Paul's Prayer in Colossians 4

One of my convictions that I am writing more and more about is the difference between how we typically pray and what we pray for in our churches.  By comparing his prayer in Scripture to our prayer at church, I believe we can see why we are lacking in power and impact.

Prayer of Paul Colossians 4:2-6

“Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the message, to speak the •mystery of the •Messiah, for which I am in prison, 4 so that I may reveal it as I am required to speak. 5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. 6 Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.”

Sunday 1/22/12 we finished looking at this passage in The Pursuit College Class at Westside Baptist Church.  In the previous post, I broke down our discussion for vs. 2.

At this point, vs. 3, Paul begins asking for prayer for himself.  Considering his circumstances, what he asks for is unexpected.  He is currently in prison in Rome.

If I was in prison, especially unjustly or because of persecution, I would be asking people to pray for my release.  If I wanted a door to be opened, it would be the door to my cell.  I find it odd that he didn’t ask for this.

The Church and Paul had seen their share of prison doors being opened.  Peter was walked out of a prison cell even though he was chained and guarded.  Paul was set free by an earthquake after a night of praising God.  If Paul wanted out of prison, he knew his God could do it.

But an open prison door is not what he asked for.

Instead, he wants people to ask God to pray for an open door to the message of Christ.  He wants more opportunity to do the very thing that put him in prison in the first place: speaking the message of the Mystery of Christ.

What is that Mystery?  Paul says it as if he expects his readers to know.  It’s not supposed to be an unknown.  It’s not supposed to be a secret.  He is trying to “speak it clearly” (NIV) or “reveal” this great mystery.

This full disclosure of the mystery is a strong contrast to the heresy he was combating in this book: an early form of Gnosticism.  “Gnosis” is the Greek word for Knowledge.  This philosophy taught that there was a hidden and secret knowledge that had to be learned from them.  They taught that the message of Paul and the apostles was incomplete—you had to join their group, learn the secret handshakes and go through their rituals in order to learn the real secrets of salvation and the universe.  You needed these secrets in order to obtain salvation, to please God and truly accomplish anything in this existence.

Paul rejects this, which is why he repeatedly uses words like “all”, “every”, and “fullness” throughout chapter 1, particularly verses 9-10: “… asking God to FILL you with the knowledge (epignosis) of His will through ALL spiritual wisdom and understanding.  And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in EVERY way: bearing fruit in EVERY good work, GROWING in the knowledge (epignosis) of God.”

We can be filled with experiential knowledge without anything held back or kept secret.   

Remember this was the original lie from Genesis 3—that God was holding out on you, He’s keeping some knowledge to Himself because He doesn’t want the competition of others “being like [Him]”.  We don’t need the secrets of the Gnostics to be able to please God, to bear fruit or grow in our relationship with Him.

What secrets or mysteries there are, Paul wants to reveal and bring out into the open because that is the basis and foundation of the Good News.  It is the same thing that Peter identifies as something even the angels long to look into—the efforts & lengths throughout history God has gone to in order to bring about salvation of sinful people & reconciliation--reconciliation between God and man, and Jew & Gentile.

Romans 16:25
“Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the •mystery kept silent for long ages 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all nations — 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ —to Him be the glory forever!•Amen.”

The Scriptures have been telling a story of what God is doing –“kept silent for long ages”—see also Ephesians 3:5 & 3:9 for similar statements of things hidden in past generations.

Paul says the “Mystery”, what has been unknown to previous generations, what the Patriarchs & Prophets were looking forward to, the Scriptures testifying to; he says this has now been revealed and made known—it is no longer hidden. 

It is the Mystery of how God could restore all of Creation to it’s true purpose before the Corruption, the seemingly impossible task of making sinful humanity a New Creation, reconciling and restoring relationship between God and humanity (Eph. 3: 12—“through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence”). 

Included in the Mystery is the reconciliation of the division between Jew & Gentile (Eph. 3:6—“this mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body…”—see also Romans 11:25) all of this is “accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

God had been pointing forward in the Old Testament Scriptures to the Promise and coming of the Messiah—it was a mystery because there was not full disclosure, but it was also something we could never have imagined. 

If I was going to plan a way to save the world—sending Jesus to the Cross would not have been how I pulled it off.  It truly is foolishness and a stumbling block.

Paul was asking people to pray that he have even more opportunities to explain this mystery.  It’s not something that is supposed to be kept secret but proclaimed from the rooftops.  He wants prayer for when those moments come, he will express it all clearly, reveal it powerfully in such a way that connects to the heart of the hearer(s).  This is despite the fact that it’s his efforts at explaining the Mystery is the very thing that has landed him in jail and got him in so much trouble—see 2 Corinthians 11:21-28 for a list of his experiences.

