Part Three: Meditations

First Day of Christmas

Good News of Great Joy

OPENING REFLECTION

By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.

He came when all things were growing old, and made them new. As a made, created, perishing thing, the world was now declining to its fall. It could not but be that it should abound in troubles; He came both to console you in the midst of present troubles, and to promise you everlasting rest. Choose not then to cleave to this aged world, and to be unwilling to grow young in Christ.

On this day, the Savior was born into the world. We celebrate his coming, a humble entrance into a preoccupied and clamorous cosmos. Born of a virgin, the eternal Son of God took on human flesh, fulfilling God’s plan to bring salvation to a cursed creation. Ancient promises came to reality in the birth of a newborn baby. But while this baby was fully human, he was also fully God. Born on this day was the God-Man, Jesus Christ. This long-awaited promised child would make new the aged world, long ago fallen into painful disrepair. What God was bringing to fruition, humanity was not quite ready to fully understand, let alone ready to fully embrace. In sending his Son into the world, a Savior was born for humanity. With bustling speed, the Roman empire was absorbed with its official business—imperial edicts, detailed registries, legal enforcements, and an empire-wide census—unaware that a divine in-breaking was taking place. Yet God was not silent about the coming of his one and only Son. Bypassing the elites and the powerful, God’s angelic hosts appeared to simple shepherds, announcing Christ’s coming with refrains of praise. Within a lowly town, inside a humble stable, and to ordinary commoners, God’s eternal Son was born. Praise the Lord! The Savior has come! God has visited his people! God has come in the flesh! Truly, this day is a day of good news of great joy!

SCRIPTURE READING

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire. This was the first census to take place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger. After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

What lowly city was the place of our Savior’s birth? The grandest cities on earth were unfit to be the cradle of heaven’s king. In his earthly descent, his nativity home was Bethlehem—a meek town without earthly power or imperial status. Yet the baby born in Bethlehem was King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Not Rome nor an entire lineage of caesars could rival this infant king! What lowly conditions for our King’s entrance into this world—stable, manger, unwed virgin, full inn, and swaddling cloths. His birth in unspectacular Bethlehem was followed by an upbringing in questionable Nazareth. What lowly form did the Son of God take throughout his earthly life? Truly, his eternal deity was wrapped in full humanity: weakness clothed unsurpassable power, fragility dressed unconquerable strength, delicacy garbed divine splendor, and lowliness robed inestimable glory.

Yet Bethlehem’s babe was creation’s cure. The only begotten of the Father was born to a virgin mother. The eternal Son of God became Son of Man in a woman’s womb. The firstborn of all creation was the firstborn of a virgin mother. The almighty Creator nursed at the breast of betrothed Mary. This needy infant in the manger was the all-sufficient Lord. This swaddled newborn was the promised Davidic King. This crying babe was the expected deliverer, the Christ. This suckling child was the life-giving Savior to mankind. God was not silent at the birth of his Son. Such is what the angel announced: no fear, good news, great joy, and a Savior born. Such is what the heavenly hosts extolled: glory to God, peace on earth, and favor to mankind. Such is what the shepherds witnessed: a sign fulfilled, a miraculous wonder, God revealed to humanity. Such is what Mary treasured in her heart: a baby born into the world as the promised Messiah. Such is what amazed the people who heard the shepherds’ testimony: a message of hope, God become man, a Savior born into the world for all people. In Jesus, God had fully revealed himself to mankind.

Christ’s nativity brings about a great and glorious reversal for sinful humanity. No man could make his way to God, so God made his way to us. Heaven had come down to earth to pioneer a way for mankind to regain paradise. The newborn infant would make it possible for sinners to become born again. The coming of the eternal Son of God would transform repentant sinners into sons of God. The baby wrapped in swaddling clothes would clothe his people in his righteousness. This infant king would restore God’s benevolent rule and reign over all creation. Heeding the angel of the Lord, let us receive this good news with great joy! With the heavenly hosts, let us give glory to God who reigns above! Among the people who heard the shepherds’ report, let us stand amazed at the great thing that God has done! Alongside Mary, let us ponder these truths in the depths of our hearts! One in voice with the shepherds, let us broadcast this news far and wide.

