Jesus and Christmas -- What's It All About (Part 4)

We have been looking into Jesus and what He is all about.  I have been trying to give a little insight into the age old question, "What is life all about?"  To really understand the meaning of life and why we humans have come to exist, you will never find the answer without looking at Jesus.  Man was put on this earth for one purpose and that was to become an eternal living being.  Every person, but Adam and Eve, came into this world through a womb.  Every person, but One, who has come into the world through a womb, has entered this world with a soul that is empty and without life. Adam and Eve came into the world by God creating them with His word.  They came into this world with souls that were filled with the life of God.  They lost that life when they broke the one command that God gave them, "On the day that you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die." When they ate from the tree, their body did not die, so what did?  It was the more important body.  It was the living spiritual body the was dwelling in their souls.

To understand what life is all about, we have to look past what we can see.  We have look into the things that are not seen, because that is where reality is and eternity dwells.  It sounds a little silly that God would tell them to not eat from a tree and if they did they would die.  He is God and of course He knew that they would eat from the tree, right?  If that is the case then it has to be part of God's plan. God needed human beings who would bring forth other human beings that had souls that were empty.  God could not create such a being, so He developed this plan to make it happen.  From that point men and women have been producing human beings with empty souls and a sin nature.  That means a life that is separated from God.  The empty soul would be the very place where God would create a new Eternal Creation.  This new Creation will, at the Resurrection, be in the likeness of the new body that God has made for Himself.  God will have a visible spiritual body like the New Creation, that He has created, and will be One with them.

You are probably saying to yourselves right about now, "What does this have to do with Christmas"?
It has everything to do with Christmas.  The whole purpose of creation is summed up in the Christmas(birth of Jesus) story.  If you have read the first three parts of this Blog on, What's it all about,  you will be able to see how reflective the birth story is on what God's plan from the beginning was.  Let's look at the Christmas story as recorded in the Gospel of Luke in his 2nd Chapter, verses 1-20;

               (1) "Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus,
               that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.(2) This was the first census taken
               while Quirinius was governor of Syria.(3) And all were proceeding to register for
               census, everyone to there own city.(4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from
               the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,
               because he was of the house and family of David,(5) in order to register , along with
               Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child."

Let's stop and look at these verses and look at the significance of what is happening.  In verse1-4 we see that because of a required census made by Caesar Augustus, Joseph and Mary have to go to the city of their birth to be counted.  The city is Bethlehem, called the city of David because it was the city were David had lived.  Matthew recorded in his gospel the event of the magi from the east and their encounter with king Herod.  In Chapter 2, verses 1-5;

              (1) "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,
              behold. magi from the east arrived n Jerusalem, saying,(2) "Where is He who is born
              King of the Jews?  For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.
              (3) And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
              (4) And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began
              to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born.(5) And they said to him, in
              Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet."

An interesting thing here to notice, is that the religious leaders of that day knew what was written by one of their prophets pertaining to where their Messiah was to be born.  They end up being the people who resisted the most that Jesus was the Christ.  Did it even interest them at all that there might be the possibility that this prophecy was being fulfilled in their time.  They were even able to quote the prophecy of this event that was spoken by the prophet Micah in his 5th Chapter, verse 2.  The same thing that Matthew said they quoted in verse 6;

              (6) "And you Bethlehem, Land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders
              of Judah; for out of you should come forth a Ruler, Who will shepherd My people
              Israel."

Even as today, there are many things that are misquoted from scripture.  They were pretty close, but Micah actually said this,

              (2) "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
              From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler of Israel, His goings forth are from
              long ago, From the days of eternity."

They could have easily sought to find out if this event had actually occurred.  Some may have, but events leading to the cross appeared to be that not enough believed.  They could not have been able to say that this was just Joseph and Mary wanting to go to Bethlehem to have the baby in Bethlehem to make a self fulfilling prophecy.  Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem to participate in the census as decreed by Caesar Augustus, so they had no choice but to go.  While they were there Mary had to give birth.  I believe that the census was put on Caesar's mind by God.  This way no one could argue the point or try to cast doubt that Joseph and Mary just tried to create the event.  The prophecy was fulfilled and this baby Yeshua (Jesus) was the Messiah (Christ).

