The Wise Men

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The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010


This article continues a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The series begins with, Called To Bethlehem. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

Part 10 The Wise Men

There was the good news about the birth of Christ. Those who were there, the shepherds and family in Bethlehem, were encouraged. They told others about what they saw and heard on that miraculous night.

But there was trouble brewing not far from Bethlehem. About 5 miles to the north, in Jerusalem was the very evil King Herod. His life had been filled with assassinations, murders and violent revenge. When he was just a child, he was permitted to execute the man who killed his father.

By 37 BC Herod used political pressures to get Rome to declare him King of the Jews. To protect his title and power over the Jewish territories …

  • He had 45 Hasmonean Priests killed.
  • He was suspected in the strange bath-tub drowning of Aristobulus III, a potential rival..
  • He killed his wife Mariami soon after he married her.
  • He even had his wife’s mother executed for conspiracy.
  • He feared that his brothers might become competitors so he killed them too.
  • He murdered Costobar, a governor he himself had appointed.
  • Just prior to these events in Matthew he killed his own sons Alexander and Aristobulus.

While he was king, a group of foreign scholarly advisers arrived in Jerusalem. Matthew 2:1 says, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,”

They’re called wise men in our Bibles. They weren’t kings as the old song goes. That’s based on later mystical writings, not the Bible. The word used here in the original Scriptures is magoi (μαγοι). It means they were scholars, men of science, keepers of ancient knowledge, and very important advisers to the kings. They were experts in astronomy and watched the night skies constantly.

There’s no reason to believe there were three of them. The idea probably comes from the three kinds of gifts they brought: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It’s like a child saying he got gifts of clothes, toys and DVDs. That doesn’t mean only three people gave him gifts. Historians tell us that when the magoi traveled, they would have a military escort of probably a thousand troops. These were very valuable men and highly respected advisers to kings.

They came from the East, probably Persia, old Babylon, our modern Iraq.

Their message would have been obviously troubling to King Herod. Verse 2 tells us they said, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

Herod was upset about this news of a rival King of the Jews. Verse 3 tells us about his response, “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”

It’s no wonder that a man so evil and jealous of his power was troubled. A contingent of eastern Magoi came to Jerusalem, probably with a large military escort, and they were looking for a new-born King over the Jewish people.

Herod probably knew the prophesies about a coming Messianic King. The Rabbis taught that he would be a revolutionary who would overthrow Rome. Herod was appointed by Rome, and took pride in being King of the Jews.

He wanted to know who this rival to his throne was so he called for his advisers. Matthew 2:4-6 says, “And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, ‘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.’ ”

It was the Bible, not the star, that first led them to Bethlehem. The quote comes from Micah 5:2, “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.”

So Herod called these wise men to come to meet with him privately. Matthew 2:7-8, “Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, ‘Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.’ ”

It would have taken these Magoi a while to get to Jerusalem. They had to travel over 800 miles (Roughly the distance between where I live in Central Florida and Washington D.C.). The trip would have required planning and making sure their duties in Babylon were covered while they were away. They would have to camp out along the way, so they needed all the supplies for the trip, and a contingent of military escorts had to be put together. It may have been a year after they saw the star that they arrived in far off Jerusalem.

Later we read of Herod’s plan to slaughter all Bethlehem’s children two years old and younger, so he eliminated all those a year older and a year younger than his intended victim. This fits with Jesus being a toddler about one year old at the time.

So the Savior they found & worshiped likely wasn’t a baby in a manger any more, but a 1-year-old boy. But he was the newborn King of kings and Savior for his people. King Herod died in 4 BC so it was probably about 5 BC that Jesus was born.

Next Study: The Star of the Wise Men

Startled Shepherds

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The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010


This article continues a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The series begins with, Called To Bethlehem. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

Part 9 Startled Shepherds

Bethlehem was a busy place around the day when Jesus was born. With all the descendants of King David back in their home-town because of the Roman census there were undoubtedly stories to tell, things to catch up on, and opinions to share about current events.

The homes of relatives were likely already filled with other visiting relatives by the time Mary and Joseph arrived. Since there was no room in the family kataluma (the word is translated “guest room” in other places in the New Testament, not “inn”) the young couple from Nazareth probably stayed in one of the shed-like attachments of a family home.

One night while they were there (we don’t really know what time of year, or what time of the night) their baby was born and laid in a manger as his cradle. It was not unusual then to use an unused feeding trough this way.

Undoubtedly news spread fast to all the relatives there since they were living in close quarters. There would have been a lot of congratulations, and probably talk about the nature of his conception. There was no way to send out announcements to those back in Galilee that night, no phones, no e-mail, facebook, or family web-sites. But God intended to get the word out beyond just the family of David gathered in Bethlehem.
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The message came to shepherds out in the fields that night. Luke 2:8 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

Shepherds were a common sight in the fields around Bethlehem. During the grazing seasons they sometimes built simple shelters out in the fields for a long term stay.

The life of a shepherd is something few of us have experienced. Then shepherding was a common occupation. God used the shepherd’s work to explain how he takes care of his people, and about how we rely upon our Savior to be our Good Shepherd.

It was an ancient and major industry in Bethlehem, just 5 miles south of Jerusalem. There was a good market for sheep which were sacrificed daily in the temple worship.

Sheep had grazed in those hills for many generations. About 1,000 years earlier the feet of a young shepherd boy named David walked over those fields. One of the best known passages of the Bible is the 23rd Psalm. It was written by that shepherd after he became King over a united Israel. In that Psalm he used his experience with the sheep to explain how the Lord is our Shepherd.

Many hundreds of years after David’s time many families there were still tending sheep on those hills. Out in the fields away from the crowding of the city the shepherds probably talked a lot about all those coming home for the Roman census. There were busy reunions of cousins, brothers, and sisters who that had been scattered over the years.

