's child is a story that sounds like a fairy tale, not believable in real life. But God is God, and His intent was to give His Son a human body that could die. That's the only way He could save us. So the virgin girl would give Him genuine humanity, and God the Father would insure that the Son is still the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.
The promised Messiah, in order to be our Savior, had to be God, to be the eternal Person who could pay our eternal debt in Time. And He also had to be a genuine human, to die Man's death for each of us, fulfilling the Personal Sacrifice as the Lamb of God. He alone qualified to accomplish that feat.
But it took God's Angel to convince both Mary and Joseph of the Truth of the reality of how God was doing this through them.
O my Father, please help me to believe what You have for me, to really trust You like Mary and Joseph did, to do what You promised You would do. Give me an accurate understanding of what You have promised me in Your Word, so that I will look for Your answers, and recognize them when they come.
Father, let me not look at the circumstances surrounding me, as Mary's and Joseph's focus was taken off of the obvious reality and onto Your promise. Help me to trust You as they did, and proceed to do what I need to do, in response to Your leading and guiding me in the path You put my feet on, even when I face the fears of the unknown.
I know that they are not unknown to You, You see the end of my path, and I am still in the midst of it somewhere. I can only see the next step, but I place my hand in Yours, Father; to keep me straight, not going back to my own understanding, but Your thoughts for me.
And help me in serving You to help Your children understand who You are and Your ways for them, also. Use me, use my ministry, to grow them to maturity, and to introduce You to those who don't know You yet.
Send me and my words out into the World, to draw many to You, Father. To find Your lost sheep, and draw them into experiencing Your great Love for them, as You have for me. Strengthen me against the onslaught of the evil in the World that comes against all those who are faithful to You. Keep me steadfast in Your Truth, my feet firmly planted on the Rock of my Salvation.
Father, send out all Your workers into Your fields for sowing and reaping, and bring all of Your sheep into the shelter and safety of Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
Fill Your great house to overflowing, Father, with all of Your uncountable children, around Your grand Banquet Table to feast and fellowship with You forevermore.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus, the Son of Mary, is the Son of God, our Messiah and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, King of Israel and of the whole Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Luke 1: 39-56
We are continuing the Christmas Story we began yesterday, with the Angel Gabriel coming to Mary.
Now at this time
While a girl was engaged but not married yet was the freest period of a woman's life at that time in that society; she was free to travel and visit friends and relatives far and near.
Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,
This describes the city of Hebron, which was given to the Kohathites, the children of Levi, in Joshua 21: 11. Zacharias and Elizabeth were Levites, and Zacharias was a priest.
and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
Zacharias was probably at work, and Elizabeth was home.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth was taken by surprise, as Mary didn't have a way to let her know she was coming, and when she heard Mary's voice, the baby she was carrying moved so dramatically that it was like he jumped in her womb!
And God's Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth.
And she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
"And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?
The Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth who it was that Mary was carrying in her womb, and therefore, how much blessing God was pouring out on her, to be the one to experience every Jewish girl's dream, to be mother to their Messiah!
And she wondered why Mary would come to her, an older woman who didn't seem to be any more important to God than anyone else.
"For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.
The Holy Spirit that filled Elizabeth also filled John, still growing in her body, and he jumped for joy in being in the presence of his Lord, just starting to grow His body in Mary's womb.
"And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord."
Yes, Mary's faith was remarkable, in that she was willing to suffer the loss of everything to serve God this way.
And Mary said:
Mary knew her Scriptures; every line of her prayer comes directly from or is rephrased from Old Testament prayers. This is Mary's personalized prayer.
" My soul exalts the Lord,
Mary never wanted to be exalted, just her Lord, and prayed the same prayer that Hannah prayed in I Samuel 2: 1ff.
"And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
And she admitted her need for a Savior, and rejoiced in God fulfilling His promise to send the Redeemer.
"For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
Still reflecting Hannah, she just considered herself God's servant, bound to Him by choice, desiring only to obey Him even when she didn't fully understand.
for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
From "this time" everybody in every time will recognize how much God had poured out His blessings upon her in such abundant measure!
