Listen! Did You Hear That? - Matthew 4:12-25 - Third Week after the Epiphany

 

Matthew 4:12-25 NIV

¹² When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴ to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶ the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”^[a]

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴ News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,^[b] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Listen! Did You Hear That?

There are always political and religious tensions going on. John the Baptist is now in prison, for having told Herod his sin with having his half-brother’s wife in marriage. Honesty sometimes comes with a price. Sometimes truth comes with a price. So, here we see the end of John’s public ministry of sorts and the full beginning of Jesus’ ministry to the world. Tension always seems to exist between religion and politics, even to this day. Jesus will also face tension and opposition, not only with the political leaders of the day, but the religious leaders of the day also.

It’s interesting that in the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation, that Jesus starts in Galilee. God’s plan of salvation will come to include ALL people, even those located away from the center of Jerusalem and God’s Temple of that time. In the end this idea of a Temple will change and shift meanings to us, but the meaning remains the same to God throughout time as not a building, but God’s very own Son, Jesus.

So, now Jesus leaves His hometown of Nazareth and moves to Capernaum, a city by the Sea of Galilee. This is in the northern regions in the area of Zebulun. In this movement, Jesus is fulfilling prophecy. And that prophecy from the book of Isaiah is stated in the passage above. Jesus fulfills prophecies. But I, like so many others, can easily read and read and read God’s Word and just miss it. I need God to help and guide me along the way. It’s amazing how all the prophets, ages back, telling the Words of God, fulfilled God’s Word in Jesus. To me, it’s astounding!

God brings to light the fulfillment of His Word. May that same Light, ding-ding-ding, in my mind as God shines His Light into my life as well, to give me faith and understanding, and the clear knowledge that leads me to free belief in God.

This land of Zebulun and Naphtali was a mixed region of Jews and Gentiles. We learn how earlier in history these people were the first to fall to the Assyrians and be whisked away to a foreign land.

How can I not help but to think of my sinful life, when sin has whisked be away to a lost place. Yet, even here, in this passage, God comes to these people at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. This plan of God, this ministry of Jesus, goes way beyond the salvation of the Jews, as God’s Chosen People. God’s Chosen People become ALL the people who God leads to believe in His forgiveness and salvation, through Jesus. Simply amazing!

It’s sure that Jesus comes to the land of those in darkness, myself, and yourself included.

May we all see the Light and live as Children OF the Light. We ARE called out of the darkness of our sin after all, and freely granted forgiveness and salvation. Rejoice in this gift and respond! It’s not about getting what you think you deserve for doing something. It’s about responding to what you have freely been given. You freely have been given Light, so walk in that Light to love God and all those God gives to you in your life. Respond!

And with this, Jesus preaches. Jesus preaches and tells us to repent. Our sin is before us. Our sin is made obvious by what we have done and what we have left undone. So, don’t be so proud that you think you have nothing to turn and run from. After all, Jesus just preached the repent word and has turned you to Himself to lead you out of darkness and into His Light. Follow Jesus in His Light, not your own dim worn out flashlight of your actions that you believe will give life. Turn and see the great Light of Jesus. Follow that Star!

You are in for a big change. Rejoice in that change!

The Sea of Galilee was a busy place. This was a place of trade and fishing. A place where food was caught and sold. A place to feed people. Think of that. This is where Jesus comes to call out some of His disciples. These were working folks. People who knew how to sweat and earn a living the hard way. These were industrious workers. I’ve always had a special respect for the working people of the day. Out of the workers, emerges leaders. It’s the way it should be, in my way of thinking.

Just as God called Abram to follow Him and start a ministry to a strange place from Ur to Caanan, Jesus calls His first disciples. And, in my opinion, because these fishermen were hard workers, they notice that Jesus is something special and they jump at the opportunity to follow Him. There is something important happening here. Something beyond the normal call of working for food to feed people. A different kind of work to feed the people in a far different manner. But first, the call to follow and learn from Jesus.

Yes, here we have a transformation taking place. A transformation much like how disciples today are changed at baptism. Even as infants, God chooses to make each His own, to gift them with the Holy Spirit, and to place wonderful spiritual gifts in our lives to be used in service to God’s plan and for God’s people throughout the world in which each of us are set.

And with all of this, like these fishermen by the sea, we jump and go. This is exciting. This is a transformation that calls us out of ourself to something strange and something entirely new.

There comes a time when faith builds up and you have to leave yourself behind and plunge into something new. Why? Because God has chosen you and wants to use you. That’s why!

