Tag: Gabriel

Joseph and Mary

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 2 – The Kingdom Revealed – Chapter 11 – The Kingdom Enters

Joseph and Mary

[Bible references: Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-18; Luke 1:26-56; 2:1-20, 41-51]

Jesus was born to an apparently ordinary, non-descript couple, Joseph, and Mary. There was nothing outside the ordinary about Mary except that, unlike Zechariah, she believed and accepted the words of the angel, Gabriel, and the miracle was to come upon her. Joseph was only an ordinary tekton[1] (stone mason or carpenter), but he also accepted the words of the angel and received Mary as his wife. The responsibility that this humble couple accepted was full of unknowns for this was no ordinary boy that they were supposed to raise. The unknown hardships they would endure included 1) a trip from Galilee to Bethlehem while Mary was heavily pregnant, [2] 2) giving birth in first floor of a house overflowing with guests and needing to use a feeding trough as a crib[3] 3) and then a trip to Egypt where they stayed for an extended period while the life of Jesus was in danger from Herod, 4) then when Herod died, back to Bethlehem only to find Herod’s son, Archelaus, in charge so they fled past Jerusalem to Nazareth. Joseph and Mary also witnessed several supernatural events around the birth of Jesus: the appearance of shepherds who witnessed the angelic announcement, the prophetic announcements of Simeon and Anna when they brought Jesus to be circumcised[4], the appearance of Magi from the east. Outside those events, Mary and Joseph seemed to have ordinary lives as shown by the reaction they had when twelve-year-old Jesus was accidentally left behind during a family trip to Jerusalem.

[1] Galatty, Robby, “Was Jesus a Carpenter or a Stonemason?” The Christian Post 29 Apr 2017 www.christianpost.com/news/jesus-carpenter-or-stonemason-181531.

[2] Jesus Trail Tours, “Hiking the Nativity Trail from Nazareth to Bethlehem” Jesus Trail Tours jesustrail.com/blog/hiking-the-nativity-trail-from-nazareth-to-bethlehem

[3] Paul, Ian. “Jesus was not born in a stable, says theologian” 23 Dec 2014 The Guardian www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/23/jesus-christ-not-born-in-stable-theologian-new-testament

[4] Bible Project “The Jewish Exile – How it made the Bible” Bible Project 1 Feb 2018 bibleproject.com/podcast/jewish-exile-how-it-made-bible/

Observe

Read Luke 2:41-51. After Mary and Joseph left 12-year-old Jesus behind during a family trip to Jerusalem, what didn’t they understand about Jesus’ answer?

John the Baptist (Immerser)

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 2 – The Kingdom Revealed – Chapter 11 – The Kingdom Enters

John the Baptist (Immerser)

[Bible references: Matthew 3:1-3; 11:2-19; Luke 1:5-80; 3:1-20]

The precursor to Jesus coming was John the Baptist. John was born to a couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, six months earlier than Jesus was born. Like the couples Abraham and Sarah and Elkanah and Hannah before them, Zechariah and Elizabeth also gave birth to children when they were normally considered to be too elderly to have children. When Zechariah was told by the angel, Gabriel, about the coming birth of his son (who would be named John), Zechariah had trouble believing the message. The resulting discipline given to Zechariah was being unable to speak. This discipline was used to convince Zechariah and others about the miraculous nature of John’s birth. John was sent in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare Israel for the ministry of Jesus. John’s preaching and baptizing ministry began before Jesus started his ministry and continued until Herod the tetrarch arrested John.

Reflect

While Zechariah became temporarily mute as a matter of discipline for him, it also seemed to increase the awe of John’s birth for everyone else. What types of things increase awe for you?

Observe

Read Matthew 11:2-19. Why do you think John had questions about Jesus?