Jesus made Capernum His home and began His ministry from there. Read v.17 a couple of times. What a message He had to begin His ministry! Those words came from His heart and He still feels that message deep in His spirit. He wants us all to be genuinely sorry for the sins we have committed against God (repent).
How close is the kingdom of heaven for those who have repented? It could be 2 seconds; it could be 80 years. We don't know when the kingdom of heaven will be our home. We must be repentant of our sins and live a new life for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Read the verse again. Jesus put His whole ministry into that one sentence. "Repent: the kingdom of heaven is at hand,"
After speaking those words of warning, and being filled with compassion, Jesus began to gather His disciples so He could begin His ministry. This group of men walked with Him throughout the last 3-4 years of His life. They learned while sitting at His feet or while walking by His side. They witnessed His death and His resurrection. They saw Him ascend into heaven and sit on the throne of David at the right hand of God. What a gathering of men it was !
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, He spied His first two disciples hard at work, fishing. They were named Simon and Andrew. This was the Simon who was later called Peter or Simon Peter. All He had to say was, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." These two men immediately stopped what they were doing, left their fish and their boat and followed Jesus. Did they know who he was? Had they heard of the Messiah? What kind of power did this man called Jesus have over these two fishermen?
Then it happens again! Jesus finds His next two disciples, James and John. They were mending their fishing nets with their father, Zebedee. James and John dropped the torn nets, left their boat and their father to immediately follow Jesus. This man, whom they had never met, never heard of, called to them and they followed Him without so much as a, "By Dad."
This group of men walked all over Galilee with Jesus, learning about the kingdom of heaven, and the role Jesus and His followers had in it. Jesus taught about heaven and repentance and the Father. He healed all who came to Him, knowing that He could heal them. His fame spread to Syria and they brought their sick, their demon filled and mentally ill friends to be healed. People believed in Him by merely hearing the stories about Him. Great multitudes followed Him. People from Galilee, from Decapolis, from Jerusalem and even from as far away as Jordan. Why? Jesus, the Messiah, gave them hope.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
Matthew 4:12-16
ON EVANGELISM: PREACH THE GOSPEL AT ALL TIMES: IF NECESSARY, USE WORDS.
(credit to Saint Francis) In other words, let people see Christ in you. Live a life that is Christ-like and then introduce them to Jesus with your words. Your own personal relationship with Him is the best place to start.
Ephesians 1:13 says, " In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."
I Thessalonians 1:5-6 says, "For our gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. (6) and ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost."
Old Testament kings would send decrees, invitations or announcements on scrolls to the largest cities and they would seal those scrolls with a drop of wax and an impression of their signet ring. That signet impression proved that the message was from the king. This practice was followed in England thru the 1800's. The king sealed the news with his signet just as Jesus sealed us with His blood and by our faith.
Thus began the start of the ministry of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist had completed his mission as the forerunner of the Messiah and was in jail for continuing to preach the gospel. John had to decrease in status so Jesus could increase before the children of Israel.
After His baptism, Jesus went from the Jordan River to Sycar which was about 40 miles from Jerusalem, then to Samaria and to Nazareth and then to Capernaum. This was near a lake near Zebulon and Nephthalim. This fulfilled a prophecy by the prophet Esaiah in Isaiah 9:1-2 stating that "the land of Zebulon and the land of Nephthalim, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, to Galilee of the Gentiles. (2) The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up."
Such a beautiful verse for God to introduce His Son to the Gentiles. Take the time right now to read Isaiah 9:2 several times, then close your eyes and feel the Holy Spirit fill you up. What a way to get closer to God.
"Earth's crammed with heaven.
And every common bush alive with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries."
from "Aurora Leigh" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
(credit to Saint Francis) In other words, let people see Christ in you. Live a life that is Christ-like and then introduce them to Jesus with your words. Your own personal relationship with Him is the best place to start.
Ephesians 1:13 says, " In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."