This calling of disciples, is just the beginning. Jesus goes on from there to call others. And, even today, Jesus goes on from there, into all occupations and regions of this world to call disciples. Jesus calls. It’s not about us doing something to earn the call, it’s about Jesus’ love and trust and sure hope that God will be active in the lives of His disciples, no matter the talents. God will supply all that is needed.

It’s time to jump up and leave yourself behind and follow Jesus.

Jesus’ teaching was far reaching. He not only taught in the synagogues, he also went about all the people of that region, Gentile and Jew alike to teach and heal and come to them. It’s interesting how Jesus comes TO the people to teach and heal and minister His gift of life and salvation.

And in this widespread ministry of Jesus, people showed faith in His healing. This was a widespread ministry that reached far beyond what we think. And that widespread ministry continues on today. But Jesus set the standard really high. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ church would follow in His footsteps in the spread of God’s action with and among all people.

So, what are we to do today? I think it’s to listen to the call of Jesus. He is reaching out for followers to move from the comfort zone and into something new that God has in store. We are shown, by the disciples, how to jump at the voice of Jesus to move into something of a different sort. God placed each one of us in this place, and in this time, to fulfill His call. But first we need to be aware enough to open our ears to His call.

How does that happen? We have God’s Word before us in the words of the Bible, in the words from pulpits, in the Sacraments, and through the mouths of fellow disciples who have responded to God’s call. So, listen and look and see. Be baptized today! Move out in the new life that God blesses you with to do His will in His way, each and every day. This is exciting stuff here. And you really don’t know where it may lead. God may use you to serve, to love others, to feed the hungry, to clothe the poor, to give shelter, to teach His Word, to proclaim His Word to all those He gives to you. The ways that God may choose to use you are infinite. But rest assured, even when you think you can’t, God gives you the gifts you need to carry out His work in this world. For a little proof, just take a look in the Bible at all the people God chose to use, even when they resisted, God still made something of it. So, listen and respond and overcome your fears. Go out with God. He will always be at your side to lead and guide.

Jesus’ Light will shine clear and brightly, especially to those in fear, in sin, in illness, in suffering and in the dark. Look and see, the Light has come.

You know what? Jesus is THE Light. There is nothing to fear in that. I’m thankful for Jesus THE Light.

Get is straight. Follow Jesus as His disciple and preach the Word to all the world… today… here and now… tomorrow… and into eternity. Thanks be to God!

Enjoy this YouTube Video that I used during this reflection

Hark The Voice of Jesus Calling (Here Am, I Send Me)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rAbbdEGwq4&list=RD7rAbbdEGwq4&start_radio=1

Hark The Voice of Jesus Calling

Here He Is! - John 1:29-42 - Second Week after the Epiphany

 

John 1:29-42 NIV

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

³² Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³ And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”^[a]

³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

³⁹ “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

 

Here He Is!

There He is! John the Baptist is probably witnessing Jesus coming out of the wilderness after Jesus’ temptation. John exclaims for all of us to hear. There He is! There is Jesus! Maybe John even pointed to Jesus! But in any case, there He is! And John doesn’t beat around the bush with his message. See! Look! This is God and He is carrying a huge load on His back. The load of the sins of ALL the world. There He is! Look and see, this is God in flesh. This IS Jesus. He is the Lamb of God.

Think back on it. Think back to the Bible of that day. People would remember how the lamb in the Tabernacle was the sacrifice to cleanse the people of sin. People would remember how Abraham told Isaac that God Himself would provide the Lamb for the sacrifice on the altar. And as John the Baptist now proclaims, here is the Lamb of God. The Lamb of God coming forth from the temptations of Satan, carrying this huge load of sin all wrapped up on His back. Our sin, not His own. I agree with John the Baptist and I give thanks to God for His only Son Jesus, that here IS the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world. Thanks be to God!

See! I told you so! You may hear me speak of the Lamb of God, but this is no weak creature. This Lamb is carrying, in such a strong and powerful way, ALL the sin of the world. This IS the Guy! This is the Guy I was telling y’all about.  He so surpasses all that I had to speak of, that I can’t even untie his sandal. This IS the Man! Here is the One that I’ve been speaking of. Look! See! And yes, Listen to Him!

Now go figure this out, for sure, He’s greater than I am, and I was born before this Jesus was born, yet He was and always has been BEFORE me! And yep! Here He IS! This guy right here is why I am. I was sent to Point to Him. That’s why I’ve been calling y’all together to repent. He IS the reason. Turn and Look and See!

Talk about some conviction from John the Baptist. He tells it loud and proud and clear for all to hear. John the Baptist and Jesus may have been cousins, but John really didn’t know Jesus. Well now he does. John knows, and recognizes Jesus as the Lamb of God, and not only that, John now recognizes Jesus as God.

