What Does This Mean?

Jesus is Born

[Forty-ninth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

About one hundred years before Jesus was born, the Jewish people rebelled against the Greek king of Syria and won their freedom. To this day, the Jewish people celebrate that event during the season of Hanukkah. At that time, people from the area around Jerusalem and Bethlehem settled in Galilee and built little towns like Nazareth. Likely, the grandparents or great-grandparents of Mary and Joseph settled there at that time. When the Roman rulers of Palestine required all its people to register in their hometowns, Joseph and Mary had to travel the 80 to 90 miles to Bethlehem on foot. The census was a source of pride for Augustus Caesar. The emperor had it inscribed on his tombstone. It likely took decades to complete — especially on the edges of the empire and in its client kingdoms.

When Mary and Joseph arrived in the small town of David, there was no room for them to stay in any of the homes. The word that the King James Version translates as “inn” means something more general than a place to rent a room. It means more like “guest room.” So, likely one of their relatives let them stay in the stable — actually a fairly warm and somewhat private place to give birth in those days. The people of Bethlehem had built their homes into the caves on the hillside, a very efficient way to maintain steady temperatures year-round and protect people and their domestic animals from the elements.

Our traditional crèches show the scene more like it would have been if Jesus had been born in medieval Germany rather than Roman First Century Judea. Because most people in the Middle Ages could not read, artwork told all the stories of the birth of Jesus together in one scene. They often include a baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, a manger with hay, cattle, sheep, donkeys and camels, shepherds, wise men and their gifts. Yet it is unlikely that the original scene was that crowded. Most families in that time and place likely would have, at most, a donkey and sheep — no cattle.

Shepherds were common folk, looked down on as working-class people are today. Those on the night shift would not be a group to which an announcement from the throne of God would be made. Yet the angel, God’s ambassador, announced the birth of his son and chose them.

Martin Luther summed it up in a Christmas Sermon:

If Christ had come with trumpets sounding; If he had a cradle of gold, his birth would have been a stately thing. But it wouldn’t comfort me. So, he had to lay in a poor girl’s lap and be scarcely noticed by the world. In that lap I can come to see Him; in this way He now reveals Himself to the distressed. Yes, he would’ve had greater fame if he’d have come in great power, splendor, wisdom and high class. Yet, He will come someday, in another way, when He comes to oppose the great nobles. But now He comes to the poor, who need a Savior.

— Martin Luther
Sermon on Christmas Day 1530
Translated by Robert E. Smith

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Mary and Elizabeth

[Forty-Eighth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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At first glance, Mary and Elizabeth do not seem to have much in common — other than King David as their common ancestor. Mary was a very young woman, barely out of childhood. Elizabeth was very old and had no children. Mary lived on the outskirts of the Holy Land, out in a small town in Galilee. Elizabeth is at the center of Jewish life, the wife of a priest, living in the bedroom communities of Jerusalem. It is clear that the women knew of each other, but not that they knew each other. Elizabeth’s pregnancy is an obvious blessing from God. Everyone knew her to have been barren until old age, like mother Sarah. Mary was a teenager pregnant outside of marriage. Likely, everyone assumed Joseph was a bit too eager and frowned upon it.

One thing is sure. A prompt visit to a distant relative was a wise thing —it allowed the community a chance to calm down about something they didn’t approve of. So imagine the joy of yet another miracle. The Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth. The baby John the Baptist, still in her womb, recognized the presence of the Messiah, still in her cousin’s womb, and leaped for joy. Elizabeth suddenly knew the whole truth — that God had become a man in the womb of her young relative. Mary was the God Bearer, the Mother of God. God had kept his promise — the Messiah had come to save His people from their sin.

Mary responded to Elizabeth with thanksgiving to God. She sings the first song in Luke’s musical. Called the Magnificat, which we sing in Vespers services. In this song, she marvels that God has so richly blessed a poor girl. She remains with Elizabeth for three months.

The early church fathers saw something special in the faith of these two women. Both of them believed what God revealed to them from the very start. Their husbands, Zechariah and Joseph, at first doubted. In the end, all four of them firmly trusted in God, who finally came to save — and did so through two very unlikely women, neither of whom should have conceived, one very young and one very old.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Mary and the Angel

[Forty-Seventh in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

In the small town of Nazareth, not far from the Sea of Galilee, the Angel Gabriel appeared a second time. He visited a young girl, likely about twelve to fourteen years old. Mary of Nazareth was preparing for her marriage. Her parents and Joseph’s parents had likely arranged their wedding years before.

