His Father's Business

 Luke 2:41-52

If you lost your twelve year old son in the largest city of your country, where would you start looking for him?  If it were my son, I might start looking in areas where there might be some historic architecture, or perhaps a museum.  No matter where your son might be likely to gravitate to, it would be a rather frantic time, with a lot of worrying about your child’s safety.  In our Scripture today from Luke’s Gospel, we read the account of when Mary and Joseph lost Jesus in Jerusalem.  Let’s take a look.

As our Scripture opens, we read that Jesus and His family would travel every year from their home in Nazareth to the capital, Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover (vs. 41-42).  This was something that many devout Jewish people would do each year.  When it was time to return home, somehow both parents lost sight of Jesus, and He was left behind.

Whenever Jewish people traveled from the northern area of Galilee, down to Jerusalem, they would often travel in groups for safety, the larger the group the better.  This was especially necessary if they traveled through Samaria, as the two groups of people held hostile feelings for each other.  These traveling caravans of people would frequently split into two sections, men and older boys, and women with the children.  Jesus, at age twelve, would have been at an age where He would have fit in fine with either group.  Thus, Mary probably thought He was with Joseph, and Joseph thought Jesus was with Mary and the younger relatives (vs. 43-44).  The journey from Jerusalem to Nazareth took several days, and when the first evening came, and the caravan stopped to set up camp, it became apparent to both Mary and Joseph that Jesus was missing.  The two parents immediately turned around and headed back to Jerusalem in search of the boy.

Once arriving in the city, where would they look for Him?  At this time in history, Jerusalem was not as big as it is today.  However, with the Passover having just finished, there were still more people than usual in town.  Where would a preteen boy typically go?  Perhaps watching the Roman soldiers march and practice maneuvers.  Maybe, if He had a few coins, at a convenient food cart.  Maybe joining some other youth in an early version of soccer.  However, Jesus was not in any of these places.  Instead, He was in the Temple, discussing Scripture with the priests, and confounding them with His wisdom and knowledge (vs. 46-47).

This must have been somewhat baffling to Mary and Joseph, and they might have humbly apologized to the priests and scribes there for what they might have perceived as their Son bothering them.  Very quickly, though, they became aware, as everyone else in the room did, that Jesus had knowledge and wisdom of the Scriptures that far outweighed even the priests and other religious leaders.

Jesus, at this young age, was beginning to come into a clear consciousness and understanding of His identity and mission (vs. 49).  His public ministry would not start for approximately another 18 or so years.  During that time Jesus would learn the carpenter trade from His foster father Joseph.  However, He knew what was of primary importance, and that being the study and teaching of God’s Word.  After finding Himself inadvertently left behind by both parents, the young lad sought the safety of the Temple, and spent the hours while waiting in discussing the Bible with the priests and other teachers.

In verse 49 we read the first recorded words that Jesus spoke in Scripture, that of being about His Father’s business.  The last words of Jesus that He spoke before He died on the Cross were “It is finished.” (John 19:30).  The Father’s business for Jesus was to give His life as a sacrifice to atone for our sins.  When He died upon the Cross, Jesus finished His Father’s business.

No Partiality

 Acts 10:34-38

Several days ago we looked into a passage of Scripture where the Apostle Paul wrote about being “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).  We learned that whoever turns and accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior is accepted by God, no matter who they are.  He will never turn anyone away who comes to Him, no matter who they are.  However, there are some who do not like that idea, who feel that God should be much more selective in who can come into His family and be accepted by Him.  In today’s brief Scripture passage, we will look at the time in the early Church when this thinking began to change.

Moments before Jesus ascended back into heaven, several weeks after His resurrection, He gave some final instructions to His followers.  One major instruction that Jesus gave was that His disciples were to go into all the world and bring His message of salvation to everyone (Acts 1:8).  They were to bring the Gospel to everyone - the rich, the poor, the well-educated and the illiterate, those who were respected in society, and those who were outcasts.  Most importantly, they were to bring the Gospel to every race and nationality.  No one was to be regarded as unacceptable to hear the Gospel and become part of God’s family.