I Thessalonians 1:5-6 says, "For our gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. (6) and ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost."
Old Testament kings would send decrees, invitations or announcements on scrolls to the largest cities and they would seal those scrolls with a drop of wax and an impression of their signet ring. That signet impression proved that the message was from the king. This practice was followed in England thru the 1800's. The king sealed the news with his signet just as Jesus sealed us with His blood and by our faith.
Thus began the start of the ministry of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist had completed his mission as the forerunner of the Messiah and was in jail for continuing to preach the gospel. John had to decrease in status so Jesus could increase before the children of Israel.
After His baptism, Jesus went from the Jordan River to Sycar which was about 40 miles from Jerusalem, then to Samaria and to Nazareth and then to Capernaum. This was near a lake near Zebulon and Nephthalim. This fulfilled a prophecy by the prophet Esaiah in Isaiah 9:1-2 stating that "the land of Zebulon and the land of Nephthalim, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, to Galilee of the Gentiles. (2) The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up."
Such a beautiful verse for God to introduce His Son to the Gentiles. Take the time right now to read Isaiah 9:2 several times, then close your eyes and feel the Holy Spirit fill you up. What a way to get closer to God.
"Earth's crammed with heaven.
And every common bush alive with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries."
from "Aurora Leigh" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Matthew 4:1-11
Upon being baptized by His cousin, John, Jesus began His ministry. The Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness, where after fasting for forty days and forty nights, Satan appeared to Him. My mother always called me her "why child" so I wonder why the Holy Spirit led Jesus, the man, into the wilderness, knowing Satan would appear to tempt Him at the end of His fast.
I think the key here is that Jesus is now a man, and He had to defeat the temptations that Satan offered to Him in order to give us a plan, to prepare us to successfully resist Satan. The plan is really quite simple. Know the scriptures.
Picture Jesus in the wilderness for forty days and nights. I imagine He spent His time communing with the Father, getting hungrier every day. Satan caught Him in this physically weakened state and very slyly said to Him, "If You truly the Son of God, just turn those stones into bread."
Jesus was ready for him. "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Notice that Jesus quoted Old Testament Scripture. In Deuteronomy 8:3, Moses wrote to the Israelites to remind them of all God had done for them in the wilderness. He wrote " . . . that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."
Satan then took Jesus to the holy city. Remember, Jesus is still in a weakened state from not eating. From the pinnacle of the temple, Satan again tempted Jesus. It reads to me more like Satan was taunting Jesus. He even quoted Scripture for this one. Psalm 91:11-12 "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
Again, Jesus replied, "It is written. Thou shall not temp the Lord thy God." What if Jesus, the man, threw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple and no angels appeared to catch him? The plan Jesus gives us is that we are to be true to the Scriptures, the holy Word of God.
Satan tried to tempt Jesus one more time. He took Him to the top of high mountain, showing Him all the beauty and grandeur of the world below Him. Satan offered to give all the beauty and glory before Him to Jesus if He would only bow down and worship him. Ah, the ultimate motive is revealed. Satan went through all this to get Jesus to deny God and to worship him by offering to Him a world that was already His.
Jesus responded with, "Get thee hence, Satan: For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shall thy serve."
Realizing he was beaten, Satan left Jesus alone, and then the angels came and took care of His physical needs. 3 temptations, 3 wins for Christ. Jesus had to know that Satan's ultimate goal was to get Him to worship the great deceiver as he wants us to bow down before him.
Jesus showed us that when we are tempted by Satan, to search the Scriptures, to not tempt or challenge God and to not worship anyone or anything except the one true God.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
John the Baptist-Matthew 3
There is only one story told about Jesus in His youth, and it is not in the book of Matthew. Even though there is nothing written, I like to think of this young child growing up, playing in the sawdust and learning the carpentry trade in His father's workshop. Matthew jumps from their return from Egypt to the appearance of John the Baptist and Jesus's encounter with him. I'm basically writing a biography of John the Baptist because he was born to be a forerunner for the appearance of Christ, a voice crying in the wilderness, getting the people spiritually prepared to recognize and accept the Messiah.
