An other Christian WordPress.com site – Een andere Christelijke WordPress.com site

Posts tagged ‘Son of Abraham’

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:5-7 – A Temptation to Test God

Matthew 4:5-7 – A Temptation to Test God

|| Luke 4:9-12

MT4:5 Then the Devil took Jesus along into the Holy City[1] and stationed him on the Temple[2] battlement MT4:6 and the Devil said to him, “If you are a son of The God hurl yourself down, for it has been written [in Psalms],[3] ‘He will give His angels charge regarding you and upon their hands they will lift you so you will never strike your foot[4] upon a stone.’” [Psalm 91:11, 12] MT4:7 Jesus replied to the Devil: “Again it is written,[5] ‘You shall not put YHWH your God to the test.’[6] [Deuteronomy 6:16]

*

Fotografía del Templo de Jerusalén en la maque...

Maquete of the Temple in Jerusalem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After being led by the Pneuma to be tempted into the desert [see also (James 1:13,)] Jeshua, the son of God, was taken to  the pinnacle of the temple, to overlook the city of Jerusalem, which has to be the capital of the Kingdom of God. Jesus once again is mislead by the thoughts which promise him that angels on their hands shall bear Jesus up when he jumps from the high wall.

Jesus did not want to test God. He had enough trust in Him and knew everything would happen like God had it in His Plan according His time set. Jesus also did not need a sign to have a proof who he was.  He was well aware that he was a son of David, a son of Abraham and a son of God. He also knew very well that God is the Most Powerful of all beings. He did not have to get a prove of that.  Satan, the adversary of God, also knows it very well that God is the Omniscience, Omnipotent, Absolute Sovereign. Both knew how the Elohim Hashem is the Most High Almighty Who conducts His army of angels like He wants to do it.

Jesus himself had to believe he was a son of God, like we should have to believe that as well likewise that Jesus is the sent one from God and not God Himself.

“”I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24 NIV)

In this world we may find lots of people who want to find out if God really exist or would do this or that for them. We also may find lots of people who have changed their god because when they prayed, asking their god to do a certain thing, when he did not do that, they left him or her. (This happens a lot in South America, where so called Catholics have a pleiade of gods and goddesses.)

In this fragment we do hear again one of the many “ifs” the adversary of God sows in the world.
He brings up to the sent one from God:

  1. If thou be the Son of God, turn stones into bread {#Mt 4:3 }
  2. If thou be the Son of God, leap from the top of the temple {#Mt 4:6 }

which shall later be repeated

At the Cross, if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross

  1. The cry of the rabble {#Mt 27:40 }
  2. The cry of the soldiers {#Lu 23:37 }
  3. The cry of the thief {#Lu 23:39 }

Today in Christendom we still find lots of people who still not want to believe Jesus is the son of God, but prefer to make him a god son, hoping that he would do more and better things than his heavenly Father the Only One True God. They keep preferring to believe in some one who could be seen instead of trusting the One no man can see and live.

**

[1] Holy City: Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is called “the holy city” in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 11:2; 21:2, 10; 22:19).

[2] Temple: The Greek here is HIEROU.

[3] It has been written [in Psalms]: The Devil quotes Scripture. The quotation is Psalm 91:11, 12.

[4] Your foot: Is there a sarcastic allusion to Genesis 3:15?

[5] Written: The quotation is from Deuteronomy 6:16.

[6] Test: Compare 1 Corinthians 10:9.

+

Preceding

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:1-4 A Wilderness Temptation

Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:25-35 – Simeon’s Blessing and Warning

Jehovah God Maker of the entire universe served by a well-trained army

Next:

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:8-11 – A Temptation to Gain World Rule

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:12-17 – Galilee Saw A Great Light

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:18-22 – The Calling of the First Disciples

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:23-25 – Kingdom Preaching and Healing Draws Crowds

++

Additional reading

  1. satan or devil
  2. First month of the year and predictions
  3. Jesus begotten Son of God #6 Anointed Son of God, Adam and Abraham
  4. Patriarch Abraham, Muslims, Christians and the son of God
  5. A Start for looking at the unseen and the treasure to look forward to
  6. Looking at the seen and going for the unseen
  7. Song of Praise for the Elohim Set-Apart
  8. God’s wrath and sanctification