"For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
She gives all the credit to God, the Mighty One, who is the One who was doing it all, using her body; none of it was her doing at all.
"And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him.
She learned this from Psalm 104: 17.
"He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
Through the Psalms, such as Psalm 98: 1 and 118: 15.
"He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
This reflects the thought of Psalm 33: 10.
"He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble.
This is from Job 5: 11.
"He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed.
The idea of Psalm 34: 10.
"He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy,
From Psalm 98: 3.
"as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever."
In Genesis 17: 19.
Mary knew her Scriptures well, and seemed practiced in praying God's Word back to Him. May my prayers be so focused on what God has said to me in His Word, instead of so many of my words toward Him.
And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth the rest of her pregnancy, to maybe help with, or even just witness, the birth of John. This would be practical learning about what to expect and how to deal with what she herself will soon also experience.
I am impressed with Mary's prayer. She based every line on Scripture, praying God's Word back to Him, idea by idea. She seemed to be just thinking God's thoughts, putting them together in her own logical way.
Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi that we are to think God's thoughts, when he said, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, in Philippians 2: 5, to adopt the attitudes our Lord God has about our lives and the things that happen to us and how we see things. We are to be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12: 2) to think His thoughts, not our own.
Mary was thinking God's thoughts in this beautiful prayer that is recorded here.
I know I have to make the effort to be thinking along God's lines when I consider all the choices and decisions I need to make every day. I pray that I stay focused on God's ways and His Word as I live my life.
During this time in Mary's life, she was apparently totally focused on her Lord, rather than what other people would have been saying to and about her concerning her pregnancy. It couldn't have been easy for her, just her and her Lord against the World. She needed to lean on Him for strength, and stay close to Him, to make it through this season of her life.
I can identify with this need, as when my husband of 30 years died, I completely collapsed. I had depended on him for everything for three decades, now suddenly he was gone. I didn't know how to manage everything he had taken care of for me, and I fell into the arms of Jesus, into the lap of my Father in Heaven. That's when I started to journal my Bible readings and prayers, and that became the basis for starting this blog.
Now I am still depending on my Lord to lead and guide me, and I've made several monumental changes in my life, transitioning into widowhood. And God has been with me every step of the way. So I know that He will never abandon me, as long as I continue to lean on Him.
O my Father, You are so good to me! You are a good God, good to all You have created. Your Love put order into the chaos of the Universe, and our Natural Laws are Your decrees as to how this Earth works. You gave us a Paradise to be our home, and in our wilfulness and rebellion we have spoiled so much of it.
Because of our sin, You cursed what You made, to wind down and wear out and require hard work to eke out a living in it. But when we follow Your ways, things just work out well, because that's how You designed it to operate.
Father, help Your children to get to know You through Your Word, and to learn Your ways, so we can apply these lessons, and enjoy the bounty You have placed here for us as the result.
Teach us, Father, how to be strong and faithful to You and Your ways, even when we find ourselves swimming against the current of this World. Because Your ways are not our ways, and Your thoughts are not our thoughts. We need to learn Your ways, Father, so we will be able to follow them. Give us the confidence and courage to live our lives Your way, even in the face of those who oppose us. Give us Your gracious compassion in our responses to them.
Make us Your lights in the darkness of this World, to show those in the World how much You Love them. Send us out to find Your lost sheep, to untangle them from the brambles of deception and to pull them out of the pits of despair, leading them into the shelter and safety of Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus the Son of Mary is our Lord God Almighty, King over the whole Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
Luke 1: 26-38
Today we will begin the Christmas Story:
Now in the sixth month the Angel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
This was the sixth month of the pregnancy of Elizabeth, which we just read about in the previous verses. Nazareth was not in Judea, but north of Samaria in Galilee. This is where Joseph and Mary lived.
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Actually, both Joseph and Mary were descendants of David: Joseph through the line of kings of Judah, through Solomon and Rehoboam, and the other kings; while Mary came through David's son Nathan, Solomon's brother. (See the genealogies, Matthew gives Joseph's: Matthew 1: 1-16; and Mary's is in Luke 3: 23-38, all the way back to Adam.)
