2: Arrival of the King

In one of the funniest movies of all time, the TBS version of Coming to America, a prince goes in search of a bride. BUT...he wants the future queen to marry him for love instead of his money & fame. Because of this, this future king gives away his money, fancy hotel lodgings, & gold jewelry, as he attempts to look like the people in America.

Can you imagine a KING showing up like that? Incognito, blending in and living like everyone else? No golden crown, no royal robes, no prestigious parades, and no secret-service bodyguards.

That’s an ancient storyline going WAY BACK to the Arrival of the King - when the King of Creation makes His grand entrance to Earth through the womb of a young peasant girl named Mary.

And as we were reminded last week, an angel told Joseph to marry his pregnant fiancé and name Him Jesus because He would save His people from their sins (Mt 1:20-21).

Let THAT ONE SINK IN for a moment. Imagine being told that the child who was about to be born into your family was going to…SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS!

Just WHO IS THIS CHILD?

This little human was more than a sacrificial lamb, He was Immanuel - God with us (Mt 1:22-23)!

Matthew 1:20–24 (NIV) [IN STUDENT NOTES - NOT TO TEACH FROM]

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

And so, according to Matthew, Joseph did marry his pregnant fiancé (Mt 1:24), which set the stage for the King of Creation to make His humble entrance to Earth.

PRAY

Luke 2:1–4 (NIV)

[v1-3] In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

[v4] So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

This was quite a journey for a lady about to give birth. Having been in Israel I can tell you that this is not a flat land with straight roads. It is filled with hills and valleys, lush vegetation and rocky ground. During those days there were a couple of routes from Nazareth to Jerusalem. The most direct route is about 70 miles south while the longer route (bypassing Samaria) was about 90 miles.* And contrary to what we might envision, no Scriptures point to Mary on a donkey. In fact, because they were a poor family (evidenced by offering of the poor - 2 birds - Lk 2:24, Lev 12:6-8), we might better imagine this pregnant woman walking these many miles over the course of a week-long journey.

*Benjamin A. Foreman, “Luke’s Birth Narrative,” in Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels, ed. Barry J. Beitzel and Kristopher A. Lyle, Lexham Geographic Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 12–13.

2 important insights we need to see the significance of:

1. The Messiah King was to be born in the family line of King David, the same family that Joseph & likely Mary were from.

Psalm 89:3–4 (NIV)

You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’ ”

2. The Messiah King was to be born in Bethlehem - the town of David, the same place that Mary & Joseph were headed. Matthew’s gospel highlights how the Magi tell King Herod of Micah’s prophecy.

Matthew 2:6 (NIV)

“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (* see Micah 5:2 - roughly 700 years before Jesus was born)

And now we pick back up in our story.

Luke 2:5-7 (NIV)

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

We don’t know how long Mary & Joseph had been in Bethlehem, but it’s unlikely that Mary’s water broke while they are knocking on hotel lobby doors trying to find a place. In fact, while some good translations call this an “inn”, the same Greek term is translated as “guest room” later in Luke 22:11, while a different word is translated as “inn” in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34).

So just where were they staying?

Mary & Joseph were most likely staying in the home of a family member or friend, but the “guest room” was not available as other people were staying in it.

So, when it came time to give birth, they were likely staying in the lower floor of the home, where animals would be brought in to feed and sleep for the night. So, when Jesus is born he is cleaned up, wrapped up, and placed in a manger - a feeding trough.

It is also possible that this took place in a cave that was served as a stall for animals at night. The traditional site of Jesus’ birth (which I went to in Feb 2020) is a cave under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

But, the details of WHERE this child was aren’t nearly as important as the fact of WHO THIS CHILD WAS. The One entering the world through a human womb was none other than the King of Creation!

And that’s what a small group of smelly shepherds were about to find out.

Luke 2:8 (NIV)

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

It is intriguing to consider that King David likely shepherded his flocks in this same area 1000 years earlier (1 Sam 16:11). After all, Bethlehem is the town where David grew up.

Secondly, it’s interesting that Micah’s prophecy mentioned earlier not only speaks to the Arrival of the King in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), but also the JOB DESCRIPTION of the King by saying...

Micah 5:4 (NIV)

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

Lastly, shepherds in the time of Jesus were often seen as lowest of the low. The Mishnah - a collection of rabbinical teachings prevalent during the time of Jesus - commands men NOT to teach their sons to be herdsmen* because they were considered to be thieves, liars, & cheats - not trustworthy of giving truthful testimony in court.*

*Jacob Neusner, The Mishnah : A New Translation (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1988), 498.

