Jesus's Childhood - Part 3

Egypt

Matthew 2

• When King Herod heard that the king of the Jews was born, he was afraid and called all the chief priests and teachers of the law, and asked them where the Christ was to be born.

• “In Bethlehem in Judea”, they replied, and they quoted the prophet Micah who prophesied that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

• When Herod heard that the Messiah was going to be born in Bethlehem, he secretly called the Maji to meet with him to find out exactly when the star had appeared. 

• When the Maji had asked where they could find “the one born king of the Jews”, Herod sent the Maji to Bethlehem and deceitfully told them to report back to him after they found the Messiah so that he could also go and worship Him. 

• Herod had no interest in worshipping Jesus, he wanted to kill Him.

• When the Maji did not return to Herod because they were warned in a dream not to go back, he was furious and gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and younger.

• Matthew says that the death sentence that Herod put on the young boys in hopes of having Jesus killed, fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy:

• “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more “ – Jeremiah 31:15.

• There were many Herods who ruled as kings or tetrarchs during the period of the Roman Empire. This King Herod was Herod the Great, who was King of Judea, Galilee, Iturea, and Traconitus, from 37 to 4 B.C.

• Herod was not a Jew, but an Idumean who was appointed king of Judea by the Roman Senate in 40 B.C., and gained control in 37.

• He was a ruthless and brutal ruler, who murdered his wife, his three sons, his mother in-law, brother in-law, his uncle and many others, including the babies in Bethlehem.

• Herod also built theaters, amphitheaters, monuments, pagan altars, fortresses and other magnificent buildings. 

• He also started the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in 20 B.C. It was completed 68 years are his death in A.D. 64.

• Many Bible scholars believe that Jesus was born in 6 or 5 B.C.; that the Maji visited Jesus about 4 B.C., that Joseph took Mary and Jesus and fled to Egypt also about 4 B.C.; that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C.; and Joseph, Mary and Jesus returned to Nazareth between 3 and 2 B.C.

• Based on these dates, then Jesus was between one and two years of age when the Maji visited and they fled to Egypt; between  one and two years of age when Herod the Great died; and between two and four years when they returned to Nazareth.

• That would mean that they went to Egypt and that Herod died in the same year, therefore they were not in Egypt for more than one year.

• Matthew 2:19-21 says that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream while in Egypt, and told him to take Mary and Jesus to Israel because King Herod was dead. So Joseph got up and took them to Israel.

• Based on the timeline, Joseph, Mary and Jesus would have left Egypt sometime after Herod died in 4 B.C.

• Matthew 2:22 says that after they got to Israel, Joseph heard that Herod’s son, Archelaus was reigning as governor of Judea, so he was afraid to go there. 

• After once again being warned in a dream, they went and settled in Nazareth in Galilee, which is north of Judea where Archelaus reigned. Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee, and was less hostile than Herod the Great or Archelaus.

• Their journey from Egypt to Nazareth was at least one hundred miles.

• Based on the timeline, it took them one to two years to get from Egypt to Nazareth, depending on when they left.

• It would have taken them a long time to get there, but I doubt it took that long. Either they took their time getting there, my calculations are incorrect, or the timeline is wrong.

• Regardless of the timeline, we can see that Mary and Joseph’s lives became very difficult because of Jesus. They feared for their son’s life, so they did everything they could to protect Him.

• Because of Jesus, their lives were also in danger, and not at all settled or comfortable.

• They spent a lot of time traveling, and in hiding to protect Jesus from Herod.

• Joseph’s ability to hear from God and to immediately obey when Him when he heard, helped keep Jesus safe (IRCO).

• We can see from the lives of Mary and Joseph, that our lives actually become more challenging because of Jesus.

• Because of Jesus, we might have to live in hiding or flee from place to place to protect ourselves and our families from evil people.

• Jesus might send us to dangerous places or dangerous people to tell them about the salvation and the forgiveness of sins that He offers to them.

• Because of Jesus, God will tell us to do things that we are not comfortable doing.

• Because of Jesus, we might lose friends, family members, and our spouse. 

• When we hear from God, we will typically be challenged to obey Him.

• Jesus does not make our lives easier; no He makes it more challenging.

• But if we obey Him, He will continue to speak to us and ask us to do things for Him.

• He will bless us with life, which is found through hearing from God and obeying what He tells us to do.

• Jesus said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” - Matthew 16:25

• And Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life” - Luke 18:28‭-‬30‬‬‬

• Even though our lives may be more challenging because of Jesus, He blesses us with life and He multiplies that which we leave for the kingdom of God.

Jesus’s Childhood – Part 1

Anna and Simeon

•  When Jesus was eight days old, Mary and Joseph circumcised him according to Jewish Law, and named him Jesus, as the angel instructed them to do (Luke 2:21).