Bethlehem was called, the city of David.  This is significant, also, because when Mary was told by the angel to call her child Jesus, the angel followed with this in Lukes' 1st Chapter, verse 32;

              "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will
              give Him the throne of His father David." 

We know from Matthews' 1st Chapter, verse 8. that.....Mary....was found with child by the Holy Spirit.  So we have to look at what is meant when it says that, "The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  David is not His father, obviously.  David was His forefather. Jesus came from the lineage of David.  Joseph and Mary came from the lineage of David.  That if why they had to go to Bethlehem, the city where David came from, for the census.  This is why God had to preserve the people of Israel, especially those of the lineage of David, because it was through the lineage of David that He would come into this world.  People tend to point out all the violence that was done against the enemies of Israel that was written about in the Old Testament.  Satan was always trying to destroy the people of Israel.  God had to intervene to defend them or they would have been destroyed and their would not have been the lineage of David and especial Mary through which He would come into this world.

The whole story of Jesus'(Yeshuas') birth and the events of that day reveal this one thing that explains the meaning and answers to the questions, What's it all about? and Why are we here? and What is life all about?  It can be summed up in one sentence.

           God stepped out of eternity so we could step into it, through Jesus(Yeshua) the Lord.

Luke continues writing on the events of Jesus birth in his 2nd Chapter, verse 6-20;

              (6) "And it came about that while they were there, the days were complete for Mary
              to give birth.(7) And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in
              swaddling cloth, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in
              the inn.

There are three revelations in these two verses that reveal God's plan.  Jesus was God who came into this world and was born in a stable.  People would wonder why would God choose to be born in a stable.  Jesus was the Lamb of God who came into this world to sacrifice Himself to shed His own blood to take away the sin of the world.  Where else should a lamb be born, but in a stable.  As soon as Jesus is born, Mary wraps Him in swaddling cloth.  Swaddling cloth is the material that was used when you are wrapping someone preparing them for burial.  This is revealing that Jesus came here to die.  The apostle John wrote this in his gospel in the1st Chapter, verse 29, quoting John the Baptist;

              "The next day he(John)saw Jesus coming to him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God
              who takes away the sin of the world!'"

As soon as Mary wrapped Jesus in the swaddling cloth, she laid Him in a manger.  A manger is a feeding trough that the animals would eat out of.  Jesus said this in Lukes' gospel Chapter 4, verses 3 and 4, when Jesus was fasting forty days, He became hungry and Satan tempted  Him and Jesus responded with this;

               (3) "And the devil said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become
               bread.'(4) And Jesus answered him, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'".

Jesus was quoting this passage out of Deuteronomy Chapter 8, verse 3;

                "And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you
                did not know, nor did your father know, that He might make you understand that
                man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of
                the mouth of God."

The things that come out of the mouth of God are words.  Jesus is the Word of God.  Jesus  and His words are our food.  His words are food that feed our soul.  The Apostle John wrote this in the 1st Chapter of his gospel, verses 1 and 14;

                (1) 'In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God , and the Word was
                God,........(14) And the Word  Became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His
                glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Jesus said this in Chapter 7 of John's gospel verses 47-58;

                (47) "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.(48) I am the bread
                of life.(49) Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.(50) This is
                the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.(51)
                I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he
                shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is
                my flesh."(52) The Jews began to argue with one another, saying, " How can this
                man give us His flesh to eat?"(53) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh
                of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.(54) He who
                eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the
                last day.(55) For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.(56) He who eats
                My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him.(57) As the living Father
                sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so He who eats Me, he also shall live
                because of Me.(58) This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the
                fathers ate, and did die, he who eats this bread shall live forever."

Jesus disciples  were having difficulty understanding what He was saying and meant, so Jesus told His disciples this in verse 63;

                'It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh prophets nothing; the words that I have
                spoken to you are spirit and are life.'

Jesus is saying that the words that he speaks are the food for the spirit that gives life.  At the last super Jesus revealed what the significance of His flesh and blood are, when He said this as revealed by Luke in the 22nd Chapter of his gospel in verses 19 and 20:

                (19) "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it, and gave
                it to them, saying, 'This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance
                of Me.'(20) And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This
                cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.'"