Now John understands. Now John understands why he was sent to baptize all these people, who repent and rise out of the waters of their sinfulness. They were rising to witness something NEW. They were rising out of the waters of the Jordan to see God in flesh, right here, right now, as Jesus emerges from the wilderness of temptation to prove to all the world that God loves His people. God loves His people enough to take on this huge backpack of ALL the sins of ALL the people throughout ALL time and forgive and save. Not in some magical easy way. But as the Lamb of God to be sacrificed upon the altar in our own place. Jesus is tough and able and ready and sent by God to carry our Salvation.

And John has the proof. John saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus at His baptism. And that Spirit stuck for good and for all time. That Spirit became One with Jesus and One with the Father and became One in the flesh and blood of Jesus. Yes, John the Baptist saw what he saw, and heard what he heard, and now John the Baptist, in no uncertain terms proclaims in trust, hope and faith what he saw and heard with his own ears and his own eyes.

May I boldly proclaim Jesus and Point to Him with the passion of John. Lord help and guide me and all disciples to do just the same with as much passion and conviction as John the Baptist has done.

Sometimes we don’t know the plan of God. I would guess most of the times we don’t know what is going on. But when that plan that we have been involved in opens up right before our eyes… well that’s the JOY of God! That’s the joy of being God’s disciple. That’ the great joy of knowing that God has used you in His service for a reason.

John sees Jesus the next day as he is with a couple of his own disciples. Make no mistake about it, this is God in Jesus! There He is! There is Jesus, the One about whom I am pointing. Go! See! Listen to Him!

Yes, focus your gaze and look at this man, this God. Jesus IS the Lamb of God. The main act of God is here and now.

Jesus alone is the One to follow. He will teach you; He will forgive you and He alone will save you from sin and death, to live with God forever into eternity. Follow Him!

So, as Jesus sees John’s disciples following Him, He wants to know what they want. Well, come on and find out! That’s how we point to Jesus. We not only point we get up and go and follow and learn. Since baptism, we are called to not only point to Jesus but get up and go and listen to His Word and teaching, see the Word made flesh not only through Jesus, but through our own very actions in loving God and one another. It’s not just a passive call; God calls us and gifts us to an active call to use the gifts God freely gives to us to love God and each other.

Now look and see what happens next. After John pointed to Jesus, after his disciples followed Jesus, Jesus spreads himself to the world. Jesus seeks out more and more and pulls disciples to Himself. A ministry is coming to life, God in the flesh, here with us and among us. God comes to us and hunts us down to take us to Him to grow in Him and out into all the world.

As I reflect upon my own life, the joys and the struggles; I sometimes get a glimpse of Jesus. There are other times that I stew in my own selfishness. I stew and become selfish, I fret and worry and fail to use the gifts God has given to me since baptism. And when I’m down and out, there are times, recent times, when all of the sudden God smacks me in the face. God smacks me in the face while I’m floundering in my selfish sin, WITH His love and compassion. Times when God makes it abundantly clear that He is with me and has always been with me. Times when God puts His gifts to action through people He calls and gifts and gives me His love through others.

It’s then that I must, I can’t help, but to turn to God. God has turned to me and shown me His love. I can’t help but to confess my sin, it’s right there before me. And when this happens God repents me and forgives me. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But yea, God smacks me in the face with His grace, love, forgiveness, and ultimate healing, as he repents me and forgives me.

I rise out of the waters, of my death, selfishness, and idol worship to a new life in God. And there He is! Point to Him! Follow Him! Join in with Him and “get over yourself!” For God has called you to live your life for Him and for all those He gives to you to act out in love.

How recent! How abundant! How truthful! God moves out, and in, at the same time.

Jesus is the servant of God sent to save all God’s people… ALL

Jesus reveals God’s love to all the world, pulling His people out of sin and into His righteousness

As Jesus pulls you in to Himself, you will be enriched with His gifts of grace, knowledge, and skills to go out to love not only God Himself, but to demonstrate the love of God in Christ Jesus to your neighbor and all the world… today… tomorrow… and forever. Thanks be to God!

Pause and relax to this YouTube Music Video – one of my favorites for so many reasons!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEbQswNB6Wc&list=RDcEbQswNB6Wc&start_radio=1

No doubt about it… Right now… this day… I feel Jesus standing in the fire beside me.

Picture - Carlo_Maratti_-_Saint_John_the_Baptist_Pointing_to_Christ_in_a_Landscape

Look! See! Listen! - Matthew 3:13-17 - Baptism of Our Lord

 

Matthew 3:13-17

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Look! See! Listen!

