Scripture is from the Holy Bible–New King James Version (NKJV)
Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown
Matthew 1:21-25
21 — “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 — “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying:”
23 — “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.'”
24 — “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,”
25 — “and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Luke 2:1-40
1 — “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.”
2 — “This census first toop place while Quirinius was governing Syria.”
3 — “So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.”
4 — “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,”
5 — “to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.”
6 — “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.”
7 — “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
8 — “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
9 — :And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.”
10 — “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.'”
11 — “‘For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'”
12 — “‘And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!'”
15 — “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.'”
16 — “And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a manger.”
17 — “Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.”
18 — “And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”
19 — “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
20 — “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”
21 — “And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.”
22 — “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.”
23 — “(as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’),”
24 — “and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.'”
25 — “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, awaiting for the Consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon Him.”
26 — “And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”
27 — “So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,”
28 — “he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:”
29 — “‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word;'”
30 — “‘for my eyes have seen Your salvation'”
31 — “‘which you have prepared before the face of all peoples.'”
32 — “‘a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.'”
33 — “And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.”
34 — “Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against'”
35 — “‘(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.'”
36 — “Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,”
37 — “and t his woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”
38 — “And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”
39 — “So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.”
40 — “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown
As we see in Luke 2:22, after the days of Mary’s purification according to the law of Moses, they took Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. Now, according to the Law of Moses as seen in Leviticus 2:1-4 (below), Mary and Joseph would not have left Bethlehem for Jerusalem for a minimum of forty-one days after Jesus’ birth. This says the Wise Men — or the Three Kings — could not have seen Jesus until after Mary’s purification. Therefore, the Epiphany (January 6) is not possible. Joseph and Mary were a devout Jewish couple, and they would have followed Jewish Law guidelines for her purification to the nth degree.
Leviticus 2:1-8
1 — “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,”
2 — “‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean.'”
3 — “‘And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.'”
4 — “‘She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.'”
5 — “‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.'”
6 — “‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.'”
7 — “‘Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.'”
8 — “‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons–one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So, the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'”
~~~~~~~~~~
Next week, we will look at Jesus’ life from His birth to adulthood.
~~~~~~~~~~
Source:
Abbot, Shari. (5 January 2020). “Did the Wise Men Arrive 12 Days After Jesus’ Birth? Or Was it Much Later?” Reasons for Hope — Jesus. (4 April 2020). https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/did-the-wise-men-arrive-12-days-after-jesus-birth-or-much-later/.
~~~~~~~~~~
Week One -- Scripture: Zacharias to have Son . . . Week Two -- Scripture: Jesus' Birth Foretold . . . Week Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' son, John, is born . . . Week Four -- Jesus is Born . . .
by tkbrown 