Certainly they talked some about the politics of the day, how Rome had become so oppressive. They hoped in the Messiah who would come one day to save them. But the Rabbis had confused the ancient promises of the Bible. In the synagogues they were taught that the Messiah would be a great revolutionary who would bring down Rome. They expected that he would restore political power to Israel again and lead them to rule over the Gentiles.

This was likely an ordinary night out on the fields, like hundreds of thousands of nights before then. It was their job to be there. It was their family heritage and business, and they knew it well. They worked under the same constellations of stars and the same moon their ancestor David had seen. The same night skies that lit the fields for Abraham. They are the same lights that display the Creator’s glory in our 21st century night skies.

For the shepherds on that night near Bethlehem, it would have all stared out quite routinely, an ancient set of nightly duties that rarely changed — but this night would be different.
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Suddenly the normalcy was broken by the appearance of a messenger sent from heaven. Luke 2:9, “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.’

The picture gets confused by the paintings and illustrations we’re so familiar with today. When heavenly angels appeared to people in the Bible they were often mistaken for mere men. They didn’t hover in the air with wings, halos, and harps.

Our word “angel” comes directly from the Greek word used in the New Testament: angelos (αγγελος). It’s the ordinary word for messenger, someone sent to deliver a message.

For example, that’s what Luke 7:24 calls the messengers sent to Jesus from John the baptist. They are simply called angels, angeloi (αγγελοι). The readers then would have understood what Luke meant. The word angeloi was use for messengers who brought orders to the front lines in battles. When Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:2 the Hebrew word malac (מלאך) was used. That’s the word for “messenger” in Hebrew, and it is the word commonly used for heavenly angels in the Old Testament. We know when the Bible is talking about a non-human spirit messenger because the passage usually tells us that it was a messenger “from heaven”, or words to that effect.

God very rarely sent spirit messengers in human form to deliver his word to humans. There are only a few isolated times in the Bible when that happened.

There’s nothing wrong with drawing God’s angels with wings and halos in art work. It’s the imagery we often use to represent them in book illustrations, paintings, Christmas cards, and figurines. The Bible even uses images like that in describing some of the spirit beings in heaven. But it doesn’t say that angels had physical wings. They were pure spirit beings. When God gave them a physical form to appear as men delivering his message it’s never said that they had wings or halos.

We need to be careful that we don’t miss the main point of their mission by imagining dramatic creatures that would draw the attention to themselves. When they came, the important thing was what God sent them to announce. The spotlight was never on the messenger.

So if the angel appeared to the shepherds as just a man, why were they frightened? The sudden appearing of a man might startle them for a moment. But the main thing that made them uneasy was the overwhelming glory of the Lord around them. God opened their eyes to see his ever-present glory which since man’s fall in Eden is normally suppressed by the fallen soul.

So in Luke 2:10-12 we read that the angel comforted the shepherds, and delivered God’s message. “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

There was good news for them and for “all people”. The Jews were not used to hearing that God’s message of joy reaches out to the Gentiles. Clearly that was always God’s plan. The Jews served an important place as God revealed his covenant of grace. With the coming of the Messiah their special place ended. Now the Israel of God has expanded to be a church of believers from all nations.

The reason for this great joy to all was the birth of the Messiah that night. He was born in Bethlehem, the city of David — just as God’s word had predicted. He came as the Savior, but not to save the Jews from the Roman Emperor, and not just to benefit the Jews alone. He came to save believers of all races from the guilt of sin. He came to restore them to fellowship with God. This baby is the Christ, the Messiah, the Lord who sovereignly rules over all things.

The sign spoken of by the angel was that they would find him in a most humble setting. He would be a baby wrapped up the way babies normally were in those days, and lying in a food trough. This was not the way the Rabbis expected the Messiah to come into the world. The Joy and Peace he would bring wasn’t what most expected then either.

Then a whole “army” of heavenly beings joined the angel. Luke 2:13-14 says, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ ”

They appeared suddenly stepping out of the dimension of spirits to be seen by these shepherds. They knew the message they were about to deliver and to these messengers, it was a sure cause for praise. They recognized God’s glory, a wonder greater than anything else imaginable. They declared that the Messiah who was just born will bring Peace. Isaiah 9:6 calls him the Prince of Peace, sar shalom (שַׂר־שָׁלֹֽום).

Jesus Christ is the Sovereign Ruler over and root cause of any real peace that exists among men. By his restraining mercy he keeps men from being as cruel and violent as they could be. This gives us times of safety from harm and crimes. When he removes that restraint and lets sin show itself we see what happens. Fallen people left to themselves will tend to do wicked and selfish things.

It is his saving grace that alone can change the heart into that of a redeemed child of God. If you have faith in Christ, or if your loved ones come to know him as their Savior, then you understand that it is his work in you that brings inner peace to your soul. It is nothing for which you can take credit yourself.

In Christ believers are at peace with God, and find comfort even while they endure trials. In Philippians 4:7 while under Roman arrest for his faith, the Apostle Paul wrote, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

One day those rescued by his grace will be free from all discomforts and attacks of evil. That perfect and eternal peace comes to those who rest their hope in the Prince of Peace. But that peace doesn’t come to everybody. All enjoy moments when they aren’t at war, or victims of crime or of physical discomforts. But even in those times there’s no real lasting peace in the heart or peace with God unless the person is redeemed by grace to lay hold of Christ by faith.

This peace is only promised by God to those transformed by the Redeemer’s work in them. In Romans 5:1 Paul writes, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

Just as suddenly it was quiet again in the hills around Bethlehem. Luke 2:15-16 says, “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”

They reacted with immediate obedience. They didn’t come to the manger just to be observers. They came to worship the one who alone deserves worship. They also had information to deliver, the message from God through the angels. They confirmed what they were told. This baby was the Savior, the Christ who was the Lord.

