The Nativity

Webers.Home · Sep 29, 2018

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● Luke 1:1-4 . . Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative
of the things that have been accomplished among us-- just as those who
from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have
delivered them to us --it seemed good to me also, having followed all things
closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most
excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you
have been taught.

Luke's report is alleged to have been written somewhere around AD60,
roughly thirty years or so after the conclusion of the facts. Plus, it's not an
eye-witness report; rather, it's essentially hearsay. All I can say to that is
Caveat Lector.

Also; Luke's report was written neither to or for a church, it was written to
and for a specific person; which leads me to believe that Luke wasn't
expecting his report to end up in the Bible. Apparently Constantine's
committee felt it was "inspired" so there it is.
_

Webers.Home · Sep 29, 2018

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● Luke 1:26-27 . . In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God
unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

That particular sixth month wasn't a date on the Jew's calendar. It was
relative to the second trimester of Mary's cousin Elizabeth. (Luke 1:24, Luke
1:36)

NOTE: Mary and Elizabeth were related by blood to Rachel's sister Leah by
her two sons Levi and Judah.

The koiné Greek word for "virgin" is parthenos (par-then'-os) which basically
means a maiden; particularly a daughter that's not married. In point of fact,
at this juncture Mary was engaged.

Joseph's association with David is extremely important in matters related to
theocratic royalty.
_

Studyman · Sep 29, 2018

Webers.Home said:

Also interesting is the fact that the Wise men, Zechariahs, Simeon, Anna, nor anyone else over that same 30 years were ever recorded celebrating the Birth Day of the Christ they knew of, but the Mainstream Preachers of that time didn't know of.

Not until a Sun Worshipper who murdered those who followed the same Path Jesus walked, introduced paganism into "Christianity" do we see any mention of Christmas. Does it matter? It would to those who are interested in the truth VS. Religious tradition, yes, it should matter. But rejecting this worldly High Day openly will cause much hatred and ridicule. And pointing out the reason why will increase this ridicule. The Mainstream Preachers of Christ's time killed Him to preserve their man made religious traditions. This is a deception we should all fear.

Dino246 · Sep 29, 2018

I've always found the name, "Theophilus" quite interesting. While it could be the name of a real acquaintance of Luke's, the word itself means "lover of God" or perhaps "friend of God". I won't go to the wall on this, but it's possible that both the gospel and Acts were written as records for believers in general and not for a specific person.

BaptistBibleBeliever · Sep 29, 2018

Webers.Home said:

Theophilus may or may not have been an individual. The name means 'loved by God' . . . John used the phrase 'little children' . . . at any rate are not believers 'loved by God?'

Luke was a physician, Paul's companion on his missionary journeys. Paul was taught directly by Jesus Christ in the deserts of Arabia. That just might have included the biographical sketch of the Saviour.

Hmmm, 'Let the reader beware' . . . usually stated by someone that questions the authority and authenticity of the Word of God as the supernaturally inspired Word of God.

Webers.Home · Sep 29, 2018

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● Luke 1:28 . .The angel went to her and said: Greetings, you who are
highly favored!

"highly favored" is translated from the Greek word charitoo (khar-ee-to'-o)
which means to indue with special honor. It's a rare word that appears in
only one other verse in the entire New Testament at Eph 1:6.

The angel wasn't describing Mary's character as if she was an ultra pious
Jew. He merely stated that she was the object of a very special blessing;
same as Christ's believing followers are the objects of a very special blessing
at Eph 1:6, i.e. the angel informed Mary that she was extremely fortunate;
though for the moment she had no clue as to why.

NOTE: The Douay Rheims version of Luke 1:28 says that Mary was "full of
grace" instead of highly favored and "blessed are you among women". Those
phrases aren't translated from the Greek; i.e. editors took the liberty to
insert them because in their opinion that's what the passage ought to say
even though it doesn't, so we can safely ignore them.

Arbitrary editing can be troublesome at times because the practice erodes
our confidence that the Bible is by inspiration of God. Sometimes arbitrary
editing is helpful; but other times it just muddies the waters.
_

Webers.Home · Sep 30, 2018

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● Luke 1:29 . . She was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept
pondering what kind of salutation this might be.

Artists generally depict the angel as a celestial being with wings and/or
aglow with some sort of ethereal light. But I don't think that's how this one
came knocking. He probably looked to Mary no different than an ordinary
man because the New Testament Greek word for angel is aggelos (ang'-el
os) which refers to all manner of messengers, e.g. prophets (Matt 11:10),
delegates (Luke 7:24), church officers (Rev 1:20 3:14), and apparitions.
(Rev 22:16)

I rather suspect that Mary was a little nervous that maybe this man talking
to her wasn't some sort of crackpot.

