Christ’s Birth
READ Luke 2:1-7
Why
was Jesus prophesied to be born in Bethlehem?
It was the “city of David”, the place
where Israel’s greatest king had been raised – Christ would be the King of
Kings.
It means “House of Bread” and Christ was
the Bread of Life.
Like all aspects of his humble birth and
upbringing, Bethlehem was a small village, not a sophisticated urban metropolis.
With
Christ’s birth occurring in April and not December, why else was there “no room
in the inn”?
There was a Roman census.
It was also the Passover season where 2
million Jews descended upon Jerusalem (usually a city of 200k to 300k).
Why
may have Christ’s birth in a stable cave have been preferable to the “inn” for
Mary?
These “inns” were not like the Prancing
Pony in Bree or the Westin downtown.
They were “khans” or “caravanserai” which
were fortress-like buildings with an open square in the middle for livestock
and rooms that were open to that square, so that people could keep an eye on
their animals.
There was little privacy there to deliver
a baby.
READ Matthew 2:1-3
Where
did the Wise Men go to find Christ?
The king’s palace.
Because the heavenly sign pointed to a
“king of the Jews” being born.
Why
was Christ born in such humble circumstances when He could have been born in a
palace?
God’s ways are not our ways – accepting
Christ was not designed to be easy.
He condescended to leave heaven and to
descend below all things.
He was to go forth suffering pains and
afflictions of every kind, so that he could know how to succor His people (see
Alma 7:11-12) – it started at birth.
READ Luke 2:8-14
Why
do we not have a record of angels appearing to others around Bethlehem to
proclaim Christ’s birth?
It was important that the “glad tidings”
be proclaimed to these shepherd witnesses, who would take the word to others.
The lowly shepherds were soft-hearted
believers while the Chief Priests and leaders of the Church were prideful,
wicked men only interested in priestcraft and organizational/political power.
What
flock were these shepherds watching over and what is the significance?
These shepherds likely were at the Migdal
Eder (“watchtower of the flock”) guarding the lambs that had been born late
that winter and were earmarked to be sacrificed at the Passover Feast.
They were the lambs that would be
sacrificed in similitude of the sacrifice of Christ, the true Lamb of God.
What
does the name “Jesus” or “Yeshua” mean?
God saves.
One who brings salvation, especially from
sin.
To rescue or deliver from harm or danger.
Savior.
So, when the angel says, “is born a
Savior”, he could have said “is born Savior”.
What
does “Christ” mean?
The anointed one.
Consecrated or made sacred, usually in a
ceremony with oil.
The Messiah.
Who
does “the Lord” refer to?
The translation says “Lord” but that’s
because of the traditions of the Jews and the translators – they used “Lord” or
“Adonai” to represent another word – the name of God.
Lord = Yahweh or Jehovah.
What
is the actual translation of the angel’s message to the shepherds?
“For unto you is born this day, in the
City of the King, Jesus/Yeshua/Joshua, who is the promised Messiah, and also
the Lord God Jehovah!”
Why
is the sign of the birth of the Lord God Jehovah that He will be lying in
swaddling clothes and lying in a manager?
Because that is the last place you’d look
for His birth.
It can be a valid sign because it is so
unbelievably unexpected.
READ Luke 2:15-20
Why
did the shepherds decide to leave the flocks immediately and make haste to find
the child?
When you are given an invitation
authorized by heaven to come unto Christ – you do not delay, and you do not let
anything get in your way.
It was the deepest desires of their
hearts – to seek and find the living Christ.
What
do you think Mary and Joseph’s reaction was to a bunch of shepherds running
into the cave and falling at their feet to worship their newborn?
Initially, it was probably surprise – who
were these strangers and how did they know about this special, albeit obscure,
baby.
It was a reminder that while the world
did not know about this birth or this baby, the heavens did.
It was a reminder of the greatness of
this child - despite His humble birth, this was not an ordinary child – if
either of them (Joseph…) had any doubts, this would have gone a long way to
resolve them.
Why
did all that heard the shepherds’ testimony “wonder” at it?
It was a crazy story from a bunch of
humble shepherds – the likelihood that the Messiah, not to mention God Himself
(Yahweh), would be born into the world like this was unthinkable.
The message didn’t come from a
credentialed source – not from the High Priest or the Pharisees or the Scholars
(scribes) but from regular “members”.
It would be normal to wonder – many of us
assume we would recognize the Lord – but back then, when it actually occurred,
few did – there is a lot we should ponder about this for each of us and it
should start with “Lord, is it I?”
