Here we are...The time is here. The door has opened. We are through to the other side.
Angels came and spoke to men. A child was born. A gift, the Son of Man, came to heal the world and carry its sin. He came with only a handful to know. A young girl and a young man, shepherds and wise men. The world was in darkness and sin.
Who were the wise men? No one knows for sure.
It's possible they were familiar with the prophecies of Daniel. They would also have been more than familiar with prophecies those announced in Judah before Babylon occupied the country. Wise men would have studied and practiced astrology among other divining arts.
The Sun, Moon and Stars were clearly visible to the naked eye. Even the planets Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn could be seen without any aid if one was trained to know what your eye rested upon. But it is possible that a sort of telescope might also have been used.
4Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, into the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
They traveled to Bethlehem, a distance of about 90 miles and likely they traveled along the River Jordan. If you're picturing a trip in arid land along a muddy river, think again. The river's landscape is lush and green and the river curves gently along the way. It would have been a pleasant journey, most likely, but arduous as well, because the elevation climbs steadily upward as you head into Bethlehem.
Well as it happens the Romans occupied pretty much all of what would later be called Europe, Africa up to the borders of the deserts, all of the Middle East and parts of what would later become Russia. Augustus was declared Pater Patriae or 'Father of the Country' and what a vast country it was.
When Elizabeth's time came to bear the child and she brought forth her son, her neighbors and relatives rejoiced with her.
On the eighth day, they came together to join in the ceremony of circumcising the child. It was expected they would name the son, their only child, Zacharias after his father, but Elizabeth answered and said "No. He shall be called John."
This created drama. "There is no one of such a name in all your family! You cannot call him John!" Gracious! Why must people try and spoil an affair of celebration with their own opinion?
We know very little about Joseph other than his family line. Joseph of Nazareth's family line traced from Abraham, through the line of King David This was an important fulfillment of prophecy. We know Joseph's father was named Jacob, based on the genealogy provided for us at the beginning of chapter 1 of Matthew's book.
Joseph was likely not from Nazareth. He settled in Nazareth after returning to Egypt with Mary. We know from a later chapter that Joseph's trade was as a carpenter or craftsman of some sort. We can learn only that much from scripture.
Luke 1:39-56 Tells us that Mary entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
Whatever Mary's doubts might have been on the journey to Elizabeth, Elizabeth set them to rest. When Mary spoke the baby in her womb leapt and Elizabeth herself was filled with the Holy Spirit. She spoke a blessing over Mary:
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" And she blessed her further, "Blessed is she who believed, for there will a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."
Have you ever considered Mary as a love struck teen? Not like today's teens exactly but in the most innocent sense? Can you see her secret smile as she remembers some sweet moment that passed, if only a shared glance with Joseph as they passed on opposite sides of the street?
How she must have dreamed of her future home! Can you see her laying out the items she has gathered for her future home, admiring them, handling them, smoothing the linens and stroking the pottery as she dreamed? I wonder if she took her candlesticks, those meant to be lit for Shabat, and gently moved her hands over them and mimicked the prayers she'd heard her own mother use each Sabbath evening, practicing for the day she would bless her own home with the prayer.
Zacharias was a priest of Abijah's division. His wife Elizabeth was from the line of Aaron. They were devout people, righteous in God's sight, living without blame according to all the commands of and requirements of the Lord. But they had no child.
God had commanded his people to go forth and multiply. Children were seen not only as a blessing but as a fulfillment of their duty to follow the will of God. To be childless was seen in this culture as a curse, as an open result to a hidden sin.
From 63 B.C. the Romans ruled Judah.
Herod the Great, a descendant of Esau was placed in power. The priesthood was politically motivated and priests were no longer of the line of Aaron.
Because of the political affiliations of the priests there grew to be two factions, the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
The exiles from Judah did not all leave at once for Judah. There were four mass exoduses over a period of 80 years or so. Some remained forever where they were.
Why? Why not go to the homeland if you might?
Born into a priestly family in Babylon, Ezra was born into captivity. Ezra spent his first years studying Torah. He became a scribe by trade, writing the books of the Torah and Prophets, but was especially skilled in the law of Moses.
Scribing was an especially tedious skill. One 'jot' or one 'tittle' utterly changed the meaning of the scripture. Deep concentration and attention to detail was needed. His Mosaic scrolls are the ones still used today as the standard for modern day scribes to follow.
Ezekiel, Daniel, and all the other captives taken to Babylon did exactly what God urged them to do through the prophet Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 29:4-7 4 This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters. Takes wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. 7 Seek the welfare of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it has prosperity, you will prosper."
Prosper in captivity. Prosper when far away from the only home you've known, far away from the land of your ancestors. Prosper.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were young princes of the royal house of Judah. When Babylon conquered the country, they were also taken captive. Because they were well educated, of high birth and good looking young men, they were sent to King Nebuchadnezzar's palace and trained to become part of his royal household.
As they were taught by the royal tutor they ranked high among the other young men in their lessons. They proved to be already well trained in many disciplines and outshone even the wise men of the kingdom in their understanding.
Ezekiel led a life of relative ease in Babylon. He was allowed to marry, to have a home and had a family. As a man of high education, he had a broad knowledge of not only national traditions but of international affairs and history. He was well versed in general matters of culture, literature and even of shipbuilding.
God was still very displeased with the captives. They continued in their Godless ways, and happily participated in worship of the foreign gods. Ezekiel was 30 years old, five years a captive, when he received the prophetic call on his life. His record of that first vision is filled with vivid and frightening descriptions.
Jeremiah ben Helkiah of Anathoth was a boy of 12 when God spoke to him. "I chose you before I formed you in the womb. I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 Hilkiah was a priest and Jeremiah would follow in his father's footsteps.
Although he was called by God to speak warnings of destruction over Judah, his early years were happy ones. He served first in the reign of Josiah, King of Judah. Josiah became king at age 8 and began a 31 year rule. King Josiah tried to walk in the ways of his ancestor, King David and did much to restore the temple and it's practices and to deter pagan worship. When he was 26, the priest Hilkiah, likely Jeremiah's father, sent King Josiah a scroll that had been found in the temple when they were restoring it. On reading what scholars believe was the scroll of The Book of Deuteronomy, Josiah was convicted in spirit. He sent for the priest and prophets and inquired of the Lord what he should do.