December 19, 2023

Christ is born.

Luke 2:19-20

Steve Bradley
Tuesday's Devo

December 19, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

December 19, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

December 19, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

December 19, 2023

Big Idea

God with us.

Key Verse | Luke 2:20

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2:19-20

19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

"What can we learn from Mary's response to the shepherds?"

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Dive Deeper | Luke 2:19-20

In this passage, I find it interesting the author uses the words treasured and pondered to record Mary's response to the birth of Jesus. It reminds me of the birth of my children and the day God restored my marriage. Let's look at the definitions of these two words. Treasured means to care for, appreciate, or cherish. Pondered means to carefully give thought to, consider, or meditate on. Now let's quickly recap what Mary experienced leading up to this significant moment.

The angel Gabriel told the virgin Mary that she would bear a son, and His name would be Jesus, the Son of God (Luke 1:26-35). Mary and her husband Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus required all people to be registered in their hometown (possibly for a census or to be taxed by the Romans). It is estimated they traveled 90 miles over four days on a donkey. When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place for Mary and Joseph in the guest room (κατάλυμα) of the house. So they likely ended up in the main room of the house (that included a manger) to rest after their long journey. Here, Mary gave birth to Jesus, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and placed Him in the manger, which is a feeder that holds food for animals. Next, shepherds showed up unexpectedly and shared with Mary how the angel of the Lord appeared and spoke to them, saying, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:11-12)

As a father of five children, I uniquely recall the moment each child was born. Each moment was special, as you see God's gift in the flesh. You appreciate the moment and realize this child changes your life forever. There was also the time when God worked in our marriage to restore us and bring us together after a two-year separation. Through our reconciliation, I cherished my wife and experienced a heart change. It was a time I carefully considered how I needed to meditate on God's Word daily so that I could demonstrate His love, mercy, and grace to my wife.

Mary responds by appreciating the importance of these events, protecting and caring for her firstborn son, Jesus. She continues to meditate and carefully consider all that she sees and hears. I can only imagine Mary recognizing the gift of a child and how He has changed her life. But God had much bigger plans. Jesus not only changed her life, He changed the world.

This month's memory verse

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.

– Psalm 51:10

Discussion Questions

1. What moments in your life have led you to "treasure" or "ponder"? Why?

2. In practical terms, how can you treasure or ponder God's Word?

3. How often do you stop and appreciate God's work? Why is it important to do this?

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HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning Steve. Love this devo and your exposition of “treasured” and “pondered”. I am thankful for the example you guys set and the way you have persisted and worked to reconcile. Q1. At age 65, I can look back and see a lot of “moments”. There are many treasures to ponder. I used to look back with sadness at the passing of older relatives that I dearly loved and cherished. A number of these have died since we moved from Atlanta so the attachment was not as strong. For an extended period there was pervasive sadness. After several years I came to understand that at some point being sad a lot was a choice. The better choice was to have a sense of joy and gratitude for the many memories that made me smile and laugh. The times I felt loved, seen, and heard. Celebrations and priceless memories. The main group of treasures I ponder - -Growing up on a saltmarsh with many close friends. -Endless hours wandering in the woods. -Family experiences, cookouts, sailing, fishing. Bed time stories. Wonderful Sunday school at our tiny church. -Many school friends -The first date with Amy. -The births of my three children. -The day God healed me of all my addictions. Q2. Treasure and ponder God’s Word? Verse memory is big. Worship music centered on His Word and truth is also big. Both of them lift me out and away into another realm where I experience the peace and joy I so desperately need. Q3. Two settings bring me to awe and wonder- -a tiny newborn baby -being deeply imbedded in the woods Both are untouched and unspoiled. ———————————————————————————————————————————— Two interesting pieces on Luke’s birth accounts- https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/gospel-luke-1/ https://bibleproject.com/articles/birth-jesus-luke/ Some context on Joseph and Mary https://www.gotquestions.org/search.php?zoom_sort=0&zoom_query=Mary https://www.gotquestions.org/Joseph-was-a-just-man.html
HS

Hugh Stephenson

I am in such a hurry that my auto insurance app yells at me every time I pick up the phone when I am driving. Maybe because I’m speeding?!?!? Who me?!?!? And they have the audacity to raise my rates?!?! Am I so self focused that I can’t wait 15 minutes to get to my next meeting? (Don’t answer that.) All this has me thinking a lot about Mary and Joseph AFTER The Annunciation, (https://www.gotquestions.org/the-Annunciation.html). There they were in Nazareth. Nobody people in a nowhere town doing nothing remarkable. Nathaniel the disciple conveyed the cultural low regard for Nazareth, https://www.gotquestions.org/can-anything-good-come-out-of-Nazareth.html Mary was just an ordinary young Jewish girl and Joseph was a “carpenter” or “Skilled Tradesman”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph#:~:text=Joseph%27s%20description%20as%20a%20%22tekton,of%20objects%20in%20various%20materials. I’m taught that every Jewish girl would wish that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Presumably Mary felt this way. If so, at Gabriel’s arrival, did she think she had won the Messianic lottery? It seems not, given her humble and quiet description. Note verse 38, ‘And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” ‘ Yet, it seems unimaginable that she could have had any idea of what the next nine months would bring- much less what the ensuing years would bring. And how they would “end”; even though we know it was not THE end. Some thoughts - In a few weeks her pregnancy would become evident. Even though “betrothal” meant almost as much as the marriage itself, https://www.gotquestions.org/betrothal.html. A firm contract so to speak. Would people talk and whisper? Seems quite likely. Yet, it seems nearly certain that she would not explain to anyone what was really going on, except possibly family. But Joseph knew the truth. “MT 1:18-19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Even so, how hard must it have been for him to endure the stares and whispers. Then the census was declared. Off to the long ride to Bethlehem; 4 or 5 days, if not longer. Then nowhere to sleep and have the baby. What were their thoughts? I would have been really stressed out. I bet Jospeh and Mary were not. I bet they were relying on God’s promises and knew that He would provide. Which, of course, he did. Not exactly a honeymoon suite through. When the angels came did they see the light? And hear the singing and shouting? And then the crazy shepherds all come piling in to see the baby!! And then later, (perhaps much later), in a crazy development, here come the Magi!! https://www.gotquestions.org/three-wise-men.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Magi#:~:text=The%20visit%20of%20the%20Magi%20is%20commemorated%20in%20most%20Western,the%20Magi%20on%2025%20December.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