His coming and His ministry required
those who elected to follow Him to ignore tradition, to reject many of the tenets
and creeds of the religion they believed in, to disregard the priesthood
leaders who presided over them and who railed against Him, and to accept a
vastly different gospel from what they had been taught since childhood and was
believed by all of their family and friends.
They were required to become “revolutionaries”. And they had to do it all based on “hearing
His voice” through His message – everything else was not the way they expected
it to be.
READ Luke 2:25-30 and 2:36-38
Who
else added their testimony to the shepherds?
Two elderly people filled with the spirit
of prophesy.
No one of any consequence or credence to
the royal, religious, learned, powerful and rich of the day.
The Magi from the East
Skipping ahead in the narrative, we
already read the beginning of the account of the Magi from the East…
READ Matthew 2:4-12, 16
How
did the Chief Priests and scribes know where Christ was to be born?
In their study of the scriptures.
So
why did their study of the scriptures not lead them to recognize and accept
Jesus as that Messiah?
Scripture study is necessary but not
sufficient.
They must obtain within themselves the
same spirit that animated the prophets who wrote the scriptures, in order to
truly understand, believe, and be changed by them.
What
else where the Magi studying that the Chief Priests had missed and what is
implied?
The stars.
The lights in the heavens were to be for
signs and for seasons – all things testify of Christ including the movement of
the stars, moon and sun throughout the day/night, month, seasons, and the year
(see Genesis 1:14; Moses 2:14; Abraham 4:14; Abraham 3).
These signs in the heavens cannot be
touched or changed by man (like written scripture can) and the only way they
can be apostatized from is if their meanings are forgotten or changed.
The Chief Priests no longer looked to the
stars as signs but the Magi had retained that sacred knowledge and knew what
the convergence and movement of certain heavenly bodies meant.
Why
did the Magi bring these specific gifts to the Lord?
They were
given to Mary to safeguard until the time of Christ’s atoning sacrifice (see
John 12:1-8); the royal oil used to coronate a king contained spikenard,
frankincense and myrrh.
Frankincense – used to anoint people
entering into new phases of their spiritual lives; it is associated with
enlightenment and inspiration; a symbol of Christ’s role as our Intercessor and
Redeemer.
Myrrh – used as an embalming ointment to
purify the dead; it has a bitter smell; a symbol of Christ’s suffering and
death – the Suffering Servant.
Spikenard – extremely expensive oil or
ointment used to anoint royalty; symbolizes His role as King of Kings; the
“gold” associated with the gift could have been used to buy the spikenard or
perhaps the text was changed over the years to gold but was actually this very
expensive oil (since the other gifts were part of the royal anointing oil
recipe).
These three oils were used to anoint the
Lord by Mary prior to His atonement, death and resurrection; this anointing was
critical to Christ’s ability to be resurrected as the King of Israel and God of
the Earth.
They were also part of the recipe for the
incense offering used in the Holy Place of the Hebrew temple.
How
long had the Magi been traveling to get to Christ and what does this imply?
Two years.
Other sheep He had, that were not of this
Palestinian fold, indeed.
Two years is much farther East than
Persia (where the Jews had been taken after Babylon) – it makes one wonder
about some of the core truths taught in Eastern Yogic traditions, we may
revisit some of these through this year of study as they are taught by Christ
during His ministry.
It is interesting to note that
frankincense and myrrh are sourced in Africa, and spikenard (thought to be
another of the kingly gifts) is found in India, Nepal and China.
Remember that Christ visited all of His
other sheep after His resurrection – this group (or groups) would have been
among them.
What
does the Magi’s error in judgment with regard to Herod’s character and their
subsequent revelatory dream teach us?
Good, inspired people can make mistakes –
no human is infallible.
Because they were open to revelation
(which led them to Christ in the first place), they received revelation again,
when it counted.
We should not be accusers of each other
for making mistakes – if we are humble and seeking the Lord, He will intercede
such that we can learn from our mistakes without causing undue damage to others.
Christ’s Childhood
READ Luke 2:40-52 (including JST v46)
What
does the fact that the scribes and priests were astonished by the answers Jesus
gave them to their questions imply?
By twelve years old, He had already been
instructed by His Father.
He already knew His Father and “His
business” – the immortality and eternal life of man, enabled by the atoning
sacrifice.
What
is the difference between one who studies the scriptures for thousands of hours
and one who “gazes into heaven for five minutes”? (see TPJS 365:1)
One has actual knowledge while the other
has speculative conjecture masquerading as truth – the first speaks with
“authority” and not as the “scribes” (scholars).
One has been changed by their experience
while the other tries to change others’ opinions to align with their own
understanding of their research.
