By Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Read: Luke 2:1-20

“(Mary) had brought forth her firstborn son: and (Joseph) called his name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:25)

The Advent. (Luke 2:1-7): That Jesus would be born in Bethlehem was ordained by God long before Caesar Augustus made his decree (Micah 5:2; Acts 15:18). The difficult three-day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem may have taken longer because of Mary’s condition. Jesus must have been born in one of the cattle stalls; the feeding trough was his bed. See Philippians. 2:1-11 and 2 Corinthians. 8:9.

The Announcement. (Luke 2:8-20): In that day, shepherds were considered to be at the lowest rung of the social ladder. Their work not only kept them away from the temple and the synagogue, but it made them ceremonially unclean. Yet in his grace, God gave the first announcement of the savior’s birth to lowly shepherds! Gabriel may have been the angel who appeared. What a privilege this messenger had to tell about the advent of the Messiah!

The first human ambassadors of the Gospel were humble shepherds who hurried to see the baby and then told everybody what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:20). The Greek word for “found” in verse 16 means “to find after a search.” The Magi had a star to guide them (Matthew 2), but all the shepherds had was the sign given them by the angel (verse 12). The shepherds, like the angels before them, glorified and praised God (verse 20).

The Adoration. (Luke 2:21-40): There was a remnant of believing Jews, waiting for their redeemer (verse 38); Simeon and Anna were among them. We do not know how old Simeon was, but he was probably elderly. The spirit both taught him and led him so he was right there when Mary and Joseph came with their baby. The remarkable thing about his hymn of praise is that he included the Gentiles! Simeon was now ready to die because he had seen the Messiah with his own eyes. Simeon blessed God, and he also blessed Mary and Joseph; but he did not bless the baby, because Jesus is the source of every blessing. Mary did feel “the sword” in her heart repeatedly as she watched her son during his ministry and then stood at the cross where he died (John 19:25-27).

The Amazement. (Luke 2:41-52): Jesus was “filled with wisdom” (verse 40) and his questions and answers amazed the teachers in the temple. We must not assume that at the age of 12 Jesus understood as much as he did when he launched his ministry at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23); for Luke makes it clear that he “increased in wisdom” (verse 52). But he was already aware of his special mission to “be about (his) father’s business.”

Nazareth was not an easy place for a youth to grow up. Mary bore other children (Matthew 13:54-58), so Jesus grew up in a crowded and probably poor home. But Jesus was the promised Messiah!

Read Ron Purkey’s free Bible study outlines at rcpbibleoutlines.com. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.