• When the time of purification was complete according to Jewish Law, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord in accordance with the Law of the Lord (Luke 2:22-24).

• A time of purification was required for a woman after she gave birth. When giving birth to a son such as Mary did, the mother had to wait 40 days before going to the temple to offer sacrifice for her purification. She had to bring to the priest, a year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or dove for a sin offering. The priest would offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she would be ceremonially clean from her blood flow (Leviticus 12).

• When God was incorporating the Passover and instilling its regulations, He said to Moses, “Consecrate me every first born male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belong to me, whether man or animal” (Exodus 13:1-2). According to this regulation, which Luke refers to as “the Law of the Lord” in verse 24, Mary and Joseph were required to take Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

• When Mary and Joseph took Jesus into the temple courts while in Jerusalem, they met a man there named Simeon. Simeon was righteous and devout, and was waiting for the consolation of Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon, and told him that he would not die before seeing the Messiah.

• What “Waiting for the consolation of Israel” means, is that Simeon was waiting for the Messiah to come, therefore he was watchful and expectant of His arrival.

• The Holy Spirit led Simeon to Jesus in the temple courts at the same time Mary and Joseph arrived. The Holy Spirit must have allowed Simeon to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

• Simeon took Jesus in his arms, and praised God saying, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).  

• Simeon understood that Jesus would provide the opportunity for salvation to all people including the Gentiles. God would no longer be only the God of Israel, but the God of all people.

• Simeon said to Mary, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:34-35).

• I think what Simeon meant when he said this, was that many Jews did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah or the Son of God when he arrived, and they violently opposed his claims that he was. Their rejection of Jesus led to them eventually persecuting and killing him. This rejection and denial of Jesus by the Jews continues to this day. This is what I think Simeon refers to as “the falling of many in Israel”.

• The “rising of many in Israel” might refer to the many Jews who did believe and continue to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and as the Son of God, and the many Gentiles who could now be among God’s chosen people as the Jews were, and enter the kingdom of heaven because of their faith in Jesus.

• Jesus would reveal the true thoughts of the Jews when he arrived, and he reveals the true thoughts of everyone who ever lived. People either accept him or reject him. The thoughts of the Jews were, and still are today, the rejection of Jesus.

• I’m just guessing, but the death of Jesus might be what Simeon is referring to when he said to Mary, “And a sword will pierce your own soul too”. As his mother, watching her son being tortured and killed would be agonizing, and similar to her soul being cut with a sword.

• Also while at the temple in Jerusalem, they met Anna. We are told that she was a prophetess; that she was of Asher which was one of the twelve tribes of Israel; that she was very old; that she had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; was a widow until she was 84 years of age; and never left the temple. She worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. When she saw Jesus, she gave thanks to the Lord and told everyone who looked for redemption in Jerusalem (Luke 2:36-38).

• Luke is the only one who records the account of Mary’s purification and Jesus’s consecration, and therefore he’s the only one who we learn about Simeon and Anna from. I think Luke includes Mary and Joseph’s encounter with Simeon and Anna because not only did Luke want to provide a historically accurate and detailed account of Jesus’s life, but also because what we are told about Simeon and Anna provide an indication that at least some of the Jewish population were waiting and watching for the Messiah.

• We know after Jesus began his ministry that many of the Jews denied him as the Messiah, but Simeon and Anna are examples of the remnant of Israel who were looking forward to the coming Messiah. Because of their faithfulness to God, He allowed them to be among the few who had the honor and privilege of recognizing and meeting His Son when he arrived. 

The Birth of Jesus – Luke 2:1-7

 Overview

• A man named Luke, who traveled with the apostle Paul, recorded the birth of Jesus in a letter that he wrote to someone named Theophilus.

• This letter is called Luke in the Bible, and is one of four detailed accounts of Jesus’s life on earth.

• Luke’s record includes the time frame and place of Jesus’s birth, which was during the reign of Caesar Augustus, the emperor of Rome, when Quirinus was the governor of Syria.

• Caesar Augustus reigned from 27 BC to AD 14, and Quirinus governed Syria from about 7 to 4 BC. The census was taken in 6 and 7 AD.

• This would place Jesus’s birth at 7 or 6 BC.

• Caesar Augustus was the first ruler of the Roman empire.

• Caesar Augustus ordered that a census be taken of the entire Roman world, and that everyone had to register in the town of their ancestral origin.

• The census was for the purpose of the government taxing the people.

• Both Mary and Joseph were ancestors of David, but only the men were required to register. Mary went with him because she was going to marry Joseph and because she was very close to having the baby.

• David was from Bethlehem, so Joseph had to register in Bethlehem.

• Joseph and Mary lived in the town of Nazareth, which was about a three day trip to Bethlehem.

• While they were in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus.