They understood that as Savior he didn’t come as a political revolutionary. They didn’t need freedom from Rome. They needed to be set free from the chains of sin and the weight of its guilt. And they weren’t going to have to wait until he grew up to become a liberator of oppressed people. He was already their Lord, their master. This was Immanuel, “God with us,” the Savior from their soul’s real bondage.

Their worship wasn’t showy or designed to entertain and whip up emotions. They came humbly as sinners saved by grace to honor the one who came to forgive them and set them free. That’s the way we should come to worship him too. It’s what we should tell others to do as they come to worship him too.

How did they find him? There was no star to guide them at this time. That star didn’t point out where the family of Jesus was until the wise men came from the East, probably many months later. But finding him wouldn’t have been difficult. This was the city of David’s descendants. The relatives of his family were very much aware of Mary and Joseph and the baby. Many people there would have known where they were staying during their time in Bethlehem.
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This miraculous event had a lasting effect upon these shepherds of Bethlehem. Luke 2:17-20 says, “And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”

The lives of these men were changed forever. The hope they’d heard about since they were children had come to be a reality, and they had witnessed it personally. They were filled with great joy when they came to understand what it all meant. They were also filled with a compelling desire to honor God and to tell others about it.

Mary had a lot to treasure and ponder for the rest of her life too. She had given birth to the one promised to Eve, the mother of the whole human race. This baby is the longed for Messiah that gave hope through the ages. He was the hope of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, and all believers. This little baby she had given birth to and laid in a manger was the Savior, Immanuel, God With Us.

Next Study: The Wise Men

The Birth of Our Savior

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The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010


This article continues a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The series begins with, Called To Bethlehem. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

Part 8 The Birth of Our Savior

The birth of Jesus was an amazing turning point in the history of the world. It’s easy to let a few traditional pictures get in the way of the point of this story as God tells it in his word. While we love the tender images we see in children’s books and skits about the birth of Christ, it is never good to let them change the actual account given to us in Scripture by the inspiration of the Holy spirit.

The account of his actual birth is found in a very short passage in Luke’s Gospel 2:6-7. “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.”

In that fore-ordained town the plan of God was about to be fulfilled. But were they there frantically searching for a room in an inn only to be repeatedly turned away by a thoughtless innkeeper? Were they there all alone as two young Jews from the far away province of Nazareth? And where was that manger the baby Jesus slept in on that first night of his birth?

It is popularly believed that Jesus was born on the first night they arrived. The expression, “while they were there” doesn’t fit with that idea. It means that sometime during the days they were in Bethlehem, Mary’s child was born.

There’s no frantic knocking on doors the very night they arrived to find a room. There’s no panic that Mary was in labor and they were still out on the streets. There’s no mention of an innkeeper who callously turned them away. In fact there’s no actual inn if we take God’s word as is speaks for itself.

The word translated as “inn” is the Greek word kataluma (καταλuμα). In the original Koine Greek the word has a wide variety of uses which make it difficult to know for sure what kind of place it was that had no room for Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. Many people picture it in very modern terms as a boarding house or an old English tavern with rooms upstairs. Of course such ideas are totally out of place in Israel at the time of Christ’s birth.

One common view is that the “inn” was what the Hebrews called a milon or a khan. The oriental khan is a large open court surrounded by vaulted chambers. Along the walls are stone mangers for the animals to feed from. Some times the Khan had a grotto or cave for a stable near the large communal area where the people stayed. The type of Khan that would have existed in such a town as Bethlehem would not likely have had an innkeeper. Those who hold to this view generally say that the communal area would not have been large enough to afford much privacy to a woman giving birth to a child. Therefore, since there was not enough room in the khan they slept in the grotto or stable where Christ was born.

This view sounds attractive, and it does explain many of the statements of the narrative. Yet it is not the only explanation possible. It’s probably not the best explanation.

The word “kataluma” is not only found here in the New Testament. It is also used in 2 other places. Luke himself uses this word in his gospel in chapter 22 verse 11. Here Jesus sends out Peter and John to find a kataluma where they could celebrate the passover. This feast was the famous “last supper” of our Lord. In this context the word kataluma is translated as “guest chamber” or “guest room”. Mark also uses this same word in his account of the last supper. Therefore another more consistent way we could translate the Luke 2:7 passage would be… “She laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the guest room.”

It’s interesting to note also that in Luke 10:34 where Luke does refer to an oriental khan he does not use this Greek word kataluma. Instead he uses another Greek word pandokeion. With this information a whole new picture begins to emerge.

The accommodations for guests in eastern homes at that time would of course vary from house to house. One general layout was quite common in old Israel. Many homes were built of heavy stones and divided into 2 rooms. On the outside of the house was often a stone shed which was entered only from the outside. When guests came one of the 2 rooms in the house became the guest room or kataluma. This room could also be rented out for use to visiting groups or families. This might have been the case with the room used for the last supper. If when Mary and Joseph came to Bethlehem the guest room was already in use by other visiting relatives, the best privacy for a woman about to give birth to a child would be available in the stone shed on the side of the house. The shed was normally used as a storage place and might well have contained the manger in which our Lord was laid. The text explains that Jesus was laid in a manger because there was no room in the kataluma.

Mangers make good cradles and are still used for this purpose in many eastern countries today. Donkeys were sometimes kept in the side room. Perhaps this manger was one that had been used to hold feed for those donkeys.

This raises the question of animals. Was Jesus surrounded by animals as he laid in the manger? When reading the Bible record note that no animals are mentioned. Later shepherds are said to have come. But it is pure speculation to project various animals into the story. If this was a khan there may have been horses, camels or donkeys. But if this is a side room of a humble home in Bethlehem few if any animals would actually be present.