But those hardships also opened the door of opportunity.  For example see Philippians 1:12-13—“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.”

Apparently, Paul’s guards were getting an earful; and in an opportune reversal, Paul was not the captive audience!  This is consistent with early church and Roman history that Christianity made significant advances among people in the military.

Paul is there being held for trial before Roman authorities, possibly Caesar himself because of his arrest in Jerusalem.  And he is not asking for justice or leniency but rather that he would be able to explain his cause, the Gospel, clearly: even to the officials deciding his fate.

In that regard, he returns to instructing and praying for his readers to “act wisely toward outsiders”.  He does this for a few reasons.  First, some outsiders to the cause of Christ are dangerous.  To them, we must follow the command of Jesus to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves”—Matthew 10:16.  Second, while some outsiders are dangerous, not all of them are—do not turn everything into an “us v. them” mentality because that effects the third reason: 

All Outsiders are Potential Insiders

—and how you act toward or respond to them can make a difference.  If someone is going to reject the Gospel, Paul wants it to be because of the actual claims and teachings of Jesus—he doesn’t want to be the reason.  He understands, as we should, that many outsiders judge Jesus based not on Him or His teachings, but because of what they see out of us—the people who are supposed to be like Him.

Be wise, be discerning and attentive.  Make the most of every opportunity.  If you sense an openness to hearing about Jesus—do not let fear of what may happen to you or embarrassment keep you quiet.  If God opens a door—be paying attention enough to notice it, then ask for the boldness to step through that door.

This also implies that not every moment, not every encounter, not every conversation is an open door to share the Gospel because that door may be temporarily shut.  Be wise and discerning. 

Surely you know those people who turn every conversation into something about Jesus.  Many non-believers and even some believers find the person frustrating or annoying.  Now don’t get me wrong, I can be one of those people.  Many conversations can and should be turned to address spiritual needs or questions and can be done easily without feeling forced.  But there are times when such a transition is forced.  Sometimes you and I just need to enjoy a conversation about football or some other topic and demonstrate that we can be related to.

But again, if the Holy Spirit reveals a way to direct the conversation to the Gospel, don’t talk yourself out of it!  Make the most of the opportunity and the prompting of the Spirit—don’t worry about what you will say but trust the Spirit to give you the words.  Don’t worry about the results for truly only God softens hearts.  Do not fear your friends’ opinions, rather fear the LORD and concern yourself with His opinion.  Be a servant of Jesus and not a slave to your fear.

“Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.”

If you want to make the most of the opportunity, how you talk, what you talk about, even the words you use does make a difference.  The conversation of a believer needs to be full of grace.  If we are constantly complaining, constantly gossiping about others, constantly tearing someone else down or blaming someone for things that are wrong—then our joy is not on display and we prove ourselves to be hypocrites.  Jesus himself said in Matthew 15:18—“but the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart…”.  The list that follows shows that our speech displays our hearts and thoughts of hatred, lust, lying and slander.

Our conversation must be gracious but also seasoned with “salt”.  On one hand, salt makes food and things more “tasty” or appealing & palatable.  But I believe in this context, salt represents the Truth.  Truth is not always something people want to hear but we as believers should not shy away from it. 

It is possible to be sharing the truth in a harmful or hurtful way.  Much has been said of “Bible thumpers” and people who are so harsh in their condemnation that the truth of what they are saying is lost.

An open door, an opportunity to share Christ must be met with both Grace & Truth.  If you lack either, then you are not making the most of the opportunity, nor proclaiming the Mysterious Good News clearly.  Some people are so “gracious” in their conversation that they never confront an uncomfortable subject or an inconvenient truth for fear of offending.  I can understand that. 

I imagine doctors hate having to tell their patients the bad news of their diagnosis.  However, that doctor would be a failure if out of fear of a hard conversation rather told their patient that “everything was alright.”  On the flip side, many doctors can reveal the truth of a diagnosis without any sense of a “bedside manner” and they come across cruel and heartless.

Jesus said it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.  He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  The diagnosis is that a person is a sinner and in need of the cure that comes through Jesus’ work on the Cross.  If your conversation has all grace, you may never point out this truth.  If your conversation has no grace, the truth of their situation may contribute to them avoiding the needed cure.

Grace and Truth must be a necessary part of making the most of every opportunity.  We as a church need to be praying and asking God for these things and when we do, we will be able “to answer everyone.”

1.      

