Messiah: Flight into Egypt

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My Son.” (Hosea 11:1, NIV). “So he (Joseph) got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 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.’ “ (Matthew 2:14-15).

Clair M. Crissey in commenting on what we call the “Flight into Egypt” states: “The shape of current (world) politics would be much different if Ishmael (father of Islam), Isaac (father of the Jews), or Jesus (founder of Christianity) had been killed in infancy. In His providence, God preserved all three. In Jesus, hope for salvation is extended to descendants of the other two.” (Holman: The Disciple’s Study Bible, 1988, p. 1171).

Joseph was told in a dream to escape Herod’s decree of killing all male children aged two and under. He immediately obeyed and took his family to Egypt. We do not know when they departed for Egypt, where they lived there, or how long they stayed. However, deducing from historical evidence of the period, we know that Archelaus, more wicked and overbearing than his father Herod, ruled in Judea from 4 B. C. through 6 A. D. When Joseph brought his family from Egypt after the danger of murdering the infants was past, he took them back to his hometown of Nazareth to live, a safer zone than the politically-charged Jerusalem. The flight to Egypt is not only a fulfillment of prophecy, but it represents the plight of many refugees then and since who have had to flee their own country and find refuge elsewhere to escape death. Oppression forces families to become refugees. The Son of God and His family were no exception. They, too, had to go down into Egypt for safety, and eventually return to more familiar surroundings when the situation was more stable.

We are told that Egypt at the time Joseph took Mary and Jesus there had about a million Jews living there. Many were businessmen, tradesmen and otherwise enjoying a prosperous life. Since Joseph was a carpenter, he probably found ready employment in his known trade and thus could provide for his family’s needs. A legend, told about the holy family’s sojourn in Egypt, states that idols fell flat on their faces as Jesus would pass by shrines. There is no proof for this story, but in the flight to Egypt, God made provision for the safety of His only begotten Son. And Joseph, the earthly guardian father of Jesus, acted in obedience to God’s command. He cooperated fully in God’s plan for sparing Jesus for His life of ministry and mission. Selah!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Monday, December 27, 2010

Messiah: Born in Bethlehem

“But thou, Bethlehem, Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2. KJV). “And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6. KJV). “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David): To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:4-7. KJV).

I deliberately printed today’s Bible references on Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah from the King James Version of the Bible. You, as I, may have memorized these very verses when a child, reciting them in the church’s Christmas pageant, or at least in Sunday School. I love the poetic quality of this version for this announcement by the prophet, and its fulfillment noted by Matthew and Luke. But more than the poetic expression, I love the truth. Bethlehem. Birthplace of our Lord!

I had the privilege of going to the Holy Land in July, 1978 with my husband. We visited for a month with his sister, Estelle, who was a missionary to the Holy Land. We went to a store near the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem Square where the proprietor, an elderly Christian Jewish gentleman, Mr. Tabish, became our personal tour guide to the Church of the Nativity and then to Shepherd’s Fields outside Bethlehem. I treasure seeing this church dating back to the time of Emperor Constantine in the third century, a monument to his Christian faith and that of his mother, Helena. The church Constantine built was destroyed, but Emperor Justinian in the sixth century rebuilt the church and today it is a landmark, one of the most authentic sites in all of the Holy Land. As we went to the shrine set up deep within the lower regions of the church, Mr. Tabish invited: “Come with me. It was not an elaborate place like this where my Lord was born. I want to show you a cave that more nearly represents the stable where the Lord of glory came to earth.” And so we followed Mr. Tabish through what seemed like mazes, but which he knew, the grottoes deep within the recesses of the Church of the Nativity. There, before a rather dark and plain opening, near where Saint Jerome had hidden to translate portions of the Scripture, was a cave. “A place like this is where Jesus was born!”

We stood in awe with Mr. Tabish, Estelle’s Christian friend, a converted Jew. He, Estelle, Grover and I joined hands and thanked God that He broke through time and space to come to earth as our Redeemer Messiah. We experienced there a high and holy moment.