So Jesus is the food that came forth from heaven that gives eternal life and this was revealed in Mary laying Him in a manger in the stable.  Then the story of the birth of Jesus continues in Luke's 2nd Chapter, verses 8-20;

                 (8) "And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields,
                 and keeping watch over their flock by night.(9) and an angel of the Lord suddenly
                 stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were
                 terribly frightened.(10) and the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid: for behold,
                 I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all people;(11) for today in
                 the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

It is interesting that the angel chose to reveal this message to the shepherds.  You would think that the angel might want to reveal this event to the religious leaders or the prominent of the community.  Mans ways are not God's ways.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  It is only fitting and figurative for Him to reveal His coming to these lowly shepherds.  David, whose linage Jesus came into the world through, was the little shepherd boy who would slay the giant Galiath and later become king.   Jesus will slay the giant, Death and Hades, and become the King of King's.  Jesus tells us this in the gospel of John, in his 10th chapter, verses 11;

                  "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."

The title of Savior and Lord belongs to God alone.  So what is being proclaimed here, by the angel, is that God Himself has been born here in the city of David.  Of course God has already been existing for eternity as God the Spirit.  This is the God who has put a piece of His very essence in Mary and conceived this child who has just been born as the visible representation of the invisible God.  This is the only One, who has been born through a womb, that was not of the seed of Adam, but of the essence of God.  He is therefore the only man born without the sin nature from Adam.  He is the sinless Lamb of God who will be able to take away the sin of the world.  God is now existing as both God the Spirit and God the Man.  There is only One Lord(Jehovah), so they must be One and the same.  Again we refer to Isaiah's writings in revealing this fact.

Isaiah 43:3          "I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior

Isaiah 43:11and12   (11)"I, even I am the Lord; and there is no savior besides Me.(12) It is I
                            who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god
                            among you; So you are my witnesses,"  declares the Lord, and I am God

Isaiah 44:6          "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his(Israel's) Redeemer, the Lord
                            of hosts; I am the first and the last, And there is no God besides Me."

Jesus is the first and the last as revealed in the Book of Revelations Chapter 1, verses 17and18 and Chapter 2, verse 8;

Chapter 1  (17)............."Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last,(18) and the living one;
                 and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death
                 and Hades."

Chapter 2  (8) "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write; The first and the last, who
                  was dead and has come to life, says this;"

Isaiah 45:5         "I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides me there is no God."

Isaiah 46:21-23  (21)............."Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me."
                           A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me.(22) Turn to Me,
                           and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God and there is no other.
                           (23) I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in
                           righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me EVERY KNEE WILL
                           BOW, every TONGUE will swear allegiance."

The apostle Paul wrote this in his letter to the Philippians, in his 2nd Chapter, verse 9-11;

                 (9) "Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name
                 which is above every name,(10) that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHALL
                 BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and that
                 (11) and that every TONGUE should confess(swear allegiance) that Jesus Christ
                 is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Any one of the shepherds who knew of these passages in Isaiah, who heard the angel refer to this newborn as Savior and Lord knew what they were insinuating.  I am sure that they were wondering how this could be possible.  The story continues in Luke Chapter 2, verse 12;

                 (12) "And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling
                 cloths, and lying in a manger.(13) and suddenly there appeared with the angel a
                 multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God, and saying,(14) 'Gory to God in the
                 highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.

This is one of the most misquoted passages of the Bible.  You probably have heard it quoted this way; " Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth, good will towards men.  There is a big difference here.  The angel did not say, "Peace on Earth".  The angel said, "peace among men with whom God is pleased.  This is a peace in the soul, that can only be received by receiving the Prince of Peace, this baby that was born the Lamb of God that will shed His blood to forgive sin and give eternal life.  This is the only way we can please God.  Remember, Isaiah wrote this in his 9th Chapter, verse 6;

                 "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will
                 rest on His shoulders; And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty
                 God, Eternal Father, PRINCE OF PEACE."

