Category: Luke 2

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Luke Luke 2

Misunderstood

Luke

I suppose that one thing that most people would like is to be understood. And it can be hurtful when those whom we love don’t understand us.

Jesus certainly understood that feeling. His disciples often didn’t understand him. The people he ministered to often didn’t understand him. And in this passage, we see that his own parents didn’t always understand him either.

This is the first story we see of Jesus in the New Testament where he actually interacts with someone, and the people he interacts with are his parents.

When he was twelve years old, he and his parents went to the Passover feast. After the feast, his parents started to return home, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem talking with the teachers in the temple.

Unfortunately, his parents didn’t notice, and by the time they realized he wasn’t around, a whole day had passed. It then took another two or three days to finally find him.

One can understand the agitation in Mary when she rebuked Jesus, saying,

Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. (Luke 2:48)

And Jesus was totally confused by their reaction, replying,

Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? (Luke 2:49)

In other words, “You know who I am. I expected you to know where I was.”

But in verse 50, it says,

But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

The people who should have understood Jesus the best, had no clue.

How did Jesus respond?

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. (Luke 2:51)

When he saw that they didn’t understand him, he didn’t get defensive. He didn’t scathe them for their lack of understanding.

Rather, he did his best to make things right with them. And as a dutiful son, he submitted himself to them.

Think about that for a moment. He was God incarnate. He had created them. And yet, he humbled himself and submitted himself to their authority as his earthly parents.

There will be times when people don’t understand us. And it’s easy to get upset with them. To hold on to hurt because we feel like they should understand us.

But even so, let us learn a lesson from Jesus and humble ourselves. Let us do what we must to make things right. As Paul said,

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)

“But Bruce,” you may say. “It’s all well and good to say that, but it still hurts. Why can’t they understand me?”

For one reason. They’re not God. Much as we sometimes wish they were, they’re not all-knowing. They can’t see your heart. So don’t expect them to.

But there is one who can understand you, and that’s Jesus. Because he is God. More than that, he experienced what it was like to be human.

So whatever you are going through, he understands you completely.

So just as Jesus took comfort in the fact that his Heavenly Father could understand him, even though his earthly parents couldn’t, take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus can understand you.

When you’re feeling hurt or misunderstood, turn to him. Talk to him. Because he does understand you.

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Luke Luke 2

A heart prepared for the King

Luke

Every Christmas, we sing a song that says,

Joy to the World,
The Lord is come.
Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare him room.

And in this passage, we see a woman who did just that. She prepared her heart to receive the King.

Her name was Anna, and she was a prophetess. She suffered tragedy when she was very young. After just 7 years of marriage, her husband died.

I don’t know this for certain, but it’s possible that she was childless. The text seems to imply that right after her husband died, she went to live in the temple and dedicated her life to worship, fasting and prayer.

If so, she was a remarkable woman. It would have been very easy for her to become bitter. To ask God why. Certainly to ask why he took her husband from her. And if she had no children, to question why she had been barren during those 7 years she had been married.

(Remember that this was considered shameful back in those days).

But instead of her tragedy driving her away from God, it drove her to God. And because of this, it gave her a heart that was prepared for meeting the King.

Indeed, she was one of the few who recognized him for who he was. Not only that, her joy was such that she had to tell those around about what she had found.

How about you? Do you have a heart prepared for the King? Do you have a heart that’s seeking God daily?

I’m not saying that you have to be like this woman spending every waking hour in worship, prayer, and fasting. But do you take the time getting to know him on a daily basis.

Or do you let the busyness of life, the worries of this world, and the hardships that you go through to drive you away from him?

So many people in Jesus’ time were that way, and because of that, they ended up crucifying the very Messiah they said they were seeking.

And if we fail to seek God daily, we will very likely miss seeing him in our lives, and the things he’s trying to accomplish.

Christmas may be over, but let us prepare room for God in our hearts every day, spending time with him, and drawing close to him.

For only when we do so, will we find the joy that Jesus came to bring.

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Luke Luke 2

The One who causes many to fall

Luke

Merry Christmas to the rest of you celebrating Christ’s birth in the world! (It’s already the 26th in Japan…and all Christmas decorations are already gone).

Anyway, this passage strikes me, because the words that were spoken by Simeon are just as true today as they were when Christ was first born.

Simeon was a godly man, and somehow God had revealed to him that he would not pass away until he had seen the Messiah, the one who would come to save Israel…and the world. And when Simeon saw Jesus with his own eyes, he prayed,

Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. (Luke 2:29-32)

But while Joseph and Mary marveled at his words, Simeon warned them,

This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.

And a sword will pierce your own soul too. (Luke 2:34-35)

Truer words have never been spoken. For as many people accepted Jesus as their Messiah, many more rejected him. As many people honored the name of Jesus, many more cursed it.

And because of the Jews’ rejection of Him, it caused a piercing to the soul of Mary, who had to watch him crucified before her very eyes.

But while Simeon’s words were true of Israel in that time, they are just as true in the world today. Because while many people honor the name of Jesus, and worship him as Lord, so many others curse his name and reject him.

In doing so, they reveal the true state of their hearts.

For while many people may seem “good,” by rejecting the One who came to die for their sins, they show their rejection of God and his ways in their hearts. Instead they insist on living their own way whether God approves or not.

And seeing this pierces the souls of all who truly love Him. Especially when we see our loved ones reject Him.

I suppose at Christmas time, it’s especially painful to see. That at the time we rejoice in Christ’s birth, yet people choose to reject him.

Christ said that he didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34).

Some of you may say, “But what about the angels’ words at Christ’s birth, ‘peace on earth’ and all that?”

