Day 23: God with us
Luke 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was not place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what they shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Obviously we have heard this story hundreds of times. We’ve seen this scene scattered around our house, we’ve seen it on flags and gift bags and even on cakes. But I hope we never lose the wonder. And I hope we never lose the reality of the story.
You know what church video has made me cry several times about the nativity? The one that tells it through Facebook posts. It’s kinda embarrassing but I think I love it because it’s in our language. It’s in a relevant format. Today I’d like to look at the reality of Jesus in 2 lives: Mary and James.
It is understandable why the catholic faith has elevated Mary so highly. She was a teenage girl who knew the scriptures so well that she could receive what the angel said to her. She believed what was said in Old Testament prophecy about the family of Israel. She believed they needed a Savior to restore them fully to their God. She received the news with full faith and it didn’t just change her life, it changed the world, it even changed the calendar. The history of the world before Jesus was born was over. Literally the history book was written. And now a new story was being told. And Mary was willing to be a part of it.
Was that easy for Mary? No, the first thing that happened was Joseph knew he had to divorce her. She faced the penalty of death for being pregnant outside of marriage. But God was Mary’s protection and he sent an angel to give Jospeh confidence that He was at work.
I’m so thankful for the further confirmations to Mary: Elizabeth greeting her with joy over God’s work in her life, the shepherds showing up to celebrate because of the angels celebration, the wise men bringing gifts to the newborn king, Simeon and Anna recognizing him at the Temple.
But there were tough times too. Mark 3:16-21 tells us about when Jesus calls his disciples and the crowds were growing and Jesus’s family heard and “went out to seize him, for they were saying, ‘he is out of his mind.’” Jesus even said, Luke 4:24, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.” It seems to be much easier to believe the truth of who Jesus was when he was a tiny baby. When he was grown and his ministry began, his family was a bit iffy.
It seems as if Jesus’s mother was the only one at the cross from his immediate family.
John 19:25-27:
But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clops, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus say his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
I can’t quite fathom the agony Mary must have felt watching Jesus suffer and die the most gruesome death. I can only imagine the same heart that treasured his birth must have felt like it was falling out of her chest. I’m sure she was absolutely physically suffering right alongside him. So where were Jesus’s siblings? Where was Joseph? I’m so grateful Jesus saw his mother and made sure she was cared for. He knew the faith of John, he knew he would care for her well.
There is great news though. James, one of Jesus’s half brothers came back around. We know because he wrote a book. There verses are not going to be in order but I’m changing the order to help us see James as a believer in the deity of Jesus after the resurrection:
James 5:19
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his should from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Do you think James was speaking from personal experience? Do you think he, himself, wandered from the truth? He must have heard the stories of Jesus birth and all the confirmations, why wasn’t he at the cross?
James 5:8
You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Is this a plea because his heart had not been established on the truth? But here, his heart certainly is established. He was already ready for the second coming of Christ. His heart was established on the truth of what Jesus had accomplished by his life, death and resurrection and he was ready for what was coming next.
Lastly, James 2:13
For judgement is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement.
I hear in James a thankfulness for mercy. He may have missed it when Jesus was on earth. Do you remember another time when his brothers went to get him from a crowded house and they told Jesus- hey your fam is here? Jesus said, my family is the ones who are with me. Ouch. There was definitely some family tension. But James was shown mercy after the resurrection. Wouldn’t you love to know the full story? Wouldn’t you love to hear the full testimony of James? I think we will. I have a feeling James will never tire of telling it for all eternity.
God with us.
Jesus was here. He had family. He had friends. His family was worried about him. They didn’t fully get it. And then they did. And they did so much that they wanted us to know too.
Remember it was James that said this:
James 1:17
Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
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