However, for the first few years following the resurrection, the disciples were only witnessing to their fellow Jews.  For centuries they had considered Gentiles (non-Jews) as unclean, and would not associate with, eat with, or even go into the house of one.  Earlier in our chapter in Acts, the Apostle Peter had a vision from the Lord, showing that if God calls something clean and accepted, it is clean, not unclean or unacceptable as we may think (Acts 10:9-16).  Following that vision, Peter had a visit from messengers of a prominent Gentile military officer, and God wanted him to bring this gentleman and his family the Gospel message (Acts 10:17-33).  At first Peter was a bit hesitant to go and visit with a Gentile, but he knew what his vision had indicated, and he was going to obey the Lord.

As Peter brought the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to Cornelius and his family and friends, all Gentiles, he now knew that God does not show partiality among people, regardless of their race or nationality (vs. 34-35).  It is with Peter’s witnessing to the centurion Cornelius that here begins the first official bringing of the Gospel to the Gentiles.  There had been a few Gentiles prior to this who believed, such as the Samaritan woman at the well who Jesus spoke to (John 4:4-29), another Roman centurion whose servant Jesus healed (Matthew 8:5-13), and the Syro-Phenician woman whose daughter Jesus cast a demon from (Mark 7:25-30).  It was here, though, that Peter officially brought the Gospel to Gentiles.

The Good News about Jesus is for everyone.  In the days of the early Church, there was great hesitancy among some to bring the Gospel to certain other groups.  Through the efforts of Paul, Peter, and others, though, that hesitancy was overcome, and the message of Jesus was spread around the world.  In our churches today we should be proactive to make sure that everyone who seeks to come is made to feel welcome.  We should not allow any barriers, whether because of language, culture, nationality, economic level, or education to keep us from telling others about Jesus.  If God accepts everyone who comes to Him through His Son, then we, too, should be accepting and welcoming.

Earlier in our chapter we read that Cornelius was a devout man, who feared God, prayed, and gave to charities (Acts 10:1-2).  He was a good man who did what was right.  However, he still needed to be saved.   All of his goodness was not going to get him to heaven.  He still needed to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  God knew this, which was why He gave Peter the vision, and instructed him to bring the Gospel to Cornelius.  Those who truly seek after God will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).  We, as followers and believers in Jesus, must be ready to bring to others the message of salvation through Him (Romans 10:14-15; I Peter 3:15).

Are you ready and willing to bring the message of the Gospel to anyone and everyone God brings across your path?  God wants His message to be brought to everyone.  He shows no partiality, and neither should we.  Let’s do our part to fulfill the Great Commission, and bring the Gospel to everyone. 

A Promise Kept

Psalm 89:1-18

We like to believe that when a promise is made, the person making it will keep their word.  This is especially true if it is a binding promise, an oath, or a covenant that was made, which often are legal in nature.  In the Old Testament, God made several covenantal promises or agreements with His people.  If the people kept their part of the agreement or covenant, God would keep His end.  God never failed to keep His part, but just about every time, though, the people failed to keep their part.  Instead of receiving God’s blessings, they received His punishment.

There were several covenants that God made that were unconditional, that is, God would keep these covenants no matter what the people did.  One example is His promise or covenant to never send a flood again that would wipe out the whole earth (Genesis 9:12-17).  There is another covenant that God made with King David, that He would establish his line and throne forever, which we read about in today’s psalm.  Let’s take a look at this, and see if this promise was kept or not.

As we read in the Bible, King David desired to build a Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant in.  He started drawing up blueprints and making plans for this, when God spoke to him through the prophet Nathan.  God told David that he was not to build the Temple.  However, He promised him that his throne and royal lineage would be established forever (II Samuel 7:8-17).  The Jewish people held this promise to mean that there would be a descendent of David always on the throne.  They also extended this to be a promise of the Messiah, that the Messiah would be from the lineage of David.

As one reads through the Old Testament, we see that eventually Jerusalem and the monarchy were overthrown.  Babylon, then Persia, Greece, and Rome ruled the Holy Land.  There was no longer a throne, nor a king.  How could this promise, this covenant, be kept?  The last king was King Zedekiah, and he was removed from his throne in 586 BC., over 2,600 years ago.  Did God just forget about that covenant promise?  Does He have integrity, keeping the promises He makes?  As we read our psalm for today, we see that God is, indeed, a faithful God who keeps His word.

