Look At the Fish!
Notes
Transcript
Look At the Fish!
Look At the Fish!
Professor Aggasiz was a renowned scientist and scholar who taught the scientific method at Harvard University in the mid-19th century. There is a story about him written by one of his students who wished to study under him. Aggasiz asked the young student when he wanted to begin. The young man replied “now.” The professor was delighted and pulled out from one of his specimen jars a fish. He told the young man that he was to look at the fish. Later Aggasiz would come back and the young man was to tell him what he saw. The young man was to only use his eyes and his hands…not even a magnifying glass was allowed. In ten minutes, the young man was quite sure that he had seen all their was to see of this fish. However, thirty minutes passed, then an hour, then another hour…The professor was still quite absent. He stated
...the fish began to look loathsome. I turned it over and around; looked it in the face—ghastly; from behind, beneath, above, sideways, at a three-quarters view—just as ghastly. I was in despair; at an early hour, I concluded that lunch was necessary; so with infinite relief, the fish was carefully replaced in the jar, and for an hour I was free.
As it turned out, the professor did not return for several more hours after lunch. Towards the end of the day, the professor came back and asked him what he had learned. During that time, the young man had made several important discoveries about the fish, especially after he began to draw a sketch of it. The young man recited quite a list of observations. The professor was unimpressed. He told the young man that he had missed one of the most conspicuous features of the animal. “Look again! Look again! Look at the fish!” This actually went into the third day of the man looking at the fish. The young man made many important discoveries about the fish in these three days…He would later call it the most important entymylogical lesson he ever received. (In case you are wondering, the conspicious thing that the young student missed was that the fished had symmetrical sides with paired organs.)
Today, like Professor Agassiz’ student, we are going to “look at the fish.” However, for us the fish is not a fish, but it is a portion of the Christmas Story. Sometimes things can become so familiar to us, that we miss the obvious. Many of us have heard this story all of our lives. We might even be able to recite portions of it. But has it’s familiarity robbed us of the wonder of it?
Last week, we looked at the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth and the angel Gabriel’s surprise announcement to the old priest. We’re going to pick up where we left off. Gabriel has not finished with his important duties.
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
So six months after Gabriel’s surprise announcement to Zacharias in the temple, the angel turns north…to an obscure town in the Galillee. There are many towns in Israel that are named in the scripture. (According to my search 300!). Nazareth is not one of them. In fact, Nazareth is not mentioned in the OT, the Apocrypha, intertestamental Jewish writings, or the histories of Josephus. Trade routes and roads passed near Nazareth, but the village itself was not on any main road. If it had any reputation, it was not a good one. One of Jesus’ future disciples Nathanael is recorded as making the quip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
It is important to note that Mary is engaged to Joseph, who was one of David’s descendants. We find out elsewhere that Mary was also in the line of David.
The angel Gabriel without preamble exclaims to Mary, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” Our version says that the angel’s statement perplexed her. The Amplified version says it this way
Luke 1:29 (AMPC)
But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean.
I think I would be too! Notice that the presence of the angel was not what disturbed her, but what he said.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
So two different times the angel says to Mary that she has found favor…This word translated favor is “Charis”. It is most often translated as “grace” in NT. One definition of this word is “free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness.” I think the reason that Mary was confused and troubled by this exclamation by the angel was that she could not fathom why this would be happening to her! She was such an ordinary girl from such an ordinary town. Why would God find favor with her?
One of the lessons that I believe that we can draw from this passage is that God specializes in doing extraordinary things with ordinary people. Over the centuries, Mary has taken on an aura of sainthood…even worshipped by some. But make no mistake, she thought of herself as very ordinary…unworthy of God’s favor…of God’s grace. What about you? Do you consider yourself ordinary…run-of-the-mill…not worthy of anyone noticing you? If you do, you are in good company! The very essence of grace is that it is unearned and undeserved. If Mary had deserved this honor, it would not have been grace! This is true also of you. What favor have you received from the Lord that you have not deserved? May I say to you, that if you have received the blessing of eternal life through accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have received no less favor than Mary herself! You and I are greatly favored and highly blessed! (Say it!)
So our text goes on to say that the angel told her that she would become pregnant and give birth to a Son who she was to name Jesus (or Yeshua in Hebrew). This means Savior in Hebrew.
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
This Jesus would be both God and man. He would be the fulfillment of all the promises which had been given to King David hundreds of years before. This new Davidic king will have an unending kingdom!
Let’s read on:
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
“And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”
And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Last week, we talked about Zacharias response to the angel’s amazing statement that his wife was going to have a baby in her old age. Though Zacharias was a righteous man, he couldn’t believe what the angel told him. He in essense asked for a sign from God. God indeed gave him a sign, but it wasn’t the kind that he wanted. His sign was that he wouldn’t be able to talk until the baby was born, because he didn’t believe what the angel told him.