Something new is happening! Something New is here! Listen to John the Baptist, listen to Jesus, look and see and listen to the Voice of God and the Spirit’s presence in this moment and in this place. Look! See! Listen!

What was Jesus doing here? Why was Jesus coming to be baptized by John? Remember just last week, Jesus grew in wisdom and stature. Jesus was sinless, yet God had given Him His blessing of grace. A different grace from what we are given through Jesus. Jesus received God’s gift of grace and blessing for all He came to do on this earth. So, why was Jesus coming to John’s baptism of repentance? Jesus was sinless!

I think Jesus came to be baptized by John FOR you and me AND John. Jesus was showing, and teaching through His very own act of baptism by John, that John’s ministry and calling was valid. Turn to God. Seek forgiveness. Accept God’s grace of forgiveness and live a new life in and with God. And guess what? God IS here, in these waters of baptism right now, right here, IN Jesus very own baptism, leading you and me forward IN Jesus righteousness and God’s Wisdom and strength. Not as something Jesus needed, but as something that WE need!

You see, Jesus came down from heaven in more than flesh and blood to be human. Jesus came down to be WITH us in every aspect of our earthly life, AND, our spiritual life as well. Jesus humbles Himself, even in our very own repentance, to be with us, even when we must face our very own sin, as God turns us around to and toward Himself, to claim each one of us as His own. Jesus IS NOW with us! All the time! Even when we don’t want Him or know He is with us, Jesus IS with us here, and now.

As in our own baptism we are set apart to be God’s Child, we are called, blessed, by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to begin God’s ministry in our lives as it unfolds day after day.

Here Jesus punctuates His own Beginning Ministry to the world as He also punctuates our ministry to the world, in the waters of baptism. Baptism IS a BIG deal! Jesus demonstrates that!

Here, Jesus connects Himself to our sin and blesses us by connecting us to His righteousness. That there, is not something the world is used to, or prepared for, but it’s an action only God can take, and God makes that connection now in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, FOR you and me and all those Jesus leads to believe. Talk about a union with God! This IS everlasting life in and with God, here and now.

When John hesitates to baptize Jesus, Jesus gently leads John forward in the baptism. This is not about sin; this baptism of Jesus is about something new taking place. This baptism of Jesus is about being set apart for God’s work in this world through Jesus, to bring the grace of forgiveness and ever-lasting life to all the people that live in sin.

So, Jesus, gently calls John to do what John himself was called to do, to Point to Jesus as God’s Savior, and as God in this world, to this world, and for, the people of this world.

 It’s interesting to think that this passage doesn’t mention that Jesus went under the water, it only states He came up from the water. This washing is similar to the washing of a priest being called into service to God. So, Jesus raises up from the water as an eternal priest, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus. It’s the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry; the water of life flows forth from Jesus. Water that flows forth in the new creation that gives life to all the world. AND, it’s nice to think of how the Holy Spirit enters this world in a bodily form as well. Like in the dove. That reminds me of when the dove returns to the Ark in the time of the Flood and Noah, and a new creation begins again. Yet this time, through Jesus, through the Holy Spirit and through the call of the Father, this New Creation is going to stick. It comes of God!

Talk about a Trinity moment! How can this be denied, all three are present, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All there as One. May my eyes be open, may my ears hear, may my flesh rejoice in the water that brings forth my God, my Savior, my Gift of life!

Who heard all of this? The passage says John, and through implication, Jesus as well. But guess what? It’s recorded for all the world to read, to see and to hear. So, in a sense, we all get to hear the Voice of God as is written and inspired by the Holy Spirit in Scripture. How great is that!

And like at the Creation of Paradise, in the Garden of Eden, God IS pleased! There it is again, a New Creation IS here and now in the coming of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in this new great coming forth from the life-giving waters of Jesus. Now Jesus’ ministry begins. Pay attention folks! I’m not so sure it was only John and Jesus that heard the Voice of God and saw the descending of the Holy Spirit. Things spill out. Things are heard from a distance. And from this point on, Jesus’ ministry will be getting bigger and bigger, and louder and louder, and more visible than ever before.

Through these waters of baptism Jesus comes forth and raises Himself up and raises us up to new life. God begins a new creation here in the waters of the Jordan, and everlasting streams of life-giving water pour forth from Jesus. This is a big deal here. This is a baptism of New Creation. This is a baptism based in life-giving water. This isn’t a baptism for the forgiveness of the sins of Jesus. No, this is Jesus’ baptism FOR the sins of all that Jesus’ new ministry will draw to Himself to GIVE everlasting life, with Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is a big deal here.