Long ago, in the hill country of Judaea, lived an elderly and childless couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth. They yearned for a child, but it seemed to them that God was not listening. Elizabeth was way beyond her childbearing years when the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias in the Temple to let him know that God had heard their prayer. Elizabeth was going to have a son and would name him John.
Why Zacharias and Elizabeth? Zacharias was working in the Temple when the angel appeared to him. He was a descendant of Aaron thru King David and a priest from the tribe of Abijah. Zacharias was astonished at the news that Gabriel gave him and questioned him with a "Why me? I am old and my wife is beyond her childbearing years?" I can imagine his saying that, but because he voiced his astonishment, he was mute until John was born. Can you feel what Zacharias felt when he learned of having a son at his age and not be able to tell anyone about it?
Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron and thus, of David. Luke 1:6 says, "And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." (KJV) This fulfills the prophecy that the Messiah would come from the house of David.
Why is John so important? He was sent to spiritually prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah so they would accept Him when He came to them. He was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother's womb. John's venue as a Nazirite was in the wilderness of Judaea. His clothing was made from itchy, coarse camel hair, and his food was locusts and wild honey. He and Jesus were cousins with John being about 6 months older than Jesus.
John started preaching about the coming of the Messiah about 26 or 27 A.D. Historically, this date puts his ministry near the Messianic period. The people weren't prepared for this age so John had to get them to prepare spiritually for the coming of Christ. Sadly, the people weren't looking for a spiritual leader but a political and military King who would end the oppression of the Jews by other nations who worshipped idols.
Instead of introducing to them a political leader, he preached about a Messiah who would bring salvation to any who would repent of their sins, invite Him into their hearts and exemplify a Godly life. Most of the Jews of that time believed they would go to heaven when they died because they were of the lineage of Abraham. John preached vehemently against this belief and angered the Jews who believed it. He told them that they had to accept Jesus into their hearts and turn from their sin. His was not a popular message.
After accepting Christ, John preached that they must be completely immersed in water to signify a public confession of faith by being cleansed of their sins. Baptism by water was not a new concept to the Jews; however, John's idea of baptism was different from the Jewish connotation of baptism. Levitical Law (Lev. 11-15) required cleansing after eating unclean food (11), purification after childbirth (12), priestly procedures for diagnosing leprosy (13), priestly methods for cleansing the leper as well as the house and everything he/she touched (14), and cleansing after touching any running sores on men or a woman's issue of blood (15).
An Old Testament in Ezekiel 36:25-26 says, "Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. (25) A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh" (26) [KJV]
The Levitical cleansing restored the person to their previous state while John preached that baptism would prepare them for a new type of life, one grounded in the Messiah. Huge crowds of believers flocked to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Jesus came in one of the crowds. John insisted that he was unworthy to baptize Jesus, that Jesus should baptize him. "And Jesus answering said unto him, "Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he suffereth Him." (Matt. 3:15) When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove "And lo a voice from heaven, saying This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
John the Baptist understood that his ministry would be short for the Messiah was here and would take over the delivery of the message of salvation. Only a few of John's disciples stayed with him while the rest followed Jesus. We don't know what John continued to teach his disciples except that he taught them how to fast and pray. I think he would continue to teach about the Messiah until his death so his followers would accept the true Messiah.
The disciples of John the Baptist were loyal to him, taking care of his needs while he was in prison, lovingly caring for his body after his brutal murder and even twenty years later, Apollos from Ephesus, was still a follower of John.
We don't know for sure when John was in prison, but it was before Jesus began His ministry. After a short time in prison, John sent two of his followers to Jesus to ask Him if He was, in fact, the Messiah. What an odd question as that had been the entire purpose of John's ministry. He may have done it to reassure his own disciples, or he may have had some doubts of his own. Jews everywhere expected a great, cataclysmic arrival of a King which did not happen. John may have felt forgotten as he sat in prison and needed reassurance that he was in prison for the right reason and that Jesus remembered him. Jesus sent the two men back to John with reassurances of love.