As we mentioned earlier in this series of studies, Mary and Joseph would have arrived in Bethlehem to be reunited with their relatives for the taxation. Likely they had traveled with some relatives from Nazareth. It would be strange that if all the others decided to make that long and dangerous trip separately.

Did Mary and Joseph know anyone there in Bethlehem? Of course they did. It was their family’s home town. Aside from this, their parents, grandparents, and all their other relatives had to be there with them too. If they hadn’t come they would have been in defiance of the decree of Rome. Eastern hospitality would required that relatives living there would open their homes to guests whenever possible. Also remember that Mary and Joseph were not strangers to this place. Mary just six months before spent three months living with her cousin Elisabeth near Jerusalem which is only about 5 miles away.

What we have here is a far more beautiful picture than our traditional manger scenes show us. The story preserves the special sanctity of family. The covenant bond of parents and children is integral in the story, and in God’s plan. This isn’t a story about a lone couple on their own in a strange country without family to support them or friends to be near them. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

It was there, with the most extended family gathered around them by God’s providence, that our Redeemer was born.

Next Study: Startled Shepherds

An Ancient Promise Fulfilled

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The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010


This article continues a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The series begins with, Called To Bethlehem. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

Part 7 An Ancient Promise Fulfilled

The birth of Christ wasn’t an unexpected event to God’s people. The problem was that those teaching the people tended to interpret God’s prophecies according to their speculations and theories. Today many still see his coming as much less than it really was.

The promise started long ago at the beginning of human history. There was a very bleak day in the garden called Eden. Adam and his wife Eve felt alone for the first time. The glory of God they’d seen in everything around them seemed to dim and fade away. Even the glory of God they had seen in themselves seemed gone too. Instead of perceiving his wonder and love being declared in them, they saw human bodies now devoid of that declaration of glory. Now that they were blind to see that important God-stamp on them, they felt naked.

Satan’s great lie had deceived them. Their eyes were opened to something new in Eden. Now they saw real evil — and they were part of it. Understandably, they were afraid. They were experiencing something they never felt before. Now they knew what it was like to be alienated from God. The one who blessed them, was now perceived as a threat.

They made little aprons out of leaves to cover their bodies now that the glory that they once saw was gone. They ran to hide when they heard God’s presence beginning to show itself again in his garden.
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Eden seems like a strange place to look for part of the Christmas story. But what happened next was just as unexpected as when they realized that Satan had lied. They expected harsh judgment, but it came united with mercy and a great promise. Their alienation was not going to end God’s relationship with his human creations.

By grace, God’s undeserved favor and love, a promise was made. In Genesis 3:15 God said to Satan, that serpent that tempted Eve, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

This was the first hint of God’s amazing plan: One would be born to a woman who would finally overcome and destroy Satan and sin. He would crush the serpent’s head while suffering a bruised heel. Adam and Eve’s sin wasn’t a surprise to God. It was part of his plan to reveal more of himself than Adam and Eve even knew existed. God was not only the great Creator — he’s the great Redeemer too.

Adam and Eve gladly received the promise of redemption. God opened their eyes to the coming of this Messiah, and gave them faith to trust in it. They were banished from the garden, but they found new life in the hope of a Savior. Their fellowship with God was restored, but now they understood the horrors of sin, and the wonders of mercy and grace.

You have probably seen or used those count-down calendars for kids to use for the month of December. They have little windows to open every night before bed to count down the days to Christmas. It keeps children excited about the coming of Christmas Day.
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Anticipation is something we humans know very well. To keep his people excited about the coming of the promised Messiah, God kept the promise alive by revealing progressively more about the advent of Christ. He sent his prophets to expand the message and stir hope in waiting human hearts.

Long after Eden God explained his promise to Noah, and even later to Abraham. God explained that this Messiah would be born to Abraham’s descendants. In Genesis 12:3 Abraham was told that this blessing wasn’t just for his own family, It would be a blessing to all the nations on earth. God said, “… in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Much more was revealed in the days of King David. His family would continue the line of hope. Messiah would be born to his descendants. And God told him that this Messiah would be an eternal King, Lord of all. In 2 Samuel 7:12-13 God said to David, “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”

Then in verse 16 he said, “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” David’s Psalms are filled with references to the promise of the coming of Messiah.

Later God gave amazingly detailed predictions about Christ’s coming to Isaiah. We still quote many of these verses that clearly tell about the birth of Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 7:14 God promised that this Messiah would be nothing less than God with us. It says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

That name Immanuel was later given to Jesus. It’s actually the Hebrew phrase: אעמנו אל
(im-ma-nu el). The first part עם (imma) means “with.” The next part is the Hebrew ending נו (nu) which means “us.” The final part אל (el) is the common Hebrew word for “God.” Together Im-ma-nu – el literally means, “with us — God.” This promised Messiah would be nothing less than God himself here with us.

One day that promise will be fully complete: God’s people will be with God forever in glory. King David was comforted through his times of suffering by being able to say in Psalm 23:6, “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Later in Isaiah 9:6 God opened another little window to build anticipation of the coming Christ.
This is a promise we still read every year at Christmas time. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

God even opened a window for us to see how the Christ would take up his people’s guilt. He would suffer for the sins of those he loved, for those who didn’t deserve anything but judgment. And that’s the foundation for our hope still today. Without his death for our sins, we would still be blind to God’s mercy. It wouldn’t be revealed. God opened a window to let us see this amazing wonder hundreds of years before his birth. In Isaiah 53:4-6 God’s word says, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Micah 5:2 even pointed to the city in which he would be born. It says, “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.”

God gave his people all these windows of promises leading to the moment of Christ’s birth. These promises kept the hope alive through the ages. They serve as our great hope today as we look back on what God has done.