And we are called to walk into the waters of our very own baptism, in our very own sin, to be washed clean and to rise with the sinless Jesus, TO, everlasting life with God. This is a big deal here. This is a new creation.

What can I say, but for people to seek out their own place of baptism. Baptism is a gift from God. Don’t worry about being just right to be baptized. Find a church and BE baptized! Baptism is THE gift of God, not based on you, but based on what God freely gives to you. In your baptism you will raise to a new life and become a new creation, called, gifted and sent as a disciple of Jesus, into this world here and now to take the actions God unfolds for you in your life. It’s a BIG deal and a time to rejoice. Service to God is a joyful thing. Sometimes the service gets tough, but so what, God will walk with you through it all. And that’s the thing. God’s presence in your life is here and now and in eternity.

Something new is going to happen. And that something New is here with us today. See God in Jesus. Something New HAS happened! Thanks be to God!

Listen to the Voice of the Lord! Listen!

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are no longer slaves to sin… Jesus continues to put to death my sin, so that, through His death, I may be raised to new life in Him… today… tomorrow… and forever. Thanks be to God!

Sit bask and relax to this YouTube Music Video that I used this past week as I studied this passage. Enjoy!

“Child of Mine”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfgd7AzhqvM&list=PLR3OLUzrduhru-BkgBdoojVPnOqvgmkzS

 Child of Mine

Each and Every Day - Luke 2:40-52 - Second Week after Christmas

 

Luke 2:40-52 NIV

⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³ After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

⁴⁹ “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”^[a] 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁵¹ Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Each and Every Day

Here we have the Word made flesh pondering the Word of His Father in the Temple. Jesus began to teach the world to ponder the Word from the get go. Jesus loved the teaching of God’s Law. Jesus had a passion for the Law in many ways that I could never begin to understand. But Jesus does build a passion for the Law and the Gospel and the Word and the Sacraments within his followers.

God was pleased with His Son and filled Jesus with wisdom. Jesus had to learn much the same way we do today. He was human after all. Sure, He was God, but Jesus still was human. So, God filled Jesus with His grace. There it is again. Grace, a gift. But this grace was a bit different from the grace you or I receive. Jesus’ gift of grace was the favor of God. The grace we receive is a gift of God that we don’t deserve. So, in this way Jesus was filled with the Father’s favor and blessing.  Not only did Jesus grow in stature, He was beginning to grow and show His being God little by little, more and more, bigger and bigger. Jesus grew physically and grew in revealing the Spirit of God within Himself.

The law of Moses required the attendance of all males at the three feasts, of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Exodus 23:17; Deuteronomy 16:16). This is exciting times here. They are feasts that God gifted His people in order to gather together with God to celebrate life with God. So, it’s no wonder that Jesus was attracted to the Temple. The Temple known as God’s place with His people. Later on, in Jesus’ life, He would refer to Himself as the Temple. The place that God comes to us and lives with us and calls us to be with Him in eternity.

Jesus is growing into a man. There are some stages of growth every Jewish male went through. Around the age of 3, Jesus would have been weaned, and began to wear a tasseled garment, like was mentioned in Numbers. Then He would be sort of homeschooled by Mary. At five, Jesus would begin to be taught the Law, sort of like we may think of pre-catechism study of today. Then at twelve, Jesus would be responsible for His own actions regarding the keeping of the Law, in preparation for when He was thirteen and he put on the phylacteries, worn at the recital of His daily prayers. The phylacteries were a little leather box with some Scripture in them. In my own crazy explanation, I can’t help but to think of the play list many football quarterbacks wear on their forearms. It holds the important stuff to remember. So, it makes sense that at 12 years old, Jesus was really getting into this Torah stuff big time. Jesus was passionate for the Law and the Gospel. Now going to these Jewish Feasts was a big passage into adulthood for Jesus.

It really doesn’t surprise me that Jesus stayed behind. He was hungering for wisdom and knowledge. He was a child growing into a man, with the Spirit of God within Him in a fierce way. And in this Jesus teaches us once again. We too, should exhibit the passion for worship and knowledge that Jesus had even at this young age. Go to Sunday School and Church and Bible Studies and Outreach activities with passion for God in your heart. Look at the passion of Jesus for the Law and the passion of Jesus that he freely gave His life for you and for me! All of this stuff is not to be taken as an obligation. No! It’s a God given privilege! Come on folks!

