Wednesday 30th September 2009

Luke 2.41-44 cont.

41 And each year His parents went to the feast of the Passover in Jerusalem.

42 And when He (Jesus) reached the age of twelve they went to the feast, as was their custom,

43 And at the end of the feast they returned, but the child, Jesus, remained in Jerusalem, unbeknown to His parents.

44 They thought he was amongst their company, so they went a days journey. And they looked for Him amongst the relatives and friends,

In the ancient world the age at which a boy became a man was twelve. During the last hundred years this has changed. Those of us who are older may be able to recall grandparents who started their working life at the age of 12, that being the normal school leaving age at the time. For Jesus and His generation reaching the age of twelve would have been a major event in their life. For most Jewish boys this would have been accompanied by their first visit to the temple for the feast of Passover. Every Jew made it an objective in their life to attend the feast at least once in their life. It was this occasion that Joseph, Mary and Jesus arrive in Jerusalem. We can only imagine the excitement and anticipation that this would cause. It was a great occasion, a pilgrimage. There would have been a number of people setting out from Nazareth, constantly being joined by many more from other towns and villages as they got closer to the city. Luke tells us of the events after the feast and the home journey is commenced. It may seem strange to us that Joseph and Mary didn’t notice that Jesus wasn’t with them. However, it was customary for the women to set out on the journey before them men, since they travelled slowly. The men would follow on, catching up with the women late in the day. Therefore, Mary may have thought Jesus was with Joseph and Joseph thinking He was with Mary. We can only imagine the alarm and horror in them when they discover that neither of them has made sure Jesus was with them or those who were with them. There is nothing so bad in life as not having Jesus with us. Perhaps we have all had instances when we have set out on a course of action, without making sure that Jesus will be with us. We know that He has promised never to leave us, yet we too must promise never to leave Him. This promise will ensure that the way we tread is the way of Jesus, it will ensure that we always walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Today let us renew our promise to always stay with Him and follow Him.

Tuesday 29th September 2009

Luke 2.41-44

41 And each year His parents went to the feast of the Passover in Jerusalem.

42 And when He (Jesus) reached the age of twelve they went to the feast, as was their custom,

43 And at the end of the feast they returned, but the child, Jesus, remained in Jerusalem, unbeknown to His parents.

44 They thought he was amongst their company, so they went a days journey. And they looked for Him amongst the relatives and friends,

We have already seen that Joseph and Mary were not a materially rich family, since the offering which they made at the temple was considered to be the offering of the poor (v 24). Yet they show themselves as being a devout couple in that each year the made the long journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. The cost of this would require quite a sacrifice on their part. There would be the cost of lost income, the cost of the journey and accommodation, plus the cost of paying for the sacrifice they would offer during the feast. Yet they seem to have done this year after year. In these times of economic difficulties it is good for us to know that the cost of serving Jesus cannot be valued. Jesus said: For what advantage is it for a man to acquire the whole world and to lose his soul?  For what might a man give to exchange his soul? – Mark 8.36-37. Elsewhere Jesus says that we should store up for ourselves the treasures of heaven, not the treasure of earth, which decay – Matthew 6.19-20. Joseph and Mary were leading a life of devotion to God, and the considerable cost must have been a matter of their trusting in God to provide for them. We must remember that by the time they first took Jesus, they would also have other children to provide for. Before we start out on a costly course it is good for us to count the cost and pray about it. Jesus said as much in Luke 14.28:“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills? There is a cost for being devoted to Jesus and many have paid with the price of their life. Being devoted to Jesus and following Him does cost us the whole of our life. Yet when we consider the cost that Jesus paid to redeem us, we will eagerly take up our cross and follow Him.

Isaac Watts (1707) put it this way:

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were an offering far too small,

love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul life, my all.

Monday 28th September 2009

Luke 2.39-40

39 And when they had done everything according to the law of the Lord they returned to Galilee to their own city of Nazareth.