Today we look back on the birth of that promised one. We see all the windows that led up to his birth now left open for us to see in the Old Testament. We see how God helped his people by keeping the hope alive, a sure promise to rest in. And now we know — Jesus of Nazareth was that one Anointed to that special work.

That’s where the word Christ comes from. The word Anointed in the ancient Hebrew of the Old Testament is משיח (Meshiakh). We say “Messiah.” In the Koine Greek of the New Testament the word for anointed is Χρiστος (Christos), we say “Christ.”

At the birth of Jesus, the one and only hope of restoration with God came to earth. He paid sin’s debt in full for all who would trust in that promise God made long ago in Eden.

As it was then, and is now; it’s all by grace that anyone really trusts in God’s provision. Aside from his work of mercy our lost hearts would continue to believe the lie. We are born lost in sin, totally depraved in our very nature.

The Christ who was born, taught, suffered, and died is also risen. The raising of his human body after his death proves that sin was overcome. Death was its penalty. The separation of body and soul would not mean final judgment. The reason: the separation of the person from God, spiritual death, had been overcome.

This same living Savior, Jesus Christ, is here today to change lives and redeem souls eternally. He comes into the hearts of those brought to faith in him by God’s transforming power.

We no longer need to anticipate his coming to earth. He came 2000 years ago. God’s promise in Eden was kept. But we live still appreciating the many blessings his coming earned for us. But there’s still anticipation — still windows to open. They show us what to expect of the living Christ.

The Bible’s promises are the little windows in our calendar of anticipation of God’s blessings. They keep before us the hope Christ brought to us so humbly first in Bethlehem, then in that lonely and disgraceful death on the cross just outside Jerusalem. They encourage us and stir us to grateful obedience to our loving Heavenly Father.

Daily open and consider these windows of hope found in God’s word. Open the Bible every day and be filled with appreciation for God’s plan of redemption, how he overcame sin and our guilt in the Savior his love sent into our world. Let those windows of hope stir you to anticipation of his blessings in your life every day, and of the glorious eternity ahead for all who are redeemed by his grace.

Next Study: The Birth of Our Savior

Another Special Birth

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The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010


This article continues a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The series begins with, Called To Bethlehem. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

Part 6 Another Special Birth

At the beginning of his gospel account Luke introduces us to a godly married couple.

Luke 1:5-7, “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.”

The days when the New Testament story begins were hard times for God’s people. Herod the Great had become king of the region exercising the power and authority of Rome. He was a political opportunist who was hated by the Jews for usurping the throne of King David. He introduced pagan ways into the Jewish lands, corrupted the youth, ruthlessly killed those who stood in his way, and by raising tribute money for Rome gained the protection of the Emperor. This is the same Herod who later killed all the infants in Bethlehem when Jesus was born.

During this time of turmoil God had preserved faithful people who were blessed by his grace. There was a godly couple who were advanced in years, but had no children. Zacharias served in one of the 24 divisions that rotated priestly duties. Elizabeth was also a descendant of the priestly line of Aaron, the brother of Moses. Now that she was beyond the child-bearing years they had given up any hope of having children.

God had prepared this unassuming Jewish family to be part of his amazing plan. Luke continued his account in verses 8-10.

“And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.”

Early each morning a lot would be cast to choose one of the attending priests to serve by igniting the incense inside the holy part of the Temple. On this particular day Zacharias was chosen. It was a once-in-a-life-time honor, his first and last time to perform this holy duty. Two assistants entered with him into the holy place. The one removed the remains of the previous evening’s service from the altar. The other spread the live coals taken from the altar of burnt offering.

Zacharias then stood alone with the golden censer and approached the altar of incense. It was directly in front of the curtain that separated the holy place from the Holy of Holies. To his right was the table of showbread and to his left the candles of the menorah. Outside, the gathered worshipers silently bowed to add their worship and prayers to the rising of the incense before God. When Zacharias lit the incense he would worship for a moment then reverently leave the holy place.

Something happened that startled him, and made him stay where he was. Luke 1:11-12 explains.

“And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.”

God had a special message for Israel. His special spirit messenger Gabriel appeared to this priest while he stood there to complete his special task. Understandably Zacharias was troubled and somewhat afraid. It says in Luke 1:13-17,

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

This was quite an amazing and unexpected message. First the angel assured him not to be afraid. Then he told Zacharias that his prayer had been heard. Evidently he had prayed for a son. Since he and his wife were now quite old, probably this prayer was offered up to God many years ago. Reason and common experience would have made what Gabriel said seem impossible, but in God’s timing, in their later years, Elizabeth was going to bear him a son.

God’s messenger said that this son should be named John. He will bring great joy to his parents and to many others. The son will be great. He will be like those under a Nazarite vow who abstain from beverages made from grapes. He would be specially filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.

In fulfilling God’s ancient promise, he will turn the sons of Israel to the Lord. He will prepare a special people for the Lord by going in the spirit and power of Elijah. The hearts of father’s would be turned back to their children, and the disobedient will be called back to righteousness.

The circumstances would make it obvious that God was specially at work. He chose a couple beyond the child-bearing years, and he sent his angel to announce it as an act of God.

With all that evidence, even with the supernatural appearance of an angel from God, Zacharias doubted what the angel told him. Luke 1:18-20 says,

And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Admittedly this was an amazing message! Humanly speaking what was about to happen was very unlikely. That’s why God sent his special messenger in such a supernatural way. The angel clearly identified himself. He was Gabriel, the one who stands in God’s presence. God had sent him with this message of good news.

Because of his lack of trust in God’s words, Zecharias would lose his ability to speak until the promise communicated through the angel was fulfilled. This was a further confirmation that this was an act of God. His inability to speak would exactly coincide with the duration of the promise. It started with the angel’s announcement, and wouldn’t end until the child was obediently named as God said. (Luke 1:57-80)

Meanwhile, the people waited, and wondered about the delay inside the Holy Place. The scene is recorded in Luke 1:21-23.