It seems sometimes we want to beat up on Mary and Joseph for not noticing that Jesus wasn’t with them. Like for three days? Really? But I think they were more right about not tracking Him like a dog on a leash. They let Him do what a child should do. Explore what they want to explore and do what they want to do. We try to track our kids, today, to the point that the kid can’t breathe and grow. It wasn’t like neglect. Joseph and Mary did follow up when they noticed Jesus wasn’t around. It just took a few days. Sometimes the separation is good for both parents and child. And I think, in this case the reunion is a joyful occasion as well. God cares for those lost and God cares for those seeking the lost as well. Maybe there is a message to look for in this seeking Jesus and then finding Him right where it was obvious He would be. May we all seek Jesus with this kind of passion.

What’s kind of cool, to me, is that when they find Jesus, He’s not all geeked out about buildings and sightseeing; no Jesus is all geeked out about the written Law and Wisdom and understanding. I may have been this way as a child, just a little, but I’m sure I would have been looking at buildings and the man-made stuff a little more than sitting in a Church or something listening to Pastors talk. And it’s not like Jesus was hiding from His parents. Jesus was right out in the open for all to see. So, Jesus’ heart was not in deception of any kind. His heart was in learning, wisdom and understanding.

It reminds me of Jesus in Sunday School, the give and take. Listening to God speak through other people. Asking questions and open discussion. I wish all Sunday School lessons were similar. People together ponder the Word of God in open give and take, unafraid of having the “right” answer, but open to giving honest opinions. I think God speaks to us through the mouths of fellow disciples as well as through Word and Sacrament.

And then you throw in this three-day stuff. How much does God speak to us with a message of three? Now, there’s something to talk about for a long long time!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to a child speak about some “God” thing and I sat in amazement. Let alone listen to the child Jesus reflecting on the Law. What an experience to have for the religious leaders of Jesus day! It’s another one of those “Listen to Him” things. And likewise, when I hear a child speaking God’s Word; guess what? Listen to Him!

 I get a kick out of Jesus answer to Mary as she concluded her search for the boy Jesus. It’s like, well, where did you think I would be? It’s the same for me, when I sense that I can’t find Jesus; He’s right where He always has been and will be. I remember a time in my life when I was deep into sin, and felt the presence of God was nowhere near me. As I was driving home from work at GE Aviation in Cincinnati, I passed this huge sign in front of Solid-Rock Church right by I-75. Guess what the sign said? “God is closer than you think.” Yep, even when I had separated myself from God in my sin, God was just the same closer than I could ever imagine. And in this passage of Scripture, Jesus is right where we all should think, deep in the Law and the Gospel talking with the religious leaders of His day.

How many times have I missed the message of Jesus in my life? How many times have I failed to understand? It’s often when I’m so involved with my earthly life, my life in the here and now, that I miss an eternal message from Jesus about my eternal life with Him. I can get so wrapped up in myself, my problems, my illness, my own death; that I fail to hear Jesus’ message right before my eyes in plain sight. I miss it because I’m not thinking of Jesus, but rather thinking of myself. As this happens, when I realize it, I see Jesus right before my eyes. It’s like he spins me around in my sin and says, “Look here!” So, yea, I can see how Mary missed it. Didn’t you know I would be in my Father’s house, the temple? Jesus is not only on this earth He is of heaven as well. Lord, forgive me when I miss the point of life, and spin me around to your forgiveness and grace, I pray.

And now it’s here, once again, that even as a young child Jesus teaches us. Jesus teaches us how to grow in wisdom and stature. How? By living life as a carpenter, and learning the trade from His earthly father, Joseph. How’s that teaching? We can grow in wisdom and stature by living our lives with what God gives to us, how God blesses us with talents handed down from generation to generation. We too can grow in wisdom and stature by using the gifts God gives to us to serve not only God, but our neighbor as well. Even as a tradesman, we have gifts to give. And in the giving of our gifts to God and neighbor, we grow in wisdom and stature, just as the boy Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, developing earthly gifts and skills for neighbor and society in which God had set this young man, Jesus. Yes, Jesus teaches us to be happy and content with whatever call God has given us at all times in our lives. Live the life God gave you as you too, develop holy wisdom and stature in the presence of God.

So, what kernel do I take from this week’s study of this passage of Scripture? Well, for me, look around, Jesus is right where you can expect to find Him. And I think Jesus wants all of us to grow in wisdom and understanding. Wisdom and understanding of things of this world and wisdom and understanding of God’s Kingdom. Jesus leads us all of our lives into the Kingdom of God.

Sometimes I wonder, if when Jesus was speaking of the children, if He didn’t recall His own childhood and understood that we are all children. We are called to welcome all children, us included, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to God’s children. It doesn’t matter what age one may be; God welcomes all the children, and Jesus remembers when He too was a child, how he grew in wisdom and understanding. Wisdom and understanding that His Heavenly Father taught Him and wisdom and understanding that His earthly Father showed Him in love.

