November 1927
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It is FOR YOU! What have you done with it? — o — P it h a n d P o in t Those who keep an open ear while they are about their business may hear God (v. 8 ). Jesus touches man at the cradle but redeems man at the cross. “Fear not” is the usual preface when God speaks to man. Though He were born a thousand times in Bethlehem, and not in thee, thou re- mainest eternally lost. No other man but Jesus was ever born into the world with specific reference to the sins of mankind. The world is still ready to make merry at the manger but mock at the cross. The birth of Christ has brought God down to man. His sacrificial death raises man up to God. — o — S uggestive Q u e st io n s What is -significant about Jesus being born at Bethlehem? (“House of Bread.” See Jn. 6 :33.) When Jesus comes again, will those who are expecting Him be “sore afraid” ? (V. 9; cf. Rev. 19:7.) What title was given to Jesus at His birth? (V. 11.) What light does this shed upon His purpose in coming into the world? (Cf. Mt. 1:21.) What was the four-fold purpose of God in sending His son into the world? (Jn. 1:18; 1 Jn. 3:5; 1 Jn. 3:8; Heb. 9:28.) Could a life begun as was that of Jesus in this world, end like that of an ordinary man? (Mt. 1:23; cf. Lk. 24:51). Was the angel multitude always near to Jesus? (Y. 13; cf. Mt. 26:53.) What is the believer’s legacy in Christ? (V. 14; cf. Jn. 14:27; 20:19, 21, 26.) What definition of the Gospel do you find in verse 10 ? G olden T e x t I llu str a tio n Thou shalt call His name Jesus : for He shall save His people from their sins (Mt. 1:21). Zoroaster, who lived 700 years before Christ, and who is the traditional founder of the heathen religion of Zoroastrianism, while contemplating God, is reported to have said that God could never be really known unless He would reveal Himself in human flesh. This is a striking admission and is lit erally true, yet the full truth is that God could not save the world without some thing more than merely taking the form of man. He “humbled Himself and be came obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8) and thereby He “saved His people from their sins.” It was at Calvary that He paid the sin ner’s debt, so that to divine justice, for our sins, we owe nothing. For His re deeming love, we owe an unspeakable debt of love, and at this Christmas time, let us not forget to renew our gift to Him —ourselves for grateful service. FRED S. SHEPARD ’S BLACKBOARD OUTLINE P RINCE OF nROMISE OF E A C E f E A C E T,o guide our feet into the way of peace.—Luke 1 :79.
gan its sway over the hearts of men. The child of Bethlehem, later to be come the carpenter of Nazareth, and later the companion of fishermen, has gone on to prove Himself mightier than the throne of the Caesars, mightier than all empires, mightier than the strongholds of Satan. How blind the man who cannot see that He marches irresistibly to universal con quest and that His promise to come again as King of kings can no more fail than has any other word of His I “There was no room for them in the inn” (v. 7). Does it not suggest the de generacy of manners and common hu manity in that age, that they should per mit a woman in travail to lodge in a cat tle stable? Yet it was an instance of the humiliation of our Lord. Thus did the Lord from Heaven put a contempt upon all worldly glory and teach us also to slight it. That the visitation might be in accord with the homeliness of the place, who should come to congratulate His birth but poor shepherds? “The glory of the Lord had shown round about them,” and an angel had come upon them as they watched their flocks by night, to tell them of that great joy which should be to all peoples (vs. 9-10.) The same writer who tells us how the mid-day sun was darkened during the last hours of the Redeemer’s life, tells us here how in His first hours the night was turned to day. Farther away, East ern astronomers had been attracted to an unusual star, and were following its move ments toward the city of David (Mt. 2 : 1 - 2 ). This babe was announced as none oth er than " Christ, the LORD” (v. 11). There is no way of understanding these words but as corresponding to the He brew title “Jehovah.” He was indeed “God with us." No wonder there was heard “a mul titude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and (as pne version gives it) peace to men of good will” (v. 14). The world around lay in silence and darkness, but all heaven was moved. In introducing the Friend of mankind with declarations of peace and good will, the angels sounded the constant note of Scripture in describing the Messiah. Some one has said that the whole life of Jesus upon the earth was the working out of this song of the angels. It was “glory to God” illustrated in His life, His teachings, His sacrificial death and His resurrection. It was “peace” in all the utterances of His lips and peace pro cured by the death of the cross. It was “good will to man" in every thought, word and act until He finally translated the love of God for us by bearing our sins on Calvary’s cross. With what beautiful simplicity was this grandest event in all history ushered in 1 The light faded from the hills; the an gels went away to heaven; and in the shadows of night, full of simple trust, the shepherds went to see the babe and the virgin mother for themselves (v. 16). Could they have fully realized what they saw? It was He, the Word, Who was with God from the beginning and Who was thus made flesh to dwell for a time among men. This is the central doctrine of the Christian religion, the great mir acle of the divine and everlasting love. It was God’s Christmas gift to the world.
2 :1. The days referred to during which the decree went forth from Au gustus Caesar that the world should be enrolled, are the days referred to in the preceding c h a p t e r , which tells us about the childhood, adoles cence and young man hood of Christ (see 1 :80. A u g u s t u s Caesar was emperor of the world, who reigned, according to chronological data ob tainable, from 30 B. C. to 14 A. D. “The whole world” refers to the Roman empire. V. 2. “This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria,” Notwithstanding many learned discussions on this verse, archeology has come to the support of the Lukan nar rative and has proved that Luke was a reliable historian who stated facts as they actually were. (For a thorough discussion of the questions involved in these verses, see “Was Christ Born in Bethlehem?” by Sir William Ramsay.) In the papyri . census papers have been found which prove conclusively that there was a reg ular periodical census of the Roman em pire every fourteen years. The actual census papers for the years 6 A. D. and 20 A. D. have been brought to light from the rubbish heaps of Egypt. This en rollment decreed by Augustus Caesar, was, as Luke says, the first of the pe riodical enrollments. Quirinius, it is well known, was gover nor of Syria in the years 6 to 8 A. D,, but with the meager knowledge which the world had up until recently, doubt was thrown upon his being governor of Syria at the time of this decree. Recent arch eological discoveries, however, show he was actually governor twice, the first time synchronizing with the decree of Caesar. These facts establish the historicity and correctness of the Lukan narrative. V. 3. All went to enroll themselves in their own city. The enrollment was doubtless for statistical data for govern mental usages. Everyone’s going to his own city was in keeping with the Jewish conception of the perpetuation of the tribal distinction. In certain sections of Egypt, the papyri show, the same rule ob tained, which fact corroborates the Lukan narrative. Vs. 4-5. Joseph, accompanied by Mary, went to Bethlehem because they were of the house and family of David. Luke has not told us why Mary went, but it is quite likely that she at that time wished to be with her future husband, which feeling was perfectly normal and natural. “Bethlehem” means “House of Bread.” This town was situated between five and six miles southeast of Jerusalem. David was of Bethlehem, of Judah likewise. Vs. 6-7. “And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should ■be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” The con ception of the birth of the Savior was the fulfillment of the prophecies contained in Isa. 7 :14; 9:5,6 and Micah 5:2. Matr thew in 1 :18-25 gives a brief account of the coming of the Son of God into the world and quotes Isa. 7:14 as being ful filled in the birth of Jesus.
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