40 And the child grew up and became strong, being completely full of wisdom, and God’s grace was on Him.

The events surrounding the birth of Jesus are only told by Matthew and Luke (Mark and John do not mention them. There are a number of similarities between Matthew and Luke, yet each puts something in which the other omits. Luke does not mention the wise men and the star, Matthew does not speak about the shepherds. Matthew tells us that Joseph and Mary went to Egypt, whereas Luke simple says that they returned to Nazareth. It is as we read both accounts that we get a fuller picture. The fact that Luke does not mention the journey into Egypt does not mean that it did not happen. The fact the neither Mark nor John speak of the events of the birth of Jesus does not mean that they did not happen. We have to rest in the fact that the Holy Spirit has given the two men different aspect of these events and we are blessed to have them recorded for us by two different men. During His childhood Jesus grew up as a strong child and being filled with wisdom, such was the grace of God upon Him. It is the desire of every parent to have children who grow up strong and to be wise. There is a lot of talk about being street wise, yet it is more important to be wise toward Jesus. Everyone of us within the church of Jesus has an important role to play in showing the children the wisdom of Jesus, and in praying for them to know that God’s grace is upon them. Let us continue to pray for our children, of whatever age, that the Lord Jesus will lead them in His paths of righteousness (Psalm 23) and that they will know His grace upon their lives.

Sunday 27th September 2009

Luke 2.36-38

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna (grace), a daughter of Phanuel (the face of God), from the tribe of Asher (blessed), She was getting old, she had seven years of married life with her husband,

37 And now she was eighty four years old and a widow. She did not leave the temple, fasting and praying all day and night.

38 And at the time she came across them she gave thanks to God and spoke about Him (Jesus) to all those who anticipating the redemption of Jerusalem.

In just a few words Luke gives us a glimpse of Anna (Hannah), the prophetess. Most translations state that she only had seven years of married life before her husband died. It is possible to translate the text to say that she married seven years after she came into womanhood and that she was now eighty-four years old and a widow (W Barclay takes this translation).  Other translations say that she was a widow for eighty-four years; this would make her to be over a hundred years old at the time she met Joseph, Mary and Jesus. What is clear is that she was a godly woman, who spent her time fasting and praying within the temple. It would appear that she lived there. She was well known as the daughter of Phanuel. His name means the face of God, and Anna was a woman who day and night sought the face of God. She did this through fasting and praying. Perhaps the reason that Luke mentions her fasting and praying is that through this she heard God speak to her about Jesus. Fasting is an important way for us to hear what God is saying to us. In fasting we have the time to be alone with Jesus so that we can listen to what the Holy Spirit says. As we fast we switch on our spiritual ears to hear. Anna, having heard from God, was keen to talk to everyone about Jesus. We do not know what she said, but the clue is that she spoke to those who were anticipating the redemption of Jerusalem. Therefore, we can assume that she is prophetically saying that Jesus was to be the One who would pay the redemptive price to buy back Jerusalem. Again the silhouette of the cross is raised before Joseph and Mary.

Saturday 26th September 2009

Luke 2.33-35

33 And His father and mother were wondering about the things being spoken about Him.

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother: “It is appointed for Him to be the cause of the fall and rising again of many in Israel and a sign being spoken against -

35 But a sword will go through your soul – that the thoughts of many hearts might be made clear.

There was an occasion a number of years ago when someone prophesied over us. It was a prophecy that caused us to consider in our hearts just what the Lord was saying to us, because at the time it was not clear what was meant or how it would be worked out. So we kept those things in our spirits and eventually the Lord began to work it out as time went on. Joseph and Mary must have wondered just what God was saying to them about Jesus. Particularly Mary, for it seems that Simeon had a particular word for her. What Simeon brought from the Lord was something that would cause distress to any new parent. The glory of Jesus would be attacked by men. Here is the cloud of opposition that the world brings against the King of Kings. We know that Jesus was not long into His ministry before opposition came. Many could not stand His radical teaching and way of life. All but the disciples left Him, and at the cross only John attended His crucifixion. Yet it is through His death on the cross that the many that fall (including us) have the opportunity to be raised again with Him. Simeon goes on to say that Mary’s heart would be pierced through with a sword, indicating the grief that she would experience. As he spoke these words there is the silhouette of the cross, where Mary was to stand and see her son executed. John put it this way: The light shines in the darkness and the darkness had not destroyed it – John 1.5. John wrote this after Jesus had been raised from the dead and ascended into heaven. The task completed, the devil was unable to destroy the work of Jesus on the cross. This allows us to walk the walk of Jesus, even in the face of opposition. As Paul said: If God be for us who can be against us? – Romans 8.31.