Have you ever prayed for a miracle and felt like it didn’t happen the way you wanted it to? Even when you’ve seen amazing miracles happen in the exact way for others. That’s probably how Mary and Martha felt. The two sisters and their dear brother Lazarus were very close friends of Jesus and the disciples. In fact this Mary is the same one who anointed Jesus’s feet with very expensive perfume and wept tears of worship on his feet. They knew what Jesus could do, what He taught and most importantly they knew and loved Him. The Son of God, surely He could easily heal and restore health to their gravely ill brother Lazarus. However when Jesus heard about it in the next town over, He had been teaching and preaching to another crowd. He was taking care of His Father’s business, on assignment. It wasn’t as if Mary, Martha and Lazarus weren’t important, they already had accepted and received Jesus as the Messiah. He was teaching those who had not heard about the Kingdom of Heaven, the Gospel. Their miracle was coming, but Jesus had a particular timing for a reason, the reason being so that God the Father could be glorified in it all. If Jesus would’ve came earlier He could’ve just easily healed Lazarus’ sickness and that would be all there was to it. Many people had seen Him heal the sick before. But what He was going to do was far greater than any doctor could ever do. He would raise the dead back to life! He waited. He did it purposefully so they would all believe that God sent Him! Mary, Martha and everyone else said He was too late, he was already gone!
Scriptures:
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Have you ever felt that way before? Like it was too late for a change, the chance of a miracle had come and gone, the hope and dream was well past dead? Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days! When we feel like it’s over, it’s done- He is always on time! You may have given up, when you’re miracle is on it’s way! And yet sometimes we have to understand that our miracle is not always about us, Lazarus’ didn’t get healed right away, but he was restored! His miracle was a testimony to others witnessing what had happened. Our prayers for healing of the sick loved ones may not always be answered on this side of Heaven. Jesus made sure that God the Father in heaven was glorified through this miracle. A little known fact is that this was one of the last miracles Jesus performed, after that they sought out to arrest Him! He was foreshadowing what was to come the Resurrection of His own life after the crucifixion that would take place. Jesus said in John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
What “dead” dreams and “hope is gone” in your life need to be resurrected? On the flip side, what things do you need to let go of? Scripture says we die daily to our sin nature and live in the hope that Christ Jesus gives us. We, too, will live eternally with Jesus when we go to Heaven. But you have to accept the gift first.
Stay hopeful, your miracle may be late to you but He’s always on time!
Did you know that perfection here on earth once existed? Think of the most beautiful place you’ve ever visited and or picture of a place that is so beautiful that people may call it “heaven on earth”. To each picture it may look different, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The beholder in this case, is the Creator- God the Father. He makes no mistakes, everything He created is beautiful and good. The Garden of Eden in Genesis 1-2 was absolutely beautiful and perfect. God created the oceans, mountains, valleys, all the plants, trees, every animal on earth and saw that it was good. Then He made each of us, in His image. Everything was as He created it to be, perfect. He gave one rule to Adam and Eve to not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the middle of the garden, anything else they could have and eat freely. But the one fruit of that particular tree was dangerous-it wasn’t literally poison but the aftermath would contaminate Adam and Eve’s lives as well as everyone else after them: something toxic and deadly called sin that marred and tainted the perfection that God created. You see, that fruit opened their eyes to more than they ever needed to know: the conflicting battle of good and evil. Evil was never meant to have a place, but once that serpent saw a way to trick God’s beautiful humans He made then the serpent started His scheme. We were created to love and be loved by our Creator, we were never meant to have pain or hurt, to be sick, to hurt others or for evil to run rampant. God gave Adam and Eve, and us the ability of free will.
The problem came when sin entered the world, perfection of Eden had ended. Sin is what separates us from God, it drove a wedge in an otherwise perfect relationship.