+++

Further reading

  1. Daniel Fast
  2. April 10, 2016
  3. Exodus 17:2 Testing The Lord By Grumbling
  4. Judges 6:36 | Fleece Moment
  5. The Temptation of Jesus
  6. January 7 Matthew 4:1-11
  7. SMS 145 Matthew 4:4
  8. Nothing to Prove
  9. Dubious Authority
  10. A journey in the Wilderness
  11. Miss Jane Pittman and the Temptation of Christ
  12. May 20 @ Luke 3-4
  13. The temptation of Jesus (Word among us)
  14. Temptation of Christ
  15. The Temptation’s of Christ Explained
  16. Food, Power, and Minions #1
  17. Food, Power, and Minions/ Today Woodstock, Tomorrow the World!
  18. Food, Power, and Minions #3
  19. Mathew 4: Lessons from the temptation of Jesus
  20. Are We Testing God?
  21. Christians & Depression IV: The Truth
  22. Dead Sea Blues
  23. Wilderness, Temptation, & Life…
  24. Temptation, and Beauty
  25. Here’s an honest admisson, maybe you can identify with me
  26. Do You Require Proof?
  27. Letting go of the fear of the darkness
  28. When we mess up: Jesus was tempted in every way we are
  29. Wilderness Jesus: Sermon for Lent 1, 2016
  30. The Wilderness of Lent: A Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent, 2016
  31. Why Jesus is not Like Evel Knievel
  32. Trusting in God Alone
  33. Lead me into temptation – just one more time!
  34. Getting Testy
  35. Are We Testing God?
  36. Tribulation: Temple or Tabernacle Tent

+++

Save

Matthew 1:1-17 The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:1-17 – The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Luke 3:23-38

MT1:1 A bible[1] of a genealogy[2] of Jesus[3] Christ,[4] son of David, son of Abraham:[5]

MT1:2 Abraham[6] generated[7] Isaac,[8] Isaac generated Jacob,[9] Jacob generated Judah[10] and his brothers,[11] MT1:3 Judah generated Perez[12] and Zerah[13] by Tamar,[14] Perez generated Hezron,[15] Hezron generated Ram,[16] MT1:4 Ram generated Amminadab,[17] Amminadab generated Nahshon,[18] Nahshon generated Salmon,[19] MT1:5 Salmon generated Boaz[20] by Rahab,[21] Boaz generated Obed[22] by Ruth,[23] Obed generated Jesse,[24] MT1:6 Jesse generated King David.[25] David generated Solomon[26] by Uriah’s woman,[27] MT1:7 Solomon generated Rehoboam,[28] Rehoboam generated Abijah,[29] Abijah generated Asa,[30] MT1:8 Asa generated Jehoshaphat,[31] Jehoshaphat generated Jehoram,[32] Jehoram generated Uzziah,[33] MT1:9 Uzziah generated Jotham,[34] Jotham generated Ahaz,[35] Ahaz generated Hezekiah,[36] MT1:10 Hezekiah generated Manasseh,[37] Manasseh generated Amon,[38] Amon generated Josiah,[39] MT1:11 Josiah generated Jeconiah[40] and his brothers upon the Babylonian deportation.[41] MT1:12 After the Babylonian deportation Jeconiah generated Shealtiel,[42] Shealtiel generated Zerubabbel,[43] MT1:13 Zerubabbel generated Abiud,[44] Abiud generated Eliakim,[45] Eliakim generated Azor,[46] MT1:14 Azor generated Zadok,[47] Zadok generated Achim,[48] Achim generated Eliud,[49] MT1:15 Eliud generated Eleazar,[50] Eleazar generated Matthan,[51] Matthan generated Jacob,[52] MT1:16 Jacob generated Joseph[53] Mary’s[54] man[55] who generated Jesus,[56] the one called “Christ.”[57] MT1:17 Therefore all the generations from Abraham until David[58] were fourteen generations; and from David until the Babylonian deportation[59] were fourteen generations; and from the Babylonian deportation until the Christ[60] were fourteen generations.[61]

 

Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels contain...

Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels contains the incipit Liber generationis of the Gospel of Matthew. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

[1] Bible: The Greek is BIBLOS. Or, KJV: book; WMS: family tree; KNX: record of ancestry.

[2] Genealogy: The Greek is GENESEOS. Or, generation (KJV).

[3] Jesus: The Greek is IESOU meaning, “Yah Saves.” There is no “J” in Greek.

[4] Christ: The Greek is KHRISTOU and means one christened or anointed. A Hebrew bias word would be, Messiah.

[5] Son of David, son of Abraham: The two most important links to his forefathers.

[6] Abraham: One of the most important persons in the Bible; indeed, one of the most important persons in the modern world, adored by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. His name occurs over 290 times. The name is a most common name of males among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The name means “Father of a Multitude” and first occurs at Genesis 17:5 where his name is changed from “Abram” meaning “Father of Rejoicing” (Father’s Joy). The first occurrence of Abram is at Genesis 11:26. This form of the name occurs over 60 times.

[7] Generated: Or, “was the father of”; “fathered.” The Greek is EGENNESEN.

[8] Isaac: The name occurs over 140 times with the first occurrence at Genesis 17:19. It is a name given by an angel of Yahweh even as was the name Jesus.

[9] Jacob: The name occurs 400 times and means “Grabbing the Heel” occurring first at Genesis 25:26.