And isn’t that what most of this is about? Mary and Joseph loved their child, Jesus, enough to let Him grow in wisdom and understanding. And Mary and Joseph loved Jesus so much, that when they sensed separation, they went out seeking Jesus. And Jesus out of love comforted His parents with the knowledge that growth in God is growth in mankind as well.

So, I see the love of God as God shows me His eternal presence in my life, and I feel the love of God when I turn to seek God in all those times in my life that I feel a separation. God loves me so much to show up, to forgive, to lead, and to guide me, and you through all of life.

Seek the wisdom to know God’s way in life each and every day,

 

Ponder on God’s gift of His Word each and every day.

Yes, God blesses us by making us His own each and every day.

This is a reunion with love. A reunion that each of us should expect from ourselves and a reunion with God that God gives to us each and every day. Let us rejoice in the reunions of love… today… tomorrow… and forever. – Amen

And when you meet Jesus in that reunion of love…

This YouTube Video reminds me of what to do when I see Jesus, my Lord and Savior…

“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5qc0EcNgqw&list=RDj5qc0EcNgqw&start_radio=1

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Dream and Ponder and Listen - Matthew 2:13-23 - First Week of Christmas

 

Matthew 2:13-23 NIV

¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”^[a]

¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

¹⁸ “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”^[b]

 

¹⁹ After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰ and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

²¹ So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, ²³ and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Dream and Ponder and Listen

Egypt was a place to run to for escape from the terrors of government failures and greed of power and might. Egypt was in Joseph’s time and the time of the Israelites a place of escape for safety. At least until it wasn’t.

Fleeing to Egypt from Bethlehem, after receiving the gifts from the Magi, seems to make some sense. If Mary, Joseph and Jesus had returned to Nazareth, then fleeing to Syria would make more sense. Syria would be the closer place to flee to. But fleeing from Bethlehem to Egypt would be closer in this case. Plus, why risk returning to Nazareth, right through the very country side where Herod may be able to find and capture this young couple and the Savior Jesus?

Even though, in the Israelite past, Egypt was a place of bondage; God shows that even some of the most fearful places on earth can be of use, through the power of God, for refuge. We all have made moves in life that may have been guided by God’s divine grace. So, once again, here, Joseph in a dream is told by an angel of God to take action. Ponder a bit but act decisively and quickly as God directs.

Egypt was just beyond the realm of power that was ruled by Herod. So, Joseph moves on.

Does this move seem risky? Sure! How would Joseph sustain his family? Not sure! But in and through the faith that God gives Joseph, he moves his young family as God directs. Think about that. Think about the moves needed in life that all depend on the gift of faith and trust in God. Listen to Him!

In this fearful move away from the power of man to dispense death, even on infants, the crucifixion of Jesus begins. How evil can man be to kill the helpless, those running for their life, all in the fear of power and prestige being taken away from powerful men. Even when the power of man is only an idea of self. Real power belongs to God. Real power and strength are not always with the rich and kingly rulers of earth.

Joseph immediately obeys the command of God heard through an angel in a dream. Talk about some trust! Immediately! A dream, a sleep, a time to ponder while sleeping and bang! Get up and go! From the gifts and visit from Magi, to fleeing to Egypt. Just like that. How things can change. How things change in my life and yours. In an instant life can change. In those instances of life, trust that God is with you. God came to this earth in Jesus to walk with you, in all those instances of life when things change quickly. Trust in God. Trust in Jesus. God IS with you.

Was it two years, or maybe four years, perhaps a few months, that Joseph kept his little family in Egypt? It was long enough for God’s plan of salvation to unfold for all mankind. Was this a small Exodus experience of Jesus and His mother and father? Or maybe this was like a mini exile for the family into Babylon of sorts. Not sure, but I do know that God calls us out of exile and gives us a place with Him in His Kingdom forever, as we wait and believe and live our life in exile, in exodus, in the wilderness and in the homecoming into the arms of Jesus at the conclusion of this earthly journey. Listen to God’s call and move when God calls.

Jesus will put away evil, sin, and death, and lead us back to be with Him in eternity. This is just the beginning of the beginning. The end of the end. Listen to God’s call and wait for Him, in all the faith that He gives to you.

Like the death of Herod, Jesus will bring death to all evil and sin in this world. Death to grant everlasting life!