* https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.25b.15?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

So here are a group of shepherds, probably looked down upon by others, taking care of sheep in the same region that King David used to, now about to hear the greatest news about the GOOD SHEPHERD who was coming to shepherd his flock.

Luke 2:9-12 (NIV)

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

This is the ONE the Hebrew people had been waiting on for hundreds of years! This ONE is above every earthly king, including Roman Emperor ruling in that day - Caesar Augustus.

This is the Messiah - God’s anointed King - the One who had been foretold by the prophets.

This is the Savior - but different from Caesar who proclaimed himself “Savior” as he sat on his Roman throne. This child is the One who will save His people from their sins when He is crucified to a Roman cross.

This is the Lord - the Creator & Master of all.

And these shepherds would find Him - the Lord - not seated on a throne in mighty Rome, but lying in a manger - a feeding trough - in minuscule Bethlehem.

Luke 2:13-15 (NIV)

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Company is the Greek stratia, used of an army.*

*James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Luke, ed. D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2015), 78.

Great is the Greek plēthos where we get plethora - a HUGE NUMBER.

These shepherds see & hear the angelic army that gathers - not to wage war, but to proclaim peace between God and man!

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2:16-18 (NIV)

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Who were they telling? We don’t know, but it seems to be more than just Mary and Joseph.

Grant Obsborne says these shepherds “the first mission team in all of history” - as they begin to spread the good news* about the Arrival of the King.

*Grant R. Osborne, Luke: Verse by Verse, ed. Jeffrey Reimer, Elliot Ritzema, and Danielle Thevenaz, Awa Sarah, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), 70.

And just think about the irony of this event.

Shepherds, who weren’t trusted to give testimony in a court of law…were the 1st ones to testify about the Arrival of the King!

It’s intriguing to see how God uses the lowest people to communicate His highest praise! Those who couldn’t give testimony in court are testifying in the streets!

Do you think those guys were ever the same after THAT? NOPE. Their lives were TRANSFORMED!

And God still uses people like that, people like us - people who once used to be untrustworthy cheaters & thieves are NOW HIS TRANSFORMED MESSENGERS.

God uses TRANSFORMED MESSENGERS to communicate His Message of Transformation. God speaks to us to “come and see” Jesus. And then…we can’t help but tell others about Him!

When is the last time YOU told someone else the good news? What are you waiting on? Tell your story of God’s forgiveness and faithfulness.

And in case you think, “I’m not a preacher. I’m not gifted to do that.” Remember that THESE SHEPHERDS could have said the same thing, but they didn’t. They were privileged to be the MESSENGERS to tell others about the Arrival of the King. And WE have that same privilege!

Luke 2:19-20 (NIV)

Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. She was wading through the depth of all that HAD happened that night and all that WOULD happen in the future. She had just experienced the Arrival of the King, but she was going to struggle with what was coming -

the Purpose of the King. I hope you’ll join us next week for that, when we see that:

Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. And in His ultimate act of service...

Jesus did not come to sit on a throne, but to hang on a cross.

In what has become a favorite Christmas song - Mary Did You Know? - there are a couple of thought provoking verses that we should ponder:

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new; This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy Is Lord all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy was Heaven’s perfect Lamb, And the sleeping Child you’re holding Is the Great I AM?

FEET TO FAITH

Ponder the depth of these truths this week.

Make An Appointment with Jesus & Start Reading Through Luke.

This week I spoke with a teenager who shared that he hadn’t been in the Scriptures lately - not making the time. Not sure where to start. I asked what would happen if he had an appointment with me for the early morning - would he go to bed earlier? Would he set an alarm? Would he show up?

Then I challenged him, “Make an appointment with Jesus, to get alone with Him in the Scriptures, to talk to him in prayer. Make meeting with Him a PRIORITY.”

STAFF

DEACONS

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Giving

Deacons Rolling Off - Steve & Fain

Deacon Candidate - Freddy Howard

Council Members Rolling Off - Jenn & Daren

Council Member Candidates - Tim, Jason, & Stephanie

Please pass your Council Ballot to the outside of the row and our deacons will collect that.

Tonight - Couples Christmas Party @ Durst Home 5:30pm (bring side dish or dessert)