[10] Judah: The name occurs 870 times and means “Praised” occurring first at Genesis 29:35. It is the root of the term “Jew.”

[11] Brothers: The foundations of the tribes of Israel. The account is recorded in Genesis 31.

[12] Perez: The name occurs 20 times and means “Perineal Rupture.” It occurs first at Genesis 38:29.

[13] Zerah: The name occurs 20 times and means “Shining” or “Rising” occurring first in the above context at Genesis 38:30. Apparently it is a common name as others earlier are so named.

[14] Tamar: One of four women named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Her name means “Palm Tree” and occurs 30 times regarding different women, the first at Genesis 38:6.

[15] Hezron: The name means “courtyard” or “settlement” and occurs first at Genesis 46:9 for a total of 20 times.

[16] Ram: His name means “High” (see 1 Chronicles 2:9) and is presented as Arni in Luke’s genealogy (Luke 3:33).

[17] Amminadab: The name occurs 16 times and means “Noble” or “Generous” occurring first at Exodus 6:23.

[18] Nahshon: Occurs 13 times beginning at Exodus 6:23 and means “Serpent.”

[19] Salmon: The name occurs about 6 times, first at Ruth 4:20.

[20] Boaz: The name occurs 30 times, first at Ruth 2:1, meaning “Strong.”

[21] Rahab: Meaning, “Wide” or “Spacious” – the second woman mentioned in the genealogy, a Gentile harlot whose name occurs 19 times, first at Joshua 2:1.

[22] Obed: Meaning “Servant” and occurring first at Ruth 4:17 for a total of 35 times.

[23] Ruth: The name occurs first at Ruth 1:4 for a total of 19 times. A Gentile, the third woman to be mentioned in the genealogy. Her name means “God is King.”

[24] Jesse: The name, meaning “Yahweh (causes) forgets,” occurs 53 times with the first at Ruth 4:17.

[25] David: A king of Israel. Meaning “Beloved” and occurring over 1200 times, the first at Ruth 4:17.

[26] Solomon: A king of Israel. The name means “Peace” and occurs 320 times with the first at 2 Samuel 5:14.

[27] Uriah’s woman: Bathsheba is not mentioned though alluded to. Here Matthew honors the loyal and courageous Gentile soldier. Like other languages the Greek has no word for “wife.” It is “woman” and the context determines whether it is a “wife” or a “woman.” Uriah’s name occurs 30 times with the first occurrence at 2 Samuel 11:3. His name means “Yah is my Light” and is likely his Hebrew name after converting from the Hittites.

[28] Rehoboam: A king of Israel whose name occurs 55 times and means “Widen the People.” The first occurrence is 1 Kings 11:43.

[29] Abijah: A king of Judah. The name means “Yah is my Father” and occurs 37 times, the first at 1 Samuel 8:2.

[30] Asa: The third king of Judah. The name occurs 63 times and appears first at 1 Kings 15:8.

[31] Jehoshaphat: A king of Judah. The name occurs 83 times and means “Yahweh is Judge” occurring first at 2 Samuel 8:16. A name associated with the Plains of Megiddo (Armageddon).

[32] Jehoram: A king of Judah. The name means “Yahweh is Exalted” and occurs 83 times, the first at 1 Kings 22:50.

[33] Uzziah: A king of Judah. His name means “My Strength is Yahweh” and occurs 34 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 15:13.

[34] Jotham: A king of Judah. His name means “Yah Perfects” and occurs 27 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 15:5. There are other men with this name.

[35] Ahaz: A king of Judah. His name means “Yahweh Grasps” and occurs 47 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 15:38. The henpecked husband of Jezebel.

[36] Hezekiah: A king of Judah. His name means “Yah Strengthens” and occurs 139 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 16:20. A strong associate of Isaiah.

[37] Manasseh: A king of Judah. His name means “Causing Forgetfulness” (It is an ancient name – Genesis 41:51) and occurs 155 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 20:21. Manasseh is thought to have martyred Isaiah and yet becomes one of the greatest examples of repentance and forgiveness.

[38] Amon: A king of Judah. His name means “Faithful” and occurs 21 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 21:18.

[39] Josiah: A king of Judah. His name means “Yah Heals” and occurs 31 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 21:24. Others are so named. Josiah is a good example of a youth dedicated to God with great love for the Word.

[40] Jeconiah: A king of Judah. His names means “Yah Establishes” and occurs 13 times with the first occurrence at 1 Chronicles 3:16.

[41] Babylonian deportation: Thought by some to be around 611-607 BC.

[42] Shealtiel: His name means “Requested of God” and occurs 15 times with the first occurrence at 1 Chronicles 3:17.

[43] Zerubabbel: A governor of Judah upon return from Babylonian captivity around 537 BC. His name means “Seed of Babel” and occurs 28 times with the first occurrence at 1 Chronicles 3:19.