All of this is not in Matthew 3 but comes from other study books, but I think is necessary to give credence to the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner for the arrival of Jesus Christ.
Long ago, in the hill country of Judaea, lived an elderly and childless couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth. They yearned for a child, but it seemed to them that God was not listening. Elizabeth was way beyond her childbearing years when the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias in the Temple to let him know that God had heard their prayer. Elizabeth was going to have a son and would name him John.
Why Zacharias and Elizabeth? Zacharias was working in the Temple when the angel appeared to him. He was a descendant of Aaron thru King David and a priest from the tribe of Abijah. Zacharias was astonished at the news that Gabriel gave him and questioned him with a "Why me? I am old and my wife is beyond her childbearing years?" I can imagine his saying that, but because he voiced his astonishment, he was mute until John was born. Can you feel what Zacharias felt when he learned of having a son at his age and not be able to tell anyone about it?
Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron and thus, of David. Luke 1:6 says, "And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." (KJV) This fulfills the prophecy that the Messiah would come from the house of David.
Why is John so important? He was sent to spiritually prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah so they would accept Him when He came to them. He was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother's womb. John's venue as a Nazirite was in the wilderness of Judaea. His clothing was made from itchy, coarse camel hair, and his food was locusts and wild honey. He and Jesus were cousins with John being about 6 months older than Jesus.
John started preaching about the coming of the Messiah about 26 or 27 A.D. Historically, this date puts his ministry near the Messianic period. The people weren't prepared for this age so John had to get them to prepare spiritually for the coming of Christ. Sadly, the people weren't looking for a spiritual leader but a political and military King who would end the oppression of the Jews by other nations who worshipped idols.
Instead of introducing to them a political leader, he preached about a Messiah who would bring salvation to any who would repent of their sins, invite Him into their hearts and exemplify a Godly life. Most of the Jews of that time believed they would go to heaven when they died because they were of the lineage of Abraham. John preached vehemently against this belief and angered the Jews who believed it. He told them that they had to accept Jesus into their hearts and turn from their sin. His was not a popular message.
After accepting Christ, John preached that they must be completely immersed in water to signify a public confession of faith by being cleansed of their sins. Baptism by water was not a new concept to the Jews; however, John's idea of baptism was different from the Jewish connotation of baptism. Levitical Law (Lev. 11-15) required cleansing after eating unclean food (11), purification after childbirth (12), priestly procedures for diagnosing leprosy (13), priestly methods for cleansing the leper as well as the house and everything he/she touched (14), and cleansing after touching any running sores on men or a woman's issue of blood (15).
An Old Testament in Ezekiel 36:25-26 says, "Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. (25) A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh" (26) [KJV]
The Levitical cleansing restored the person to their previous state while John preached that baptism would prepare them for a new type of life, one grounded in the Messiah. Huge crowds of believers flocked to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Jesus came in one of the crowds. John insisted that he was unworthy to baptize Jesus, that Jesus should baptize him. "And Jesus answering said unto him, "Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he suffereth Him." (Matt. 3:15) When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove "And lo a voice from heaven, saying This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
John the Baptist understood that his ministry would be short for the Messiah was here and would take over the delivery of the message of salvation. Only a few of John's disciples stayed with him while the rest followed Jesus. We don't know what John continued to teach his disciples except that he taught them how to fast and pray. I think he would continue to teach about the Messiah until his death so his followers would accept the true Messiah.
The disciples of John the Baptist were loyal to him, taking care of his needs while he was in prison, lovingly caring for his body after his brutal murder and even twenty years later, Apollos from Ephesus, was still a follower of John.