Scripture declares that God is faithful.  His faithfulness is established in heaven, and He is faithful to all generations (vs. 1-2).  He is faithful and reliable.  For God to violate His covenant promises would be to violate His very nature.  Even the angels in heaven (the “assembly of saints” vs. 5), which surround God’s throne, sing and praise God’s faithfulness.  He is almighty, high above all of His creation.

The covenant that Yahweh made with David extended to his descendants.  The throne promises guaranteed that the rightful heir to the throne would always be a descendant of David.  It might have looked like God broke His covenant, as Jerusalem was destroyed, and no descendants have sat on the throne for two and a half millennium.  This covenant prophecy looked forward prophetically to the future reign of Jesus, David’s descendant.  He was qualified to sit upon the throne of David, which He will when He returns to earth in glory at His Second Coming.  Righteousness, justice, mercy, and truthfulness are the foundations of God’s throne (vs. 14-15).  They are fundamental aspects of His nature, and will be the cornerstones of the reign of Jesus in the Millennium.

As we see, God has indeed kept the covenant promise He made to David, as David’s descendent, Jesus, is the rightful heir to the throne, and He will reign there for all eternity.  Through Jesus, the line of David will never end.  Both on earth and in heaven, there is nothing and no one to compare with the Lord Jesus Christ.  We can always trust any promise that God makes to us.  Though other people may fail us, God never will.  He is a God of integrity, and His Word is sure and true.

A Humble Servant

 Isaiah 42:1-9

If I was to alert you that a certain person would be coming to your village, or perhaps to your church or place of employment, and that I wanted you to keep a lookout for them, you might ask for a description.  Typically you would expect a physical description of the person - how tall, slender or stocky, hair and eye color, etc.  In our Scripture passage today, the prophet Isaiah gives us a description of the coming Messiah.  However his description doesn’t give any physical characteristics to look for.  He gives, instead, several characteristics that the people of Israel were to look for in the coming Savior.  Let’s look at this Scripture, and see how Jesus fulfills these characteristics of the Messiah.

In the opening verse, Isaiah identifies the Messiah as a Servant (vs. 1).  He does not describe Him as a mighty warrior or king, but calls Him a servant.  When Jesus came the first time to earth, He came as a humble man from a working-class family.  Though Jesus is God, and Creator of the Universe, He did not come to earth projecting that image.  When some people, following the multiplying of the loaves and fish, wanted to make Him a king, He left the area to prevent that (John 6:15).  At the Last Supper, Jesus took the role of servant and washed the disciples feet, a very humble task (John 13:3-5).

Isaiah said that the one to look for would not be someone who wanted the spotlight focused on themselves, not someone loud and proud (vs 2).  All through His ministry, Jesus kept a humble, servant attitude, with a quiet and submissive demeanor (vs. 2).  He did not go through the country demanding or claiming His rights as God, the second Person of the Trinity.

The promised Messiah would be Someone who deals gently with the weak, the depressed in spirit, the lowly, and dejected (vs. 3).  The Servant will bring comfort and encouragement to the weak and oppressed.  The character of God’s chosen servant would be gentleness, encouragement, justice and truth, all of which Jesus completely showed.  When we are broken and bruised, God won’t step on us, or toss us aside as useless.  God’s Servant, Jesus, will gently lift us up.  Where the flame of devotion and faith burns at all, no matter how feebly and dimly, Jesus will take care not to quench it.  He will tend it and cause it to burn more brightly.

The Jewish people were waiting for their Messiah.  However, they were not looking for someone who would come as a servant, for someone who was humble and gentle.  They were awaiting someone who would come as a warrior and king, someone who would deliver the nation from all of their enemies.  They did not want a Messiah who would be a light to the Gentiles (vs. 6).  They were not interested in any Gentiles finding salvation in God.  They wanted deliverance from any Gentile power.  However, the prophet Isaiah spoke many times in his messages from the mouth of God, that His Word would be brought to the Gentiles, and that they would come to faith in Him.  Simeon saw the beginnings of the fulfillment of this (Luke 2:32).  The Magi were also the first of the Gentiles to come to Jesus.  Several of Jesus’s miracles were performed for Gentiles.  After a few decades of the early Church, the majority of believers in the Church were Gentiles.