[44] Abiud: His name means “Dignified Father” and only occurs here. Some think this is the same as “Joda” in Luke 3:26, others do not.

[45] Eliakim: His name means “My God Raises” and occurs 15 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 18:18.

[46] Azor: From the genealogy of Joseph. From here the records would be based on Matthew’s research. His name means “One Offering Help” and only occurs here.

[47] Zadok: An ancestor of Joseph. The name means “Righteous” and belongs to numerous persons in the Bible. The name occurs 56 times

[48] Achim: An ancestor of Joseph. His name means “Yah Establishes.” This is the only occurrence of the name.

[49] Eliud: An ancestor of Joseph his name means “God of Dignity.” This is the only occurrence of his name.

[50] Eleazar: An ancestor of Joseph. His name means “God Helps” and appears 79 times as the names of other men.

[51] Matthan: The great-grandfather of Joseph. His name only occurs here.

[52] Jacob: The grandfather of Joseph. The name means “Surplantor” and occurs 409 times in the Bible.

[53] Joseph: The foster father of Jesus the Nazarene. His name means “Yah Increases” and occurs 264 times in the Bible. Joseph, husband of Mary, is mentioned 29 times in the Christian Bible. A carpenter by trade, possibly he died in the early life of Jesus.

[54] Mary’s: Mary is a form of Miriam meaning “Rebellious.” The name Mary occurs 68 times in the Christian Bible. There are six Marys in the Bible. M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopaedia (1881, Vol. III, p. 774): “In constructing their genealogical tables, it is well known that the Jews reckoned wholly by males, rejecting, where the blood of the grandfather passed to the grandson through a daughter, the name of the daughter herself, and counting that daughter’s husband for the son of the maternal grandfather.”

[55] Man: The Greek is ANDRA and “husband” is inferred by the context.

[56] Jesus: This is the name given by the angel of Yahweh in Luke’s account. The name means “Yah Saves” and occurs 1109 times in the Christian Bible. Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek IESOUS, which corresponds to the Hebrew Yeshua or Yehohshua and means “Yahweh Is Salvation.”

[57] Christ: The designation is the Greek KHRISTOS and means one christened or anointed. The title occurs 748 times in the Christian Bible. It occurs most often in the Letter to the Romans.

[58] Abraham until David: Roughly from 2,000 to 1000 BC or about 1,000 years and about 70 years per “generation.”

[59] David until the Babylonian deportation: Roughly 500 years or 35 years per generation.

[60] Deportation until the Christ: Roughly about 500 years or 35 years per generation.

[61] Generations: For a total of 42 generations between Abraham and Jesus Christ.

This text of the Gospel of Matthew is a new version, the 21st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures [NCMM], as an additional part of Nazarene Commentary 2000©. This rendering by Mark Heber Miller may be considered a literal version with limited paraphrase.

*

Extra BS notes

Iesou => Jesus = “Hail Zeus”, the name given to the Nazarene Jew at the Council of Nicaea in 325 to come to terms with the three-headed greek-roman gods. Up until about 360, theological debates mainly dealt with the divinity of the son, which had to be the seame one as the son-god of the Romans and the Greeks. The worshipping of that son and the use of the statues in the community should be allowed for all the sorts of worshippers, so that the market vendors could sell their statues at liberty to any worshipper. Jeshua, Joshua (/ˈɒʃə/) or Jehoshua (Hebrew: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ Yĕhôshúa or Hebrew: יֵשׁוּעַ Yĕshúa; Aramaic: ܝܫܘܥIsho; Greek: Ἰησοῦς, Arabic: يوشع بن نونYūshaʿ ibn Nūn, Turkish: Yuşa) Yeshua (ישוע, with vowel pointing יֵשׁוּעַyēšūă‘ in Hebrew) which means “Jehovah saves/Jehovah is salvation” or “the Help(ipa) from Jehovah” or “From Jehovah comes salvation”, for the politicians had to become the second person of their tri-une godhead.  The main god Zeus (Ancient Greek: Ζεύς) had to be the “Father of Gods and men” (πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, patḕr andrōn te theōn te) and as such should be the god of Greeks, Romans and Christians because Jupiter (Latin: Iuppiter; /ˈjʊpɪtɛr/; genitive case: Iovis; /ˈjɔːvɪs/) or Jove is the king of the gods and the god of sky and thunder in myth.

By the time of the 4° Century CE lots of false teachers had managed to introduce the Roman teachings of their gods back into the teachings of their followers. Lots of people found it easier to adapt to the new religion because it had adapted itself to their faith. for them it was than much easier to accept Jesus to be the King of kings, to be the god of light, the god of thunder, the god of miracles, the god of enlightenment, etc.