Like all the Jewish families in the area, her ancestors had settled there when God’s people won their independence from the Greek rulers of Syria about one hundred and fifty years before. They were from David’s town of Bethlehem, near Jerusalem, and were descended from King David. She was related to Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah, to whom Gabriel had appeared just six months earlier.

Just as startled as Zechariah was, Mary responded very differently. The elderly priest had doubted God’s word sent by his messenger. If anything, the message she received was even harder to believe. She was a virgin, and she knew what everyone knew — it takes a man and a woman to conceive a baby. However, she did not doubt the word of God’s angel. She didn’t even ask why. She asked how. When told the Holy Spirit would cast his shadow over her, as he did in the beginning, over the face of the deep, she consented. “I am God’s slave,” she said. “Let it be.” And it was. The eternal Son, God of God, Light of Light, became a baby in her womb.

She would treasure this visit in her heart. She would need that strength. Hard days lay ahead. Her Joseph would doubt. Wouldn’t you if your beloved said, “Good news! We will have a baby. No, obviously, he’s not yours. He’s God’s son. An angel told me!” He would plan to divorce her until an angel appeared to him. A Jewish man named Joseph knew better than to doubt dreams!

Yet it meant the first-century equivalent of a shotgun wedding, whispered gossip in the shadows, a quick visit to cousin Elizabeth until everything calmed down, and long, uncomfortable walks while very pregnant. Yet, God’s word was enough for her. She was blessed to bear and raise God’s Son. He would suffer and die while she watched. Yet she knew what his name meant: he would save his people from their sins. She would indeed be blessed — and honored by God’s people as the Mother of God himself.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Angel in the Temple

[Forty-Sixth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

Four hundred years had passed since the prophet Malachi spoke to God’s people. God had been silent all those years, but had not been idle. Now, an elderly priest named Zechariah was chosen to burn incense in the Holy Place of the temple, right outside the Holy of Holies. The angel Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God himself, appeared to Zechariah to announce the miraculous birth of a son. He was to be named John (God’s gift) and would fulfill Malachi’s last prophecy to send a herald to prepare the way of the Messiah. The last time this angel appeared, he brought dreams to Daniel.

You’d think Zechariah, who should have known better, would accept the news that he would have a son with joy. Yet that, like Abraham, he would have a child in his old age, when he was barren, was too much. Gabriel punished him by taking his voice until the day his son was to be circumcised.

When John was born, his relatives asked Zechariah what name to give his son. Zechariah wrote on a Roman wax tablet, “His name is John.” Then the silence of God was broken. Zechariah prophesied about the coming salvation and the role his son would play in it. We sing this prophecy in the liturgy of morning prayer. It is called the Benedictus. This old priest was, therefore, the second-to-last prophet of the Old Testament. His son, who we know as John the Baptist, would be the last and greatest.

John the Baptist had almost all the credentials to be the Messiah. His father was a priest, descended from Aaron. His mother was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and so descended from King David. Gabriel the Archangel announced his birth in the temple, while his father was offering prayers on behalf of the people to God. Both of his parents were very old, like Abraham and Sarah, and barren, like Hannah, the mother of Samuel. God named him in the same way he named Isaac and changed Jacob’s name to Israel. The angel announced he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets. Yet from the very start, he and his parents understood John was not the Messiah, but the one who would reveal him to the world and prepare the way for him.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Malachi, The Last of the Old Testament Prophets — Almost

[Forty-Fifth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

The people of Judah had returned from exile in Babylon. Through the Persian ruler Cyrus, the people had resettled in the promised land. They rebuilt the temple, although not nearly to the glory of Solomon’s Temple. They rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem — and their lives. And then the people felt forgotten and isolated, a small province of a vast and worldwide foreign empire. God sent the prophet Malachi. His name means Messenger, Angel.

Malachi assured Judah of God’s love, calling on them to repent, especially the priests. He then lifted their eyes to look towards the future. He would send another Malachi — a messenger — Elijah, to prepare the way of the Lord. He would turn their hearts to each other, so that the Lord would not need to destroy them completely. With that, the voices of the prophets fell silent. It would be at least four hundred years before God would speak through a prophet again.