We don't know for sure when John was in prison, but it was before Jesus began His ministry. After a short time in prison, John sent two of his followers to Jesus to ask Him if He was, in fact, the Messiah. What an odd question as that had been the entire purpose of John's ministry. He may have done it to reassure his own disciples, or he may have had some doubts of his own. Jews everywhere expected a great, cataclysmic arrival of a King which did not happen. John may have felt forgotten as he sat in prison and needed reassurance that he was in prison for the right reason and that Jesus remembered him. Jesus sent the two men back to John with reassurances of love.
All of this is not in Matthew 3 but comes from other study books, but I think is necessary to give credence to the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner for the arrival of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Matthew 2: part two
In Chapter 1, Matthew wrote about appearances by 2 angels. One angel appeared to Mary in person to tell her that she was pregnant with the child of the Holy Spirit. The second angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him about Mary and the Baby she was carrying. The angel told him it was ok to go ahead and marry her and that the birth would fulfill the prophecy that He would be born of a virgin. Joseph did not "know" his wife until after this Baby was born. The angel also told Joseph to name the Baby Emmanuel because He would be the One to save the world from their sins. Joseph had to understand why it was so important to keep this Baby safe.
In chapter 2, after they had worshipped the Lord, a third angel appeared to the magi to warn them to go home by a different route in order to protect Jesus from Herod. A fourth angel appeared to Joseph, also in a dream, and told him to gather his family and flee to Egypt as Herod planned to have Him killed. Joseph wasted no time in packing up his family and leaving Bethlehem for Egypt Later, the fifth angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him it was safe to take his family back to Israel. However, Joseph heard that Herod's son was ruling Judaea, so he also took a different route home and settled his family in Nazareth.
In chapter 1, the first prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 was that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. This prophecy was fulfilled thru Mary. That the Messiah was to come out of Bethlehem of Judaea is the second prophecy. The scribes quote the scriptures from Micah 5:2 in v.6, confirming Bethlehem as His birthplace. Chapter 2:11 is the third prophecy: the King would be presented with precious gifts. This prophecy comes from Isaiah 60:6. The fourth prophecy was when God said He would call His Son out of Egypt, This prophecy comes from Hosea 11:1. The fifth prophecy is quoted from Jeremiah 31:15 when Rachel weeps for her children because they are not. Matthew sees this as Herod, in a jealous rage, had all the children age 2 and under massacred because he thought Jesus was still in Israel and about that age. However, Jeremy sees Rachel rising up out of her grave and weeping over the children of Israel who were enslaved in Babylon, never to return to their homes. The sixth and last prophecy in Chapter 2 is when God came to Joseph in a dream, telling him to go to Galilee instead of returning to Judaea. He settled his family in Nazareth, thus fulfilling the prophesy that "He shall be called a Nazarene. This prophecy Bible scholars think comes from Isaiah 11:1.
We have angels delivering messages from God in dreams in Chapter 2. The angels were certainly kept busy keeping Jesus safe while He was just a Baby. He was still the Son of God. We also have 5 prophecies from the Old Testament fulfilled. All this in the first two or three years of the life of Jesus. At that young age, the Christchild had many Jews protecting Him, just as God commanded.
In chapter 2, after they had worshipped the Lord, a third angel appeared to the magi to warn them to go home by a different route in order to protect Jesus from Herod. A fourth angel appeared to Joseph, also in a dream, and told him to gather his family and flee to Egypt as Herod planned to have Him killed. Joseph wasted no time in packing up his family and leaving Bethlehem for Egypt Later, the fifth angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him it was safe to take his family back to Israel. However, Joseph heard that Herod's son was ruling Judaea, so he also took a different route home and settled his family in Nazareth.