+

Preceding articles:

  1. The Advent of the saviour to Roman oppression
  2. Story of Jesus’ birth begins long before the New Testament
  3. Nazarene Commentary to Zechariah and Elizabeth
  4. Nazarene Commentary to An Angel Appearing to a Priest
  5. Nazarene Commentary to Struck Dumb For Disbelief
  6. Nazarene Commentary to Elizabeth Pregnant
  7. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:46-56 – Mary Magnifies God
  8. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:57-66 – Elizabeth Gives Birth To John
  9. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:67-80 – Zechariah’s Prophecy
  10. With child and righteousness greater than the law
  11. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:1-7 – A Firstborn’s Birth In Bethlehem
  12. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:8-14 – Angels and Shepherds in the Night
  13. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:15-20 – Shepherds Find the Infant Christ
  14. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:21-24 – Presenting the Baby to God
  15. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:25-35 – Simeon’s Blessing and Warning
  16. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:36-38 – Anna’s Thanks before Those Waiting
  17. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:39-40 – The Young Child Grows
  18. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:41-50 – Twelve Year Old Jesus in the Temple

+++

  • 5 Elements of the Christmas Story (virtuousgirls.wordpress.com)
    The angel Gabriel arrives to give Mary a special message. His arrival signifies that God is about to do something and do something big! God is a God of action. He is always busy doing good. Even when it seems that God is silent, He is at work behind the scenes.From the end of the Old Testament to the start of the New Testament, 400 years passed during which God did not communicate with His people Israel. It was not because He had forgotten them or abandoned them. They had turned away from Him, but He had not given up on them.
  • The Nativity According to Matthew (davidscommonplacebook.wordpress.com)
    Remember, though, that Bethlehem was a small village in this time with a likely population of a few hundred. It is doubtful that more than half a dozen children were killed, not enough to make it into any other sources we have for Herod’s rule. Herod was certainly ruthless enough to order such a massacre. He had no trouble killing members of his own family if he thought they threatened his rule. In fact, Herod being an Idumean (or Edomite) and not a Jew, was a foreigner and so was as despised by many Judeans as a Roman governor would have been. If he had heard that there was a potential rival to his throne, even a child, that the Jews might rally around, he would have wasted no time in disposing of that rival.
  • Don’t Be Afraid (josephelonlillie.com)
    Joseph was told not to be afraid, not because  God was going to take away all the fearful things but because the Messiah was coming into the world…into his family.” JE Lillie
  • Matthew 1:21-23 (inspirationsbyerika.wordpress.com)
    She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
  • Will Our Children Have Faith? (mymorningmeditations.com)
    It may seem strange to consider Judaism a missionary religion. Yet the Pharisees are described as “compass[ing] sea and land to make one proselyte.” (Matthew 23:15) Rabbinic Judaism, the product of these Pharisees, saw in Abraham and Sarah the models for those who converted non-Jews to Judaism, speaking of them as “making souls.” (Cf. Gen. 12:5)
    +
    There are also plenty of Christians whose children leave the faith. It can be truly said that God has no grandchildren. We each negotiate our own relationship with our Creator, regardless of who our parents are or what they believe and practice.
  • Massacre of the Innocents (nation.com.pk)
    The Gospel of Matthews narrates the horrific Biblical account of the killing of infants by the then Roman appointed Jewish king of Israel, Herod, at the time of the birth of Jesus. As it turns out, a prophecy in the Old Testament, made by Jeremiah the prophet, spoke of the birth of a new king of Jews (Hazrat Isa A.S.), ‘who would be born on the night that a star comes out of Jacob’. When Jewish astrologers of the time, the Magi, informed Herod of the coming of this event, he ordered that every child under the age of two be killed in and around the town of Bethlehem. Herod had hoped that this Massacre of the Innocents would achieve two goals: 1) it would preserve the future reign of Herod’s progeny, and 2) it would wipe out the existence, message, and purpose of the promised Messiah. Herod failed in achieving both these objectives. Per the Divine Will, just before the Massacre of Innocents started, Joseph and Mary (Hazrat Maryam A.S.) took the child, and escaped to Egypt. And thus the prophet and his mission were preserved, only to return to Israel ten years later and proclaim the truth of God.
    Two thousand years later, five thousand kilometers away from the towns of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, in the Army Public School, Peshawar, another Massacre of the Innocents took place on Tuesday.
  • Seeking Good Soil- Dec 22 (boyslumber.wordpress.com)
  • Field Notes (whitehousepost.com)
    We write to grow beyond ourselves—beyond the confines of our bodies, our minds, our time.
  • The Difference Between Grace and Mercy (codybateman.org)
    We deserve nothing from God. God does not owe us anything. Anything good that we experience is a result of the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5). Grace is simply defined as unmerited favor. God favors, or gives us good things that we do not deserve and could never earn
  • Herod (en.wikipedia.org)

With child and righteousness greater than the law

The last few weeks in many denominations they looked at a time of remembrance of the coming on earth of the Messiah. At the end of the month many Christians use the birthday of the goddess of light and creation, to celebrate the birth of Christ (who was born in 4 bCE October 17) This birth is the beginning of the New World whereof the evangelist John is talking about when he looks at that new period like at the beginning of everything new, or the Bereshith (Bereshit or Bereishit), the Genesis. In the Genesis book by Moses you may find God Speaking and by speaking or uttering His Word, everything came into being. In the same way spoke God and the child came into being.