And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
Mary knew she was no one special, just a simple girl about to be married, just living her life every day. And this amazing person comes to her calling her, "favored," and that the Lord was with her. Why would he be saying these things to her? This got her totally discombobulated!
The Angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
So the Angel told her not to worry, God's got her back. Calm down, everything will go just like God planned for you.
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
This is what God wants you to do, to bear His Son in your womb. God is fulfilling His promise to send the Messiah, and He wants to use you to do this. Name him "Savior."
"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
Now Gabriel is really getting into who this Boy will be, the actual Son of God, who will rule and govern as King from David's throne. Which is actually the Lord's throne that He let David sit on; I Chronicles 29: 23, says that Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father. The Lord was King over Israel until they asked for a king.
So the Lord God allowed the Israelite kings to sit on His throne to rule His people, and now the Lord God who is conceived in Mary's womb will be born to reclaim His throne.
"And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His Kingdom will have no end."
The Lord God will become a human Man, take the Name, Jesus, and will fulfill the prophesies. This is enormous! What a great honor God is giving this girl Mary, to be the vessel by which the Lord God will enter our world!
Mary said to the Angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
Mary asked the same question Zacharias had asked, but got a completely different response from the Angel. Zacharias had asked how it could be possible, because it was impossible and he doubted. And he was struck dumb.
Mary didn't doubt, but was curious as to how God would do this. So Gabriel explained the process to her.
The Angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
This is the process by which God the Father would implant His Seed, His Word into Mary's womb; a spiritual process that would result in a physical manifestation of the Lord God Himself.
"And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.
And the Angel relayed the good news about her "cousin" Elizabeth, as verification of the power of God to do whatever He wants, even the impossible.
"For nothing will be impossible with God."
God is Almighty God, who can do anything. And He has done everything, possible and impossible, to draw us to Himself, to cleanse us so pristine that He could come to live inside us, without our being destroyed by His Presence.
We cannot even look at the Sun without destroying our eyes, and it holds only a tiny portion of His glory. So we would need to be perfectly clean and pure, with no trace or shadow of any sin at all to be able to withstand His Presence.
And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the Angel departed from her.
Mary knew that she would be vulnerable to gossip and slander, becoming pregnant before her marriage, but she had full trust in God and submitted to His will for her, in spite of the probable consequences.
God never violates the free will He gave us. Mary could have refused this honor, but God knew that she wouldn't, because she and Joseph had the precise genes and DNA to give humanity to the rightful heir of David's throne.
God had promised David that his descendant would rule forever, and Jesus was born with that precise heritage to accomplish that, and fulfill the prophesy.
I respect Mary for her decision. I honor her for her trust in God to be willing to endure the consequences of this choice she has made, and for putting herself into God's hand.
Mary was a strong woman, and strong in her faith and trust in the Lord her God. She was given a very difficult road to walk in life, and she walked it admirably.
May each of us, as God's children, be as strong and faithful as she was, following her example, as we are given her story to emulate. She is one of God's saints, and I'm looking forward to having a long conversation with her when I get to Heaven, too.
And I would hope to be as courageous as she was in her trusting God to make that life-changing decision that brought so much sorrow into her heart.
May I also be willing to endure whatever sorrows and trials and disappointments I will encounter on my path. I want to remain faithful to my Lord, and to also be an example other people can follow to grow more like the Son.
O my Father, thank You for telling us about how Mary risked everything to follow You, and was willing to endure so much for Your sake. I know that her rewards are great, and that she is now enjoying Your Presence, as I will some day.
Help me, Father, to continue to follow You in the road You have placed my feet upon, not fearing the evil that is around me in the World, but to keep on keeping on, doing what You give my hand to accomplish, and to help others to also know You better and follow You more closely through my ministry to them.
And may You fill Your great house to overflowing with the innumerable, uncountable children You will draw into Your family, all around Your grand Banquet Table, to enjoy the feasting and fellowship with You forevermore.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus, the Son of Mary, our Messiah and Redeemer, is Lord God Almighty, King over all Creation, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Galatians 6: 11-18
See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.
Here we are at the conclusion of this Epistle to the Galatians. Paul is winding up this letter with a summary of the main issue facing these new Christians. And he is not using a secretary for this last part, but writing it himself, and using very large letters, as though his eyesight is not what it used to be. Here is another indication (as we saw in 4:15) that Paul's "thorn in the flesh" may have had something to do with his eyes.
Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the Cross of Christ.
These men from Jerusalem are a real problem for these believers, and Paul has spent this whole letter refuting them. He says here that they are only teaching this to save their own skins from persecution. This is selfish, not loving.
For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.
They want you to be bound to obeying the whole Law, but they haven't even been able to do this themselves! They only want to assert power over you to elevate themselves.
But may it never be that I would boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Paul focuses only on the Cross of Christ, the pivot of his life, and the nexus of human civilization. Never will he ever boast over people who responded to the Gospel under his ministry.
through which the World has been crucified to me, and I to the World.
Since Paul considered himself to be crucified with Christ, as Jesus took his death in execution, then he is dead to the World, and the World is dead to him, it holds no power of attraction for him at all.
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
Circumcision is done in the flesh body, and our flesh will be overtaken by spirit when mortality is swallowed up by immortality, and corruptibility is overtaken by the incorruptible. Nothing material or flesh will make any difference then, we will be made completely new.
And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
All those who live their lives according to the Gospel that Jesus has finished and completed all the work of Salvation for us, will receive God's peace and mercy, who are the spiritual Israel of God, rather than the Israel of Abraham in the flesh.
From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.
The "brand-marks" are the scars he received in his service to the Lord. This is a word that also means the identification mark of a slave as belonging to his owner. Paul considered Christ his Master.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.
And Paul concludes this letter with the blessing of Christ, as members in one family of God.
This whole letter was written because Paul had heard about these false teachers coming to them in order to corrupt their faith. He delineates several lines of reasoning to show that Jesus did all the work of Redemption, because we cannot do anything to get God's favor. We already have it, as shown by the Father sending the Son to be our Savior.
The issue of that day and time was circumcision, but the principle applies to anything we think we might have to do before we can become Christians.
God loves us just as we are, where we are, right now. There is nothing we need to do to get ready to be saved, other than seeking God with our whole heart. Even if we don't realize that it is God we're looking for.
I didn't know that I was seeking God when I was looking for the Truth. I didn't realize that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; but when God honored my searching and came to me that day, that's when I knew that Jesus is the Truth I had been looking for.
And I have never looked back. I know that there is nothing I can do to make God love me less or more--He just Loves me! No one ever Loved me like God does, and I love Him back. And that makes me want to love who He Loves, other people.
All the things of this World are only temporary, and will one day burn up with the Earth. They are only tools, good for using to promote His Kingdom by growing up His children, and sharing with others so they can come to Him, too.
O my Father, I pray that all of Your children will understand that there is nothing we can do in our flesh that is not corrupted by the sinfulness of our human nature. Teach us to depend on Your Spirit who You have placed in our spirits for the power and ability to accomplish all the things You have planned for us to do to bring glory to Your Name.
Show us how to listen to Your quiet voice deep in our spirit telling us, "This is the path, walk here," every step we take each day. Lead, guide and direct us, as we live our lives every day, each moment another step on that narrow path You have placed our feet on. You have lifted our feet out of the mire onto that Rock of our Salvation, for stability and confidence in You and Your ways.
Keep us all true to Your Truth, Father; don't let us succumb to any other teaching that would add to or subtract from the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ. And help us to always do everything we do in the power of Your Spirit, not relying on our own flesh at all.
And send us out into Your fields. Send us out to find Your lost sheep. Send us out as Your Light into the darkness of this World, to shine Your Light into the darkness, bringing light to those who sit in deep darkness.
And fill Your great house, Father, fill every place at Your grand Banquet Table, to feast with You joyfully through all eternity.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Lord God Almighty, King of Creation, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