Creation/Purpose of Mankind: “The Prologue”-Setting the Scene for God’s Ultimate Plan(Genesis 1-2)
In the beginning, God created something amazing out of absolutely nothing! God has been around before time, He has no beginning and no end. He is eternal. When the Bible says “In the beginning…” it refers to what we call time and recorded history. Genesis 1:1-2 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This universe, this earth that dwell on and everything in it was created and formed by a creative, all powerful, sovereign, artistic God with many diverse details. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” God spoke everything into existence. On the first day God said “Let there be light”, and there was light. God divided the light and darkness. He called the light Day, and called the darkness Night. This evening and morning were the completion of the first day. On the second day, God created division between the sky and seas. Then the third day God created made division between the dry land and the seas. On the third day, God also created the trees, plants, and flowers. Every beautiful, lush, green blade of grass, every diverse, creative leaf, every branch of every tree, and every colorful flower God created it. On the fourth day, God made two great lights and placed them in the sky, He called the one for the daytime, the sun. He called the other one for the nighttime, the moon. God also created and hung the planets and stars in the night sky. The fifth day, God created birds to fly in the air and fish that filled the seas. On the sixth day God created all the other animals and creatures, like mammals. But there was one special creation that was above the other things, a creation that lived, moved, and could think.
On the sixth day, God created and formed humankind. Everything God created, He spoke into existence, because He has that kind of power and authority. But when creating man God formed Adam from the dust of the earth. He sculpted, crafted, and formed man with personal care and intricate detail. Genesis 1:26-27 speaks of how God created mankind by stating “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” God created man in His image, and then woman was fashioned and created from man’s rib. God formed man, whom He called Adam, from dust and breathed His very own breath of life into him and he began to live. God saw that it wasn’t good for man to be alone so He created woman, whom He called Eve, from Adam’s rib. God gave these human beings dominion and authority over all the creatures of the earth. Adam and Eve walked, talked, and spent time with God. We carry the same attributes of personality and emotion. God is love, and we were created for a love relationship with God and others. He created Eve to have a relationship with Adam. Throughout Genesis 1 & 2, numerous times it says God looked at His creation and saw that is was good. But God saw that man was alone, He said this isn’t good. Then God created woman and saw that it was good. Creation was now complete, man and woman were together. We are capable of feelings, deep critical thinking, emotions, love, and the ability to have dominion and control over the animals. Our flaws and things we may not like about ourselves like body image. God created all of His children differently, but yet we are all created in His image. Genesis 1:28 states God’s purpose for humanity, “God said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” As human beings the most important purpose of our lives to grow in relationship with God and glorify Him. All throughout Scripture the purpose of man is mentioned. Isaiah 43:7 says “Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him yes, I have made him.” later on in 43:21 says “This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.” We are created in His image to glorify Him. The purpose of God reveals His entire purpose of all of creation in Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
The Need of Salvation/Problem of Sin (Genesis 3-11)
In Genesis 3 we see this ideal and beautiful relationship between God the creator and mankind the created, become marred and tainted. Genesis 3:1 introduces a creature “more cunning than any beast”; the serpent. The serpent, Satan, was talking to Eve and Adam was also present with her. The serpent lied and said “God is just trying to keep knowledge from you, He doesn’t want you to become like Him; all-knowing and powerful”. Before the fall, everything was how God intended it to be. Then sin entered the picture. Genesis 1:28 gives the first command “Be fruitful and multiply, subdue and rule the earth. Genesis 2:16-17 gives the second command, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ‘but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” This did not mean that Adam and Eve would physically die immediately, the flesh has overtaken the spirit; meaning that because of sin we will all one day die. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Sin is the barrier that separates us from God. God is holy and set apart. Sin dominates the fallen world we live in. Adam and Eve were ashamed and tried to hide in the garden from God, but He still pursued them. Today God still pursues us even when we try to run away. Genesis 3:15 is a prophetic verse in Scripture that reminds of the consequences of sin as well as the ultimate sacrifice that has to be made. Genesis 3:15 says “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” The Seed of woman is the offspring that later comes in the New Testament, God incarnate, divinity in human form…Jesus Christ of Nazarene. The seed of the serpent obviously is Satan. A snake can strike a human’s heel by biting, “you shall bruise His heel” and a human can crush a snake’s head, “He shall bruise your head.” The world had increasingly become sinful, tainted and corrupt. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Abel and Cain both presented offerings to the Lord, but Cain’s was not acceptable to Him. Cain became jealous and angry, so he killed his brother Cain. God knew and punished Cain, banishing from the land like a fugitive and nomad. Eve eventually conceived and gave birth to another son named Seth (Gen. 4:25-26). Genesis 4 ends with the descendants of Seth.