In chapter 1, the first prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 was that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. This prophecy was fulfilled thru Mary. That the Messiah was to come out of Bethlehem of Judaea is the second prophecy. The scribes quote the scriptures from Micah 5:2 in v.6, confirming Bethlehem as His birthplace. Chapter 2:11 is the third prophecy: the King would be presented with precious gifts. This prophecy comes from Isaiah 60:6. The fourth prophecy was when God said He would call His Son out of Egypt, This prophecy comes from Hosea 11:1. The fifth prophecy is quoted from Jeremiah 31:15 when Rachel weeps for her children because they are not. Matthew sees this as Herod, in a jealous rage, had all the children age 2 and under massacred because he thought Jesus was still in Israel and about that age. However, Jeremy sees Rachel rising up out of her grave and weeping over the children of Israel who were enslaved in Babylon, never to return to their homes. The sixth and last prophecy in Chapter 2 is when God came to Joseph in a dream, telling him to go to Galilee instead of returning to Judaea. He settled his family in Nazareth, thus fulfilling the prophesy that "He shall be called a Nazarene. This prophecy Bible scholars think comes from Isaiah 11:1.
We have angels delivering messages from God in dreams in Chapter 2. The angels were certainly kept busy keeping Jesus safe while He was just a Baby. He was still the Son of God. We also have 5 prophecies from the Old Testament fulfilled. All this in the first two or three years of the life of Jesus. At that young age, the Christchild had many Jews protecting Him, just as God commanded.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Matthew 2
Matthew 2
Matthew begins Chapter 2 with the birth of Christ in Bethlehem of Judaea (the 10 northern tribes) during King Herod's reign. Suddenly, out of the east, some wise men or magi appeared in Jerusalem asking for the new King of the Jews, so they could bow down and worship him. (The Bible does not say there were 3 wise men, only that there were wise men from the East. There could have been 2 or 20.) They had been following a star for about 2 years which had led them to Jerusalem. King Herod was livid. He was the king!
In fearful and probably angry haste, he called all his chief advisors and scribes together in a meeting to demand they tell him all about this King and where He was to be found. Being astrologers, they knew all about this event because they had studied the ancient scrolls. They told Herod that the new King would be born in Bethlehem in Judaea, quoting the prophet in verse 6, "and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least of the princes of Juda: for out of thee should come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel."
Herod decided he needed more information, so he called the magi back to the throne room and inquired as to how long they had been following the star. The Scripture doesn't say exactly how long the magi had been following the star, but Herod sends them on their way with instructions to return to him after they had found the young child so he, too, could worship the new king. This also gave Herod a time line in which to carry out his next act, the massacre of all the children under the age of two years.
The star was patiently waiting for the wise men to continue on with their quest and led them to where the Child was living. They entered the house and when they saw the Child with His mother, Mary, they fell down and worshipped Him. They also presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; expensive gifts for a child but not for a King!
God sent an angel to the wise men in a dream, warning them to return home by a different route as Herod did not intend to worship the Child but to kill Him. After their guests had gone on their way, another angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to gather up his small family and to flee to Egypt until God told him it was safe to return home. I imagine the gold enabled them financially to travel to and live in Egypt for an extended period of time. Verse 15 speaks of another prophecy about the Messiah. "Out of Egypt have I called My Son." (Hosea 11:1)
When Herod realized that the magi were not returning to him, he ordered all the male children under the age of two to be killed. By learning when the wise men first saw the star, he was able to calculate the age of the new King to be close to 2 years of age. This fulfilled, according to verse eighteen, the 5th prophecy made by Jeremy, the prophet. "In Rama (land for the tribe of Benjamin) was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel (beloved wife of Jacob, later mother of Joseph and Benjamin) weeping for her children (the Israelites enslaved in Babylon), and would not be comforted, because they are not."
After Herod's death, an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him it was safe to return home. When they got to Israel, they heard that Herod's son was on the throne, " ...he turned aside to the parts of Galilee.". They entered a city called Nazareth and settled in there. This fulfills another prophecy in verse 23. "He shall be called a Nazarene."
