Advent - Day 7

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. (Matthew 1:1-6 ESV).

Our reading today is not particularly jolly. In fact, this may be a portion of some of the Scripture that you “speed read” just to get past it. I know that the names are difficult to pronounce and most have no history or background of any of these individuals. There are merely names without context. However, to Matthew’s readers they would have great meaning and carry a particular message that is essential to the gospel. The most glaring truth about the family tree of Jesus is that it is not nice and neat and pretty. It is because of that the angel’s message to Joseph later in the chapter becomes so meaningful. He said, “He will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). We’ll see more about that in the coming days. Today I want you to really look at some of the descendants of Jesus. For instance, there’s Abraham, who tried to cut his son Isaac’s throat. Isaac survived to be the father of Jacob, an unscrupulous but entertaining character who won his position in Jesus’ family line by lying and cheating his blind, old father. Jacob got cheated himself when he ‘got to know’ the wrong girl by mistake and became the father of Judah. Judah made the same mistake with his own daughter-in-law, Tamar. Tamar had cheated him by disguising herself as a prostitute. There’s a man named Boaz in Jesus’ family tree. Boaz was seduced by a foreigner named Ruth. He woke up in the middle of night and found Ruth climbing in to bed with him. Not that Boaz ought to have been shocked. His mother, Matthew tells us, was Rahab, a prostitute who betrayed her people. Boaz’s son was the grandfather of David. David was a power-hungry peeping-tom, who spied on Bathsheba bathing on a rooftop one evening. David arranged for her husband, Uriah, to be murdered. David and Bathsheba went to become the parents of Solomon, the next name in the family tree of Jesus. And, the family tree ultimately winds its way to Joseph, wasn’t the father of Jesus at all. He was just the betrothed of Mary, the teenage girl with a child on the way and no ring on her finger. Some might says, “It’s scandalous.” However, this is the beauty of the Bible. It remains truthful and consistent with the grand narrative of scripture. God knew well the complete impotency of man to redeem himself; therefore, he took on the flesh of humanity and accomplished the task of atonement on our behalf. That’s the good news! That the Gospel!

Advent - Day 6

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. (Luke 2:26-27 ESV)

We return to the birth announcement again today to see an incredible revelation that points us even further to the great gift of grace God has provided for us in His Son, our Savior. Notice that Luke recalls for us that Joseph, Mary’s soon to be husband and step-father to Jesus, was “of the house and lineage of David.” Genealogy has become more important to the western culture. It was very important in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ time. It should also be important to us as it declares the freedom God has now given us. To really understand this principle we need to look at the end of Matthew’s genealogy. He writes the summary statement: So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:17 ESV). There are three divisions that Matthew recalls. Each of them comprises three segments of fourteen years, or six sevens. The birth of Jesus begins the seventh of seven years. This would have been the beginning of the forty-ninth year in the Jewish calendar. At the completion of this year, the “Year of Jubilee” would begin (cf. Leviticus 25). The Year of the Jubilee involved a year of release from indebtedness (Leviticus 25:23-28) and all types of bondage (Leviticus 25:39-55). All prisoners and captives were set free, all slaves were released, all debts were forgiven, and all property was returned to its original owners. In addition, all labor was to cease for one year, and those bound by labor contracts were released from them. One of the benefits of the Jubilee was that both the land and the people were able to rest. So, Jesus is the Redeemer who came to set free those who are slaves and prisoners to sin (cf. Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:1, 3:22). The debt of sin we owe to God was paid on the cross as Jesus died on our behalf and we are forgiven the debt forever. We are no longer in bondage, no longer slaves to sin, having been freed by Christ, and we can truly enter the rest God provides as we cease laboring to make ourselves acceptable to God by our own works. This is the heart of the gospel. It is the hope that brings us peace and joy! It is exactly what we celebrate!

Advent - Day 5

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. (Luke 2:1-5 ESV).