The world that God had created and “saw that it was good” had become so sinful that a man would kill his own brother. In Genesis 5, we see a recap of Genesis 1:26-27; mankind being made in the image of God; and we also see a brief history of the genealogies of mankind. The world had become so sinful that God was sorry that He made man. God saw that there was one righteous man and his family, his name was Noah. Noah was the only righteous man that followed the Lord. Noah was not a perfect and saintly man, but He followed the Lord. God gave Noah specific and very detailed instructions to build an ark. The ark was kind of like a giant floating box, made to float like a boat but had no rudders, oars, or any type of steering. The ark floated and drifted whichever way the Lord sent it with the wind and waves. The reason God told Noah to build this ark is because God was going to send rain to flood the entire earth! God wanted to wipe the earth clean of its corruptness and start all over again. It took Noah approximately 120-140 years to build the ark. God told Noah to only bring his family, his wife, three sons; Ham, Shem, Japheth and their wives along with two of every animal that was “unclean” meaning those that they couldn’t eat as food. Yet God asked for seven each of clean animal, so they would have enough for food as well. The Lord sent one male and female animal so they could reproduce and multiply. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights until the earth was completely covered in water, even the mountains were covered! The water stayed on the earth 150 days (Gen. 7:24) Noah sent out a raven and a dove, one day the dove returned with an olive branch, meaning that the waters had receded. God placed a rainbow in the sky as a covenant and promise that He would never destroy the earth again (Gen. 9:13-15). Genesis 10 and 11 we see the ancestry of all the generations after Noah, his sons, and their descendants.
Genesis 11 tells of nations that had formed out the descendants of Noah. Genesis 11:1 says “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.” But they began to want more, similar to when Eve was tempted by the serpent to know more and become like God. In Genesis 11:4 we see that they wanted to make a name for themselves, “And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The Lord saw what they were doing. God scatters them and confuses their language. This was what we call the tower of Babel. In Genesis 11:7-9, we see how the “nations” began to spread out and grow. Genesis 11:6-9 says, “And the Lord said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” God is beginning to make many nations. We begin to see the multiplying of generations throughout the years and ancestry in Genesis 11.
Genesis 1-11 is known as the prologue, setting the scene of the beginning of God’s ultimate plan of redemption. We have four main components that introduce what we now read as our Bible. The four components are Creation and the purpose of Man (Genesis 1-2), the Need of Salvation that we have for God’s mercy because of the problem of sin also known as the Fall (Genesis 3-5), the Noah’s ark of safety amidst the catastrophic flood that God used to wipe the earth of all its corruptness (Genesis 6-10), and the flop of the tower of Babel by the scattering of many people and confusion of multiple languages (Genesis 11). All of these events form the foundation for God’s blessings and His ultimate plan to be known and worshiped throughout all the earth. The earth is beginning to be filled with people. Each of these people were sons and daughters of God. God stated a command to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth will people who reflect His glory. God’s plan to reflect His glory is through people who love Him as well as love others. We are His chosen instruments, as mankind to reflect His glory in all the earth; after all we are created to be His image-bearers. We needed someone perfect to fix everything, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth was His name.