(Isaiah 11:1)
In all the nativity scenes we see today, there are 3 wise men with camels bearing gifts for the newborn King who is still in the stable as a baby. No verse in Matthew claims that there were 3 wise men, just that there were 3 gifts. Logic states the 3 gifts were brought by individuals, thus the 3 wise men, who were alleged to be religious astronomers from the Mesopotamian area. They probably associated the star with the Messiah because the prophet, Balaam, from Mesopotamia had stated in Numbers 24:17 "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre (symbol of authority) shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. (an unknown race from the prophecies of Balaam)" They followed the star, possibly looking for peace and meaning for their being alive. They called it a star, but it might have been a bright light created to lead them to their Messiah.
There were 3 gifts. Gold, the most precious metal ever, was needed to escape Satan's wrath thru Herod. Who knew? God. It also represented His Deity as it was a gift fit for a king. The second gift, frankincense, represented His humanity. It is an aromatic gum resin extracted from both African and Asian trees. It was burned as incense. The third gift, myrrh, was not mentioned in Isaiah 60:6 as it represents the suffering that Jesus would face. In that prophecy, the aromatic gum resin, myrrh, was used for burials and was no longer needed. His suffering in that prophecy had already happened and was over. Christ had come into His kingdom.
There were 3 gifts. Gold, the most precious metal ever, was needed to escape Satan's wrath thru Herod. Who knew? God. It also represented His Deity as it was a gift fit for a king. The second gift, frankincense, represented His humanity. It is an aromatic gum resin extracted from both African and Asian trees. It was burned as incense. The third gift, myrrh, was not mentioned in Isaiah 60:6 as it represents the suffering that Jesus would face. In that prophecy, the aromatic gum resin, myrrh, was used for burials and was no longer needed. His suffering in that prophecy had already happened and was over. Christ had come into His kingdom.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Things I learned about Mattherw
Just a tad more on Matthew, Chapter 1: I read the comment from my pastor and looked into this myself.
Matthew saw Jesus as our King. Christ alone has the legal right to sit upon the throne of David due to His paternal lineage. Matthew's writing style is that of a teacher. He tells us what Jesus said rather than what He did. His job as a tax collector enabled him to keep excellent records of Jesus's discourses. He showed us a King, one who was strong enough. to support the building of a church thru His own authoritative teachings and one who was capable of guiding His disciples in teaching new Christians to build their relationships with Him.
Mark presented Jesus as a servant of the people. His writing style is that of a preacher and could be summations of sermons given by Peter. The gospel moves quickly thru to the teachings of Christ, telling us what He did rather than what He said, is the shortest gospel of the four and describes Jesus's teachings in colorful detail. These are also all characteristics of Peter's ministry.
Luke wrote about Jesus and His humanity, seeing the Man who came to seek and to save. His writing style is that of a historian but is written in the vernacular making it easy for the common man to read and understand. He writes of probably every aspect of Jesus's life: His sermons, His lectures, his conversations. Luke respected women and got up close and personal with Mary at the birth of her Son. He is the only one who writes of Anna or tells the story of Mary and Martha with such compassion. Luke speaks of Jesus's attitude toward the poor, racial discrimination, the importance of prayer. Because he was not one of the chosen 12, Luke wrote about them with respect.
John saw Jesus as the Eternal God, more than just a man but as a part of God. His writing style is that of a theologian. He begins his gospel with, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He wrote that Jesus was God from the very beginning in Chapter 1:1. He never called himself by name, just as the disciple that Jesus loved. John writes this gospel to give the church true faith in the Messiah. This gospel is written so that we, as Christians can believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God. He gives us the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is an evangelical gospel.
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Matthew began his genealogy with Abraham and is the only one who mentions 4 women who are extremely important to keeping the lineage going.
1. Thamar (Tamar) was the daughter-in-law of Judah who played a harlot because she was not given in marriage to his youngest son as promised. In her role as a harlot, she became pregnant with twins by Judah. She is mentioned in Matthew 1:3, and her story is told in Genesis 38:13-30. She was a very distant grandmother of King David.
2. Rahab was also an ex-harlot and was the great-great-grandmother of King David. She is the one who hid 2 of Joshua's spies in order to save her family when the wall of the city were stormed. She is mentioned both in Matthew 1:5 and Joshua 2:1.