1. God, please open a door of opportunity for me, our church to share Jesus 
2. God, please help me reveal the truth of the Good News Clearly 
3.  God, help me be wise toward those who do not yet know You 
4. God, help me recognize those moments of opportunity and have boldness to speak 
5. God, fill my conversation with grace and truth. 
6.  God, I know I don’t have all the answers, but You do.  Help me answer and respond to everyone—always being prepared (see 1 Peter 3:15-16)

Three Lessons on Prayer from Colossians 4

In the college Sunday school class at Westside Baptist Church, we’ve been going through the prayers of Paul.  It’s been a good class.  As always, I don’t always know where it’s going to end up.  And several of the students made good contributions.

Today we were going over Paul’s prayer in Colossians 4:2—“Devote (diligent or steadfast) yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.”

We learn three things about prayer in the passage.

1.    Prayer requires devotion/diligence/steadfastness

2.   Prayer requires Watchfulness/Alertness

3.   Prayer requires Thankfulness

1.    Prayer needs deliberate attention and a part of our daily existence. 

Not to be neglected, taken for granted or ignored.  We have the opportunity to approach the throne of grace by God’s invitation.

Prayer can be easy—there are times when it comes naturally and flows from the heart just like breathing.  Sometimes waking up in the morning is like that.  In many instances, difficulty or trouble causes prayer to roll off the tongue because we are asking for help.

But prayer can also be hard.  There are times when I don’t want to go to God in prayer.  It’s usually after I have messed up in some way.  Praying when I know I need to repent is difficult.  It’s sometimes hard when He is not doing what I think He should—when I’m angry, confused or upset.  It’s hard when 

I’ve been asking or praying about the same thing for a long time, but not seen any movement or activity from Him (that I can tell).

We must be devoted to Prayer, steadfast and diligent in it—showing commitment and perseverance.  We should not quit or give up because to do so is a sign that you really don’t believe God is going to hear or act—or you do not trust His answer.  For example, sometimes I pray like a child asks a parent for permission—I try to figure out which one will give me the answer I want and I’ll ask them first.  Well, if I think I know God is not going to answer, or think He’s not going to give the answer I want, I won’t want to pray.

Prayer doesn’t always come easily or naturally, so we must be diligent in it.  It should be a part of your nature and who you are, like in the movie

Shadowlands where Anthony Hopkins as C.S. Lewis says of prayer:

"I pray because I can't help myself.  I pray because I'm helpless.  I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping.  It doesn't change God.  It changes me."

2.  But why do we need to be Watchful or Alert in prayer? 

How is that possible since we typically close our eyes during prayer (at least in our culture)?  Maybe it means something more than physical sight.

One of my college students brilliantly pointed out that maybe our prayer time is a moment to be practicing and honing our “ninja senses”.  We all laughed at the comment, but maybe it’s not as far off as you might first think.  There are two ways I think he is on to something.

First, we need to be watchful or alert in prayer for the opportunity to pray and bring something before God.  People are hurting all around us, people are in need.  Moments of ministry and encouragement are there right before us, but if we are not paying attention, the door of opportunity will slip by. 

We have not because we ask not, Jesus said.  Paraphrasing… we see not (no answer to prayer) because we do not see the opportunity to pray and ask.

There are many more things that we should be praying for and bringing before God but we don’t see them as a need or something that merits praying about.   

Maybe we see them as trivial and insignificant, maybe we’re so caught up in our own life and what’s happening in that moment, that we don’t allow our mind to move toward prayer.

Nothing is too trivial.  But we are way too distracted.  We don’t like uncomfortable silences, so we are not comfortable with our own thoughts.   

We’ve always got to have noise, the TV on, music playing… while those things are not wrong, they do often prevent our mind from thinking and considering its own thoughts and concerns.

And because of that, we need to be Watchful and Alert for the Opportunity for Prayer.

Second, we need to be watchful and alert because Prayer truly is the front lines of the Battle.  We do have an enemy that is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  We do have armor that we are supposed to put on in fighting the battle that is not against flesh and blood.

In that context of the Armor of God from Ephesians 6, Paul brings up the subject of prayer.  Ephesians 6:18—“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

Paul urges us to pray in the Spirit because it doesn’t happen automatically and doesn’t come naturally.  Our mind does wander, our worries do overwhelm us.  We don’t necessarily take the situation or our enemy seriously so we just go through the motions.

That last point is worth hitting a little harder.  Think of the experience of our military personnel.  When the enemy is openly firing, everybody is tense and paying close attention to the battle.  When you know the enemy is there and you just haven’t found him yet, you’re listening for any stray sound, watching for any stray movement, careful for traps and ambush points. 