● Luke 1:30 . . But the angel said to her: Do not be afraid, Mary,

The New Testament Greek word for "afraid" is phobeo (fob-eh'-o) which
basically refers to fright and alarm. Mary was scared; and who wouldn't be
when a total stranger walks into your life out of nowhere, talking crazy, and
knowing your name to boot?
_

Webers.Home · Oct 1, 2018

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● Luke 1:30 . .You have found favor with God.

The Greek word translated "favor" is charis (khar'-ece) a common word for
"grace" which, in my estimation, is best understood as gracious; and can be
defined as kind, courteous, inclined to good will, generous, charitable,
merciful, altruistic, compassionate, thoughtful, cordial, affable, non
threatening, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive, considerate, and
tactful.

The equivalent of charis in the Old Testament is chen (khane); for example:

"Noah found favor with The Lord." (Gen 6:8)

I think it fair to say that when someone has found favor with God, it
probably means that He's taken a liking to them; or at least an interest; for
example:

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you." (John 15:9)
_

Webers.Home · Oct 2, 2018

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● Luke 1:31a . . Behold,

The Greek word translated "behold" is idou (id-oo') which, in this case,
means to listen up and pay attention 'cause this is important.

● Luke 1:31b . . you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son.

The Greek word translated "conceive" means exactly what it says. We're not
talking about a test tube baby here. The very same word is used at Luke
1:24 and Luke 1:36 in talking about Elizabeth's baby.

It's amazing the number of Christians I encounter online who honestly
believe that baby Jesus was an implant. i.e. that his mom was a surrogate
mother instead of his biological mother.
_

Webers.Home · Oct 3, 2018

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● Luke 1:31c . .You are to give him the name Jesus.

The Greek word for "Jesus" is Iesous (ee-ay-sooce') which is the Hebrew
equivalent of Yehowshuwa' (yeh-ho-shoo'-ah) and/or Yehowshu'a (yeh-ho
shoo'-ah) which essentially mean: saved by Jehovah. (Note the grammatical
tense: it's past rather than present or future.)

Anyway, that was Joshua's name; the Jewish military commander who led
Moses' people during the conquest of ancient Palestine.

I think it's pretty safe to assume that Jesus' name was chosen specifically
rather than arbitrarily because of it's historical significance.

NOTE: Joshua wasn't the only military commander in charge of the
conquest. There was another of higher rank, superior to Joshua.

● Josh 5:13-15 . . As Joshua approached the city of Jericho, he looked up
and saw a man facing him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and
asked: Are you friend or foe?

. . . Neither one; he replied. I am commander of Yhvh's forces.

. . . At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. I am at your
command; Joshua said. What do you want your servant to do? The
commander of Yhvh's forces replied: Take off your sandals, for this is holy
ground.

. . . And Joshua did as he was told.
_

Locutus · Oct 3, 2018

So are yer casting doubt on the inspiration of Luke's gospel?

Slippery slope.

Webers.Home · Oct 4, 2018

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Jesus' mom was instructed to give her miraculous baby the name Jesus.

● Luke 1:31c . .You are to give him the name Jesus.

Joseph was instructed to do the same.

● Matt 1:20-21 . . An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and
said: Joseph son of David . . . you are to give him the name Jesus

Joseph complied.

● Matt 1:25 . . And he gave him the name Jesus.

So Christ went in the books as Joseph's son because that's how it worked in
those days when a man stood with a woman to name her child (cf. Luke
1:59, Luke 2:21).

From that day on; Joseph was identified by all, including Mary, as Jesus'
father. (Matt 13:55, Luke 2:27, Luke 2:41, Luke 2:48)

Now; the thing to note is that adopted children have just as much legal right
to an inheritance as a father's biological children; especially a right to the
father's name; and that's how baby Jesus got into Joseph's genealogy at
Matt 1:1-17. Had the little guy been Joseph's foster child, or his stepchild;
then it would've been fraud for Matthew to place the boy in Joseph's
genealogy.
_

Webers.Home · Oct 5, 2018

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● Matt 1:21 . . He shall save his people from their sins.

The word "save" is from the koiné Greek word sozo (sode'-zo) which
basically means to rescue and/or protect.

Rescuers typically provide their services to desperate people who are
thoroughly incapable of getting themselves out of overwhelming difficulties.