I love to watch the plan of God unfold. This is especially true of the prophecies of the birth of Jesus. Our reading today gives us the detail of how God ordained the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem where the Messiah was prophesied to be born (cf. Micah 5:2). He so ordained things that when the time came, the Messiah’s mother and legal father were living not in Bethlehem but in Nazareth; and that in order to fulfill his word and bring these two relatively unknown young people to Bethlehem, “the city of bread.” God arranges every detail so that Caesar Augustus decrees that all the Roman world should be enrolled each in his town of birth. It was a decree for the entire world in order to move two people seventy miles! Have you ever felt small and insignificant in this great world of ours? There are some seven billion people in our world. I often feel so small in comparison that it becomes a bit discouraging. The news is about big political and economic and social movements and outstanding people with global significance and lots of power and prestige which only serves to make me feel more insignificant. It is easy to become disheartened or unhappy. However, I am shaken from that discouragement when I remember that all the mammoth political forces and all the giant industrial complexes, without their even knowing it, are being guided by God, not for their own sake, but for the sake of God’s purpose in bringing good to his people. God wields an empire to fulfill his word and bless his children. Do not think, because you experience adversity in your world of experience, that the hand of the Lord is shortened. It is not our prosperity or our fame but our holiness that he seeks with all his heart. This is how he receives the glory so due him. So, to that end, he rules the whole world. The wisdom of Solomon recalls for us: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:11). And he is always turning it for his saving and sanctifying and eternal purposes among his people. He is a big God for little people, and we have great cause to rejoice that all the kings and presidents and premiers and chancellors and chiefs of the world follow the sovereign decrees of our Father in heaven. He is working His glory on our behalf in all things.

Advent - Day 4

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:26-33 ESV).

The last verse in our reading is an incredible declaration designed to bring purpose, peace, and power to Mary. The angel says, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” The kingdom of God is referenced often in the New Testament. It is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven. It is the center of the doctrine dealing with eternal life. We ought to pay close attention to this prophetic moment from Gabriel to Mary. Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages of Scripture show that God is the undeniable Monarch of all creation: “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). And, as King Nebuchadnezzar declared, “His kingdom is an eternal kingdom” (Daniel 4:3). Since every authority that exists has been established by God (cf. Romans 13:1) the kingdom of God incorporates everything that is. There is another sense in which the kingdom of God is used in Scripture: the literal rule of Christ on the earth during the millenium. Daniel said that “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed” (cf. Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14). There were other prophets who predicted the same thing. Some theologians refer to the future, open manifestation of the kingdom of God as the “kingdom of glory” and the present, hidden manifestation of the kingdom of God as the “kingdom of grace.” But both manifestations are connected; Christ has set up His spiritual reign in the church on earth, and He will one day set up His physical reign in Jerusalem. And, what a glorious day that will be. Christmas announces the surety of that kingdom!

Advent - Day 3

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:26-33 ESV).

Yesterday we looked at God’s bestowed favor on Mary. Today I want to draw your attention to another phrase. Luke reports the angel’s message that she has not only found favor, but “the Lord is with her.” We know Mary was engaged to Joseph, a local carpenter, a humble man; however, God certainly didn’t choose her because of her standing in society. She listened intently to what the angel Gabriel said to her, and while she questioned it, she bowed to superior wisdom. She didn’t panic. She believed that with human beings lots of things don’t make sense, but with God, anything and everything is possible. When God became involved in Mary’s life, no doubt things became more complicated for her. When God became involved in Mary’s life - an unmarried girl, what is more a betrothed unmarried girl, was about to become an unmarried mother. When God came in Mary’s life she was exposed to innuendo, gossip, rumour-mongering, especially when she claimed that she was still a virgin. When God came into her life her relationship with Joseph was strained and you can bet that her friendship with other girls her age was also under pressure. And that was merely the beginning of the complications of this favor from God. She knew the complications that would follow this news and I am sure she questioned how this could possibly be from God. It should not surprise us that the angel simply says, “The Lord is with you.” That should be our baseline for every circumstance of our journey. God doesn’t flit in and out of our lives. In fact he never leaves us. Everything that happens produces good in our lives. We wonder just as she did how that could be possible. The angel answers simply, “With God all things are possible. Take heart today. As impossible as your life may appear, it is nothing in the hands of God. He makes all things and as he does so, all things are possible from him. Regardless of the challenge or pain of your journey, trust him! The Lord is with you too!

