Reflection on Matthew 2:1-12

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Scripture

“In Bethlehem in Judea.” they said. “For this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you O Bethlehem in the land of Judah

are not least among the ruling cities of Judah

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Observation

Some wise men from the East arrive in Jerusalem announcing that they have seen a star indicating there is a new king in Israel.

Herod is disturbed by this, so he gathers his advisers together and asks them where the Messiah is to be born. “In Bethlehem,” they say.

Herod then meets with the wise men and sends them to Bethlehem. He asks them to report back to him so he can worship the king too,

The wise men go on their way. The star guides them to Bethlehem, stopping over the very house where the child is. They worship Him and present gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh.

Application

The birth of the Messiah was the most anticipated event in the history of Israel, and the scribes, priests, and religious leasers missed it. They knew what the Scriptures had to say about this event, but they failed to see it when it happened.

Perhaps these people were too invested in the status quo. They were people of influence and had no need for a Messiah to come and mess things up.

Perhaps they were so jaded by prophetic expectations that the arrival of astrologers saying that a star indicated the Messiah had come was not enough to stir their interest.

It is still possible for us to miss what God is doing in our lives. We see a miracle and make up reasons to explain it away. We hear God telling us to step out, but we hold back because it means giving up too much.

Let us be attentive to the voice of the Spirit and brave enough to move out in faith at the right time.

Prayer

Father, please break through my hardness of heart, and speak to me about your plans for my life. I don’t want to miss it, Lord. Amen.

ReCaptcha

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Visitors to our web-site, and indeed to other web sites, may have noticed this ReCaptcha logo on its pages.

Like just about every web site on the planet, we have at times been inundated by spam where automated computer scripts known as bots try to automatically fill in forms to send marketing messages to web site owners, for whatever nefarious purpose they think it might achieve.

For some time, web site operators have used various methods to try to filter out the bots and ensure that only humans fill in the forms. Some of these methods include distorted letters, questions easily answered by humans but less so by computers (e.g. “what is the third word in this list?”), or my favourite: “tick this box if you are not a robot.”

The latest version is v. 3 which requires no human interaction at all. It sits in the background analysing the page clicks and interactions with the page to try to work out whether the user is likely to be a person. Bots are rejected and people are allowed through. If there is a grey area, a challenge screen is opened to try to confirm the identity of the user.

No doubt, a v. 4 will be needed soon as the arms race between web sites and invasive bots continues.

Reflection on Matthew 1:18-25

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Scripture

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded, and took Mary as his wife.

Observation

Joseph and Mary are engaged, but Mary becomes pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph is a good man, and he does not want to shame Mary publicly, so he decides to break the engagement quietly.

An angel appears to Joseph in a dream. The angel tells Joseph that Mary’s pregnancy is by the Holy Spirit. The baby is to be named Jesus as He will save His people from their sins.

So Joseph does what the angel told him to do, and he takes Mary as his wife.

Application

It must have been a huge shock and disappointment to Joseph to find out that his wife- to- be had been unfaithful to him. Then an angel appeared to tell him that all was not as it seemed.

The simple faith of both Mary and Joseph is instructive to us. They both just humbly obey God, regardless of the social norms and the possible consequences. They must have had many questions, but they moved forward in obedience.

When God calls us to do something, He has the consequences in hand. He will make it all work out according to His plans.

When we say “No” to God, we are effectively saying that we know better than He does. We know how to handle our lives and don’t need any directions from the Creator of the Universe.

Faith is the admission that we don’t have our lives perfectly ordered.

Faith is recognising that there may be a higher and better way that we have never considered.

Faith is saying “Yes” to God.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the example of Mary and Joseph. Please help me to always say “Yes” to you. Amen.

Ephesians 4:2

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:2 . I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:2

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Paul now list some of the characteristics of a life lived in accordance with the calling that we have received in Christ. In this verse, we have some qualities that Christians are supposed to exhibit towards one another, qualities that work positively to building up a community of faith.

Humility is an attitude in which we seek to glory in other people rather than ourselves. In Philippians 3:3, Paul exhorts us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourself.”

Humility is the rare ability to assess honestly our own gifts and limitations. CS Lewis used the analogy of a painter who rejoice is in an artwork regardless of whether it was his own or somebody else’s .

Every christian is a unique creation. We all have different gifts, different willingness to use those gifts, and different ways of expressing those gifts. We are at varying levels of spiritual, emotional, and physical maturity. How can I in any truthful way decide that I am in some way better or more spiritual than another person?

Humility is the way of Jesus – a life marked by serving rather than being served.

Paul says we should be gentle.

Gentleness is the ability to control strength in such a way as to build people up rather than pulling them apart. A parent is gentle with a baby or young child, because they know that the baby is fragile and will be injured if they throw her or stomp on her.

Gentleness is the ability to see the preciousness of another believer and to moderate our words or actions so as not to cause harm .

There are people who have shared my life for decades, with whom I can be direct and tell them exactly what I think. With other people, I need to be careful to use words that encourage, words that coax strength rather than fear.

In gentleness, I take a mental step out of my body and imagine what my words or actions will do to another person. I am not always good at this, but as gentleness is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22 23), I trust that over time the Holy Spirit is developing this in me.

We are to be patient with other people (or long suffer as older translations put it).

Patience is the ability to wait without anxiety, and to trust that the desired outcome will arrive in its time .

Patience is a fruit of faith as we learn that God provides what we need at the right time. In the same way, He develops in people in His time the potential that we might see now.

Patience is at odds with our culture in many ways. We are surrounded by devices that do things faster; we can buy fast food or heat up precooked meals in minutes in a microwave; we expect instant communication and rapid responses to our wants.

God requires us to be patient because now is not always the right time.

Farmers cannot shorten the time it takes to make a crop – although plant breeders can. Mothers cannot shorten pregnancy .

We always need to recognise that in any collection of believers, some have not been on the journey for as long as we have. Others may face barriers to spiritual growth that we cannot imagine. Others just bloom slowly.

We have to be patient with one another, because God is patient with us.

To bear with one another does not mean that we tolerate them with gritted teeth. Bearing with one another does not mean that we summon enough self-control to not slap that annoying person.

To bear with them means that we recognise their different personalities and quirky ways, and love them regardless.

That person who irritates me with their continual chatter, or that person who is always boasting about their sporting ability, may be the very person who has the ability and time to fix my plumbing problem. They may be the very person that God has sent into my life to teach me love and empathy .

Bearing with other people means learning to see and appreciate who they are as a person uniquely created by God and loved by him .

Over all of these things comes love. This is agape love, God’s perfect love. It is love that makes it possible for the church to exist as the reflection of God’s love for the world.

It is because I have experienced the perfect love of God that I can become a channel of love to others and received their love in return.

We can not bear with others or exercise patience, humility, and gentleness unless God’s love is at work in us. This is the mystery of the church – that people of diverse abilities, backgrounds, personalities, and interests should be united in one body because of the love of Christ.

Key points in this verse:

  • We are to be humble and gentle with one another
  • We have to put the needs and the weaknesses of others ahead of our own inclinations
  • Humility is the way of Jesus
  • We are to be patient with one another and bear with one another
  • We cannot hurry up God’s work in other people
  • Love is the gift from God that enables us to love others, especially those who on the surface a different to us