All hope seemed lost. After a year of drastic changes from a global pandemic. Some faced a year of health crises, pain and grief, job losses and drastic cutbacks. What people thought would be temporary turned into year of chaos and uncertainty. No longer a sense of normalcy but a “new normal”. Let’s look at the past examples in history: Wars, The Great Depression, Plagues and Pandemics-they cannot and did NOT last. The “human spirit” overcame adversity and challenges. The “human spirit” is not possible without the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. Resilience will come after redemption. Think about issues everyday people meaning you or someone you know: heartbreak, loss of loved ones, miscarriages, divorce, abuse and neglect whether physical, sexual, emotional, devastating diagnoses of terminal diseases, financial hardship and distress, drug addictions, sexual addictions, homelessness, racism and social injustice, poverty, self image and body image, doubt and discouragement is evident everywhere. Some are victims of circumstances beyond their control, others may be victims of consequences of poor decisions that spiraled out of control. The fact of the matter is pain is inevitable in life at one point or another. There is evil in the world because of what happened in Genesis 3, sin entered in. But one day that ALL changed…there was HOPE for the HOPELESS.
Jesus, Son of God and Son of man. King of kings, Lord of lord’s. Prince of Peace. Jeshua. Messiah. The Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God. He is called and named many things, to Mary and Joseph that’s their baby boy and pride and joy. Jesus was called the Christ, or the Messiah when he entered into his ministry at age 30 after his baptism by John his cousin. The name “Christ” means anointed one or the Messiah. He had been prophesied and chosen by God the Father long before He was born, He knew everything and existed in heaven with the Father. The angels were sent to shepherds, the chosen caretakers. Shepherds often anointed or poured oil over their sheeps heads to keep burrs, briars, and bugs off as a protection from the sun and harsh elements as well. Jesus, the chosen anointed one is the Lamb of God, yet HE is also our shepherd who guides and guards us, cares for and protects as well as anoints us with his blessing of protection. He is the Passover Lamb that was spoken of and prophesied in Exodus, that act of obedience was the foreshadowing of what Jesus was going to do. God revealed his perfect plan to all who listened when the time had come…yet His story is still unfolding and we get to be a part of the story…
Many years ago the world saw the darkest day in history unfold…a day we call “good” seemed to feel anything but “good”. 11 men-the disciples (minus Judas the betrayer) and many other friends and followers saw their teacher, mentor and someone they loved…arrested, wrongfully accused, interrogated, beaten, stripped, whipped, spit on, and nailed to wooden cross beams to bleed and suffocate to death…how devastating and agonizing.
Grief. A familiar foe that many people know. Darkness fell over the earth when Jesus breathed His last, the veil that separated humanity from the Holy of Holies…God dwelling in the temple had been torn in two…no longer separated from God. Reconciliation came in the form of sacrifice and ransom. Friday was dark, dreadful and full of despair…Saturday it still weighed on their hearts. Shock and grief. Who would they put their trust in now that He was gone?
At the cross. Where pain and agony was on display. The cross, a from of execution and torture, much like watching an electric chair or lethal injection take place. A symbol of fate for criminals. A public execution. Something so messy and dark, became a symbol of GRACE and LOVE. Mercy opened doors that no one else can shut. Love came down and rescued us all.
Friday passed by. A somber and silent Saturday came and went. Sunday was here. In the back of their minds the words He prophesied still whispered “I will rise again in three days.” Could it be true they wondered? That morning the women went to check on His body and Mary saw a man gardening nearby and Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb. He said why do you look for the living among the dead? Mary ran and told the others. They were in shock. Peter believed. Thomas doubted. Mary rejoiced, her son was alive.
HOPE had risen up from the grave when all hope seemed lost and gone. Death had been defeated, death died. The impossible had just happened! Not just for the sake of show and glory, Jesus brought glory and power to God the Father but it was so much more than that: wrongs had been made right, penalties had been paid, sin had been atoned for, freedom had been issued from a death sentence for all people. I leave you with this, when you feel discouraged, hopeless, lost and broken or you just messed up remember the Cross of Christ and that He took care of it for you because He loves you. Forgiveness is free, hope is here.
If you haven’t made the choice to follow Christ and want to change that today it’s really so simple: admit you need forgiveness and you need Him, ask for repentance and believe that He is Jesus Christ the Son of God and Son of Man, and ask Him to be in your life and heart. The key is you have to let Him in- He’s a gentleman who won’t barge in where He is not welcome. He already invited you into His family, you have to invite Him into your heart and life, He will guide and love you and He will never leave you, forsake or abandon you.