But the longer the enemy has been inactive or not a threat, the more relaxed our guard becomes.  We don’t listen as carefully.  In essence, we are not taking the enemy seriously and so we are less watchful and alert.

That is the state of many believers today.  We do not directly feel threatened by the enemy.  Too many of us dismiss the spiritual battle and old superstition from people who didn’t know how to explain what’s going on the world.  In some cases, that’s true. 

But the enemy is very real and demands our full attention.  In the moments that we lose that sense of battle, when we think everything is fine, we lose the urgency of prayer.

And so we are not devoted to it and we are more likely to be going through the motions if we go through them at all.

3.  Lastly, we must be Thankful

Thankfulness requires recognition: recognition that what you have or where you are is not merely a product of your own accomplishments and ingenuity.   

Thankfulness requires that we acknowledge that Active involvement of someone greater than ourselves for our existence and circumstances. 

The old expression of 2 Certain Truths, comes to mind.   

1.  There is a God.   

2.  I’m not/You’re not Him

If you really believe that, then you will acknowledge that with Thankfulness.  Thankfulness is giving Him credit, honoring Him, acknowledging that He is the greater, the Sovereign Power before whom you have been granted an audience.

Realize that God is not obligated in any way to hear our prayer.  He is not obligated to respond in any way to our prayer. 

He could consider them a nuisance much like Jim Carrey’s character did in Bruce Almighty.  In the movie, Jim Carrey thinks he can do a better job than God at running the universe.   So God gives him a shot at it. 

In one brilliant scene, Jim is supposed to answer people’s prayer.  When he listens, all the voices overwhelm him, so he sets up a computer system, like e-mail to respond.   He works as fast as he can but the number of prayers and requests keeps on climbing to which he responds, “What a bunch of whiners!”

That could be God’s opinion of us.  Most other religions, especially ancient Babylonian depicted their gods being annoyed by the noisy humans.  But our God does not want us at a distance.  He wants us close and invites us into His presence (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19-22, 1 John 3:21-22).  He considers the prayer of His people a pleasing aroma rising to Him like the burning of incense (Revelation 5:8).  Even when we don’t know what to pray for, we have the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf with more than we can express (Romans 8:26-27).

We have an audience with the King, the Creator of the Universe.  We owe Him our very existence and every day is a gift.  The relationships we have with family and friends are gifts.  Our possessions, our opportunities, are all for His Glory. 

If we really understood that, believed that, and lived that… Thankfulness would pour out of our mouths and prayer wouldn’t really be all that hard.  We would be compelled to pray because we know we have the audience of the king—

Such moments cannot be squandered or wasted.  We must take seriously that time before Him.  We must be watchful and alert or risk disrespecting the awesome power and authority and dignity He possesses.  And we must be thankful for those precious moments, when the Authority lowers His guard and invites us up into His lap as a Father who truly loves us.

May we be evermore Devoted to Prayer

May we be evermore Alert & Watchful through Prayer

May we be evermore Thankful in Prayer

Our lives, our churches and this world would truly be changed.

Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life

Annual-- "How Well do you Know the First Christmas?" Post

How Well Do You Know the First Christmas?

There is so much in these birth narratives that we miss or read over because we think we know the story already or because our mind has been so cluttered by the popular depictions that we don’t study carefully what the text actually says. 

The birth narratives of Jesus are found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.


1. What is the traditional story of Mary & Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem?

The traditional picture has a tired and desperate Mary & Joseph trudging/rushing into Bethlehem. They are all alone, there’s no AAA Roadside Assistance, there’s no hospital, they know no one. All the Inn’s or Motel 6’s have No Vacancy and so thanks to the backhanded generosity of a sour innkeeper, Mary & Joseph are banished to the barn where she is already in labor and almost immediately has the baby Jesus. Then the Shepherds appear following a star because not far behind them are the 3 Kings bearing gifts. They all form a nice little huddle around the Manger and the baby Jesus.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this picture—it’s the most popular—but is it the most accurate to the biblical texts?

2. Were they traveling alone? What biblical evidence do you have to support they were not alone?

We get a few clues to suggest they were not traveling alone.

First, in Luke 2, since everyone had to travel to their own hometown to register—it’s safe to assume that other people had to do some traveling to register as well—including their family who also would have to go to Bethlehem.

Second, Bethlehem was full of travelers—they had to get there somehow—they would have used the same roads that Mary & Joseph used.

Third has to do with the time of year the events actually occurred which we’ll get to later—let’s just say that in order for them to get to Bethlehem, Mary & Joseph had to pass through Jerusalem (Bethlehem is about 5 miles South of Jerusalem whereas Nazareth is considerably north of Jerusalem)—Jerusalem was the center of political and religious life in Israel so pilgrims of all sorts were on the roads to Jerusalem all the time.