The Christmas story ends with this in Luke's 2nd Chapter, verses 15-20;

                  (15) "And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, 
                  that the shepherds began saying to one another, 'Let us go straight to Bethlehem
                  then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.'
                  (16) And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the
                  baby as He lay in the manger.(17) And when they had seen this, they made know
                  the statement which had been told them about this Child.(18) And all who heard
                  it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.(19) But Mary
                  treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.(20) And the shepherds
                  went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just
                  as had been told them."

The shepherds told Mary and Joseph what the angel had told them as recorded in Luke Chapter 2, verses 10 and 11;

                 "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall  be
                 for all people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior,
                 who is Christ(Messiah) the Lord(Jehovah)."

This bears witness to what the angel told Mary and Joseph both in separate incidences, when they were both instructed to call His name Jesus(Yeshua).  They both knew the meaning of this name was, the Lord(Jehovah) our Salvation.  The Savior who is the Lord(Jehovah).                 

May you receive in your heart this Prince of Peace, the Lord of the universe.  Feed on His words and grow in the Spirit and in your spirit.  This Lamb of God , was God Himself.  He stepped out of eternity to forgive your sin through His death and give you eternal life through His resurrection.  He stepped back into eternity as the risen and ascended Lord, Jesus.  He did all this so you also could step into eternity.  He would now have a visible spiritual body in the heavens and we also would be able to have a body that is made in His likeness.

May His peace that surpasses all understanding guard you mind and soul, now and forever.

Jesus and Christmas - What's It All About? (Part 3)

If we look at the events of what we have come to know as Christmas, Jesus birth, from what Joseph experienced, we will see events that validate the fact that Jesus is God.  Joseph at the point of these events, knew already that his wife to be was pregnant, with child.  You can only imagine what was going through Joseph's mind.  I am sure that this was not the first time that someone, that people had known, were pregnant out of wedlock.  I can only believe that this was the first time a man had gotten this excuse by his wife to be as to how she could be pregnant and by whom.  I am sure that Mary couldn't wait to tell Joseph of the good news, that she had become pregnant by the very Spirit of God and that she was going to give birth to the Son of the Most High.  Could you imagine what was going through Mary's mind as to, how she was going to tell her husband to be, how she could be pregnant.  If the angel Gabriel didn't frighten her, I am sure this did.  The Bible doesn't say how Mary told Joseph, but he didn't believe her and I don't think any man would have.  All we know about Joseph's reaction is that he was going to put her away secretly, not wanting to disgrace her and probably spare himself the humiliation.  This is revealed by Matthew in his gospel writings in his first chapter when he writes this in verses 18-25;

            "(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows.  When His mother Mary had been
            betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the
            Holy Spirit.(19) And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to
            disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly.(20) But when he had considered this,
            behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David,
            do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is
            of the Holy Spirit.(21) "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for
            it is He who will save His people from their sins."(22) Now all this took place that what
            was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,(23) "Behold,
            the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name
            Emmanuel," which translated means, "God with us."(24) And Joseph arose from his
            sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and he took her as his wife.
            (25) and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Looking at these verses, the one thing we might ask ourselves is, "What was the main thing that the angel said to Joseph that resonated so much to him that would make him arise from his sleep and take Mary as his wife.  It had to have been something that was said that clicked in his mind that let him know that Mary had told him the truth.  Obviously one thing is that he told Joseph to name the baby Jesus.  I am sure that Mary had told Joseph that the angel, that appeared to her, told her to name the baby Jesus.  The less obvious might be the quote from the prophet.  I think that Joseph might have, at that point, recalled what had been quoted by the prophet Isaiah, when the angel had told him in verse 21;

            "And she (Mary) will bear a Son; and you shall call his name Jesus, for it is He who will
            save His people from their sins."

Joseph was understanding that this was the fulfillment of the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah, when Isaiah wrote in his 7th Chapter, verse 14 what Matthew quoted here in the 23 verse;

           "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin will be with child and
           bear a Son , and she shall call His name Emmanuel."