On the surface, Mary’s response seemed similar, but actually, it was quite different. Mary believed the angel, but she couldn’t understand. She is in essense saying, “How is this going to happen since I am a virgin?” Perfectly reasonable question…being as this had never happened in the history of the world! Warren Wiersbe says it this way...
“Mary knew what would happen, but she did not know how it would happen. Her question was not an evidence of unbelief; rather, it was an expression of faith. She believed the promise, but she did not understand the performance. How could a virgin give birth to a child?”
So we can learn from this that it is OK to ask God questions when He begins to work with us…Just ask them in faith!
Gabriel explains to her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of God will overshadow her…Because of this, the Holy Child will be called the Son of God…
i. The word overshadow means “to cover with a cloud,” as in the cloud of Shekinah glory (Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 24:16, 34:5, 40:34) or the cloud of transfiguration (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:34).
ii. This cloud was a visible manifestation of the glory and presence of God; this means that the same power of God that was with Moses and others in the Old Testament was now going to do a unique work in the life of Mary. (Enduring Word Commentary)
Jesus would not be half God and half man…He would be all God and all man.
Though Mary had not asked for a sign, God graciously gives her a sign…that her old aunt Elizabeth, who had never had children, was now pregnant and is in her sixth month! How strengthening this would be to Mary in the coming days to find out that God had given her a visible sign in Elizabeth’s pregnancy!
Then the angel utters these wonderful words...”For nothing will be impossible with God.” The Passion Translation says it this way...“Not one promise from God is empty of power. Nothing is impossible with God!” (TPT)
Not one word of God is empty of power! Everything that he says he will do…He will do!
This reminds me of a statement in Joshua after the children of Israel had come into the land of Canaan so many centuries before.
Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.
Friends, when God makes a promise…He keeps a promise! Nothing is impossible with Him. He is trustworthy!
Mary’s response to the angel is one for the ages.
And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
i. All this took more trust in the Lord than we might think. Mary agreed to receive a pregnancy that would be seen as suspicious, and this in a culture that had a potential death penalty for adultery. Mary identified herself with sinners so that the purpose of God would be fulfilled.
Mary agreed to something that would potentially cause her much shame…even death! She did it humbly but with great faith. A bondslave or bondservant in OT was a slave who voluntarily stayed with his or her master. They would bore a hole in the ear of the slave who agreed to stay on, and this slave was the owner’s for life. Mary was saying, Whatever you say, I believe. Whatever you desire of me, I will do!
Before we move on in the text, I’d like for you to consider that Mary’s pregnancy…the Immaculate Conception…is a metaphor for what happens in the heart of every believer who is born again. It actually happened of course…but it is also a metaphor.
It may be that not every one here knows what I’m talking about. When He was grown, Jesus had an encounter with a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus. He told Nicodemus that he must be born again…or another translation is “born from above.” Nicodemus asked how this could be…He was only looking at natural birth. Jesus told him that there is another kind of birth, even more important than the first. Let’s look at Jesus’ words...
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
The actual word in Greek for spirit is pneuma which means both “wind” and “breath.” Jesus tells the ruler that this Spirit of God is “wind-like”. Think about it? Have you ever seen the wind? Actually, none of us have ever seen the wind. It is quite invisible. Have we seen the effects of the wind? Oh, yea! We say that we see the wind blowing in the trees, but we are actually seeing the effects of the wind blowing in the trees. Sometimes the effects are quite devastating as in a tornado or a hurricane.
The Holy Spirit is not an “it” but a “He.” He is part of the trinity of God. He is God come to earth. It was the Holy Spirit who brought the embryonic seed of the Son of God and implanted Him into Mary’s womb. It is the Holy Spirit who comes into the hearts of those who would receive Him. Will He change your life? Oh, yea! But be assured that He will only blow away the things in your life that are harmful to you! I would encourage you, if you have never surrendered your life to Christ and made Him the Lord of your life, today is your day! You can do this this morning!
Jesus would say in Revelation:
‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
Jesus is a gentlemen. He won’t knock down the door of your heart…but He does knock on that door. I believe that some of you have felt that gentle knocking for some time. You’ve ignored it. You’ve tried to drown the sound of the knock out with other things. But it is still there. It may come in the form of a deep unsatisfaction with the things of this world…with the things in you. Just understand. He will not knock forever. Today could be the last day that He knocks. Answer that knock today…Don’t wait! If you don’t know what to do, see me or Pastor Mike or Don today. Don’t leave here without making Him the Lord of your life!