• The Gospel of Matthew records that Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem was the fulfillment of the prophet Micah’s prophecy about the Messiah,

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth; And this One shall be peace. - Micah 5:2‭-‬5 ‬

• God’s plan was for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, so He made it happen by the government requiring Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem for the census.

• Jesus was Mary’s firstborn son, indicating that Jesus had brothers. Bible scholars believe that had several brothers and sisters, and that his brother James was the leader of the Jerusalem Counsel and wrote the Biblical book entitled, James. They also believe that his brother Judas might have written the Biblical book entitled, Jude. We know from the apostle John's record of Jesus’s life, that his brothers initially did not believe in him (John 7:5), and perhaps all of them didn’t. But if the Biblical scholars are correct, at some point Jesus’s brothers James and Judas became believers.

• Luke records that Jesus was placed in a manger, which is a food trough for livestock. This indicates that Jesus was probably born in a stable, apparently because the inns were full.

• The fact that the King of God’s Kingdom was born in a barn in the small town of Bethlehem without announcing His coming to anyone, demonstrates God’s humble nature and that His ways are not our ways.

• God could have sent Jesus descending from heaven to earth in all power and authority, proclaiming His coming to the entire world.

• Jesus could have come to conquer the earth by force, making every person submit to Him as king.

• Jesus could have had a royal birth and live in a royal castle, with servants and riches and wealth.

• But He came quietly, born in a barn to an average Jewish couple, and only a few would recognize the signs of His coming and have the honor and privilege of being told of His arrival.

The Birth of Jesus Foretold - Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-25

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Overview 

Luke 1:26-38

• In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist, God sent the angel Gabriel to a young Jewish woman named Mary, who lived in the town of Nazareth, in the region of Galilee, in the country of Israel (Luke 1:26). 

• It's important to understand that Mary was a virgin, and had never been with a man, but that she became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

• Elizabeth was a relative of Mary. She was married to a Jewish priest name Zacharias. 

• Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist about six months before Jesus was born. John the Baptist was the prophet sent by God to prepare the way for the coming Messiah.

• Mary was pledged to be married to a Jewish man named Joseph, who was a descendant of David, the shepherd boy and great warrior who killed the Philistine giant Goliath,  and whom God later anointed as the second king of the kingdom of Israel.

• It's important to understand that Joseph, and thereby Jesus is a descendant of David, because God made a covenant with David saying,

And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” - I Chronicles 17:11‭-‬14 NKJV

• God promised David that He would establish His throne and His eternal Kingdom through His own Son, who would be a descendant of David.

• Jesus is the descendant of David whom God was speaking of in His promise to David. 

• Jesus is the Son whom God said, I will be His Father, and he shall be My son".

• Jesus is who God promised David, would establish His throne and His eternal Kingdom. 

• Jesus was the one whom God promised would sit on the throne as King of His eternal kingdom.

• The angel that visited Mary told her to rejoice because she is blessed among women, that she is highly favored, that the Lord is with her, and that she had found favor with God.

• The angel told Mary that she will conceive a Son, who will be great, and who will be called the Son of the Most High.

• The angel said that God will give her Son the throne of David, and He will reign over the over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to His kingdom. She shall call His name Jesus.

• The angel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and that the power of the Highest would overshadow her. Mary would become pregnant and have a child by the Holy Spirit and the power of God.

• The angel told Mary that the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

• Mary's response was a response of humility and obedience: "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."

Matthew 1:18-25

• Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and before they came together sexually, she became pregnant with child of the Holy Spirit.

• Joseph wanted to divorce Mary, because he did not believe that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. However, Joseph was a just man, so he did not want everyone to know that Mary was pregnant because according to Jewish law, she would be stoned to death.

• As Joseph was thinking about these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because the child is of the Holy Spirit. 

• The angel said to Joseph that Mary will have a Son, and he shall call his name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. 

• The name Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua which means, The Lord Saves, signifying that Jesus was sent by God to be the Savior of His people, just as the angel said to Joseph.

• Jesus's disciple Matthew who wrote the Gospel of Matthew, said in verses 22-23, that Jesus's birth was a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, where God said through him that "the virgin will be with child, and bear a Son, and they call His name Immanuel".

• Immanuel is a Hebrew word that is translated, "God with us", signifying that Jesus is God who came to earth to dwell among His creation.

• Joseph's response, like Mary's, was one of humility and obedience. He did what the angel of the Lord commanded to do, and he did not consummate the marriage until after Jesus was born. 

• He named the child, Jesus.

• We call the kind of immediate obedience displayed by Mary and Joseph, IRCO - Immediate, Radical, Costly, Obedience.

• Mary and Joseph's immediate, radical obedience to God's commands was no doubt very costly to them. They likely faced many hardships and challenges from friends, family members, and community members, because of Mary's pregnancy outside of marriage. 

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How can you obey?

Who can you share with?