Joseph new what Mary was saying when she said  that she was to name the baby Jesus (Yeshua).  He probably thought that this was blasphemy.  Joseph knew that the name Yeshua means, The Lord our Salvation.  By naming a child Yeshua you are calling the child God.  When the angel told Joseph to name the child Jesus (Yeshua), Joseph knew what this meant and it was probably all starting to make sense.  Joseph was beginning to put it all together.  What the angel told him was similar to the words of the prophet, except for calling His name Emmanuel.  Joseph knew that Emmanuel meant, God with us.  If you call the baby Jesus (Yeshua) The Lord our  Salvation, you are also declaring that this child is God with us." These are the words written by the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah's 45th Chapter, verses 21-23;

            (21)"..........And there is no other God before Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There
            is none except Me.(22) Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
            For I am God, and there is no other. (23) I have sworn by Myself, Thy words have gone
            forth from my mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, That to Me every knee will
            bow, and every tongue will swear allegiance."

If Joseph had read this scripture and could recall it, he would know that for Jesus to be able to save His people from their sins, He would have to be a Savior and if He is the Savior, then He must be the God who spoke through Isaiah.

The apostle Paul gives acknowledgment to this when he wrote in his letter to the Philippians in the 2nd Chapter, verses 5-11;

            (5) "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,(6) who although
            He existed as God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,(7) but
            emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of
            of men.(8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
            obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.(9) Therefore also God highly
            exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,(10) that at
            the name of Jesus ever knee shall bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and
            under the earth,(11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the
            glory of God the Father."

God Made for Himself a Body in the person of Jesus.  He would sacrifice His own earthly body, on the cross, for the blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.  Because He was not from the seed of Adam, but of God, He had no sin.  He is the only Son of Man, according to the law, who could have access into heaven, because He was guiltless.  If anyone accepts the sacrifice Jesus made for them, they put themselves on the cross with Jesus, they are buried with Jesus, their sins are left in the grave and they are risen with Jesus a New Creation.  They become born of above, with the Spirit of Jesus dwelling in them, and they now have an eternal living being that is being developed in their souls. Jesus was the first born of all the New Creation.  God now had a risen glorified heavenly body that could now be visibly seen in heaven and able to fellowship in likeness with the New Creation he is creating.  Everyone who receives what Jesus did for them will receive the same glorified body at the resurrection.

The early church new what they were saying when they referred to Jesus as Lord.  For there is only one Lord and that is God. Again God speaks through the prophet Isaiah when He says this in Chapter 43, verses 11-13;

            (11) "I, even I, am the Lord (Jehovah), And there is no Savior besides Me.(12) It is I
            who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you;
            So you are my witnesses declares the Lord (Jehovah), And I am God,(13) Even from 
            eternity I am He; And there is none who can deliver out of my hand; I act and who can
            reverse it?"

For Jesus to be Lord, He has to be God.  Emmanuel, "God with us".  Jesus (Yeshua),"The Lord our Salvation.  The Christmas story, the birth Jesus, reveals all of this in a special way.  We will see this in my next Blog.

My the peace of the Great God and Savior be with you.

Jesus and Christmas - What's It All About? (Part 2)

The Christmas story reveals many things about God and His plan for man.  The story of the birth of Jesus has become a nice story to tell.  If we look at it, stopping to ask, "What does that mean?", and really understanding what took place, we may find it more than just a nice story.

The first hint of the birth of Jesus and who He is, was revealed by the prophet Isaiah in his 7th Chapter, verse 14;

           "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child
           and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."

Immanuel means, "God with us".  That would be something to ponder.  This child being called, "God with us, what might that mean?  A virgin being with a child, how is that possible and what might that mean?  To make it  even more to ponder, Isaiah made another revelation of this child in his 9th Chapter, verse 6;

            "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest
            on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
            Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

This is a very popular scripture on some Christmas cards, but if we are looking at what it is saying, we have to ask ourselves, "What does this mean?  "His", being capitalized, refers to the child as being God.  This is backed up by the fact that one of His names is Mighty God.  To make it even more interesting, this child's name will be called Eternal Father.  How could this child be a God and Father?

If we look at the story of Jesus birth, as revealed in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, we can learn how this is possible.  Luke writes this in his 1st Chapter, verses 26 - 38;

            (26)"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee,
            called Nazareth,(27) to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
            descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.(28) And coming in, he said
            to her, "Hail, favored one!  The Lord is with you.(29) But she was greatly troubled
            at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.(30) And
            the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; For you have found favor with God.
            (31) And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name
            Him Jesus.(32) He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the
            Lord God will give Him the throne of His Father David;(33) and He will reign over
            the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."