"his people" refers to the Jews.

● Heb 2:16-17 . . Assuredly he does not give help to angels, but he gives
help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, he had to be made like his
brethren in all things, that he might become a merciful and faithful high
priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the
people.

Baby Jesus wasn't related to Aaron, so his high priesthood would not be in
accord with the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God as per
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Jesus' high priesthood would
be in accord with a Gentile high priest; in point of fact, baby Jesus' high
priesthood would be in accord with a man whose ethnic identity isn't known,
nor is anything known about his family or his ancestors.

Baby Jesus was to become a high priest in accord with a man that the Jews
have heard of, but never actually seen for themselves. The man's name is
Melchizedek; he's mentioned way back in the past in association with
Abraham. (Gen 14:18-20, Ps 110:1-4, Heb 6:20-7:22)

Now, unless "his people" extends all the way back to Abraham, then the
rescue referred to in Matt 1:21 would be limited to some of his people but
not all. But according to Isa 53:6, it's all; which is a tremendous
improvement over Aaron's high priesthood. His isn't retroactive that far
back. It only extends to the year of the installation of the covenant that
Moses' people agreed upon with God as per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy.

● Deut 5:2-4 . .The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was
not with our fathers that The Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all
of us who are alive here today.
_

Webers.Home · Oct 6, 2018

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● Matt 1:18 . . 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.

Mary must've let the cat out of the bag or how else would Joseph know
about God's involvement in his best girl's baby. But I really don't think
Joseph believed Mary's story because his next thought was to dump her.

● Matt 1:18-19 . . Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not
wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away quietly.

The covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God requires engaged
women to be executed when they willingly sleep with another man.

● Deut 22:23-24 . . If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to
be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate
of that town and stone them to death-- the girl because she was in a town
and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man's
wife.

But the law is very particular in capital cases. Nobody can be executed for
any crime sans the testimony of a minimum of two witnesses.

● Deut 17:6-7 . . At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he
that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he
shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him
to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people.

The Bible says that Joseph was a righteous man; which means that he was a
stickler for due process in strict accord with the covenant.

So then, in the absence of two witnesses, Joseph had to let Mary slide; the
same as grown-up Jesus had to let a woman taken in the very act of
adultery slide for lack of witnesses. (John 8:9-11)
_

DustyRhodes · Oct 6, 2018

In the end, this is all that matters is:

Christ was born, Christ died, Christ will come again.

let's not get mired in the mud of words, intellectual ism
gets us nowhere.

Webers.Home · Oct 7, 2018

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● Matt 1:20a . .The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said:
Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife because what
is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

According to Matt 1:18, Joseph had been apprised of God's involvement in
his best girls' baby; but didn't believe it. The angel's corroboration became
essential to prevent the couple from parting company.

Incidentally; the koiné Greek word for "wife" just simply means woman. The
difference is made by modifying it with a possessive pronoun so that "your
wife" is actually your woman.

It's not too difficult to figure out why Joseph was afraid to go thru with the
engagement. I mean; just think how humiliating it would be for a decent
man to stand before friends and family to marry a girl coming down the aisle
knocked up with another man's baby.

And besides; if Mary was already sleeping around, who's to say she wouldn't
sleep around again later on after she and Joseph were married? No; immoral
girls are a bad bet because they can't be trusted to be faithful and true.
_

Webers.Home · Oct 8, 2018

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● Matt 1:22-23 . . Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord
through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: Behold, the virgin shall be
with child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel;
which translated means: God with us.

The prophet's name was Isaiah, and the prophecy is located in verse 14 of
the 7th chapter of his book.

Now, Joseph and Mary were instructed to name her baby "Jesus". So the
identity of "they" in the prophecy wasn't his parents. It was actually the
Jews.

● Luke 7:14-17 . . Jesus came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers
came to a halt. And he said: Young man, I say to you, arise! And the dead
man sat up, and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
And fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying: God has
visited His people! And this report concerning him went out all over Judea,
and in all the surrounding district.

NOTE: The name Emmanuel (a.k.a. Immanuel) appears only three times in
the whole Bible: twice in Isaiah, and once in Matthew.
_

Webers.Home · Oct 9, 2018

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● Matt 1:24-25 . . When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord
commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a
virgin until her son was born.

The couple didn't marry right away. According to Luke 2:1-7 they journeyed
to Bethlehem as an engaged couple rather than a married couple.