“In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” (NWT) (John 1:1)

English: The story of the Eden Garden. The tem...

The story of the Eden Garden. The temptation of Adam & Eve by the devil. Pedestal of the statue of Madonna with Child, western portal (of the Virgin), of Notre-Dame de Paris, France (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Word, which was spoken before everything existed had also spoken in the Garden of Eden. That was a time long before Abraham. As such God His Word came unto the 1° Adam and promised to provide a solution for his misstep. Adam and Eve came to hear the first promise for their descendants. Later the Word of God would come to other offspring, who at their turn also told the world to look out for that Saviour or Messiah.

Not the evangelist John his work was placed first in the Books of the New Covenant. Matthew got the honour to open the New Testament. His account of the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1:18-25 has one primary concern: to establish the identity and mission of Jesus from the very beginning of his story. For the evangelist Matthew, who came to know the Nazarene Jeshua early in his public life, this special teacher no doubt is the Messiah or Christ (see Matthew 1:18), the agent of God who will establish God’s kingdom and save his people from their sins (see Matthew 1:21).

Lots of people do want to find a very special person and a very special story. Because they can not find that in the Bible they started creating several stories to make their evening of remembrance much greater.

"Annunciation", fresco (ca. 1371) by...

“Annunciation”, fresco (ca. 1371) by Jacopo di Cione (ca.1325-after 1390)(?), interior of the façade of the basilica of San Marco in Florence, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The evangelist Matthew brings a very human story involving a young couple: Joseph and Myriam or Miriam, by most English speaking people known as Mary (others know her as Maria, or Blessed Virgin Mary). Mary gets a message which may have been very strange for her and any other human being. The messenger of God, an angel pronounces that she has found great favour with God. We do find a simple village girl through whom God decides to work His plan of redemption.

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,” (Luke 1:26 NIV)

“The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” (Luke 1:28-29 NIV)

“And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34 ASV)

From the evangelist and apostle Matthew we come to know she got to know the workman Joseph and also in Luke is written:

“to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:27 NIV)

“The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”” (Luke 1:28 NIV)

“18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:18-19 NIV)

Matthew grounds his lofty message about Jesus’ identity and mission as the Christ in the earthiness and complexities of human life. It doesn’t get much earthier than a pregnancy out of wedlock; put that together with the fact that the young couple had not yet had sex and you have the makings of a real potboiler. This young girl could be killed for what she got herself into. Regardless of the cost to her societally, she is willing to submit to God’s will for her life. For her the wrath of the Law and the weight of the village’s condemnation have no value opposite the message she got from a celestial being. Though she did not get stoned because most rabbis required a lesser penalty, including divorce and public shaming. The public shaming may have come over the fiancée of labourer Joseph who was still willing to take her as her bride.

Matthew portrays Joseph as a righteous man who confronted a significant dilemma. Him at first in love with this young Essene girl, had to face a very devote Jew who seemed to have been unfaithful to him. Most people usually understand the description of Joseph as “righteous” to mean that he was a good man, a kind man. But Joseph’s “righteousness” in this context has a specific meaning: it refers to Joseph’s thorough adherence to the law, the Torah. Joseph was also a devout, practising Jew. His decision to divorce Mary was the right one according to the law.

Matthew tells us that while Joseph had decided to sever his relationship with Mary, in accordance with the law and the custom of his time, he had decided to do this so “quietly,” evidently to reduce Mary’s public disgrace. Joseph had found a way to be faithful to the requirements of the law, but to do so in a respectful and sensitive manner. Joseph struck a remarkable balance between righteousness and compassion.

In the Torah were given many examples of how strange God’s ways might be for man. More than once appeared celestial beings to man to turn their coarse. This disappointed workman also came to hear an angel of God in a dream. Believing in the truth of his dream he abandoned adherence to the law by accepting the angel’s exhortation to take Mary as his wife. In this extraordinary situation, Joseph’s righteousness transcended the letter of the law. For Joseph, being righteous no longer meant blind, literal adherence to the Torah; the instruction from the angel trumped the law. The imminent arrival of Jesus somehow transformed the righteousness expected of Joseph. This is a theme that Jesus would articulate again and again later in this Gospel: there is a righteousness greater than the law.

