Reading the Bible Together

Passages for the Day

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 ”In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

    6 ” ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, 
       are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; 
       for out of you will come a ruler 
       who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Luke 2:21-39

 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

    29 ”Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, 
       you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

    30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

    31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

    32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, 
       and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then had been a widow for eighty-four years.  She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.

Points of interest:

·         ‘After Jesus was born’—you’ve probably picked up on the fact that we’re moving out of the prophets and into the gospels, the Bible’s four stories of Jesus’ life and ministry.  Today, we’ll look at two different stories surrounding Jesus’ birth.

·         ‘Magi from the east came to Jerusalem’—these Magi are somewhat mysterious.  They appear unexpectedly, and depart just as quickly; so we don’t know much about them.  They’re most likely astrologers or magicians from Persia or Arabia.  They remind me of the Queen of Sheba, who also came from far away—possibly Arabia—because of the great things she heard were happening in Jerusalem.  They also remind me of Isaiah’s prophecy, in chapter 66, that people from far away would come to Jerusalem with offerings.

·         ‘the one who has been born king of the Jews’—you have to wonder why these Magi cared so deeply about the birth of a foreign king.  This reminds me of yesterday’s passage, when the re-building of Jerusalem’s temple fulfills the desires of all nations.

·         ‘When King Herod heard this he was disturbed’—it’s easy to understand why Herod might be disturbed.  As far as he knew, he was king of the Jews.  It’s a title he worked very hard to gain for himself.  During the confusing period of Roman politics after the assassination of Julius Caesar, Herod expertly navigated the constantly changing political environment, insuring he stayed in the good graces of whatever Roman general happened to control the area at any given time.  To put himself in line for the throne, he married a Jewish princess, and then proceeded to assassinate her entire family, eliminating any potential rivals.  He even executed more than one of his own sons, when they seemed to become threats. Herod was not the kind of person to take news of this new king kindly.

·         ‘for this is what the prophet has written’—they’re quoting Micah 5:2,4.

·         ‘When they saw the star, they were overjoyed’—apparently, the Magi temporarily lost track of the star that had guided them to Judea (the Roman name for what had been Judah).  Maybe they stopped watching it because they assumed they’d find this young king in Jerusalem, since it was the capital.  When things turn confusing in Jerusalem, the star reappears to finish its job.  This star is, by the way, an unusually precise guide; Bethlehem is only six miles from Jerusalem, not a distance that a star could usually help you navigate.

·         ‘they bowed down and worshiped him’—the religious experts in Jerusalem know exactly where to find this prophesied king, but they don’t bother to go to see him.  Herod wants to know where he is, but presumably only so that he can kill him.  It’s only these strangers from far away who seek out the king to honor him.

·         ‘gold, frankincense and myrrh’—frankincense and myrrh are two aromatic oils that were imported from the East.  Gold is a shiny, pliable metal often used as an expensive gift—but you probably knew that already.

·         ‘having been warned in a dream’—these Magi may not be familiar with the Jewish prophets, but God finds other ways to speak to them: first the star, and now a dream.

·         ‘when it was time to circumcise the child’—from the time of Abram, male children were circumcised to signify their inclusion in the covenant between God and Abram.

·         ‘a pair of doves’—this indicates that Joseph and Mary were poor.  If they could afford it, they would sacrifice a lamb instead (Leviticus 12:8).

·         ‘before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah’—by Jesus’ time Messiah became the blanket term for the hoped-for future king we saw in our Isaiah passages: the Branch, the Root, the Servant, etc.  Messiah essentially means, ‘Chosen One.’  Literally, it means, ‘anointed’; a common way to commission someone for a special role (like king or priest or prophet) was to ‘anoint them with oil,’ pouring oil over their head as a symbol of God’s Spirit resting on them.  Simeon sees in the child Jesus the fulfillment of everything Isaiah and the Psalms had been looking forward to, and he’s honored to be alive when it finally happens.

·          ‘he went into the temple courts’—Zerubbabel and Joshua (from the last two passages) did succeed in rebuilding the temple.  By a strange set of circumstances, their temple did indeed end up being grander than Solomon’s.  It started out quite modest, but several hundred years later, Herod lavishly remodeled it.  He was trying to buy back some popularity after killing off the royal family.

·         ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel’—I think in this poem Simeon is riffing off of some of our Isaiah passages.   Just like in God’s blessing of Abram, Simeon foresees both the Israelites and the rest of the world benefitting from what will happen through this child.

·         ‘a sign that will be spoken against’—Isaiah 11 (Monday, the 16^th) spoke of the Messiah being a banner that rallied the nations.  Simeon also sees Jesus as a very visible sign, but not necessarily a sign to which everyone will rally.

·         ‘looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem’—to redeem is to buy back from slavery.  You’ve probably gotten the idea by now that Jerusalem was a really big deal for the Jews: it was part of the land God had promised to Abram; it was David’s capital city; it was the site of Solomon’s temple; and its glorious future was spoken of by the prophets.  Jerusalem’s status was basically what the Jews of the time used to measure whether or not all was right with the world.  And all had not been right for a very long time.  The Jews had been returned from exile, and had eventually rebuilt the temple; but they had never really been strong or free (except for a very brief time under the Maccabees) since the Babylonian conquest.  They were ruled by a long string of empires: the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and now the Romans.  The people of Jerusalem were still waiting for God to rescue their city from foreign domination, and to turn it into the envy of the world of which the prophets had spoken.  To Anna, it seems that the time has finally come.

Taking it home:

·         For you:  Upon encountering Jesus, the Magi respond by presenting him with their treasures. Consider if there are any talents, resources, skills, or connections you have that could in some way be used for what God is doing in the world.  Pick one of those things, and tell God that you’re willing to offer it up to him.

·         For your six: Simeon was not satisfied until he got what he had been waiting for all of those years—the opportunity to personally see Jesus. Ask God that he would give your six whatever it is they are most looking for in life—a sense of purpose, joy, intimacy, security—and that he would sustain them in their journey as they search for it.

·         For America: Pray today for those who feel threatened, angry and on-edge about Jesus.  Ask God to bless them and to loosen their sense of offense.  Pray that they would have experiences that more closely resemble the Magi’s than Herod’s.

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the Festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴² Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” ⁴³ Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

⁴⁵ Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶ “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

⁴⁷ “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹ “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

¹³ Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Keeping the Sabbath Holy

¹⁹ This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and stand at the gate of the people, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem. ²⁰ Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates. ²¹ This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. ²² Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. ²³ Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline. ²⁴ But if you are careful to obey me, declares the LORD, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it, ²⁵ then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. ²⁶ People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD. ²⁷ But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’ “

Of Solomon.

¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.

² May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.

³ May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.

⁴ May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.

⁵ May he endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.

⁶ May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.

⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

⁸ May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

⁹ May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.

¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.

¹¹ May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.

¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.

¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.

¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.

¹⁶ May grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrive like the grass of the field.

¹⁷ May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.

¹⁸ Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.

¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.

²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.