At first glance it appears that Mary and Joseph began shacking up; but I
hardly think so. The Bible says Joseph was a righteous man. Well; righteous
men don't shack up. The "home" that Joseph brought Mary to was likely his
family's home rather than a bachelor pad.

Preachers sometimes compose whole sermons to explain why Joseph didn't
sleep with Mary right away, but the fact of the matter is: she and Joseph
weren't wed till sometime after Jesus was born. Well; righteous men are
men of character with high moral standards; viz: they don't sleep with
women they aren't married to. It's that simple.
_

Webers.Home · Oct 10, 2018

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● Luke 1:31-32 . . Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and bear
a son . . and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.

In order for David to be Jesus' father, he had to be Mary's father too
because her pregnancy wasn't man-made.

Stay with me because I'm going to trace Jesus' biological genealogy all the
way back to Adam.

● Acts 13:22-23 . . "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine
own heart, which shall fulfill all my will." Of this man's seed hath God,
according to His promise, raised unto Israel a savior, Jesus.

● Rom 1:1-3 . . Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh

The koiné Greek word for "seed" in those two passages is sperma (sper'
mah) which is a bit ambiguous because it can refer to spiritual progeny as
well as to biological progeny; for example:

● Gal 3:29 . . If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed.

That seed is obviously spiritual progeny. But the seed in Acts 13:22-23 and
Rom 1:1-3 is biological progeny because David's seed is "according to the
flesh" i.e. his physical human body.

Now, unless somebody can prove clearly, conclusively, iron clad, and without
spin and sophistry that David's body was in no way biologically related to
Adam's body, then we have to conclude that baby Jesus' body was also
biologically related to Adam's body.

Taking this a step further:

Eve's body was made from Adam's body. (Gen 2:21-23)

Consequently, when children are conceived by women that are biologically
related to Eve, then the women and the children are biologically related to
Adam: whether naturally-conceived or virgin-conceived makes no difference,
i.e. every child that biologically descends from Eve also biologically descends
from Adam.

● Gen 3:15 . . I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between
your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

It's pretty much agreed by most Christians that Eve's predicted offspring
was realized in Christ; which means that baby Jesus was not only Eve's
biological offspring but Adam's too because her body was made from
material amputated from Adam's body.

So then; in order to cut Jesus out of Adam's biological posterity it would be
necessary to cut Mary out of Eve's biological posterity; and I've yet to
encounter anyone either online or in church able to do that.
_

Webers.Home · Oct 11, 2018

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Q: Was it really necessary for Joseph to adopt Mary's baby?

A: It was essential because God selected Jesus to inherit David's throne.
(Luke 1:32)

Well; Mary was directly related to David-- and thus her baby too --but the
monarchy passes down through David's son Solomon (1Kgs 1:16-39).

Jesus' mom wasn't directly related to Solomon, so baby Jesus couldn't
inherit the monarchy through her. And besides, Israel's monarchy always
passes down through David's males; never his females.

Q: Where'd you get this adoption theory of yours?

A: At Gen 48:5-7, Jacob set a patriarchal precedent by adopting his two
grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim; and by doing so installed them in
positions equal in rank, honor, power, and privilege to his twelve original
sons; thus legally increasing Jacob's total number of tribal heads from
twelve to fourteen.

Jacob's motive for adopting Joseph's two sons wasn't for himself; it was in
sympathy for his beloved wife Rachel being cut off during her child-bearing
years, which subsequently prevented her from having any more children of
her own. Ephraim and Manasseh bring Rachel's legal total up to six: two of
her own, two by the maid Bilhah, and two by Asenath.

Q: If Jesus inherited the Davidic monarchy via adoption, then wouldn't he
have inherited Jeconiah's curse right along with it? (Jer 22:29-30)

A: Yes; because the monarchy and the curse were a package deal.

However; the wording "to rule again in Judah" indicates that the curse on
Jeconiah's royal progeny was limited to the era of the divided kingdom. That
condition came to an end when Nebuchadnezzar crushed the whole country
and led first Samaria, and then later Judah, off to Babylonian slavery.

When Messiah reigns, the country of Israel will be unified. His jurisdiction
won't be limited to Judah within a divided kingdom, but will dominate all the
land of Israel. So the curse doesn't apply to him.

● Ezek 37:21-22 . .You shall declare to them: Thus said the Lord God: I am
going to take the Israelite people from among the nations they have gone
to, and gather them from every quarter, and bring them to their own land. I
will make them a single nation in the land, on the hills of Israel, and one
king shall be king of them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and
never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.
_

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