There are a few things to look at here in these verses.  First, it is a great honor to be told that you have found favor with God.  Isaiah wrote in his 64th Chapter, verse 6,  that all man's righteous deeds are as filthy rags.  So how did Mary find favor with God?  What was it about Mary, that God would find favor with her?  I don't think that it was because God was just looking for a virgin, for I am sure that she was not the only virgin in Galilee.  There had to be something else about Mary that God felt favorable towards.  Maybe she was a girl who read the old testament writings and understood what God really required of man.  The burnt offerings that the High priest would perform, once a year, for the cleansing of sin,  I am sure that Mary participated in the Passover Feasts to receive this temporary forgiveness.  I am sure that Mary probably also fasted.  Both these acts are good, but these things are for a persons benefit, it is not that they are benefiting anyone else by practicing such things.  I am sure that other virgins in that day in Galilee also practices such things.  Maybe Mary, in her readings in the old testament, understood the heart of God and what He really liked.

These verses from the Old Testament writings might be what caught Mary's attention;

The prophet Micah wrote this in his 6th Chapter, verse 8;

            "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you, but
            to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

The prophet Isaiah wrote this in his 58th Chapter, verses 3-11 about what God's fast means;

             (3)"Why have we fasted and Thou dost not see?  Why have we humbled ourselves
             and Thou dost not notice?  Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And
             drive hard all your workers.(4) Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike
             with a wicked fist.  You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.
             (5) Is it a fast like this that I chose, a day for a man to humble himself?  Is it for bowing
             one's head like a reed, And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?  Will you
             call this a fast, even a acceptable day to the Lord?

             (6) Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the
             bonds of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And break every yoke?(7) Is it
             not to divide your bread with the hungry, And bring the homeless poor into the house;
             When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
            
             (8) Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring
             forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your
             rear guard.(9) Then you will call and I will answer; You will cry, and He will say,
             'Here I am'.  If you remove the yoke from your mist, The pointing of the finger, and
             speaking wickedness,(10) And if you give yourself to the hungry, And satisfy the desire
             of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness, And your gloom will become as
             midday.(11) And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in
             scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be  like a watered
             garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."

If you notice here, it is not what we do in ourselves to please God, but what we do to benefit others that pleases the heart of God and brings His blessings upon us.  Mary must have understood and practiced such things, because she loved God enough to want to do what was pleasing in His sight.
In return Mary found favor with God and would be found as blessed by God.  The writings of Isaiah were probably a common read by Mary, for when Jesus would teach in the synagogues, He would read from the prophet Isaiah.  When He would read about the parts in Isaiah that told about Himself, Jesus would tell them that today in your hearing this is being fulfilled.

And in Psalm 51, verses 16 and 17, David wrote this in regards to burnt offerings;

            (16)"For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, other wise I would give it; Thou art not
            pleased with burnt offering.(17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and
            contrite heart, O God , Thou wilt not despise.

So God chose Mary for this very special event.  Here we have Mary a virgin, who can not be very old, told by the angel Gabriel that she would give birth to a Son that she shall call Jesus(Yeshua).
Mary understood what the name Jesus meant, for it was a Hebrew name meaning, "The Lord our Salvation".  Mary may have known also, from the writings of the prophet Isaiah, that her God that she worshiped was the only Savior.  For Isaiah wrote this in his 45th Chapter, verses 21-23;

            (21)" Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together.  Who has
            long since declared it?  Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A
            righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me.(22) Turn to Me, and be saved,
            all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.(23) I have sworn by
            Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn
            back, That to Me every Knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance."

Where we have come to learn that this is Jesus, the Lord our Salvation, from what the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians in his 2nd Chapter, verses 5-11:

            (5)" Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,(6) who, although
            He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
            (7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the
            likeness of men.(8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humble Himself by
            becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.(9) Therefore God
            Highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,(10)
            That at the name of Jesus every name shall bow, of those who are in heaven, and on the
            earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
            Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

How is this possible though and what does it mean?  How can God come to the earth, being born to a virgin, desiring to be called Jesus, and why?  The story of Christmas, Jesus birth, answers these questions.  We know after the fact, but Mary was experiencing what we now know.  She knew that she was going to give birth to the Lord our Salvation, but how?