Following our tour through the church of the Nativity, Mr. Tabish went with us as we drove out to Shepherd’s Fields outside Jerusalem. There we could walk up on a hill and imagine the glory of the angel band, the awe of shepherds, and their haste to follow the angel’s bidding to go to Bethlehem to find the newborn King. We could see the outline of the buildings of Bethlehem in the distance, past Herodian (King Herod’s stronghold). We could easily imagine how the shepherds made their way with only stars and moon to give them light until they came to the place where Jesus lay. Then we thought about how the shepherds “went everywhere, telling what they had seen and heard.” Thus they became the first evangelicals!

Bethlehem means “House of Bread.” Jesus, who is the Bread of Life, was born in David’s hometown, the very name of which means bread. A fulfillment of prophecy was, indeed, an event in the fullness of time! How we love to sing Phillips Brooks’ lovely carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” There on Bethlehem’s hill that hot day in July, 1978, I sang in my heart the words that so genuinely express the spirit and wonder of the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem. Look at all the words to every stanza and absorb them in a new and meaningful way, paying special attention to stanza three:

“How silently, how silently The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming, But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still The dear Christ enters in.”

Thank you God, for Jesus, the Bread of Life, born in Bethlehem, “house of Bread.” He is my Bread of Life, my all, my Messiah, my Savior! Amen.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Messiah: Star Out of Jacob

“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17. NIV). “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2. NIV). “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32-33. NIV). “Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79. NIV). “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Off-spring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16. NIV).

The prophecy of Jesus as a “Star out of Jacob” was made, strangely enough, by Balaam, who was a non-Israelite prophet, soothsayer and magician whom God used to speak the truth. Recorded in Numbers, we have this account of the Israelites under Moses’ leadership encamped at Acacia Grove with the Moab nation all about them. King Balak of Moab engaged Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. We recall the story of Balaam’s donkey—how the animal saw the angel of the Lord in the road and refused to go forward. Balaam beat his donkey unmercifully, and the donkey spoke to his master. It was only then that Balaam saw the angel, heard the instructions the Lord had given, and went on to pronounce his oracles. It is in the fourth oracle that the Messianic prophecy is given: “I see him but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” The prophet Balaam was given an amazing vision of one who would arise to be a Star—a brilliant and anointed leader, and with a scepter, a symbol of authority. This was joyful good news for the nation on its way to the promised land, with Moab to conquer. But, as the prophet Balaam stated, this Star, this Scepter was not for that present time, not near (in time). This joyful good news for Jacob and Israel would be a long way off and would be realized in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy. The Star and Scepter would not be another king like the earthly David. The enemy would not be the idolatrous nation of Moab. The conqueror would be the triumphant Jesus. The enemy He would conquer was sin and death. The expanse of His kingdom would not be just for Israel but to any “living in darkness and in the shadow of death.” The prophecy made by Balaam in the time of Moses was summarized in John’s vision given in Revelation. Jesus is, indeed, “the Root and Off-spring of David, the Bright Morning Star.” The breaking of a new dawn signifies hope and joy. And the bright Morning Star shines on all who come to that light! Selah!

c Ethlene Dyer Jones; Monday, December 20, 2010

Messiah: Exalted by God

“May His name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through Him, and they will call Him blessed. Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen. (Psalm 72:17-19, NIV). “Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’ “ (Matthew 2:1b-2. NIV). “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11, NIV). [Read Psalm 72].

All of Psalm 72 is a Messianic hymn. The Psalm is attributed to King Solomon. Did he know when he wrote the psalm, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that he was writing about the coming Messiah? Jesus Himself and early Christians understood this psalm as prophetic of the Messiah. Although it is not quoted directly in New Testament writings, some very important Christological passages are based on the psalm, such as portions of Ephesians 1, Philippians 2. Colossians 1 and Hebrews 1. And how we thrill to the words of the beloved hymn, “Jesus Shall Reign” written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748) who composed his lofty poem of praise based on this psalm, and in particular verse 8: “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

“Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom spread from shore to shore
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.”