Weeks had passed, maybe months, no one knows the exact time frame. Mary had given birth just and was probably starting the natural healing process after labor. She and Joseph were adjusting to life with their newborn baby boy. She may have been up for visitors and company and maybe not, like any new mom. The thing is Mary, was not the mama of an ordinary baby. Her baby boy pride and joy, “Jeshua” (Hebrew) was the answer to prophetic prayers. She knew people would want to see and worship her child just like the Shepherds did that night the angels led them to the stable. Little did she know how far people would travel…
Read Matthew 2:1-3
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
The same star, the one that shown that night for the shepherds and led them to the stable and the manger…had led them to Jerusalem. According to a Harvard article http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1991QJRAS..32..389H “It is proposed that a remarkable sequence of three astronomical events stimulated the journey of the Magi: the triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in 7 BC; the massing of the three planets Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in 6 BC; and finally the appearance in 5 BC of the `star of Bethlehem'”. Just as it did last week and made it the brightest star in the sky in a very long time. God is in control of all the planets and stars and tells them where to move and hangs them all in perfect balance in the beautiful sapphire night sky. He aligns natural phenomenons just like He created them, He makes miracles and prophecy a reality. Some scholars even say, and you will find if you do some digging in Hebrew and Greek word studies that the word “aster” meaning star…or heavenly bodies or celestial bodies are sometimes mentioned in reference to angels. How could a star move and guide them from the far East to the west as a directional beacon? In my humble opinion, that “star” was in fact an angel. (Story for another time, I have in fact seen an angelic comet like figure in the sky before). The same heavenly messengers for the shepherds were now guiding and signaling another group of strangers…the 3 kings. He came for the lowly working class shepherds and the wealthy ancient kings of a far off land. He came for all people, and all people were going to come see Him. Except there was one person who wasn’t exactly excited or thrilled at the infant king’s arrival…
His name was Herod, and once he heard the birth announcement he knew his power could be challenged. He felt threatened that another king could steal his throne, even though he was only a baby. Seriously, a grown man feeling threatened by a newborn baby. He tried to manipulate the situation by using the traveling kings as “spies” unbeknownst to them. They were to find out where this king was and tell him where so that he could go “worship” him too. His plan was to find the sweet family and kill their newborn baby boy. An angel however intervened and warned the wise men not to report back to Herod but go home another way. That being said, you can imagine Herod was not happy.
Read Matthew 2:3-6
“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Read Matthew 2:7-12
“Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.”
Sadly, he took drastic measures to have every male newborn and child under the age 2 killed to wipe out this potential king from existing. How heartbreaking for every mother and father of an innocent boy. The same angel warned Joseph in a dream to take his family far away to Egypt. Jesus and his parents Mary and Joseph had to take refuge in a far off land to be safe, at least until Jesus was over 2 years old and King Herod had died. Scripture states this prophecy will be fulfilled in Hosea 11:1 referenced in Matthew 2:13-15 “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Matthew 2:13-15 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.2.13-15.ESV
“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.“ Matthew 2:16-23 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.2.16-23.ESV
Hold onto that thought and let’s unpack and unwrap these “baby shower gifts” they brought to Mary and Joseph, I mean I would think about it maybe some diapers or blankets? But they showered Him with gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Gold: wealth and riches, valuable as currency. This symbolized his royalty and sovereignty. Kings always has gold. Mary and Joseph could probably use whatever currency and valuables that were given to them.
Frankincense: a fragrant and expensive perfume, burned as incense during worship at the temple sometimes. He was meant to be worshipped, the Son of God.
Myrrh: a fragrant spice often used as medicinal purposes and a burial spice for embalming. He is the healer. He would one day die for all of us. His death was victory.
Back to the family and their extended stay in Egypt…shortly thereafter they returned to their hometown Nazareth, where Jesus grew up and learned in synagogue. Little did they know that one day, He would be the greatest Rabbi that they would ever know and love. The Messiah himself. He grew up and became a young boy, then a teenager learning his father Joseph’s skill of carpentry and also learning how to fish until the day He taught others how to be fishers of men. He was 30 years old (how old I am now) when he stepped into his role and really showed who he was. Personally, I think it’s a great age and time in life when you really start to know and figure out who you are. The ministry of the Messiah and MiracleWorker. Jesus, little Jeshua of Nazareth was now known as Jesus Christ “the anointed one”.