And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

John, the announcer of the Messiah, was conceived just as God promised through the angel.

Luke 1:24-25, “And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

Though yet unborn, already this child filled Elizabeth with joy. She would have the child she always wanted. She credited God alone for this blessing.

Jesus had not yet been conceived in Mary, but already the prophet who would precede him was growing in his mother’s womb. John would help clear away the confusion about God’s prophesies. He would straighten out the twisted path made by those who distorted the hope of the Messiah.

Today God calls his people to untangle the confusion about the birth, mission, and work of Jesus Christ. The Christmas season offers many opportunities to point out the world’s understanding about who he was and what he did. To many people it remains a twisted tale that misses the wonder of what really happened. The Gospel of Christ restores that hope in hearts that turn to him and trust in what he really accomplished.

Next Study: An Ancient Promise Fulfilled

Comfort for Joseph

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The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010


This article continues a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The series begins with, Called To Bethlehem. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

Part 5 Comfort for Joseph

Mary, a godly Jewish virgin, was pregnant. It was a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, but not everyone knew this or believed it. How would others take this? What would her family and friends think? And most importantly, what about Joseph?

Back in 2004, in Westfield Township, Ohio, a 35 year old woman by the name of Jennifer died from smoke inhalation. She had plenty of time to get out of her burning house but didn’t. Why would a woman linger in and move through a burning house when she could have run outside to save her life? It wasn’t because she didn’t have a fear of fire or of dying. It was because her children were in there. Before she succumbed to the smoke she saved the lives of her three children ages 6, 8, and 10.

When we have a great concern for something important to us, we can overcome almost any fear and do amazingly brave things. Courage to conquer what holds us back doesn’t come from the absence of fear. It comes from the presence of something far greater than what threatens us.

This is what moves brave men to stand in harms way to preserve our freedoms in foreign wars. It’s what drives fire fighters and law officers to put themselves in danger to preserve our safety. It’s what led martyrs to give of themselves to bring down evil empires and oppressive nations. It’s what gave Joseph the strength to stay with Mary though she was pregnant with a child that was not his own.

Matthew 1:18 introduces us to the story of our Savior’s birth. Unlike Luke, Matthew told the events from the perspective of Joseph.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.’

Somehow he found out that Mary was going to have a baby. We don’t know if Mary came to him directly, or if he found out through others Mary had told about her pregnancy. Joseph does not seem to be aware of the nature of the conception, or at least he didn’t seem to believe it if he was.

The situation presented him with a very difficult moral problem. He deeply loved Mary and evidently respected her. Joseph looked for a solution that would both honor God and preserve Mary’s honor. Matthew 1:19 says, “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.”

As a righteous man, Joseph wanted to obey God’s revealed principles and laws. He trusted in the ancient promise that God would one day pay for our sins. Little did he know then what an intimate part he would play in that price being paid.

God’s law was clear. If a betrothed woman consents to be intimate with another man, she was guilty of a grave sin and condemned as an adulteress. Deuteronomy 22:23-24 required execution, but execution for adultery wasn’t permitted among the Jews under Roman rule. But still the principle was clear. God saw it as a serious crime that would end the marriage promise.

Joseph had always trusted Mary, but now this! How could he explain what had happened without assuming that she’d been with another man? So would he just marry her contrary to God’s law? Would he lie and tell people it was his child? Those weren’t moral options, so he looked for a way to avoid disgracing her. He planned to end their betrothal secretly.

It was then that God’s angel appeared to assure him that it was a work of God. The angel said in Matthew 1:20-21, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

The Bible doesn’t point to Mary’s explanation to Joseph. It doesn’t tell us that such a conversation ever took place. The foundation for his trust was to be in God’s word which came through a heavenly messenger who appeared to him in a dream.

There was a purpose in the situation that his human mind hadn’t been able to comprehend. God was sending the promised Messiah to redeem lost humans. His betrothed Mary was going to be the mother of the baby that would crush Satan and sin.

There was no uncertainty left to trouble Joseph’s conscience. God had spoken and had given him a sure confidence in what was said. The Lord produced a holy obedience in Joseph. He took Mary to be his wife, but “did not know her” until the child was born. There would be no human interference — this would be the Messiah, God, the Eternal Son.

It all had worked out. The seeming dilemma disappeared. Joseph’s trust in God gave him confidence. He laid aside all the plans he had imagined for their lives. His commitment to this greater thing made him courageous, regardless of the gossip that would almost certainly go around the town.

The ancient plan of God, and the promise to King David about 1000 years before, were about to unfold on the pages of history!

Our world needs people of courage — those who rest in higher things. Many of our hard, complex choices would fade into simpler ones if we truly loved God’s ways so much that they drove us to uncompromising obedience.

Joseph humbly obeyed God even when things confused him. We need to rest in his promises too, even when our limited understanding and worldly advice would say otherwise. It’s when we put our trust in these higher things that we become the brave victors the world and our families need us to be in these restless and confusing times.

Next Study: Another Special Birth

A Surprise for Mary

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The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010


This article continues a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The series begins with, Called To Bethlehem. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

Part 4 A Surprise for Mary

One of the unexpected events surrounding the birth of our Savior was the announcement of his birth to Mary. This Jewish girl in Nazareth was betrothed to a boy named Joseph, a simple carpenter.

Betrothal was a solemn promise of marriage, much stronger than engagement today. To break a betrothal was like getting a divorce. Usually girls then were married by the time they were about 13 or 14 years old, so Mary was probably younger than we usually picture her: probably 12 to 14 years old.