When Jesus came, He brought both physical and spiritual healing to the people.  Many physically blind people had their sight restored by a touch from the Savior.  Even more importantly, though, is the spiritual vision that He restores to those who are spiritually blind (vs. 7).  Jesus also brings freedom to those who are imprisoned in their sins, and who are imprisoned with other addictions and bondage.  Sometimes we need to be rescued from things that hold us captive, such as debt, addictions, harmful relationships, etc.  Jesus has come to set every prisoner free.  Prison bars of sin cannot hold fast against the power of God.

Isaiah gave the people a description to look for in the coming Messiah, here and in other verses, along with some of the other prophets.  Although the people of Israel expected the Messiah to come as a great warrior-king, as David had been, God had a different plan.  Who are you searching for?  Have you found the Messiah that Isaiah and the rest of Scripture describes for us?  The Scriptures all point to Jesus.  Jesus will lead to salvation all who believe in Him.

Blessings For Today

 Ephesians 1:3-6

What if you were to find out that you had inherited a very large amount of money, a truly big inheritance?  For some reason, though, you believed that you were not allowed to touch that fortune until some date way in the future, many years away, and that was unfortunate as you are in real financial difficulty right now.  Then, many years later, when you finally open the inheritance account, you find out that you were mistaken, and you had access right from the start!  All those years living in poverty when you could have enjoyed that inheritance!  We might be tempted to scold someone who allowed that to happen to themselves, for not checking the terms of the inheritance, or not believing it.  What a waste, we think.  Yet this is the case with so many Christians.  They have an inheritance, given to them by God when they were saved, and yet they never take hold of it, living like spiritual paupers.  Let’s take a look at our Scripture today.

As we open our Scripture passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we read that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (vs. 3).  Every spiritual blessing that is available, God has given to us when we accepted His Son Jesus Christ as our Savior.  The Bible didn’t say that God will give that to us at some future time, or if we earn them by becoming some spiritual giant, or that we only get these blessings after we die and go to heaven.  The verse says that God has blessed us with these blessings.  They aren’t something that we get at some future date, or only in heaven.  They are already given to us, and they come to us from Jesus in Heaven.

These blessings are in Christ and are for His children, those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior.  What Jesus has is ours, as well, including His righteousness, resources, and privileges.  In Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God.  We have salvation from our sin and its power.  Through Jesus we have been adopted as God’s children.  Do you need forgiveness from sins you’ve committed?  God gives that to His children (I John 1:9).  Do you need peace in your life?  That is a blessing He has also given us (John 16:33).  God blesses us with His protection (Psalm 91:4).  He also provides for all of our needs (Philippians 4:19).  Do you need hope in a fearful world?  We have that through Jesus (I Peter 1:3).  The Bible is full of promises of blessings for God’s children.  Believers can and should lay hold of and claim every blessing that God has provided for them.  We can enjoy these blessings now, and they are eternal, not temporary.  We don’t get one dose of peace, and that is all.  God never says that since He provided for your needs yesterday, you will have to wait your turn to get another provision.  He never runs out of His love and blessings for us.

As Paul continues in his Epistle, we read that because of Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross, all who place their faith and trust in Him are holy and blameless in His sight (vs. 4).  We belong to God through Jesus, and He looks at us as if we had never sinned.  We are not saved because we deserve it, but because God is gracious and freely gives salvation.  The mystery of salvation originated in the timeless mind of God, long before we existed.  Before the foundation of the world, God set His plan for salvation in motion.  He saw us, and provided His Son, Jesus Christ, so we could be born into His family.  Salvation is God’s work, not our own doing.  In His infinite love, God has adopted us as His own children (vs. 5).  We are brought into His family, and made His heirs along with Jesus.