Fourth, most people traveled in family groups or with friends whenever possible. You see evidence of Joseph & Mary doing this just a few verses later (Luke 2:41-44) when Jesus was 12 years old. Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem when J & M left for home. They were traveling in such a large group, they couldn’t see Jesus and assumed He was running around with someone else.

3. When was the baby born?

a. Mary barely made it into town
b. The first night
c. Some time later

Luke 2:6 says “while they were there, the time came for the baby to be born”. The implication of that statement is that M & J arrived in Bethlehem and sometime before they went home, Jesus was born. Luke was a very precise writer—and even though he’s giving a quick summation of some things—if there was a panicked rush to get to Bethlehem, he could have said so. The language is of a much slower series of events. So the idea that she was in labor as they ran into Bethlehem, desperately pounding on doors is not particularly accurate. So they may have been there for a few days or even weeks before she went into labor.

Given the later accounts of the Magi in Matthew—it’s obvious that J & M stayed in Bethlehem for a long time.

4. Does that change the nature of the location of Jesus’ birth if it happened some time later—in other words, couldn’t Joseph had found some other place after a while?

If they had been there for a few days at least, then the likelihood that Joseph couldn’t find any place to stay is a stretch. After some time, he would have been able to find something and they would not have been cast out to the animal pens. Why would they go there then? We’ll talk about that later.

5. Were Mary & Joseph alone while in Bethlehem? What is the likelihood that they knew anyone in town?

The traditional picture is them alone and afraid. But why were they going to Bethlehem in the first place? It was their family home. They both were of the line of David. Not all of the family would have moved away from Bethlehem. Some of them stuck around—and they would have had some good records or tradition of who is related to who and where they are in the line of potential successors for David’s throne. Family relationships and connections were important for that culture and Joseph or Mary probably had relatives that still lived there that they could have gone to and asked for a place to stay or help with the pregnancy.  With annual pilgrimages, they would have visited family often.
Yet if that were the case, why would they have to go out to the animals? That would be affected by several things one being the nature of the place they were staying.

First, let’s look at something that isn’t obviously related, but it is.

6. Luke 22:10-12—describes a room... what was this room like?

In this passage, Jesus is preparing for the Passover feast and He sends Peter & John in to find the right place—He says—“He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, `The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 12 He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there."

This “guestroom” was a large room that many houses had for family gatherings, meals, or visiting relatives—it was big, generally open and several families could sleep there at the same time.

If you didn’t know, Luke uses some of the best Greek in the New Testament, fitting for his life as a physician. He is precise in his words and this is important.

7. Back in Luke 2, the word “Inn” is the same as in Luke 22? How does this change the picture of the passage?

Interestingly, the word that Luke uses in ch. 22 translated “guestroom” is the same one used in ch. 2 translated “inn”. The problem is that “inn” carries many different connotations—our mind pictures something like a Motel 6—large building with many small rooms that you can rent for the night. If Joseph was there for an extended stay—at least 33 days according to Leviticus 12 for Mary’s purification (Luke 2:22) this would quickly become an expensive venture.

As shown by their sacrifice of 2 small doves in the temple and not a lamb—they may not have been well off financially—much less able to stay in a Bethlehem motel for several months.

But if the word is not translated “Inn” but guestroom, then the situation changes. If they really had family in town, then that would have been the place they would have gone for lodging. And if the family’s upper room/guest room was full—it was probably full of other family. There’s a reason why all those family members would have been there in Bethlehem, which I’ll get to in just a moment. But it’s very likely that these people were not strangers but cousins, aunts, uncles, and others who would be traveling to Bethlehem.

8. Typically we see Mary & Joseph as being banished to the stable. How could going to the stables have been a good thing for them?

The problem wasn’t that they were alone and desperate, or that there were cruel, heartless innkeepers who wouldn’t bother to find them a spot—the greater problem was that there was a lot of people—and even a lot of family and friends is no place to have a baby!

How many women do you know that want to have a baby in a crowded room where everybody and their dog could watch. Sure, some have given birth on a plane, in the mall, but certainly that wasn’t their first choice!

So going to the room for animals—likely something built onto the house itself or even under the upper room—was a good thing, a helpful thing, a privacy thing. There, they won’t have to worry about people watching, kids tripping over them or all the other inconveniences a woman in labor would want to avoid. Not to mention all of the ceremonial uncleanness that a birth brings with it (I don't have time to look it up right now)

Similarly, since the birth didn’t happen the moment of arrival, I’m sure they had the opportunity to make sure the place was cleaned up or prepared for Mary to have a baby down there. Going to the stable was a good thing for Mary.