Like most girls she probably had images in her mind of having a nice normal home. We know from what the Bible tells us that she was a virgin. She lived morally and hadn’t been sexually intimate with anyone yet. Purity was important to her and by God’s grace she had resisted temptation.

Then one day, very unexpectedly, it all changed. A spirit being sent from God appeared to her. It was the angel Gabriel. Luke 1:26-27 tells us the details:

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

No one suspected that God would use a family from Nazareth to bring the Messiah into the world. He was promised to be born in Bethlehem. That was a town not just for shepherds raising sheep for the temple sacrifices a few miles north of there, but also the home of many powerful Priests and Elders of Israel. It was like a suburb to Jerusalem.

But Nazareth? John 1:46 tells us that people commonly asked, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

But it was there that God’s angel came to a common girl named Mary. Luke 1:28-30 records what God would have us to know about this coming of Gabriel.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.”

It’s easy to understand how she would be troubled. But Gabriel immediately comforted her. Then he delivered a most unexpected message in verses 31-33.:

“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

Mary was betrothed, but she wasn’t married yet and had lived morally according to God’s law. But God’s message came with amazing detail. She would have a male child, and she would name him Jesus. What’s more, this child would be called “Son of the Most High.” He would be the Promised One who would reign on the throne of his ancestor David forever. That’s what Nathan the prophet promised to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16.

Since Mary wasn’t told how she would become pregnant she asked a logical question recorded in verse 34, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” Was she supposed to marry Joseph right away? Or was this a promise that wouldn’t be fulfilled until some future time?

The answer was more startling that anything she could have imagined. Verse 35 says, ” And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’ ” The Holy Spirit was going to cause her to become pregnant. Supernaturally!

The Bible tells us back in verse 27 that Mary was a virgin. Twice it refers to her using the Greek word, parthenos (παρθενος) which means a young woman before she’s married or sexually active. There would be no doubt that this would be a miraculous conception. The child would be no ordinary human. The corrupted line of Adam would be disrupted. This child would be a true human person, but also the Son of God, not merely the son of a man.

This was quite a flood of information! So the Angel added more evidence of the power of God over conception. He said in verses 36-37,

“And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

Her relative Elizabeth was past the age for being able to have children. But she was already six months pregnant. Her son would be John, the one called the “baptizer” who would call Israel back to repentance. He was the one chosen to announce the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.

The evidence supported an important fact: nothing is impossible with God. So Mary humbly submitted to what God said he would do. God has preserved her words for us in verse 38, “Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word’ And the angel departed from her.”

Next Study: Comfort for Joseph

An Unexpected Messiah

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The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010


This article continues a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The series begins with, Called To Bethlehem. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

Part 3 An Unexpected Messiah

Our minds are designed to fill in missing information. There is a blind spot in every human eye. It’s the optical disk over the place where the optic nerve joins the back of the eye. There are no photo-receptor cells in that part of the retina.

Try this:
Put two dots on a paper about 4 inches apart. With the paper very close, stare at the right side dot with your right eye closed. If you move the paper away slowly the left-most dot disappears.

Your brain fills in the area over the blind spot with general information from the area around it. You never notice the missing information in what you see. In modern computer terminology it’s a software solution for a hardware limitation.

There are blind spots in our understanding of God and his plans too. We haven’t been told everything yet. The tendency of our fallen minds is to fill in the things not revealed with guesses. When this happens, false religions, wrong beliefs and wrong moral principles slip in. Even well meaning Christians miss the comfort and truth in Scripture passages that way.

God tells us what he wants us to know and we shouldn’t speculate about the rest. We need to identify the things that aren’t based on God’s word so we don’t get confused by them.

The ancient promises about the coming Messiah were like that. Jesus Christ was not what the people of his day expected the Messiah to be. He came in a form that no one would have thought was appropriate. He was far more than what they thought God would send. He came to do something that the people in his day didn’t expect. And he did it in a way totally unexpected even by those who anticipated his coming.

They had the promises of the Old Testament Scriptures. They were the windows God provided that allowed a glimpse of what Messiah would be and do. But people had distorted God’s promises with unfounded innovations. They filled in the things God hadn’t said with their own theories. They read in the Bible that the Messiah would be a king greater than David. So they expected a passionate revolutionary who would dethrone the Emperor of Rome. They imagined him setting up an impressive earthly palace with an invincible army to defend it. They read in Micah 5:2 that he would be born in Bethlehem, the city of the King David. Bethlehem was a suburb of Jerusalem. It was home to many priests and political leaders. They assumed this mean that the Christ would be born to a powerful Jewish leader and live in a rich palacious home, Such a Messiah would be able to take on Rome and the other Gentile nations.

These brilliantly crafted ideas fit the way things seemed to work in the world, so they became the accepted beliefs that filled the synagogues with enthusiastic believers. The few that wouldn’t go along with their popular teachings and methods were looked at as out of touch and a little weird. There was one serious problem though: they were wrong.

Today people still expect a different Jesus than the one who actually came to save them. They choose from his sayings certain words they use to support their own assumptions. They redefine who he was, what he did, and how we come to benefit from it today.

Our responsibility is to know and promote the truth, then to worship him, and live by his promises. Knowing the truth about Jesus is more important than just getting the historical facts straight. It’s more important than just being able to have a “right theology”.

For example: people talk about learning to love as Jesus did. That’s a good thing. But they fill in their own information about what real love is. It’s not love to encourage behaviors or attitudes that replace those God has promised to bless. Most people know that it is important to worship, to help our neighbors, and to have pure thoughts. But if they don’t know the real Jesus and they don’t know God’s word, they might be thinking and doing things in those activities which actually offend the Lord they hope to please. Adding things to God’s word keeps the real soul-liberating message hidden.

Jesus wasn’t what they expected the Messiah to be. Isaiah 53 warned them about how unexpected the Messiah would be to his people. It actually begins in Isaiah 52:14 where the paragraph starts.