In Luke Chapter 1, verses 34-38, Mary asked the question to Gabriel and he gives her the answer;

            (34) And Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?'(35) And the
            Angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
            of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be
            called the Son of God."

Do you really think that this answered her question, or at this point do you think that she was living by faith, trusting God?

             (36) And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age;
             she who is called barren is now in her sixth month.(37) For nothing is impossible with
             God.(38) And Mary said, 'Behold the bond slave of the Lord; be it done to me according
             to your word.' And the angel departed her."

What the angel Gabriel said to Mary in verse 35 is the clue to how this child will be God.  Mary becomes pregnant by the Holy Spirit of God.  This makes the Holy Spirit the Father of this child. Back in verse 32 Gabriel told Mary that the child would be called the Son of the Most High.
This is how this child Jesus is both the Mighty God and Eternal Father.  You have to look at it from God's plan.  He wants to come into this earthly realm, so He puts a very part of His presence in an egg of Mary.  What is growing is not like a man making a women pregnant, for the mans child is different than the man.  In this case this child that grows in Mary is from the very essence of God.  It is actually a piece, if we might say, of God Himself growing in Mary.  He is an actual piece of the Father, the Holy Spirit, growing in Mary.  God at this point is existing as both Spirit and Man.  You can look at it as if Jesus is more God's body than a son as we would perceive Him to be.  Jesus did not come into this world under the sin curse of Adam as we have all descended from, for Jesus comes forth from the very seed of God Himself.  This is how Jesus was sinless and the only one, according to the law, who could qualified for entrance into heaven at His death.

A lot to ponder.  Part 3 will view this event from Joseph's perspective.  Could you imagine?

Jesus peace be with all of you.

    
           
           

Jesus and Christmas -- What's It All About?(Part 1) This Gospel is The Power of God Unto Salvation and Eternal Life.

Many people have many different views as to what Christmas is all about.  For some it is a religious Holiday.  For others it is about Santa Claus and the exchange of gifts.  Many view it as a time to spend with family.  There are those who look at it as some or all of the above. Some despise it for many different reasons.  Most everyone would know that it has to do with the birth of Jesus.  What about the birth of Jesus?  What is it really all about?  How has this story, of the birth of Jesus, survived over two thousand years now? What is it's significance?

To understand the real meaning of Christmas and why it has survived as long at it has,  we have to look at what Christmas is all about from God's eyes.  First of all, God did not name it Christmas.  Man named it Christmas as a celebration of Jesus birth.  Many celebrate Christmas and still do not understand the importance of Jesus birth to them.  If we look at it from God's eyes,  we will see the beauty and wonder of it all.

The idea of birth of Jesus was conceived even before the earth was created.  God, known as the Holy Spirit, for He had no form, had a plan to create a new existence.  Not only a new existence for Himself, but also the new existence of a new living being.  At this time, when God was planning to do a new thing, He was Spirit.  All the other created beings who existed with Him were spiritual beings known as angels.  One third of the angels had become fallen angels because they rebelled against God and followed after Lucifer's uprising to rise above God.  These angels God renamed Demons and Lucifer was renamed Satan, which means, "the adversary". 

I know, so far it doesn't sound like much of a Christmas story, but just stick with me.  If we can see it from God's eyes, Christmas, or the birth of Jesus, reveals much about God and much about you.  When God was planning the birth of Jesus, He had you in mind.  God wanted to create a new living being.  He did not want to do it as He had done before and just speak into existence beings like the angels who had no choice whether they wanted to be created or not.  The angels are beautiful creatures and a marvelous creation.  Because they had no choice in there coming into existence, one third of the angels misunderstood the Love of God and His character.  They could not see God, for He existed as a Spirit, a Holy Spirit. The third of the angels that fell and followed after Lucifer, were probably captivated by the beauty of Lucifer who they could see.  Lucifer was the anointed cherub who covered and was one of God's most beautiful creations.  His beauty made him arrogant and proud to the point that he attempted to overtake the throne of God.  This is when God cast Lucifer and the angels, that followed Satan, as fallen.  Their eternal life existence was now gone.  Their new fallen existence rendered them in a state that would later result in eternal death.