The stable would have given privacy, if they were really around family, then Joseph would not have been the only attendant Mary had, but other related women who had been through the process before themselves. They may even have known a local mid-wife to assist in the delivery.

9. Was Jesus really born on December 25th?

The likely time that shepherds would be out in the fields at night is springtime, while the lambs were being born. The shepherds were out to guard and assist their flocks in their deliveries. That would put Jesus’ birth closer to Passover.

In which case—the reason that Bethlehem was crowded would not have just been because of the census—but because of all the travelers going to Jerusalem for Passover. It would have made the roads packed with faithful Jewish men and women who were required to go to Jerusalem for the observance. So the image of the lone travelers is even more unlikely. It also makes the ceremonial uncleanness of the birth all the more significant--perhaps even excluding Joseph from assisting her if he intended to participate in Passover.

The census was taken over a period of time (even years from its issuing) so there was not a hard deadline for Joseph to meet—so presumably, he combined his registration in Bethlehem with his regular/annual trip to Jerusalem.

The other interesting imagery is the fact that one of the titles Jesus is given in Scripture is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”. To participate in Passover, Jewish family had to sacrifice a year old male lamb. These sacrifices were to Atone for the sins of the family. The sacrifice only covered the sin—the unintentional sins. There was no sacrifice for deliberate sins and they certainly didn’t take away sin or it’s consequence. But that is what Jesus, the Lamb of God was promised to do.

The very lambs that the shepherds were watching born in front of them would be next year’s offering—but they were able to bear witness to an even better Lamb, that could do even more.

10. Why is it unusual for shepherds to be witnesses to this event?

Ironically, even though the shepherds provided the most important element of the festival, by this time, shepherds were not high on the social ladder in Jewish society. They were the fringe elements, not a part of the upscale, city community.
These were the elements called to be the first witnesses and first testifiers to the Messiah. Why them? In many ways, it was a call back to or a reminder of their roots. Shepherds may have been outsiders to the community, but they were the original foundation of the community. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob were all shepherds. As was Moses—as was the great King David.

To reject the shepherds was to reject their roots. The community had not grown past them, they still needed them and in many ways, needed the simplicity of faith and trust in God they represented, which the Jewish community had once had, but had in many ways lost.

11. How did the Shepherds find Mary, Joseph & Jesus?

The traditional nativity scene has M & J, the shepherds and the wise men all gathered around a manger. Often, when you ask this question, many will say the shepherds were guided by the star, just like the wise men. But as we’ll get into in the next question—they didn’t get there on the same night of the birth (for that to happen, the “star” they saw would have to have appeared months before Jesus’ actual birth—God could have done this, btw).

The shepherds were just told about the 2 signs—wrapped in cloths & lying in a manger. They didn’t get an address, a street name, or a general vicinity of where they would actually find the baby. There was no star mentioned in Luke that guided them to the right house.

So, how did they know where to go? At most Bethlehem was a few thousand people—maybe they listened for the cries of a newborn. Maybe they looked for the only ones with a fire still lit. Maybe God picked them on the side of the town that they would reach first. Maybe they tried several places before finding the right one.

Or, speculatively speaking, since this was M & J’s family town—what if these shepherds were relatives and merely went home first, or relatives who already knew they had a visitor who was expecting a baby. Shepherds returning from the fields probably would go into the animal’s room first. Interesting possibility.

12 How many Magi were there?

We sing, “We Three Kings” so it must be three, right? Tradition even gives us names. But Scripture never says how many Magi came, just that they brought 3 different types of gifts—gold, frankincense and myrrh. Ancient depictions, stained glass and such—teaching tools with limited room depicted one person to hold a gift each representing the different types.

But again, by custom, most traveled in large groups. These were practically ambassadors and political representatives, as evidenced by the fact that they first went to Jerusalem and sought Herod. A small entourage, would not do for such dignitaries.

The amount of their gifts was not necessarily something one man could carry despite the many inescapable pictures that suggest otherwise.

I’m of the mind that there wasn’t only 3 representatives, but more.

13. When did the Magi arrive?

As mentioned, unless the star appeared months before Jesus’ actual birth, there’s no way they could have been there the night of. In the east, the wise men saw a star that pointed them to a King being born to the kingdom of the Jews. They would have to see it, interpret it, decide what to do about it, prepare for the journey and then make the trip up the Euphrates river, west along the fertile crescent, then south through Syria and the coastal territories—a several month long journey.