+

Preceding articles:

Story of Jesus’ birth begins long before the New Testament

Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:26-38 – Gabriel’s Appearance to Mary

Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:15-20 – Shepherds Find the Infant Christ

++

Literature of interest:

  1. With God All Things Are Possible
  2. Message from the family tree in the Tanakh
  3. Why do we need a ransom?
  4. A promise given in the Garden of Eden
  5. The Seed Of The Woman Bruised
  6. Written to recognise the Promissed One
  7. OT prophesies and the NT fulfilment of them
  8. Prophets making excuses
  9. Belief of the things that God has promised
  10. About a man who changed history of humankind
  11. Which man is mentioned most often in the Bible? Jesus, Moses, Abraham or David?
  12. Together tasting a great promise
  13. Patriarch Abraham, Muslims, Christians and the son of God
  14. The Immeasurable Grace bestowed on humanity
  15. Virgin Mary’s girdle
  16. The Gabriel Revelation Real or forgery
  17. Who was Jesus?
  18. Jesus and his God
  19. The Christ, the anointed of God
  20. Around pre-existence of Christ
  21. A season of gifts
  22. Christmas, Saturnalia and the birth of Jesus
  23. Wishing lanterns and Christmas
  24. Jesus begotten Son of God #1 Christmas and Christians
  25. Jesus begotten Son of God #2 Christmas and pagan rites
  26. Jesus begotten Son of God #3 Messiah or Anointed one
  27. Jesus begotten Son of God #4 Promised Prophet and Saviour
  28. Jesus begotten Son of God #5 Apostle, High Priest and King
  29. Jesus begotten Son of God #6 Anointed Son of God, Adam and Abraham
  30. Jesus begotten Son of God #7 A matter of the Future
  31. Jesus begotten Son of God #8 Found Divinely Created not Incarnated
  32. Jesus begotten Son of God #9 Two millennia ago conceived or begotten
  33. Jesus begotten Son of God #13 Pre-existence excluding virginal birth of the Only One Transposed
  34. Jesus begotten Son of God #14 Beloved Preminent Son and Mediator originating in Mary
  35. Jesus begotten Son of God #15 Son of God Originating in Mary
  36. Jesus begotten Son of God #17 Adam, Eve, Mary and Christianity’s central figure
  37. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #6 Words to feed and communicate
  38. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #14 Prayer #12 The other name
  39. God has visited His people
  40. Jesus spitting image of his father
  41. A man with an outstanding personality
  42. Lord or Yahuwah, Yeshua or Yahushua
  43. Ember and light the ransomed of Jehovah
  44. The Beginning of the life of Jesus Christ
  45. What Jesus did: First things first
  46. Servant of his Father
  47. Anointing of Christ as Prophetic Rehearsal of the Burial rites
  48. A Messiah to die
  49. Impaled until death overtook him
  50. Cursed is the one hung on a tree
  51. Atonement and the race been bought
  52. Jesus three days in hell
  53. What Jesus Did – Misleading around the Messiah and the final assessment
  54. Christ having glory
  55. Words in the world
  56. Ignorance of Today’s Youth (and Adults)
  57. God or a god