“As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:”

Israel had been God’s chosen nation, but they rebelled and violated God’s covenant. They tolerated idolatry and immorality, so God let pagan nations conquer them. They were forced into slavery, and their temple was torn down stone by stone. Just as the prophets had warned, the nations were astonished, appalled, horrified at Israel’s claim to be God’s Kingdom on earth. The idea that they were a nation at all, much less God’s nation, became a mockery. As a subjugated people, they no longer even resembled a nation.

In the same way, God’s promised Messiah would be disfigured, mocked, and hated. He was even put to death, a disgraceful death as a criminal on a Roman cross. He wouldn’t be what they all expected the Messiah to be.

To them the truth seemed unbelievable. Isaiah 52:15 says,

“So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.”

Instead of just favoring Israel, the Messiah would sprinkle many nations. His shed blood would be sprinkled on lost souls of all the nations. both Jews and Gentiles. This was unheard of in the Jewish community in the time of Jesus. Gentiles were despised and considered unredeemable.

Even the great kings, who usually had a lot to say about things, would be silenced. They would be dumbfounded, speechless at the unexpected work of a suffering Messiah.

So Isaiah wrote in chapter 53:1-3

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Literally the Hebrew text in verse one reads: “Who would have believed the thing reported to us?” Instead of sitting on a royal throne in a plush palace, he would be a humble redeemer.

Next Study: A Surprise for Mary

The City of Bethlehem

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The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010


This article continues a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The series begins with, Called To Bethlehem. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

Part 2 The City of Bethlehem

God used the decree of the pagan emperor Caesar Augustus to move the chosen family to the place planned eternally in the mind of God.

Luke 2:4-5 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.

Bethlehem has a long history. It was a village for 2000 years before the time of Jesus. It had always been a small town of hard working people. Its rich fields were good for growing grain, raising sheep, and producing grapes, figs, and olives. The name, Bethlehem, or baet-lekhem (בת לחם) means “house of bread”. It was the town where Israel’s King David was raised.

It was sometimes called Bethlehem-Judah or Bethlehem Ephrathah to distinguish it from another Bethlehem which was in the territory of Zebulun.

This Bethlehem was about 5 miles south of Jerusalem, a little over an hour’s walk. The daily offerings in the Jerusalem temple required the sacrifice of sheep every day of the year. The shepherds of Bethlehem were kept very busy raising sheep to supply the priests with the sacrifices. That was the job of David and his family before God made him Israel’s King.

Jerusalem was a busy place every day with the markets, the work at the Temple, the meetings of the Sanhedrin, and debates by the scholars and well known Rabbis. So Bethlehem became a sub-urban town where some priestly families chose to live away from the busy pace of Jerusalem.

To comply with the decree of Rome, and in God’s providence, Joseph and Mary came there when their baby was due.

The traditional Christmas story imagines these two as lone travelers coming to a town where they didn’t know anyone. A little thought sheds some doubt on that idea. The very reason they were going to Bethlehem was to be registered in the city of their family’s origin. It was the city from which all their relatives had come. They would all have to visit during the enrollment.

It is more accurate to picture Mary and Joseph along with at least all the heads of homes of all their relatives and loved ones converging on Bethlehem to be enrolled in the City of David. They would likely have traveled in a caravan with their fathers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles, and any other family members that chose to go with them.

We ought to remember that family ties were much closer in the Jewish culture than they are now in our modern Western civilization. They would hardly have been alone in a strange city. It was more like a family re-union, than two lone travelers in a cold uninterested town.

Next Study: An Unexpected Messiah

Called to Bethlehem

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This article begins a series of studies about the events surrounding the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Follow the links at the top of the page to read through the articles which were first posted in 2010. There is also a complete index for all the articles telling The Truth About Christmas.

The Truth About Christmas

by Bob Burridge ©2010

The traditional Christmas story isn’t always told the way it really happened. The facts are recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The details recorded there give us a more sketchy story than what we might expect by our 21st century standards.

Unfortunately, where the Bible account is silent tradition speaks volumes. When a blend of tradition and fact takes place we tend to see things we expect to see rather than what’s actually there. A careful study the biblical account is the only way to bring our mental picture of Christ’s birth as much as possible into conformity with what God tells us took place at that special moment in history. Since we are so used to hearing the Christmas story told in the wording of the King James Version of the Bible, that’s the translation used in this series of articles.

Part 1 Called to Bethlehem

Amazingly, the story of Christ’s birth begins with the edict of a pagan emperor. Luke 2 tells a story that’s very familiar to us. It begins this way:

[1] And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. [2] (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) [3] And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

Long before the earthly family of Jesus moved to Nazareth, God promised that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The prophecy of Micah 5:2 in the Old Testament said,

“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.”

To fulfill that plan God used the decree of a heathen Emperor. The old King James Version said the command was that “all the world should be taxed.” But “taxed” is not the most accurate translation of the words in God’s inspired text. The word used here is apographesthai (απογραφεσθαι). It describes a census or registration of the people. The census was used to set up the tax requirements of each region of the Roman Empire.

Caesar Augustus set up a regular census when a man named Quirinius (Cyrenius in the King James Version) was governing in Syria. He governed the Roman affairs of the land of the Jews under the primary Syrian leadership of Varus. Augustus had no idea that his plan was part of something much bigger than updating the tax rolls.

In the region of the Roman Empire where the Jews lived registration was carried out in home-towns. That’s where the Jewish family records were kept. Everyone had to return home to the city where his family originated. This is what brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, the town of their ancestor King David.

God’s Providence works in unexpected ways, even using the wicked to advance his plan. Proverbs 21:1 explains that God controls even the plans of an evil leader’s heart.

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

Next Study: A different way to view the trip to The City of Bethlehem