Though we certainly don’t deserve it, God graciously accepts us now that we belong to His dearly beloved Son (vs. 6).  We can feel special and wanted, because we are “accepted in the Beloved”.  We have worth with God.  We are accepted, not left to the sidelines.

In closing, maybe you are a Christian who continues to live in spiritual poverty, believing that all of the spiritual blessings from God are for later, once you get to heaven.  Spiritually poor believers fail to tap into the reservoirs of God’s grace.  Remember that Jesus promised us an abundant life now (John 10:10).  That doesn’t mean that He will make you a multi-millionaire, as some health-wealth preachers claim.  But He will provide you with every spiritual blessing promised in the Bible now.  As fellow heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17) we have access to God’s riches.  Eternity begins the moment we are saved, and we don’t need to wait until heaven to enjoy the Lord’s riches for us.

The Magi

 Matthew 2:1-12

A look at the Church Calendar, and we see that January 6th is the feast day of Epiphany, the day which celebrates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child.  In honor of this day, our Scripture today is from Matthew’s Gospel, where he gives an account of this special event.  Let’s take a look at this Scripture passage.

As Matthew begins, he tells how the wise men, or Magi, have come to the capital city Jerusalem, looking for the One who has been born, the King of the Jews.  The Magi were originally the priestly caste of Persia and Babylon.  They were an extremely well-educated caste, and were experts in the study of the stars.  With the Jewish people having been exiled to Babylon, and later Persia centuries earlier, the Magi were very familiar with the Old Testament writings.  They knew of the prophecy that Balaam made in Numbers 24:17, of a star that would arise in Jacob, among the Jewish people.  They knew that when this special star came, it would signal the birth of Someone great and special, not only for the Jews, but for the world, as well.

The star could have been a planetary conjunction, or a star-planet conjunction.  It also could have been a miraculous star.  Either one would honor the Creator-God.  The Magi followed the star to an unknown land in search of a newborn king.  They journeyed by faith to a destination that they were not sure of.  The Magi must have had enough faith in Yahweh to believe that the Jewish Scriptures were special, were the Word of God, and that the prophecies contained therein were authentic and believable.  They believed and trusted Him, and set off to worship the One the star heralded, and God saw to it that they found the Christ Child.

The star led the Magi to Israel, and they came to the capital city of Jerusalem, where they inquired of the birth of the One who will be King of the Jews (vs. 2).  King Herod the Great feared a rival ruler.  He was a cruel king, who even had one of his wives and three of his own sons executed.  When he heard some news of a newborn king, that was another threat that he was going to be sure was eliminated (vs. 3-8).  Herod pretended to the Magi to be sincere in wanting to honor this newborn king in order to have them tell the location of the Child when they found Him.  Anyone can pretend to love God, but the proof is in that person’s character.  Herod’s character was evil.  Later he had all of the young boys in Bethlehem slaughtered (Matthew 2:16-18).

The Magi left Jerusalem, and the star led them on to Bethlehem, where they found Jesus, Mary, and Joseph living (vs. 9-11).  The Holy Family had moved out of the stable, and were now in a house.  It is possible that at the time of their arrival, Jesus could have been about two years old, as that was the top age that Herod had the boys of Bethlehem killed.  Jesus was also called a child here, not an infant or baby.

The Magi brought gifts to the Christ Child (vs. 11).  The first gift mentioned was gold.  They knew that they were searching for a king.  Gold was a gift befitting someone of rank and authority, such as a king.  It was a gift of great value, a sacrificial gift, even for one of the priestly caste.  The next gift was frankincense.  Incense is offered by the priests to God in Temple worship.  This is a gift suitable for Deity.  The final gift was myrrh, which is a perfumed resin, and was often used to embalm the dead.  Had they read and believed the Old Testament Scriptures, and known that this Messiah-King would be the Sacrifice for sin?  We don’t know.  But myrrh was appropriate for Jesus, whose death brought salvation.

When the Magi left, God instructed them to return home a different way (vs. 12), and they obeyed.  Finding Jesus may mean that your life must take a different direction, one that is responsive and obedient to God’s Word.  Are we willing to be led in a different way?  The Magi’s obedience proved invaluable to the life and safety of the Holy Family.