The people would not forget this time. They would bring together all the prophecies and types of the Messiah and his Malachi — Messenger. They came to look for an earthly kingdom and the day of the Lord. And so they missed the return of the Prophets — a Son of Levi and David — a second Zechariah and his son, the last and greatest prophet. But that is another story!

While God was silent, he was not absent or idle. In the time between the testaments, God began to prepare the ground for his prophets — and for his Son. The next few posts will delve into the methods he employed.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Prophets Told of Jesus Coming

[Forty-Fourth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

A prophet is someone who speaks for God. In the Old Testament, God called many individuals to serve as His voice among the people of Israel. While we think of a prophet as someone who predicts the future, a prophet mostly preached to God’s people, calling them to repentance and bringing a word of comfort. Occasionally, a few prophets would see into the future and tell God’s people what God was going to do.

Just as God raised up prophets to speak His Word to Israel, so He now calls pastors to proclaim that same Word to His Church. The pastoral office doesn’t deal in visions or predictions, but in the faithful preaching of Christ crucified, the administering of His sacraments, and the shepherding of souls through Law and Gospel. Like the prophets, the pastor is sent—not to offer his own insights, but to speak what God has already spoken in his word. His task is to call sinners to repentance, to comfort the weary with the promises of Christ, and to point always to the One who is both the message and the Messenger. In this way, the pulpit becomes a kind of prophetic post—not by new revelation, but by the Spirit’s ongoing work through the Word of God.

According to the prophets, the Messiah would be a descendant of Eve, whom Satan would kill, but who would defeat Satan. (Genesis 3:15) He would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14) In Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the Messiah would be a descendant of David and would be called God (Isaiah 9:6). He would be crucified as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53:4-12)

As important as the prophets were, Jesus is greater than all of them. He was a prophet like Moses. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19) The writer of Hebrews tells us that “in many and various ways, God spoke in ancient times through the prophets, but now in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.” Prophets spoke the word of God, but Jesus was the Word of God. When we hear Jesus, we hear the Father; when we see Jesus, we see the Father. When we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Esther and Mordecai

[Forty-Second in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore post:

The Book of Esther is unique — it does not use the name of God or speak of prayer, worship, or other spiritual topics. Many have questioned its place in the Bible because of that. Both the church and the synagogue have seen God’s hand in the events of the book and so have accepted it as Scripture. The book explains how the Feast of Purim was established.

Like Jews — and many others — in ancient times, Mordecai and Esther both have two names, “gentile” names, assigned by their captors and Hebrew names given by their parents. Mordecai means “servant of Marduk,” after the Babylonian god, and Esther is the Persian version of the name of the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of fertility and love. The Bible does not mention Mordecai’s Hebrew name. Esther’s Hebrew name, Hadassah, means “myrtle.”

Considering the fate of the queen before her, Esther showed great courage. When her political skills are put to the test, she saves the Jewish people from their enemies. More than that, her influence resulted in the king’s favor for the Jewish people. Not long after the events in the book, Ezra left for Jerusalem.

In the years that followed, Mordecai served as vice-king of the greatest empire up to that time. Many Jews were given positions of power and influence. The king was so pleased with their service that he allowed the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and granted them the right to govern themselves as long as he reigned.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Ezra: The Scribe and Priest

The man we know as Ezra is the first to be identified as both a scribe and a priest. Ezra was a descendant of Aaron, and he can be considered the High Priest. The term scribe appears to imply that Ezra had royal administrative duties in addition to his priestly duties. Ezra knew the Torah of Moses extremely well, and he was sent to impose the Law of Moses once again in Jerusalem. Artaxerxes vested him with the authority to return to Jerusalem likely around 458 BC. I am working under the assumption that Ezra and Nehemiah were somewhat contemporaneous, as the two books suggest. Some other scholars want to see Ezra return later under the reign of Artaxerxes II (398 BC).

The book that Ezra wrote offers a bit of history of the rebuilding of the temple, which took place before Ezra arrived in Jerusalem. The first chapters deal with the people who were part of the first wave of returning exiles. Ezra highlights the work of Zerubbabel, Joshua the High Priest, and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, who spur the people on in rebuilding the Temple of the Lord.

The interesting thing about this temple, however, was that unlike the Temple of Solomon or the Tabernacle in the days of Moses, Ezra never writes about the glory cloud coming and settling upon this new temple. This, in my opinion, tells the people and others that the true temple of God was yet to come, and we see the fulfillment of the temple in the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, the only Son of the Father.