This would put Jesus a year old or more by the time of their arrival—they had to wait for circumcision, they have to wait 30+ days for Mary to be purified so they could offer their sacrifice. When Herod later gave the orders to kill any boy under 2 years—you’ve got to figure that this is an effort to cover His bases and not miss anyone.

14. Why would Magi from a distant land care what was going on in Jerusalem?

For some reason, these Magi—practicing astrologers, interpreted their signs to point to the Kingdom of the Jews. But why would that sign have sent them off on such a long and uncertain journey? Hey, a new king in Israel… that’s nice… somebody hand me the remote. Why would they care so much about the goings on in Israel that they would go there?

It’s important to remember where they were supposed to be from. It is generally understood that these men from the east were in the Mesopotamian river valleys… between the Tigris & Euphrates rivers. What would have been prominent territories in the biblical kingdoms of Assyria, Babylonia & Persia. In other words, modern day Iraq and Iran

This is the general area and territory where the Jewish exiles were taken by different governments. Most of the Jews never returned home even after they were given special permission by King of Persia. They didn’t leave, but stayed with many keeping their faith, their traditions and even Scriptures. So there was an Old Testament witness and community where these Magi were from. If I’m not mistaken, even today some of these countries have a small Jewish population.

So if nothing else, these Magi would have had access or awareness of Jewish teaching and Scripture—making the homeland important. With the influences of people like Daniel or Esther in high government—some may have begun to take them very seriously.

Of course, another powerful possibility is that these men were themselves Jewish or had some Jewish heritage. In other words, their ancestors had watched other Jews pack up and go back to Jerusalem because they had a desire to be restored to God. I’m sure there were many who talked about it for generations, many who wondered what it would have been like if they had returned. In reading the scriptures, the psalms, the laments, the prophets and their heart for the land, the Temple, the Promise of God—even these Wise Men may have had their hearts wondering about the glory of the Temple.

If they were themselves Jewish—it is an awesome reminder of God’s call to come home.

Even though most stayed behind and didn’t return with the remnant, God still found a way to reach out to them—that hope that they had heard of, the promise of a Messiah for their people—was still something God would remind them of.

And so their hearts—longing for the fulfillment of God, longing for the homeland, wondering if God would still be faithful to His promise, wondering if God would still allow them to be a part of it—drove their hearts to make such a long and uncertain Journey.

15. Why did they go to Herod first?

It’s no wonder they went to Jerusalem first. Jerusalem was the center of religious and political power. A future king would more likely be born to the current king. But God doesn’t work the way we think He should—the obvious is rarely what He uses.

So they went to Jerusalem, alerted King Herod, gained further specifics from scripture—Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and continued.
But there’s something else interesting here. It seems the star that started their journey did not guide them all along the way. If so, they would never have stopped or turned aside to Jerusalem. Maybe they couldn’t interpret what a stopped guiding star would look like. But in any event, they were asked by Herod to make a careful search for the child. If they were relying on the star at that point, then why would they have to “search”.

But upon leaving Jerusalem, something changed—now the star was much more specific. In fact it led them and hovered over a specific house. This is no longer something high up in the sky unless it is using a powerful spotlight—but gently hovering over the exact place where they were staying.

Again, Mary & Joseph had to stay for a while in Bethlehem. This would be an expensive venture if they had to “rent” or buy a place to stay, but would be easily accommodated by family. But the star directed them directly to their destination.

This was the guidance of God they had hoped for.

But I’ve always wondered, were they the only ones who could see the “star”? Wouldn’t Herod or his officials seen it and followed it to the baby Jesus?

Which leads me to consider whether, at least this second, localized guidance was not a literal “star” but a manifestation of the Glory of God, perhaps the Holy Spirit alighting on the place like He did later at Jesus’ baptism, or possibly an angel. The original sight that started the journey could easily be too.

Which could mean that only the Magi saw it. They eyes of faith were needed as well as the choice of God and whom He chooses to reveal it to. There's a common phrase--some say they have to see it to believe it--but some things have to be believed to be seen.

Remember, those on the road to Damascus with Paul had a vague sense of something happening, but couldn’t really tell you much about it, whereas Paul’s awareness was very acute and specific.

But the Wise men were called home to Worship just as the Shepherds had been called. Both great and small were bowing before Jesus—God drew both the heritage and the remnant back to their Savior, the Messiah.

16. What is the significance of the gifts?

While I have seen several possible meanings of the gifts, I have a preference. This doesn’t mean the others are wrong or should be written off—after all, since the Scripture doesn’t itself assign meaning, it’s all an educated guess.

