The Real Christmas Story – 3-1
- Luke 1:26-56
V26…supernatural from the start.
V29…Mary was troubled…you would be to if you saw an angel.
V30…angels always say “Do not be afraid” when they appear to humans…why?
What is your idea of what an angel looks like? Biblically, angels would seem to be
very awesome.
V31…the word “Jesus” is Yeshua or Joshua…it means Yahwah is salvation.
V32…the messiah was to come from the house or lineage of King David. Jesus
satisfies that. Matt 1:1-17 is Joseph’s side, note V6….Luke 3:23-37 is probably Mary’s
side, note V31.
V34 & 35…born of a virgin…another prophecy fulfilled by Jesus (see Isaiah 7:14)
V36 & 37…Hey Mary, not only can God cause your old relative to have a baby well
past her child bearing years…but He can even cause a virgin to have a child
because nothing is too hard for our God.
V37…but why a virgin? See Gen 3:15 ,the seed of a woman, not of a man. For Jesus
to be 100% God and 100% man, He had to be both. If Joseph was His biological
father, then He would be just a man but not God. This way, God the Father was His
father and Mary was His mother. This melding of the 2 unions of God & humanity
is called the hypostatic union.
V39…I’ll bet she did hurry.
V46-55…the magnificat of Mary.
- Matt 1:18-25
V18…Mary was probably about 12-14 years old. Joe was about 17-18 years old,
rather old to be married. Speculation…maybe he had waited for Mary to be
of marriagable age. What a dilemna!
V19…Jewish betrothal was like engagement but much more serious. Betrothed
women were treated like they were married (see Gen 20:21), except that they didn’t
live together or have sex. A betrothal could only be broken by getting a divorce. Joe,
in good conscience, could not marry Mary, who was now thought to be unfaithful. But
he didn’t want to expose her to public disgrace by divorcing her publicly either. Also,
the Law of Moses prescribed death by stoning for adultery. The Law of Moses
also allowed for a private divorce before only 2 witnesses (see Numbers 5:11-31). Joe
was going to do this as it would leave both his righteous (his conformity to the Law
of Moses) and his compassion & love for Mary intact. What a position for Joe to be in.
V20…Joe tried to solve his dilemna in what to him, seemed to be the best way possible.
Only then did God intervene with a dream. Notice that God didn’t rebuke Joe …but He
reassured him that what Mary had said happened was really what happened.
V21…the angel says that Jesus will save people from their sins….but Jews knew that
only God could save people from their sins (Psalms 130:8)…thus, the angel is calling
Jesus, God.
V22,23…see Isaiah 7:14
V24,25…What obedience Joe modeled….no sex until after Jesus was born…Joseph
ROCKS!