Advent - Day 2

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:26-33 ESV).

There is so much to be learned in our reading today. Perhaps we will spend more than today looking at each of the wonderful revelations surrounding the visitation of the angel, Gabriel, to Mary. In this passage of Scripture we are introduced to a young woman of Nazareth named Mary. She is to become the mother of Jesus. She is often put on a pedestal; she is someone thought to be so holy and pure as to be out of reach to we who are mere mortals. But though she is a saint, as are all believers, she is also like us, someone who could become "greatly troubled." While that phrase catches our attention, we cannot ignore that the first greeting of the angel is to one who “has found favor with God.” The word “favor” is χαριτόω, literally translated as “"grace." It is only found twice in the New Testament. It ought to be translated as “highly-favored.” Both times it is used it is speaking of the act of God extending Himself to freely bestow grace (favor). It is a specific choice of God to give to someone a great gift, solely based on his choice. It is not a result of any act from the one who receives the gift. Mary did nothing to deserve this great favor of God. Her response is to be "greatly troubled." "Fear not," is Gabriel’s attempt to comfort and assuage her in her trouble. The source of her trouble was her knowledge that her world was about to be forever changed. Unexpectedly, impossibly she is going to be pregnant and bear a child of God. Even if some might believe the source of this child was the Holy Spirit, it would not wipe away the shame and grief of being an unwed mother. It could even lead to her sentence of death by stoning of the Jewish religious leadership in Nazareth. This was not good news to her. I wonder how many times we’ve received news that troubled us deeply when in reality it was only news that foreshadowed a great work of God in our life. Our problem, as with Mary, is that we often think we can know the future. We cannot. However, we can know the One who determines the future. That is our hope. That is our source of peace!

Advent - Day 1

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46-55 ESV).

Today we will begin a lengthy look at the season we call Advent. In the next twenty days we’ll take a different look at the Scripture that directly references the birth of Jesus. Our first reading is found in the Gospel of Luke. It is known as the “Magnificat.” It is a psalm of Mary. Here we see Mary as she acknowledges what she clearly believes to be the most remarkable thing about God: He is about to change the course of all human history; the most important three decades in all of time are about to begin. We are forced to ask where God places himself at this moment. It is almost inconceivable that he is occupying himself with two obscure, humble women, one old and barren (Elizabeth), one young and a virgin (Mary). And Mary is so moved by this vision of God, the lover of the lowly, that she breaks out in song. This is “The Magnificat.” Mary and Elizabeth are the wonderful heroines in Luke’s account. He loves the faith of these women. The thing that impresses him most, it appears, and the thing he wants to impress on Theophilus, his noble reader of his Gospel, is the lowliness and cheerful humility of Elizabeth and Mary as they submit to their magnificent God. Notice that Elizabeth says, “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43); and, Mary says, “He has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” (Luke 1:48). Today I would encourage you to think on this truth: the only people whose soul can truly magnify the Lord are people like Elizabeth and Mary. They are people who acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by the condescension of the magnificent God. I am always amazed that it is when I am at my weakest when I know and experience the power of God. This was certainly true for Elizabeth and Mary. The counter-intuitive nature of the Gospel always surprises me. Whatever difficulty you are facing, remember today that it is in this weakness that He will work magnificently! This is the position of victory! This is the time to rejoice! Your deliverance is at hand!