For those of you who have already at some time in your life submitted your life and purpose to Him and have become born again, I have a question for you? What have you done with Him since then? Let me ask it this way…When Mary received the news that the Son of God would be in her, what was her responsibility? How greatly do you think it affected her life? Do you think that she thanked the angel and then went on with her life as if nothing had ever happened? Impossible you say! Well, I’m afraid that some of us have received Christ in to our hearts at some point in our life…maybe as a kid in Sunday school or as a youth in a youth retreat…but that’s as far as it ever got. As Mary had a great responsibility to carry this child unto birth and then raise Him, so you and I too have a great responsibiltiy to steward Him…to take care of the Christ in you. Do you think maybe she was careful what she put into her body during those nine months…knowing that whatever she ate He ate? Do you think that her diet consisted of cheetos and diet coke? I suspect not! I suspect that her whole life revolved in doing what it would take to make sure this baby was healthy. What happened to her was a secondary issue!
So it is with you…with me my friend. The Bible tells us that we are to be “good stewards of the grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10). God has granted us eterrnal life…but we must steward it. We must take care of it. As Mary did the child in her womb! We do this by reading God’s word daily…with care. By praying often, not just for ourselves but for others. By praising Him and thanking Him continually for what He has done for us. We do this by joining ourselves to the body of Christ. Learning from one another. I say this often, but it is always true…Christianity is not a solo act! We have to do it together!
OK, let’s read on:
Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,
and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
“And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?
“For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.
“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”
What an absolute comfort it must have been to Mary to find Elizabeth and to receive the confirmation that everything the angel said was completely true. John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth leaped for joy when he came into contact with Jesus in the womb of Mary. This also I believe is a metaphor. We as believers rejoice in fellowship with other believers. Just being with one another should make us jump for joy! When I have Christ in me and you have Christ in me, that’s reason for a party…so to speak! Notice that Elizabeth is anything but jealous of Mary. She didn’t say, “I didn’t get blessed as much as you did!” I only carry the forerunner, you carry the Christ Himself! Wouldn’t that be preposterous? No, she is humbled to be in the presence of Mary. She celebrates the gift that Mary has been given. May I say to you that there is no place for jealousy and envy in the house of God. We celebrate each other’s gifts! Yours spiritual gifts are not mine and mine are not yours, but we are better for off for having both in the house of God!
Let’s move on to Mary’s response...
And Mary said:
“My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
“For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
“And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
“He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
“He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
“He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”
And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.
This is called by theologians “The Magnificat” based on the opening words in some translation, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” And it is truly magnificient. There are many references to OT scriptures in these words of Mary, showing that Jesus Christ would be the fulfillment of every Messianic prophecy. She apparently uttered these words spontaneously, as the Holy Spirit in her gave them. Notice that she states that God is her Savior. Mary is not sinless as some teach. Mary needed a Savior just as much as you and I need one. “The Child that she delivered would soon deliver you” as it says in “Mary, did you know?”
But I’d also like to take a moment to talk about what Mary saw. She saw the Kingdom of Christ in her spirit before Christ was ever born. The Kingdom of Christ is an upside-down kingdom. Mary saw that by God coming to her, a lowly peasant girl from an unknown place, God was showing the template if you will for what was to come later. A kingdom of peasants raised to be rulers. A kingdom of the poor raised to be rich. A kingdom of the meek raised to inherit the earth.
Now, we haven’t read the traditional story from Luke 2 yet. We’re going to read it together in a few moments (Pastor Mike?), but before we do, I’d like to encourage you to spend some time this week to “look at the fish” as Professor Agassiz’ student was told to do. To meditate on the true meaning of Christmas. The wonder of God come to earth…to die for our sins. To make atonement for you and for me.
I read this in an email I received early this morning. It’s an article from a pastor named Lance Witt:
Brene Brown, in one of her books shares a story about her daughter Ellie. One day when Ellie was in the first grade, Ellie and her mom spent the day at the park. At one point they were on a paddleboat feeding the ducks. And then Ellie stopped pedaling, leaned her back and closed her eyes.
After a minute or two when Ellie didn’t move from that position, Brene asked “Ellie? Is everything ok?”
“I’m fine mom… I am just making a picture memory. It’s a picture I take in my mind when I’m really, really happy.”
Maybe this Christmas there needs to be some moments when you stop “pedaling” and you lean your head back and you close your eyes and you ponder and treasure.
Also included in this article is a short poem written by Luci Shaw)
Descent
Descent
Down he came from up,
and here from there.
A long leap,
an incandescent fall
from magnificent
to naked, frail, small,
through space,
between stars,
into our chilly night air,
shrunk, in infant grace,
to our damp, cramped
earthy place
among all
the shivering sheep.
And now, after all,
there he lies,
fast asleep.
(Luci Shaw)
Luke 2:1-20 (KJV)
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.
4 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:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 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.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
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.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 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.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