3. Ruth was an ex-pagan and was the great-grandmother of King David. She is written about in Matthew 1:5 and Ruth 1:4. She also has a whole book written about her, probably by Samuel. Ruth was a pagan Moabite who became the daughter-in-law of Naomi. The main message of the book of Ruth is that of active Christian love and how it affects other people. She and Boaz had a son, Obed, who had Jesse, David's father.
4. Bath-Sheba was King David's beloved wife and mother of Solomon. Her story is found in 2 Samuel 11. She heard of a plot of King David's oldest son to overthrow the throne and with the help of the prophet Nathan, warned David. King David immediately appointed Solomon as king as he was the one God had chosen to succeed David on the throne. She was resourceful, energetic and continued to influence David until his death.
Matthew saw Jesus as our King. Christ alone has the legal right to sit upon the throne of David due to His paternal lineage. Matthew's writing style is that of a teacher. He tells us what Jesus said rather than what He did. His job as a tax collector enabled him to keep excellent records of Jesus's discourses. He showed us a King, one who was strong enough. to support the building of a church thru His own authoritative teachings and one who was capable of guiding His disciples in teaching new Christians to build their relationships with Him.
Mark presented Jesus as a servant of the people. His writing style is that of a preacher and could be summations of sermons given by Peter. The gospel moves quickly thru to the teachings of Christ, telling us what He did rather than what He said, is the shortest gospel of the four and describes Jesus's teachings in colorful detail. These are also all characteristics of Peter's ministry.
Luke wrote about Jesus and His humanity, seeing the Man who came to seek and to save. His writing style is that of a historian but is written in the vernacular making it easy for the common man to read and understand. He writes of probably every aspect of Jesus's life: His sermons, His lectures, his conversations. Luke respected women and got up close and personal with Mary at the birth of her Son. He is the only one who writes of Anna or tells the story of Mary and Martha with such compassion. Luke speaks of Jesus's attitude toward the poor, racial discrimination, the importance of prayer. Because he was not one of the chosen 12, Luke wrote about them with respect.
John saw Jesus as the Eternal God, more than just a man but as a part of God. His writing style is that of a theologian. He begins his gospel with, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He wrote that Jesus was God from the very beginning in Chapter 1:1. He never called himself by name, just as the disciple that Jesus loved. John writes this gospel to give the church true faith in the Messiah. This gospel is written so that we, as Christians can believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God. He gives us the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is an evangelical gospel.
************************************************************************
Matthew began his genealogy with Abraham and is the only one who mentions 4 women who are extremely important to keeping the lineage going.
1. Thamar (Tamar) was the daughter-in-law of Judah who played a harlot because she was not given in marriage to his youngest son as promised. In her role as a harlot, she became pregnant with twins by Judah. She is mentioned in Matthew 1:3, and her story is told in Genesis 38:13-30. She was a very distant grandmother of King David.
2. Rahab was also an ex-harlot and was the great-great-grandmother of King David. She is the one who hid 2 of Joshua's spies in order to save her family when the wall of the city were stormed. She is mentioned both in Matthew 1:5 and Joshua 2:1.
3. Ruth was an ex-pagan and was the great-grandmother of King David. She is written about in Matthew 1:5 and Ruth 1:4. She also has a whole book written about her, probably by Samuel. Ruth was a pagan Moabite who became the daughter-in-law of Naomi. The main message of the book of Ruth is that of active Christian love and how it affects other people. She and Boaz had a son, Obed, who had Jesse, David's father.
4. Bath-Sheba was King David's beloved wife and mother of Solomon. Her story is found in 2 Samuel 11. She heard of a plot of King David's oldest son to overthrow the throne and with the help of the prophet Nathan, warned David. King David immediately appointed Solomon as king as he was the one God had chosen to succeed David on the throne. She was resourceful, energetic and continued to influence David until his death.
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