Remembering also that we don’t know the amounts of the gifts involved—the depictions of the men carrying a small box doesn’t seem to fit with travelers from such a great distance. I’m of the mind that 2 of the gifts declare WHO Jesus, and His role is and the third declares What He will do to accomplish the will of God in those roles.

Gold—a gift fit for a King. Jesus is called the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the New Testament.

Frankincense—incense in the Old Testament was used in prayer and worship in the Temple—the smoke represented the prayers of the people. The one who administered this incense and smoke was the Priest. This is another aspect of His identity and role in the world. The book of Hebrews tells us Jesus is the Great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek—greater than the Levitical/Aaronic priesthood—and able to enter the very Presence of God and grant us access in His Name.

Myrrh—was a burial spice. Many ancient cultures began preparing for their eventual death very quickly. The Pharaohs of Egypt began building their monuments immediately. But for this gift to Jesus, it signifies the death and burial that is in Jesus’ future in His role as Messiah—He will lay down His life on the Cross, shed His blood, take away our sin, and prepare a place for us in eternity. His death and subsequent resurrection is the fulfillment of God’s plan in sending Jesus in the first place.

Again, there is so much in these birth narratives that we miss or read over because we think we know the story already or because our mind has been so cluttered by the popular depictions that we don’t study carefully what the text actually says. If you’ve made it this far, I hope that you have benefited from this breakdown of the text and related cultures. 

For some exciting material regarding the Star, try watching the "Star of Bethlehem" video with Rick Larson or check out his website at www.bethlehemstar.net

Ephesians 3:16 - His Glorious Riches v. Riches of His Glory

Here is a good example of how translation can impact how we understand a verse.  This came up in The Pursuit College class a couple of Sunday mornings ago. 

When you read Ephesians 3:16 in the NIV it says: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being”

The NIV is a “dynamic equivalence” translation, which means it is not a strict word for word but tries to convey the meaning or “thought for thought” concept.  But this is an example where that effort misses the mark.

Many other translations render this phrase: “according to the riches of his glory”

Now the English grammar nerd comes out to analyze the sentences—and it makes a difference.

·         His Glorious Riches

o   Modifier: Glorious

o   Object: Riches

·         Richness of His Glory

o   Modifier: richness

o   Object: Glory

In the NIV translation the focus is more on riches to which we tend to focus more on the value or the wealth connected with the word “riches” since it is the primary noun.  Some have abused this and similar passages to talk about God’s blessing in material terms—riches here on earth.  His blessing is for us here on earth, but it is His Glory that is the blessing—it is His presence in our lives that brings an abundance and power to overcome.

But the more literal translation has the focus of the sentence on God’s Glory.  God’s glory has no limits, His glory radiates from Him.

His Glory carries with it a rich understanding from Scripture and in the minds of Paul’s readers.  His glory shines from the burning bush—without consuming or destroying it.  His glory descends on to Mt. Sinai  in cloud and fire and is awe-inspiring to the point that the Israelites are afraid to set foot on the mountain (Exodus 19:16-19, 20:18-21).  God’s glory is too much for us to behold (Exodus 33:19-23). 

Not even Moses was able to look at God’s glory head-on less it overwhelm and kill him.  Hidden in the cleft of the rock, I’m sure Moses had enough of an awareness to know not to press his luck—I’m sure peeking was not an option.  Not even Raiders of the Lost Ark could do this dangerous glory justice. 

Moses was able to see God’s glory as it “passed by” or was receding from him.  His glory is awesome, inspiring, overwhelming.  Just the presence of God was able to change Moses complexion to the point that it disturbed people.  They requested that he wear a veil until that glory faded (Exodus 34:29-35 & 2 Corinthians 3:7-18)

God’s Glory shines forth—God is light in Him there is no darkness at all.  In the end of time, not even the Sun or the Moon will be necessary because God’s glory will be enough to live by—there will be no more night (Revelation 21:22-26)

In our understanding, anything that gives off light (glory) requires some sort of power source or fuel.  If the fuel/power runs out, so will the light.  But since this is God’s glory—He is the source—He is the power and it is a power that will never fade or diminish—it will be forever shining—there is no end to the power that makes it shine—so too there is no limit or end to the power that is available to you and me as believers in Jesus.  The strength that God desires to pour in our hearts, based on His love, to make us more like Him is limitless. 

The power pours out of His Glory, not His Riches.  Since His glory is limitless, we have no limit to the power available to us, thus no real excuse to live as we are called to live.  This power is out of His glory, For His glory.

How firm a foundation—we are rooted and firmly established in love and empowered to live for Him and to Know Him.  Though He cannot be measured or quantified beyond our comprehension—He still desires us to Know Him and fill us with His presence.  His Glory is in our inner being.