Christ did indeed come to bring peace, peace between God and us. But he is also a dividing point. People divide because of his name. Families divide. Friends divide. It’s inevitable because not everyone will believe.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: If you are truly going to follow Christ and preach his name, you cannot please everyone. Not everyone will like you.

Why? Because if they hate Christ, can you truly expect them to love you?

Jesus told us,

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.

As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (John 15:18-19)

So let us not waste time trying to make everyone love us. Instead, let us love Christ and preach his name. Because while some may fall because of him, some will rise and find life in his name.

And if those you love find him, isn’t it worth it?

God bless, and Merry Christmas!

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Luke Luke 2

Spreading the Joy

Luke

Merry Christmas all! I trust you’ll forgive this short, but sweet blog on this Christmas day (in Japan).

When the shepherds heard the news that a Savior was born, they immediately raced down to Bethlehem to find him. And when they found Him, they rejoiced greatly.

It says that after they returned, they were glorifying and praising God. To be honest, I think that was an understatement for the joy they felt.

But it was a joy that they could not hold to themselves, for it says in verse 17, that they spread the news to anyone that would listen.

It says that the people were amazed at what the shepherds told them. What it doesn’t say is how they responded after that.

Did they truly believe the shepherds and go see the child themselves? Somehow, I get the impression that they didn’t. Some may have, but if they did, it’s recorded nowhere in scripture.

But to the shepherds, it didn’t matter whether or not the people believed them. They were so filled with joy that they HAD to tell others about it or they’d burst.

How about you? Are you so filled with the joy of the Lord that you’ll just burst if you don’t tell them?

We can’t control how people will respond to the good news about Jesus. What’s more, that’s not our responsibility.

But if we truly love Jesus, if we are truly filled with his joy, we should be telling people about him so that they can know that same joy in their lives too.

How much joy are you spreading?

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Luke Luke 2

When Joy came

Shepherds

As I write this, it is Christmas Eve. And as I reflect on that first Christmas night, it’s hard to truly fathom. For it was on that day that joy truly did come to the world.

When the angel appeared to the shepherds, he said,

Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

As I read this, and think of the feelings of the shepherds, I think of the old carol that says,

Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

Ever since Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden, the world had lived under the shadow of death. We were dying because of our sin. Without hope, and without God in the world.

And particularly for Israel at that time, they may have started to wonder if God had abandoned them. Though God had appeared to their forefathers and revealed himself to them, they hadn’t heard from him for 400 years.

But then, for the first time in centuries, God spoke, and said, “I am here.”

Literally. “Emmanuel” had come. And by his birth he said, “I not only care about you, but I have come to walk among you. To be a light in your darkness. To bring you hope. To bring you salvation.”

And when he sent angels to announce this, he didn’t send them to the priests who were supposed to be closest to God. Nor did he send them to the teachers of the law or any of the “religious” folk.

He came to ordinary folk. To shepherds. People, who in those days, were despised among the general Jewish population.

And by coming to them, God let them know that he truly had come for everyone. That this good news was truly for all people from the greatest to the least.

And because he came, the barrier between God and man came crumbling down. Peace between God and man became possible.

Not because of anything we had done. But because of what Jesus did, not on that Christmas night, but on the cross years later, when the curtain that stood between God and us was torn in two forever.

I pray that you may know that peace this Christmas. And may the joy the shepherds felt that night, fill your heart as well.

Joy to the World! The Lord is come!

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Luke Luke 2

The One who is truly in control

Luke

When Luke gave his account of the birth of Jesus, he gave us some historical context. It happened during the time of Caesar Augustus, who was the emperor of the Roman Empire.

Augustus had taken complete control over the Roman Empire by conquering Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s forces, and shortly thereafter, he became the first Emperor of Rome.

He would flex his powers in many ways, including bringing peace to Rome, as his reign marked the beginning of the Pax Romana.

But what he didn’t know was that an even greater King was about to be born. And that though he was in control of the Roman Empire, there was a greater hand at work.

Augustus ordered that a census be taken of the entire Roman world, probably for tax purposes. With one snap of his fingers, his subjects all had to leap and go back to their hometowns to register.

One wonders what Joseph and Mary thought. We always assume that Mary was in her ninth month of pregnancy when the decree came, but we don’t know that. It may have been earlier.

But if true, I suspect that it wasn’t that much earlier because if it had been, there probably would have been time to find a better place to stay than in a cave, which was probably where Joseph and Mary had to go (contrary to all our images of a nice, clean stable).

Joseph must have wondered, “Why now, God? Why didn’t you work things out so she could be more comfortable?”

But God knew what he was doing. On a lesser note, it probably got Mary and Joseph out of a very uncomfortable situation in Nazareth where rumors were no doubt flying around concerning Mary’s pregnancy, because they were not yet married.

On a more important note, though, through this census, Jesus was forced to be born in Bethlehem, fulfilling the prophecy of Micah. (Micah 5:2)

Though Augustus thought he was in control, it was God who truly was in control. And while Augustus helped set up a peace that continued for roughly 200 years, eventually all he helped build crumbled.

But through Jesus, God started a kingdom that continues to this day and will have no end. No man, no woman, and no kingdom, will be able to overthrow it.

And when all is said and done, there will be a true peace in this world that will never be broken again.

How about you? Do you think that you are in control? Of your own life if nothing else?

Remember that there is Someone bigger than you are. And if your life is based solely on your wisdom and your efforts, it will eventually crumble.

Do you sometimes wonder if God is in control? Do you wonder why God allows things to happen as they do?

Continue to trust in him. Because he’s working things out according to a plan that we can’t always see. And in the end, all creation will see it.

On that day, as the angels cried out at Jesus’ birth, all will say,

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)