Herod was a mean, cruel and sick man. Sick as in illness and sick as in evil. Even his own family were those he took out his fury upon. So, when the Magi didn’t do exactly as he expected them to do in reporting the whereabouts of this Messiah, Herod lashed out with some evil commands. Mankind is cruel at times. Especially when power is in question, or wealth, or pride. Rulers throughout time lash out at their own family, their own people, and the world. Evil is evil, and evil here lashes out towards a young Jesus. Herod was mocked and felt deceived, so what did he do? He lashed out at people who could not defend themselves, declaring that infants and young children were to be killed. It’s awful to begin with, but when men lash out at those who have no defense, it is appalling. What vile, despicable things will men do to save pride? It’s disgusting!

But as we see in prophecy, this crying and death is nothing new to this world. It’s been present for many years and will be for many more. So, what does God do? He saves a Savior, and that Savior saves the world from sin, death, and evil men. A Savior that brings forth life, even as that Savior, in Jesus, is under the threat of death, as a young child too. Yes, this young child, Jesus, will go through His own kind of exile, similar to the exile of the Israelites to Babylon. A time of waiting it out. A time of testing and faith. A time for those loyal believers to endure. But God will draw the Israelites back to Jerusalem, and God will draw you and I out of our own exiles as we wait in faith and hope. Jesus WILL return. Jesus will return from Egypt and will return again, to draw us back to Him.

Herod died full of worms. He was a sick man in more ways than one. He died at the age of 71 and endured much pain in death. Not only was Herod a terror to the world, he was a terror to himself. Is this justice? Maybe. But through this moment in history, God speaks once again to Joseph through an angel in a dream. God guides Joseph, step by step, and Joseph is faithful to God in every step. Maybe this is a lesson to us as well, to listen to the Words of God. Words of God freely given to us in the Bible, through the Sacraments and from the pulpit. Pay attention folks! God may just lead and guide you through the ups and downs of life. Anyway, Joseph takes his little family and his Savior to Nazareth to live and grow.

Yet the journey to Nazareth was a bit of a detour. Herod’s most evil son was now ruler of the land. So, instead of going to Judea, Joseph detours to Galilee and the city of Nazareth. And there a new ministry begins, a new creation starts, a Savior leads His people forth to forgiveness and salvation. The journey won’t be easy. Evil is all around, but this small child will lead the world to something unheard of, something so opposite the pride, power, prestige and wealth of this world’s rulers. A child will lead all those who believe to a new Kingdom, an eternal Kingdom, and an invasion of the hearts of mankind who joyfully choose to follow Jesus.

So, what’s the message I hear to me? I hear and see a God that leads and guides His people through all the stages of life. In my birth, God gave me the breath to live. In my birth God gave me life straight out of the womb of my mother. This is not always the case for newborns. Some newborns fall into the hands of Jesus right from the start. God takes care of them in love and grace. Yet, to all who wander on this earth, there is other gifts available. As my parents brought me to the baptismal font, God buried me in death in the water of baptism and raised me to new life in and with Him in eternity. Similar to Jesus at the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended upon me and God claimed me as His very own. For me, it was as an infant. But God isn’t worried about time. God isn’t concerned with my actions to obtain this eternal favor. God gives this new life freely and without any cost of merit of my own. As I live, I sin. I can’t help myself. I know better, but still fail. So, God turns to me as I turn to God each and every day and ask God to forgive me and lead and guide me. Lead and guide me through all my stages of life, like a marriage of sorts, in sickness and in health, in suffering, in good times and in my death. God turns me around and I can’t help but to face God.

And like in this passage of Scripture, like Joseph, I ponder, I dream, I study God’s Word and listen for the voice of God, even if it comes from angels. And in this I lay my trust and hope. Yes, I “Point to Jesus.” It’s in that pointing that I follow into the places of life that may frighten me and may place me in the path of death.

But even as Jesus came as a little child to this earth, He gets into the boat with me. Jesus walks right through the stormy seas of life and calms the storm for me. So, in those times that I fear, I can look, yes, “Point to Jesus.” Jesus is right there with me all the time.

So, I think back in life. How God has come to me? How God has taught me? God is always with me in the ups and downs of life, even when I don’t think He is there.

Think back on Jesus’ life and how He lived, and gives me all I ever need. Think back and give thanks. Thanks be to God!

Think back in life.  Ponder what God has done for me. God deserves praise and thanksgiving. Think back and ponder, even dream a bit. Thanks be to God!

Jesus was born under the Law, to save me and you, as we live under the Law.

I encourage you in this Christmas Season, to take time to “Dream and Ponder and Listen” and act on God’s call in your life– today… tomorrow… and forever. – Amen

I invite you to enjoy this YouTube Video that reminds me of Joseph…

“I Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Stayed On Jesus”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeIMBTAx2Zw&list=RDHeIMBTAx2Zw&start_radio=1

 I Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Stayed On Jesus