A PROBLEM WITH TIMING!

A PROBLEM WITH TIMING!

Luke 2:20-24 KJV

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

23(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

Matt 2:7-14 KJV

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; [paidion – sometimes refers to a half grown child] and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, [not the manger] they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

          Hmmm! Most Christmas pageants portray both shepherds and wise men around the manger – most likely for convenience. The Bible disagrees leaving the manger scene without the three kings and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The whole scene has less sparkle and magic than we have attributed to it. We are disappointed. All we see is an exhausted young girl, a weary man and a baby surrounded by farm animals and shepherds.

          It is clear that the “flight into Egypt” did not take place as soon as Christmas programs say that it did. In fact Bethlehem probably enjoyed two years of calm before the soldiers rode into town with murder as their mandate. Every male “child” from two years old and younger was slaughtered to eliminate the threat to Herod’s rule. The thought was that if they killed them all certainly they would eliminate the new born king. But Jesus was most likely in Jerusalem.

          Luke focuses on the shepherds and the manger while Matthew wants us to know that Jesus was the Messiah and the king. Matthew places the baby in Jerusalem, not Bethlehem, just eight days after his birth. This was so that he might be circumcised according to the Law of Moses and be officially named by Joseph. Mary, also, would need to present her sacrifices for her purification. Ceremonial purification was required after a birth or a menstrual cycle. Her issue of blood would have been stopped by this time.

          It is possible, even likely, that Joseph and Mary were living either with relatives, friends or in a rented house. A whole host of characters are part of the Christmas time in Jerusalem. First there was Simeon, a very old man, who was told by God that he would not die till he saw Messiah. He was present at the circumcision. Then Anna shows up to provide her blessing.

          My wife assures me that our daughter was walking at the age of eleven months. Jesus was most likely a toddler when the Magi found him. The angel warned the Magi not to return to Herod. One has to wonder just how close Herod was to Jesus at this time. Then the angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt in order to fulfill scripture.

Hos 11:1 KJV

11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Luke 2:52 KJV

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Dear Lord, we long to know more about you. Help us to have the same longing simply to know you. AMEN