Luke 2, Matthew 2,
Mark 1
Luke 2
Luke 2:1-2 History
has a difficult time harmonizing with these verses. According to Roman history, Quirinius was
governor of Syria from 6 to 7 AD, yet Jesus is said to have been born when
Herod the Great was king (compare Matthew 2:1).
His rule ended in 4 BC. It seems
highly unlikely that Luke could have made such a blatant mistake. One possible solution is that instead of
translating the word protos as “first”, we might translate it instead as
“before”, as is done in John 15:18. Using that meaning here, the verse would then
read “this was the census that took place before Quirinius was governor of
Syria” (before 6 AD). Truthfully, this
is not manipulating words to make the story say what we want, this is
clarifying a point. I could say to you
that I finished the race first but would be just as accurate to say I finished
it before everyone else.
Luke 2:3-5 As
Matthew had indicated, Joseph was a descendant of David, so he would need to
travel to the town of his ancestors in order to register for this census. The plot of land just outside Bethlehem was
almost lost centuries earlier. Had it
not been for Boaz stepping up to be a family redeemer, this land would have
passed into another’s hands. Somehow I
get the feeling God knew this and established the Family Redeemer Law in
preparation for this event; so that a law was in place when Naomi lost her
husband and her sons, and so the land might be kept in the family for this very
day (see Deuteronomy 25:5-10). From what
I know of God, no minute detail is missed, and it just wouldn’t surprise me if
He didn’t see this day coming and make plans ahead of time.
Luke 2:6-7
Please note here that the text says Jesus was Mary’s firstborn,
indicating that Mary did have other children. Jesus was born in a cave near an inn, and
wrapped in strips of cloth instead of a warm blanket. That would be an unusual way to cover a
newborn child. That would explain why
the Angels made this announcement to the shepherds.
Luke 2:8-12
Isn’t it strange that God would make His announcement to a group of
shepherds? You would think that the
Sanhedrin or at least a Levitical Priest would have been told first. I don’t know why He chose shepherds. Perhaps they were guarding sheep that were to
be used for the Passover celebration.
Wouldn’t that have been interesting!
Luke 2:16-18
What’s the first thing these shepherds did with this Good News? They told other people. And I suspect they invited the people in the
town to come and see for themselves. Compare this with what Andrew says to his
brother, or what Phillip says to Nathaniel (John 1:42-46). Sometimes I think the church makes sharing
the Good News too complicated and perhaps too difficult. Sometimes the Good News is buried beneath a
multitude of programs. Maybe the best
evangelism happens when we simply invite someone to “come and see”.
Luke 2:21-24
Joseph, Mary, and Jesus travel the short distance to Jerusalem in
obedience to the Law. A son was to be
circumcised (Leviticus 12:3), a firstborn son was to be dedicated to the Lord
(Exodus 13:2), and a woman was to offer a purification sacrifice after
childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8). The fact
that they could afford only two birds indicated how poor the couple was.
Luke 2:25-35
It does not say that Simon was a Priest.
We are simply told that he was a very godly man. We could probably compare him to an Old
Testament prophet, for he was gifted by the Spirit, and the Spirit of the Lord
spoke to him. The message the Spirit
gave him was short; more of a declaration of praise than a pronouncement of
God’s judgment (like Jeremiah, for example).
Mary and Joseph had already known that their Son was the long awaited
Messiah, but what probably amazed them here is that their Son (the Messiah)
would be a light to the Gentiles (Luke 2:32).
That bit of news might have been an eye opener.
Luke 2:36-38
Also at the Temple that day was Anna (actually, she was there all the
time). Again, she probably did not have
an official capacity, but simply a woman whose heart was focused on God. She too was filled with the Spirit and began
speaking to others about the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah.
Luke 2:40
There have been many theological debates as to when Jesus the child knew
who He was and what God had in mind for His life. When did Jesus become aware of who He was
(is). Since Jesus was eternal (existed
with the father in the beginning), when did Jesus know of His divine nature? Since He was not a new person (like you or me
when we were born), did He have the mind of a child or the mind of Christ? None of us can know for sure what truly
happened with the child Jesus, but we can be sure of one thing: the child Jesus
did not have a sin nature. And without a
sin nature this Child would have been gracious and loving and peaceful. His parents would not have to battle the
wickedness inherent in every other child for there was no wickedness in
Him. God had created Jesus without using
natural human reproduction. So
the sin nature was not reproduced in Jesus.
No wonder He grew in wisdom and was filled with God’s grace. Now, with that being said, can you imagine
what a time Mary and Joseph had with their second child!
Luke 2:41-52
It’s clear that by age 12 Jesus knew who He was, knew who His Father
was, and knew the Father’s plan for His life.