So… what to do with all of this? I think most of us are taught that to have the Messiah who was promised in Genesis 3:15 arrive this way indicated God’s sovereignty and His call to us for humility and reverence. But I think there’s a lot more to it than that. I think Eugene Peterson has very valuable insights. Here’s a short review of “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction”. Also note the subtitle - “Discipleship in an Instant Society” “Our society is still obsessed with quick fixes. But Peterson's time-tested prescription for discipleship remains the same—a long obedience in the same direction.” https://www.ivpress.com/a-long-obedience-in-the-same-direction ------------------------------------------------- Three Mile an Hour God: Biblical Reflections- Kosuke Koyama A short review- “But what gives the book its special, compelling quality is the stillness, depth and humanity which can be found on even the most crowded page. 'Love has its speed. It is a spiritual speed. It is a different kind of speed from the technological speed to which we are accustomed. It goes on in the depth of our life, whether we notice or not, at three miles an hour. It is the speed we walk and therefore the speed the love of God walks.' “ -------------------------------------------------- At the risk of stating the obvious, Mary and Joseph “walked” at three miles an hour. For nine months. Then they walked three miles an hour for about 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Probably at least 4 days. If not more. Oswald Chambers says this in his 10/21 devotional, https://utmost.org/impulsiveness-or-discipleship/ “But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God— but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people— and this is not learned in five minutes.”
GJ

greg jones

Good morning Steve. It sounds like you wrote the second half of this deeper dive answering your three discussion questions. #2 resonated with me and this statement is hard to top. “It was a time I carefully considered how I needed to meditate on God's Word daily so that I could demonstrate His love, mercy, and grace to my wife.” Great job this morning.
MB

Marcus Brown

One of the myths around Jesus' birth is that Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem. But Ray vander Laan, one of my favorite Bible teachers, points out that owning a donkey in Biblical times was similar to owning a Mercedes or Lexus today. Nice transportation, but not usually for the poor. When Joseph and Mary bring their offering of "two young pigeons," the sacrifice for those unable to afford a lamb (Leviticus 12:8), I find it hard to believe that Joseph and Mary would claim to be poor (and save money with a cheaper sacrifice) while owning a donkey. Just a piece of Bible trivia, but I hope it gives you a better insight.
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thanks Steve! I appreciate how you zoomed in on the verbs describing Mary's response to the shepherds' visit. The NET Bible makes this observation based on something the historian Josephus wrote: "The term συμβάλλουσα (sumballousa) suggests more than remembering. She is trying to put things together here." We have the benefit of two thousand years of "pondering" the incredible miracle of the incarnation, but it was all excruciatingly new and unknown to Mary. All she had to go on was millennia of the Jewish expectation of the Messiah, plus her encounters with the angel Gabriel, both her own and Joseph's. Now she has the report of the shepherds' encounter with more angels to add to the mix. She didn't have anyone to connect the dots for her like we do. Just how do you figure out something unimaginable when you don't have any commentaries to consult? Add that to my list of question I have for Mary in heaven . . .
MS

Michael Scaman

**A Celestial Symphony in Bethlehem's Bosom: A sword will at the same time pierce and save the heart that treasures** In the sanctified hush of Mary's bosom-guarded casket, an angel's proclamation did pierce Joseph's fancied dreams. The revelation that Mary, his pledged beloved, bore a child was not the treachery he had fancied; nay, it bore a celestial purpose. "Hail him Jesus, for he shall deliver his people from sin," the ethereal herald whispered. A paradox unfurled — an unforeseen redemption ascendant from the abyss of supposed trespasses. As Joseph wrestled with this profound disclosure, reminiscences of an Egypt-bound sojourn materialized, mirroring visions akin to ancient Joseph's dreamscapes. In the heart-encased casket, shepherds of the hamlet regaled narratives of astonishment and marvel. Both shepherds and wise men, under the guidance of astral beacons, presented with gifts and narratives of profound marvel. In the resounding echoes of Bethlehem, the celestial pledge unfurled, laying bare a salvation beyond the ken of mortal understanding. (full disclosure : made with chaptGPT in the style of William Shakespeare)
AL

Amy Lowther

1. Hearing stories of Jesus leads me to ponder life and to treasure what I learn. Jesus values life and people. 2. I treasure God’s word because it is helpful and a resource in everything I do. I ponder God’s word to see how well I know God’s ideas and how well I use them in daily life. 3. I stop and appreciate God’s work all of the time because it helps me know and understand God. Steve - Thank you for sharing your ideas. It is interesting giving a mess to God can become a message to help someone else do things that are not a mess. It is also interesting and a great point you looked up and defined terms (treasured and pondered) from the passage. It definitely increases the value of reading God’s word.