These men traveled hundreds of miles to worship the Christ Child.  When they found Him, they responded with joy, worship, and gifts.  That is so different from people today.  We expect for God to come after us, prove who He is, and then give us gifts.  Those who are wise still seek and worship Jesus, not for what they can get, but for Who He is.

I Would Rather Dwell In God's House

 Psalm 84

When you are not busy with your job, or caring for your family, where do you like to spend your time?  Many people like to be outside, perhaps enjoying nature or some sports activity.  Some get involved with a hobby or enjoying a good book.  Others may just sit down and watch some TV.  The Sons of Korah, who wrote today’s psalm selection, wanted to be by the tabernacle of God above any other place.   Let’s take a look at what this psalm today has to say.

Who were the Sons of Korah?  In the Book of Numbers we read of a rebellion that Korah led against Moses and his leadership.  God destroyed Korah and those who followed him in his revolt by opening up the earth and swallowing them alive (Numbers 16:1-35).  However, not all of Korah’s family followed him in his rebellion (Numbers 26:11), and those descendants continued to love and serve the Lord for generations.  About eleven psalms in the Bible were written by the Sons of Korah.

As our psalm opens we read how the psalmist desires to be with God, in His presence, more than anything or anywhere else (vs. 1-2).  This wasn’t just a casual saying that he didn’t mind attending Temple worship once a week or so, like we might not mind going to church.  This was a great desire.  He couldn’t wait to go!  He’d be there every time the doors were open, if there wasn’t something else he absolutely had to do.  He even envied the birds who were able to build their nests by the corners of the building! (vs. 3).   He felt they were lucky to be able to stay by the altar of the Lord all the time.

How do we feel about taking time each week to come worship the Lord?  Do we look forward to it, or has it become something done out of habit, with a bored, ho-hum feeling?  Do we look for any excuse to get out?  That certainly was not the case with our psalmist.  His heart and flesh cried out to be in God’s presence.  He knew that those who come to God in worship, praise, and prayer are blessed or truly happy (vs. 4).  Getting away from the bustling world to meet with God is a true blessing.

As our psalm continues, the writer speaks of passing through the “Valley of Baca” (vs. 6).  The word “baca” in Hebrew means “weeping”.  He was describing going through a valley of tears, of weeping.  Just about every one of us has spent some time in that valley throughout our life.  We all go through times of struggles and tears.  If we are walking with the Lord in our life, He will bring us through that valley.  We won’t remain there forever.  With the Lord with us, we will pass through it, and He will make that arid valley into a spring, into a place of joy.  Growing strong in God’s presence (vs. 7) is often preceded by a journey through barren places in our lives.  When we desire to spend time with God, we will see our adversity as an opportunity to experience God’s faithfulness.

Our psalmist continues with the thought of desiring to be with God more than anything else.  In verse 10 he claims that he would rather be a doorkeeper at God’s house than any more glorious place with the wicked.  A humble place of service with the Lord is better than an exalted position of power or fame in the world without Him.  A few moments in the presence of God is greater than anything Satan or the world would have to offer, a thousand times over.  One day being near God in fellowship is better than a thousand days fellowshipping with the world.

What is your shield in life?  What do you turn to for security when the enemy comes around for attack?  The Sons of Korah looked to the Lord God as their shield (vs. 9, 11).  When we have Him as our shield we are protected by the Almighty One.  God has given as part of our armor the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).  With that we are able to quench the fiery darts of Satan.  God shields us when the enemy plots his greatest onslaught against us.

Our psalm closes with a promise that God will not withhold good things from those who walk uprightly (vs. 11).  This is a conditional promise.  It is not for just everybody, but is for those who walk uprightly.  If God isn’t meeting our needs as we think He should, either He may have a different plan for us, or there is something in our life that may be a hindrance.  One reason for unanswered prayer is sin in our life.  We should not assume we know what the “good things” are.  We need to allow God to give us the “good things” that He desires to give.  God will never withhold what is permanently good.  When we obey Him, He will not withhold anything back that will help us serve Him.