As He dialoged with the teachers of the Law, Jesus knew enough to ask
very wise questions, and you almost wonder if He wasn’t sitting there teaching
them; not lecturing them, but trying to get them to think by asking a
question. There is a good chance that He
had been in Jerusalem not just for the one day Passover celebration but for the
whole 8 day celebration of Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus
23:5-6). At the end of the celebration
the entourage from Nazareth begins the journey home. When they stop for the night Jesus isn’t
found, so Mary and Joseph begin the one day journey back. On the third day is when they find Him in the
Temple. Now I’m sure this man and woman
knew who Jesus was, but can you imagine going to God and saying “Sorry Lord, I
lost your Son”. I love Mary’s
remark. “Jesus, how could you do this to
me?” Jesus indicates that by the age of
12 He knew His mission, but it seems His earthly parents did not. However, out of respect He did return to
Nazareth and obeyed His earthly parents.
Matthew 2
Matthew 2:1-2
Although we do not know exactly when, the Magi arrived sometime after
the birth of Jesus. So those Manger
scenes that include them at the birth are not entirely accurate. They arrived when Mary, Joseph, and Jesus
were staying in a home (Matthew 2:11), and Jesus was a child (paidion), not and infant (brephos). Another question people ask is just who were
these Magi. Some have suggested that
they were important officials from a kingdom northeast of Babylon. Perhaps they had encountered some of the
exiled Jews living in Babylon and knew of the Old Testament prophecies. Others have contended that they represented
members of each of Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Inspired by God, these men traveled to
Jerusalem to pay tribute to the Nation’s new King and the World’s Messiah. However, that there were three is not
mentioned. I tend to think the first
theory is more correct. After giving
their gifts to Jesus these men returned to their country, not countries
(Matthew 2:12).
Matthew 2:3
Isn’t it odd that the people did not know about this birth, especially
considering what the Shepherds, Simeon, and Anna proclaimed about the boy (Luke
2:25-38). Either they did not pay
attention or enough time had passed and they had forgotten. It says here that Herod was alarmed. Well, he should have been. He was not a legitimate king. Herod was from Idumea, meaning that he was a
descendant from Esau; an Edomite. He had
no right to be sitting on the throne of Israel.
Only a descendant of David could do this. This would explain why the people hated him
and why he was suspicious of everyone.
Herod had many of his own family killed because of growing
suspicion. It was safer to be a swine in
his household than a son.
Matthew 2:7
Lots of people have debated about this star. Some have said it was a special alignment of
planets which caused a bright spot in the sky.
Okay, but please then explain to me how a “Star in the East” could suddenly
move to the South-West, which is exactly what would have needed to happen for
the magi to leave the Palace in Jerusalem and see the Star over Bethlehem. Planets and starts move east to west across
the sky, not north to south. Some have
supposed that this would have been the Glory of God as seen by the Jews for 40
years in the wilderness. I honestly
doubt that a group of star-gazers from north of Babylon would see a cluster of
planets and think “King of Jerusalem”.
Something supernatural was going on here.
Matthew 2:11 Notice that it mentions a house where they found Jesus and Mary. How old was Jesus by this time? Perhaps He was already two years old, considering Herod’s plan to kill all babies in Bethlehem under the age of two. It seems Herod was scheming all along, which is why he wanted to know how long ago the Magi saw the star in the east (Matthew 2:7). The Gold, Franken(stein)cense, and Myrrh were probably used by Joseph to fund their trip to Egypt.
Matthew 2:19-23
I have a lot of respect for Joseph.
He certainly was attuned to the voice of God. Apparently ready to return to Bethlehem, God
warns him to move north into the region around Galilee. This was the area Solomon tried to give to King
Hiram (1 Kings 9:11).
Mark
Although Mark does not mention himself in this
Gospel, an early Church Father named Papias indicated that the account was
written by Mark, an associate of Peter.
These would have been the words Mark heard Peter preach. According to Papias (who wrote around 110 AD)
Mark was not an eye witness follower of Jesus, he traveled with Peter and
learned of Jesus through his (Peter’s) preaching, he wrote down what Peter
said, but not necessarily in the order the events happened, he was Peter’s
interpreter (probably through the written word, rather than verbal translator),
and that his account is completely reliable.
Mark (his Latin name) is the same one called John
(Hebrew name) Mark in the book of Acts (see Acts 13:5). Some have supposed that Mark’s home in
Jerusalem was where the Last Supper took place.
The Apostles met in this home quite often (see Acts 12:12).
Mark was the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10),
and was probably led to Christ by Peter (compare 1 Peter 5:13).