Does it thrill you to read about how people in many lands celebrate the birth of Messiah? I am working now on some games for a Sunday School class Christmas fellowship. I want it to be fun, but at the same time reverent and meaningful, a means whereby participants may come away from the evening with a better understanding of why it was necessary for Jesus to come to earth and sojourn among us. The Magi of eastern lands studied the heavens and realized that a special King was born, and went to worship Him. God exalted Jesus, even to eastern astrologists. Shepherds on a Bethlehem hillside heard the angels’ songs and went to Bethlehem to worship Jesus.In our towns and countryside, centuries from the time of Advent, we meet together and worship the newborn King. When we think about the magnitude of this knowledge and celebration, we can hardly take it in! The time will come when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord! Better to join the throng willingly, with our own faith intact, than to wait until that day when this prophecy, too, will be fulfilled!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, December 5, 2010

Joseph, Earthly Father of Jesus

“And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. …Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”—Matthew 1:16; 20b-21 (NKJV)

In this month leading up to Easter, I am examining briefly the lives of some of the people close to Jesus while He lived and moved, walked and taught, suffered and died upon earth, and was resurrected. Today, we look at Joseph, earthly father of Jesus.

The Bible does not teach us much about Joseph, husband of Mary of Nazareth. As to his genealogy, Matthew states the lineage in 1:1-17. Genealogy was important to the Jewish people and was normally listed according to the father’s lineage in Jewish accounting. To go back to Abraham the patriarch from whom Joseph was descended, was very important to know in ancestry. Through Joseph, Jesus was “somebody,” for he had the ancestry to prove it. Compare Matthew’s genealogy to that given by Luke in 3:23-38. Listed in reverse, that is from Jesus to Joseph and all the way back to Adam and to God.

But the truth is, Joseph knew that the babe known as the first-born son of Mary and Joseph was really the son of God, for his beloved wife, Mary, was “ found with child of the Holy Spirit,” and Joseph followed God’s directions to take as his wife the young girl to whom he was already betrothed. Joseph was honorable.

Joseph was a carpenter by trade. When Jesus taught later in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth the people asked, “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon and Judas?” (Mt. 13:55). Extra-biblical accounts from ancient times about Joseph tell of how he was able, wherever they went to protect Jesus and to find work as a carpenter to support his family. Joseph was an honest worker and head-of-the household, the family provider.

Joseph was a devout man. In dreams he heard and heeded the messages God sent him by angels. “Fear not to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant of the Holy Spirit.” And Joseph, a righteous man and not wanting her to come to public disgrace, married Mary. They were already engaged, promised to each other, betrothed. He took Mary, according to decree of the government for census-taking, to Bethlehem, his ancestral home. But this action, though mandated by law, was God’s way of working out the ancient prophecy: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, From everlasting” (Micah 5:2, NKJV).

Joseph participated in the naming, circumcision and dedication of the Baby Jesus. Read this wonderful account, and God’s blessing upon it, in Luke 2: 21-38. Joseph obeyed the voice of the angel and took Mary and Jesus to Egypt to prevent Jesus’ death in the terrible decree of Herod to kill all the young male children (read about this in Matthew 2:13-23).

Joseph was a concerned father. It is evident that he brought Jesus up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord, for the young Jesus “grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:40, NKJV). Furthermore, “the parents went every year to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover” (Luke 2:41). It was when Jesus was twelve that He got lost from his parents—that is, they lost him. Jesus was still in the Temple being questioned by the “doctors of the law” and confounding them with His understanding. Read this beautiful story of Joseph as a concerned father in Luke 2:41-52).

The account of Joseph, earthly father of Jesus, ends with this account of him helping Mary find Jesus in the Temple. Scholars believe Joseph died before the time of Jesus’ public ministry, for we have only Mary appearing from time to time throughout the earthly ministry of her son, Jesus.

Joseph had done an honorable work and set an example as an earthly father.God had this purpose for Joseph of Nazareth, son of Jacob, descendant of Abraham. He was important and necessary in the earthly life of Jesus, Son of God, whom God entrusted to Mary and Joseph to rear. “For with God, nothing will be impossible,” the angel had told Mary (Luke 1:37). With what we know about him, Joseph lived true to this belief.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Tuesday, March 2, 2010