It is not until the seventh chapter of the book that we see Ezra come onto the scene in Jerusalem. As I said above, Ezra is known to King Artaxerxes as the priest and “scribe of the Law of the God of heaven.” Artaxerxes desires Ezra to go and continue in the work of serving the Lord in Jerusalem in the temple that Cyrus decreed could be built at the end of 2nd Chronicles, and relayed again in the book of Ezra through one of the many copied letters which certify YHWH’s promise of a remnant to return and worship in Judah (Jerusalem). This promised remnant plays a tremendous role in the promised Messiah being born in Bethlehem. As the exiles return and have the altar and foundation of the temple constructed, they celebrate the pilgrimage feasts of Passover and the Feast of Booths, which are held with great joy before and after Ezra comes. We should also assume that other High Days of the Israelite worship calendar are also celebrated, such as the solemn day of Yom Kippur, though it is not mentioned by name.

The book speaks a lot about bringing more items back to the temple for use, but the ninth chapter turns to a problem that Ezra encounters with the people settled in Jerusalem. The Jews had intermarried with the surrounding nations. The book highlights nations and peoples who should have been destroyed in the days of Joshua’s conquest. The remedy that Ezra orders is for the men to leave their wives and families. He orders this because the history of Israel was full of situations where Israel was led away from following the LORD by the daughters of foreign nations.

While this may sound extremely harsh, and it is, we must consider this from the theological perspective for a moment. The people of Israel were called to be pure, set apart for the Lord. Their earthly marriages were to reflect this greater reality and their relationship with the Lord. Paul in the New Testament also speaks about the great difficulties that come from being married to an unbeliever. We should heed the warnings that are presented both in Ezra and again in the New Testament about the estate of marriage and not enter into it lightly.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
Christ Lutheran Church
Noblesville, IN

Daniel and the Lions

[Forty-First in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore post:

Daniel lived a long and remarkable life. As a young man, he was carried off into exile by the Babylonians. Because he showed remarkable leadership skills, King Nebuchadnezzar brought him into the court. He lived a long life in the service of Babylon, living until the Persians conquered the empire. He continued to serve the Persians.

Daniel was an honorable official and fell victim to politics in the top ranks of the Persian Empire. His enemies got a law passed that Daniel could not keep. (Daniel 6) The law required that no one pray to any god other than the king for thirty days. Even though he knew the law, Daniel continued his custom of praying three times a day, facing Jerusalem, giving thanks to God. His enemies turned him in to King Darius, who, even though he was Daniel’s friend and didn’t want to condemn him, ordered him thrown to the lions.

Being above reproach, Daniel did not respond as many politicians in his day, and those in government even to this day, did. He did not retaliate, but allowed his innocence to speak for him. Having been thrown to the lions, God rewarded Daniel’s trust and faithfulness by sending an angel to protect his servant. When the king saw Daniel was still alive, he restored Daniel and had his enemies thrown to the lions.

Daniel has become a model for Christian civil service. His example of faith was praised by the writer of the book of Hebrews, along with his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He shows us the way to love God and serve our nation as well.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Three Men in the Furnace — or is it Four?

[Thirty-ninth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

Ancient peoples looked upon their leaders as lesser gods, worthy of worship. They built statues to honor themselves and required all people to worship them. This practice continued even in Roman times, to the pagan Caesars. It was seen as a patriotic act, similar to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and saluting the flag. From time to time, kings would enforce public worship of their statues or the statues of their gods to test the loyalty of their subjects.

For Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, loyalty to God was more important than their own lives. They trusted God could deliver them and placed full trust in Him. Yet they were prepared for God to take them to His side instead. God sent His Son as the Angel of the Lord to protect his servants in the fire. The writer of the book of Hebrews included these men in the great chapter on faith. (Hebrews 11:32-34) Christian martyrs throughout the centuries looked up to these men for inspiration when called to choose between God and country.

Faith is trusting God to keep his promises. It holds on to the fact that God kept the most important of his promises to his people in the Old Testament. In the person of the Son of God, he became a man in the womb of the Virgin Mary, lived a perfect life for us, suffered and died at the hands of a pagan government, rose again from the grave, and ascended to heaven. Because he has done these things, we are certain that he will keep the rest of his promises — to bring us to be with him forever when we die and raise us from the grave on the last day. It is that faith that sustained Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, their friend Daniel, and all the martyrs for the faith who obeyed God rather than man. With them numbered may we be, here and in eternity.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana