John 1:1-14, KJV: “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 3:1-21, KJV: “1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
What is Christmas really about? There's the secular side of it, which is all about Santa and his reindeer, the feeling you get when you see the lights, the trees, and more, and believing in "magic" of Christmas. But none of that is reality.
The reality, though, is the true meaning of Christmas, which is summed up in one verse: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," Romans 5:8. If He didn't come to us in the world, then He wouldn't have been able to die and to resurrect for us, taking our sins and making us whole again. So, Christmas is summarized in the love that Christ demonstrated to us by dying on the cross. That's the meaning of Christmas, that "...the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost," Luke 19:10. There's one more question that remains: Do you know Jesus? In other words, do you know that when you die, you will hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matthew 25:21)? If not, we'd love to pray for you. If you'd like to let us know any decisions you've made recently, or because of this blog series, you can fill out the form below, and we'll pray for you or let you know of a Church near you that you can attend. May you truly have a Christmas this year that you remember! Matthew 2:1-12, KJV: “1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, Art not the least among the princes of Juda: For out of thee shall come a Governor, That shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” Who were the Wise Men? Magi? Kings? Wizards? It appears that the Wise Men were likely men who studied astrology (no, not astronomy but rather astrology) because they told Herod, "we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." Whose star? Jesus' star. If they could figure all this out without an angel appearing to them, that a King was to be born, then they likely practiced something like astrology. What does this mean to us Christians? That we should also practice astrology?
No, it means that God reaches out to people in many different ways to show them who He is. In this case, He showed up to them in astrology, which is what they likely practiced. They took a very long journey for something they believed to be true, into a completely different continent (since they came from the East, they probably came from somewhere in Asia). Because they went to Herod, Herod became jealous about the new King, and he started ordering the killing the babies 2 years and younger. Again, an angel showed up in a dream to Joseph and told him to take his family away. They fled to Egypt for a few years. Tomorrow, December 25, Christmas Day, we'll have a special blog post to wrap all of this up for you. Be sure to not miss it. Luke 2:8-20, KJV: “8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” So far, God has used angels in many ways to reveal something. Here, it's no different. Angels tell the shepherds watching their sheep the good news that the Messiah is born, and they tell the shepherds where to find the baby and His parents.
The shepherds come quickly to find the baby. They do find Him in a manger, as the angels had told them. What did Mary ponder in her heart about? Perhaps about the fact that the angels had shown up to the shepherds and told them where to find Jesus. Perhaps it was about that the shepherds were telling others about their baby, who is the Messiah. Probably all of the above. The next visitors may come a couple of years later. Come and see who they are on Friday, December 24, here on the blog. Luke 2:6-7, KJV: “6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” Matthew 2:1a, KJV: “1 Now ... Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king...” The birth of Jesus fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah. The Jews had long foretold of (and waited for) this moment, but most of them didn't recognize it. They were looking for a King (and weren't expecting a baby).
It's ironic that such a powerful man would be born in such a humble way. Would this be how you would have planned it? But God uses the unusual situations we find ourselves in to bring forth His power. Jesus is about to have two unexpected sets of visitors, from two different walks of life. You can read more about that on Wednesday, December 22 (as well as on Friday, December 24). Luke 2:6-7, KJV: “6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” There's a lot of debate about what the Bible meant by "inn." It wasn't what we think of a hotel to be, for sure, but the debate is whether it was a similar idea, where strangers were housed, or if it was more like a room in a home, like the Upper Room, where Jesus and his Disciples ate the Lord's Supper.
Whatever it meant, there was no room for Mary and Joseph, so they had to sleep where animals slept (as a manger was the feeding trough for animals). It was already a hard, tiring journey for Joseph and Mary, but their journey hadn't finished yet because, since everyone had to return to their own city, there wasn't room for Joseph and Mary. Come back on Monday, December 20, for our next blog post. Luke 2:4-5, KJV: “4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.” Yes, Joseph and Mary both made the journey to Bethlehem, but it wouldn't have been an easy path. They didn't have cars to drive, so likely Mary went by donkey (no, the Bible doesn't say she went by donkey).
It would have been a tiring journey that would have taken them several days, though now with cars, the journey would take just a couple of hours. The city of Bethlehem was named after Joseph's ancestor, the King David. Of course, census didn't just mean showing up and being asked questions, it also was a form of tax from the Roman government. When they get to Bethlehem, they find one small detail that probably made their journey a lot harder (but again is prophesied in the Old Testament). Find out what that is on Friday, December 17. Luke 2:1-3, KJV: “1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.” What is your situation like now? Are you able to do everything you want to do, or do you have a lot of restrictions the past few years (due to COVID-19 or otherwise) where you live?
Governments in the time of Jesus were very overbearing (it even killed Christians after Jesus died and rose again). However, overbearing governments can't stop God's will from being accomplished. Bible prophecy said that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, not in Nazareth (where Joseph and Mary had lived). While they would have been used to government showing its power, this census, requiring men to go back to their own town, probably would have felt very stressful. The women wouldn't have necessarily had to go, but again, God's will had to be accomplished. Did Joseph and Mary end up going, or did just Joseph go? Let's find out on Wednesday, December 15. Matthew 1:18-25, KJV: “18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” When Mary came back from seeing Elisabeth and her family, Joseph (and the rest of the town) would have noticed soon after that she was pregnant.
Joseph didn't want her stoned, which was the general punishment, based on Jewish law, for being pregnant without being married (and if they found the man as well, he was also stoned). He would have just divorced her secretly (remember, their version of engagment was very similar to marriage). An angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him also what the Angel Gabriel told Mary. Joseph was a man of faith, so he listened to what the angel said and did it. However, what he didn't know was that the story was going to take a large twist (but in order to fulfill prophecy, as Jesus wasn't to be born in Nazareth). What was that twist? We'll get to find out onMonday, December 13. Keep in mind that it has to do with government regulation (just like what we see now). Can God even use governments to accomplish His will? Luke 1:39-45, KJV: “39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” As soon as Mary found out she was pregnant, she quickly went to visit her relative, Elisabeth. Seeing that what the Angel Gabriel said was true was a confirmation for her.
In fact, when Mary came into the home, the baby in Elisabeth, who would grow up to be called John the Baptist, leaped inside Elisabeth, as there were going to be prophetic and wondrous things done through the two babies that were inside Mary and Elisabeth. Mary stayed until about the end of Elisabeth's pregnancy and then went home. Probably on her mind was what should she tell Joseph, as she was barely pregnant when she left, but by 3 months, she would be soon showing. On Friday, December 10, we will see Joseph's reaction to all of this news (and how he finds out). Be sure to come back to our blog then. Luke 1:26-38, KJV: “26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” The Christmas story from the Bible begins with a miracle, a virgin becoming pregnant, as was foretold in the Old Testament. In fact, this fulfillment of prophecy is how the New Testament begins.
As Mary was only engaged at that point (or the Jewish equivalent of engagement, which was closer to marriage), she could have been shunned from society, or worse. However, God had chosen Mary to give birth to the Savior of the world. While this was something that didn't happen, it did happen once to bring the Savior into the world. The angel, Gabriel, even gave Mary proof that something miraculous would happen, by saying her relative, Elisabeth (who was older), was pregnant already 6 months. As you move forward in the Roadmap to Christmas, consider what it would be like if you were in these situations. Doing so will make these situations more real and more vibrant. Next, on Wednesday, December 8, Mary will be visiting her relative Elisabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. |
AuthorPotter's House Ministries is a ministry devoted to helping individuals in Romania through different programs. Learn how you can help us or help start a fundraiser. Categories
All
Archives
January 2024
|