+++

  • Be Thankful: 5 Things God Has Given Us We Should Thank Him For (authorbrianlknack.wordpress.com)
    Be Thankful God Gave Us Life  –  Not only did he breathe the breath of life into us that we might become a living soul but he has given us New Life in the New Covenant through the blood of His son Jesus! God put us here for a purpose and that purpose is to live for Him and experience the joy of His presence every day. For those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives God has also given to us the gift of Eternal Life in Him!
    +
    Because God loved us so much, He didn’t want us to continue to drift away from Him in our selfish, self-centered existence. He loved us so much that He gave us the gift of His Son, Jesus, to be the way back to Him. That gift is the best, most amazing, most expensive, most valuable gift ever given, and it was given to us. He loved us enough to give us Jesus.
  • Focus On God (christianmotivations.weebly.com)
    the Bible teaches us that the flesh (since we are all born in sin through the fall of Adam and Eve) is enmity against God.
  • The Tense of Life – Future Perfect (cerkas.wordpress.com)
    In truth, time is but a fabrication and rationalization of our minds in an attempt to avoid confusion and chaos.  Simply, time helps us comprehend our existence within the limits of our knowledge.
    +
    The true beauty of Christianity, however, is that by being born again via Baptism, we are cleansed from sin’s blemish on our soul and are blessed to have the opportunity to live this earthly life in God’s Light, striving to become like Him, understanding that at times, we will falter and sin.  And in the wisdom of our Creator, He provided a mechanism for us to redeem ourselves of sins via repentance, along with his Grace via forgiveness.
  • Why does God make a way for us to return to paradise? (christianitymatters.com)
    Because we are mostly focused on the negative, we think a lot about why things are bad and messed up in this world but we spend little time thinking about why God makes a way for us to return to paradise.
  • Found By Grace (ponderingtheheartofjesus.com)
    When people can’t talk about difficulties together, they tend to avoid just like Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden when they realized they had sinned against God.
    +
    Have you trusted in the mediator Jesus as your Savior from the wages of sin? God is pursuing you and inviting you to be reconciled to Him right now, this Christmas.
  • Oh, Christmas Tree! (atimetoshare.wordpress.com)
    We are introduced to two trees in the Genesis account of creation – the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The first inhabitants were given the Tree of life for food.  The other one they ate from in hopes of becoming as wise as God.
  • History of Christmas Trees part 1 (joannerambling.wordpress.com)
    In 1584, the historian Balthasar Russow wrote about a tradition, in Riga, of a decorated fir tree in the market square where the young men “went with a flock of maidens and women, first sang and danced there and then set the tree aflame”. There’s a record of a small tree in Breman, Germany from 1570. It is described as a tree decorated with “apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers”. It was displayed in a ‘guild-house’ (the meeting place for a society of business men in the city).
  • Come Together (dbethandrews.wordpress.com)
    There are a lot of people in recent days talking about what divides us as a nation and how to bring some sort of reconciliation between people. We have all seen the protests and the anger and hurt. We have seen grief and sadness and bitterness and distrust – and all our protesting and postulating and town-hall meetings only seem to make the chasm wider. In this season of Christmas, this time when there should be “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14) and we should “love one another” (John 13:34) we see everything but. How did we become such an angry society? What is the root of our discord? And how do we reclaim the peace we’ve lost?
    +
    God gave Jesus as His gift to humanity to reconcile the creation with the Creator. To bring us peace. And when we are restored to God, when we have peace with God, we can then be restored in our human relationships and have peace with one another. But not until we first receive the gift of Jesus into our lives.
    +
    Peace that Never Ends
    God offers peace in our “dark night of the soul,” bringing His light to the night that surrounds us.
    +
    One day, and I think not so very far away, Jesus Christ will return, and bring with Him the fulfillment of God’s promise of peace. He will come, not as the baby in the manger, but as the victorious King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He will come with power and authority.  He will bring an end to evil and wickedness.  He will bring punishment to those who love evil and hatred and corruption – to all who rejected Him in this life.
  • The Bible and Mythology (ezracommentary.wordpress.com)
    Myths are stories that people make up to explain various aspects of life and to express worldview, how we see and interpret the world. There are myths about the world and the creation of the sea. There are myths to explain where man and woman came from. Some myths are about the islands and how they came to be populated. There are myths that try to explain good and evil. Other myths have to do with how man and woman are to relate to one another and to each other’s families. There are myths about children and the consequences of disobedience. There are myths about the afterlife, what happens to a person and where he goes when he dies.

    So myths are stories which attempt to explain life and its meaning. They often share wisdom as to how we should live and relate to others and to the world around us. Myths are meant for teaching so that the wisdom can be transmitted from one generation to another.

Age To Come

The Lord Jesus Christ is the last Adam, not the first God-man. ~~~ www.AgeToCome.tk

undercoverjw

I go undercover in the Jehovah's Witness Church

Jehovah's Zsion, Zion and Sion Mom Signal for the Peoples!

Thy Empire and Kingdom Zsion Come as In Heavens So on Earth. Diatheke. Matthew.6.10, Tanakh.Psalm.87 and https://zsion.mom

jamesgray2

A discussion of interesting books from my current stock at www.jamesgraybookseller.com

Unmasking anti Jehovah sites and people

Showing the only One True God and the Way to That God

The Eccentric Fundamentalist

Musings on theology, apologetics, practical Christianity and God's grace in salvation through Jesus Christ

John 20:21

"As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you."

The Biblical Review

Reviewing Publications, History, and Biblical Literature

Words on the Word

Blog by Abram K-J

Bybelverskille

Hier bestudeer ons die redes vir die verskille in Bybelvertalings.

Michael Bradley - Time Traveler

The official website of Michael Bradley - Author of novels, short stories and poetry involving the past, future, and what may have been.

BIBLE Students DAILY

"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10

takeaminutedotnet

All the Glory to God

Groen is Gezond

van zaadjes in volle grond tot iets lekkers op het bord

Jesse A. Kelley

A topnotch WordPress.com site

JWUpdate

JW Current Apostate Status and Final Temple Judgment - Web Witnessing Record; The Bethel Apostasy is Prophecy

Sophia's Pockets

Wisdom Withouth Walls

ConquerorShots

Spiritual Shots to Fuel the Conqueror Lifestyle

Examining Watchtower Doctrine

Truth Behind the "Truth"

Theological NoteBook

Dabbling into Theology