Dating the book of Mark can be rather difficult,
especially when some scholars believe it was written before Matthew and
Luke. Some claim that Matthew and Luke
copied a lot of Mark’s material when writing their own Gospels. But of course the words of the first three
Gospels were handed down orally at first, so it seems to make sense that this
oral tradition is what is written. A
well accepted view among conservative scholars is that Mark was written before
Peter or Paul was martyred. Since it’s
obvious Mark knew Luke (2 Timothy 4:11), and Luke wrote his Gospel before the
fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and Acts ends with Paul still in prison, it’s quite
likely that Mark wrote down his account while Peter was still alive, perhaps
between 57 to 59 AD.
Mark 1
Mark 1:1-4
Mark, like the other Gospel writers, attributed this passage from Isaiah
40 to John the Baptist. Unlike Matthew
and Luke (or even John), Mark begins with the beginning of Jesus’
ministry. As said earlier, Mark was
Peter’s translator, and those outside of Palestine would not be interested or
concerned with the Davidic line of Jesus.
Perhaps the document we have was written by Mark for the Gentile people
in Rome while Peter was preaching there.
Mark 1:7-8
John knew he was preparing the way for the Messiah. His father probably told him of this. So John knew one day the Messiah would show
up, but he did not know who this Messiah was.
He didn’t know until he saw the sign God had promised, which is revealed
in Mark 1:9-11. It’s important to note
here that Jesus did not come confessing sin.
I think He came to be baptized so that John might see and know that his
cousin’s Son was indeed the Messiah.
Actually, by being baptized, Jesus confirms that a new way has been
opened for the forgiveness of sin. God
was planning to end the sacrificial system very soon by offering the One and
final sacrifice for all of humanity. The
voice from Heaven echoes what is found in Isaiah 42:1. Jesus’ baptism did not change who He
was. He did not become divine after the Spirit
filled Him or after the Father blessed Him.
Jesus was already divine, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form”
(Colossians 2:9).
Mark 1:12-13
The traditional sight of this 40 day testing was northwest of the Dead
Sea, immediately west of Jericho.
Mark 1:14-15
Mark skips about a whole year here.
Jesus had traveled back to Galilee with Andrew, John, and Peter (John
1:43). He was in Galilee for a while
interacting with the people there, traveled back to Jerusalem for the Passover
(John 2:13), and stirred up some trouble.
John was still a free man at this time (John 3:23). Later, Jesus traveled back to Galilee by way
of Samaria, meeting the woman at the well (John 4:7). At this time Andrew, Peter, James, John, and
perhaps many others were simply following Jesus, watching Him and learning from
Him. Matthew also inserts this story
early in the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 4:12), right after the temptation in
the wilderness. But it’s clear from
John’s Gospel that a lot happened before John the Baptist was arrested. This is important because it helps us
understand what comes next.
Mark 1:16-20
These four men knew Jesus and had already spent some time traveling with
Jesus. However, once they returned home,
they all went right back to work; stepped into their old life. But Jesus was about to challenge them. Christ was asking them to leave their line of
work and instead allow Jesus to be their Rabbi; to be their Teacher.
Mark 1:21-28
Mark frequently speaks about Jesus teaching, but he seldom mentions what
He said. What He said here was probably
similar to what was spoken at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:28-29). The Scribes and the Jewish Teachers taught
much like most pastors or Sunday School Teachers. They talk about what was written or who said
what about God. But apparently Jesus
said things like “I say to you”, speaking to the crowd as if His were the words
of God. To their credit, the people in
this Synagogue recognized the difference and accepted the teaching (at least
for a while). However, there is
something in this story that strikes me as odd.
Did you notice it too? At church
that day was a man possessed by an evil spirit.
We usually don’t associate church attendance by those possessed. You would think the evil spirit would keep
that person away from church, lest they may hear the Truth and repent. But apparently this church service was a safe
place for an evil spirit. I wonder how
many evil spirits feel safe in attending my church or your church.
Mark 1:32
Notice that the people waited until sunset to bring the sick and
demon-possessed to Jesus. They didn’t
want to break any Sabbath Laws (Exodus 20:10), or any local regulations
(compare Mark 3:1-5).
Mark 1:35-39 The
disciples almost seem irritated with Jesus for leaving and not telling
them. Maybe the crowds started banging on
Simon Peter’s front door before he was awake.
That would make me a little grumpy too.
The announcement about leaving town might have been difficult for these
four men to hear. What about my
family? How will they feed
themselves? Who will care for them?
Mark 1:40-45
Notice here that Jesus reached out and touched the man with
Leprosy. For a normal person this would
mean that they had become unclean.
Cleanliness is defiled, not defilement cleansed. Yet Jesus doesn’t seem concerned. Exodus 29:37 comes to mind here. The offering for cleansing is prescribed in
Leviticus 14:2-32. Jesus told the man to
go to the priest and present himself.
The priest would have to admit that the man was clean and have to give
credit to the Man who cleansed him. Thus
the priest would testify about Jesus.
But instead the former Leper runs and tells everyone else. 
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