God can only create beings that are eternal and have an eternal life existence, because He is the Eternal Life.  In Lucifer and the angels rebellion, they chose not to follow God who is the Life, therefore surrendering the part of them that had life and that being God.  God could have just destroyed Satan and his demons.  I am sure that He didn't want to spend the rest of eternity with the other two-thirds of the angels, having to always wonder if they were staying with Him only out of fear of being cast out like the angels that rebelled were.  Looking at what had transpired in the heavenly realm, God wanted to come up with a new plan of creation.  Not only was God desiring to create a new type of creation, but also He was desiring to create a visible body for Himself.  One that could relate visibly with the new creations that He desired to bring into existence. The only problem here is that God had to come up with a way to create a being that would come into existence by wanting to do so, by choosing Him for His Love and character.  These new creations would be beings who understood God's Love for them, and for all eternity never stop appreciating who God is and what He did for them.  To achieve this, God had to somehow bring into existence a being with a fallen nature.  He cannot speak such a being into existence.  In doing His plan this way, I am sure that he wanted to fully express his true nature and Love in such a way that the remaining two-thirds of the angels will know that they had made the right choice in choosing not to rebel against the Most High God.  So He comes up with a plan.

Where is Christmas in all this?  We are getting closer, so hang in there.  God's plan was this.  God decided to create a physical realm.  A physical realm that could sustain life for a physical being.  Therefore, God created the Earth with the universe as we know it, with the sun and moon and planets working together to sustain a physical being that we know as humans.  He needed a being that was a physical being that would choose to become an eternal spiritual being.  Who wouldn't want that?  You'd be surprised.  To do this, God took a chance, knowing the deceptiveness of Satan, God would create a man and a women from man, on the earth He created, and just give them one commandment.
Hence, we have Adam and Eve.  God gave Adam and Eve just the one commandment, "Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil".  The consequence for breaking this command would be, "On the day that you do so, you shall surely die".  Here is where God's trust in Satan to slither in and deceive and tempt Adam and Eve to rebel and eat from the tree comes in.  Satan got them to eat of the fruit by telling them that if that eat from the tree they will be like God.  Such a Satan thing.  Adam and Eve did eat from the tree but they did not die.  Something about them must have died.  Adam and Eve were created beings who had a soul that was filled with the life of God.  They where created as an eternal spiritual and physical being that had the eternal life of God in them.  When they disobeyed they lost that life that was in their soul.  The living spiritual part of them died. God asked Eve, "What is this you have done?" God did not zap them.  Instead God's plan was right as He desired. 

God now had the mechanism in place to where Adam and Eve could now begin the process of inhabiting the earth with beings who had fallen natures and empty souls.  God could not just speak such a being into existence, but now they could come into existence.  This empty soul would be the very place that God would use to create a new creation.  It would be, as you might say, an egg that could be fertilized by the very Spirit of God, that would become a New Creation.  God also had in place the mechanism in which He could create for Himself a body.  This is where the Christmas story comes in.

The prophet Isaiah wrote a verse in his writings that has become a very popular saying around Christmas and says something that I have found is seldom realize by the hearer.  Isaiah wrote this in his 9th chapter, verse 6;

              "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest
              on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
              Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

We often under play the reality of who Jesus is.  When it refers to His shoulders and His name, the capitalized His refers to God.  He is the Mighty God, Eternal Father.  Do we realize that this Jesus, who was this baby that is celebrated during Christmas, was God at His birth and not only God but an Eternal Father.  Do we not stop to contemplate and understand what this means and how is this possible?  Two chapters earlier in Isaiah's writings, Isaiah wrote this in his 7th Chapter, verse14;

              "Therefore the Lord Himself will give us a sign: Behold , a virgin will be with child
              and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."

Immanuel means, God with us.  This child, Jesus, born to the virgin will be "God with us".  How is this possible?  Do we ask ourselves, how does a virgin give birth.  The story of Christmas as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke reveal what made this possible and how this baby could be God and why He came.  The Christmas story reveals the whole gospel message.  So let's look at the Christmas story in my next blog.

May Jesus' peace be with you. 1