Just as the wise men listened and followed, wise men and women still seek Him today. True wisdom comes from His word, not wealth wealthy nobility and titles. The shepherds listened. Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah followed their tasks faithfully as parents to raise up men to what God called them to be. We too, me and you can do the same if we seek Him and listen when He calls us.
A life lived outdoors, weathering the elements whether heat or cold, rainy or snowy. The beasts and predators must be kept at bay as well. No one or no thing gets to their sheep. The flock must be protected. The phrase “I didn’t choose this life, this life chose me” may simply apply to these shepherds. Their job was never taken lightly. A shepherd’s sole responsibility is the safety, care, well-being of their flock. According to wikipedia’s google search results about shepherds: “Some flocks may include as many as 1,000 sheep. The shepherd will graze the animals, herding them to areas of good forage, and keeping a watchful eye out for poisonous plants. Shepherds often live in trailers or other mobile quarters.” As a shepherd you had to know where the good hiding places were and the good grazing places were and what plants were harmful. Shepherds were and are very much hunter-gatherers as well as protectors. Although their jobs were similar to farmers and farm-hands, shepherds were often paid to watch the sheep of others. Shepherds also lived outside of the society, or the outskirts near their pastures presumably. Shepherds were and are largely nomadic. Most shepherds were males without children, and families. New shepherds were often recruited externally. Shepherd could quite possibly seem rather lonely, just you and your flock and maybe a few other shepherd comrades nearby. They were indeed rugged and hardworking, and what we would call “blue collar boys” today. In biblical times they were often thought of as lowly positions in society.
As more research shows, typically the youngest son in the family in chosen to shepherd the sheep. As the each older son grows up, he transfers his responsibilities from sheep raising and shepherding-to helping his father with farming duties like sowing, plowing, and harvesting the crops, and passes on the shepherd’s task to the next little brother. The job is passed from oldest to youngest until all have been the family shepherd. Leaving the very youngest to remain the shepherd. We see this in the book of 1 Samuel, when Jesse raised his family of eight sons and David was his youngest son “And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep” (1Sam. 16:11). David, was the family shepherd. We see in scripture that it was prophesied in Isaiah 11:1 “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Isaiah 11:1 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.11.1.ESV
Read and reflect on Luke 2:8-20
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:8-20 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.2.8-20.ESV
The angel, went to the lowly and lonely, far out in an isolated pasture on a cold winter’s night…the shepherds in the country. The same way Samuel found young David, the king of Israel the angels told them that the NEW King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace had been born in the city of David! The shepherds knew all about preparing the spotless and perfect lamb for Passover, yet little did they know they were about to meet the Lamb of God. What a moment!
Jesus, Son of God and Son of man. King of kings, Lord of lord’s. Prince of Peace. Jeshua. Messiah. The Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God. He is called and named many things, to Mary and Joseph that’s their baby boy and pride and joy. Jesus was called the Christ, or the Messiah when he entered into his ministry at age 30 after his baptism by John his cousin. The name “Christ” means anointed one or the Messiah. He had been prophesied and chosen by God the Father long before He was born, He knew everything and existed in heaven with the Father. The angels were sent to shepherds, the chosen caretakers. Shepherds often anointed or poured oil over their sheeps heads to keep burrs, briars, and bugs off as a protection from the sun and harsh elements as well. Jesus, the chosen anointed one is the Lamb of God, yet HE is also our shepherd who guides and guards us, cares for and protects as well as anoints us with his blessing of protection. God revealed his perfect plan to all who listened when the time had come…yet His story is still unfolding and we get to be a part of the story…
Follow along next week as we follow the wise men as they followed the star…
In the true spirit and anticipation of Christmas season, Heather H. Carnley
Hope For Her Heart 