In the infant Christ, God tabernacled with humanity. His coming is God’s full revelation to mankind, a revelation that would culminate in achieving salvation for lost humanity. Christ’s birth is a foundation to our faith, a fulfillment of our deepest longings, and a satisfaction to our hearts’ delight. As he shows us the fullness of deity, he also puts on full display perfect, untarnished humanity. Even in his infant frame, we see the grandeur of God. We, too, are witnesses of his coming. We, too, are beneficiaries of his advent. We too are the recipients of this good news of great joy for all people: this day in the city of David, a Savior has been born to us and he is Christ the Lord!

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

Glory to God in the highest! Your salvation has come. You have visited your people. You have shown great favor to us—unworthy sinners. We worship Your Son, redeemer of the world. We extol his greatness veiled in human flesh. We honor him as king, wrapped in swaddling cloths. His advent is our end to exile, our freedom from bondage, our rescue from sin. Glory to God in the highest!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Who is Jesus, and why did he come to earth? Which descriptions of Jesus most excite and encourage you?
2. What responses to Jesus’ birth most strike you?
3. What surprises you about the circumstances of Jesus’ birth? How does his birth show him as a humble baby and a promised king?

Second Day of Christmas

My Eyes Have Seen

OPENING REFLECTION

I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his mourners.

When He became incarnate, and was made man, He commenced afresh the long line of human beings, and furnished us, in a brief, comprehensive manner, with salvation; so that what we had lost in Adam—namely, to be according to the image and likeness of God—that we might recover in Christ Jesus.

The fullness of time had come. Epochs had multiplied. Millenia had passed. Agonizing ages had rolled on throughout the annals of time. Every age and culture felt the pangs of a ruined and sin-ridden world. But now the unbearable wait was over. God’s one and only Son was firstborn of Mary’s virgin womb. The Savior born in Bethlehem would reclaim God’s fallen world. Since the collapse of paradise, humanity has waited for restoration, longed for renewal, and ached for redemption. What was lost in Adam could only be recovered by divine doing. Enduring comfort for human misery could only be achieved by a divine being. Eden’s promise could only be restored by divine intervention. The whole world had been infected with sin, waiting for deliverance from bondage, relief from burden, salvation from sin, and liberation from death. Now presented in the temple was the cure for the curse—the expectant hope of humans locked in unrelenting misery. Adam’s suffering ancestry yearned for a second Adam to recuperate his infirm posterity. Thanks be to God for the gift of his Son. The infant brought into the temple was the consolation for Israel, the redemption for Jerusalem, the desire of all nations, and the hope for a new humanity. God had done what he had promised. Ages of prophetic word summed up in the child Jesus. Their eyes saw what our ears now hear. Their hands held what our hearts now embrace. Their mouths professed what our spirits now exclaim. The salvation of God is here. Truly, those who embrace the infant Christ—the God-Man—can die in peace.

SCRIPTURE READING

When the eight days until His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived. And when the time of purification according to the Law of Moses was complete, His parents brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer the sacrifice specified in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what was customary under the Law, Simeon took Him in his arms and blessed God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” The Child’s father and mother were amazed at what was spoken about Him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary: “Behold, this Child is appointed to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your soul as well.” There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years. She had been married for seven years, and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

For ages past, God was preparing his salvation in the sight of the peoples. He promised redemption to enslaved sinners. He prophesied consolation to wearied exiles. He foretold that light would come to Israel and be shed upon the nations. The dignity and honor of fallen humanity would be restored and recovered. God would not forsake his people. He would bring salvation to all peoples—male and female, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor. God made grand promises and, in his sovereignty, fulfilled his prophetic word with meticulous precision. Humanity had long awaited divine comfort, gracious healing, and merciful redemption. Now it had come. It had entered the temple courts carried in the arms of a virgin mother. Now what God prepared in the sight of peoples, mankind could see with their own eyes. In the temple courts, human eyes beheld the God-Man. God’s only begotten Son was the firstborn male of the virgin Mary. His life was all-sufficient as a sacrifice for sin. In the temple, the meeting place of God and man, was the baby who joined together ineffable deity and fragile humanity. The eternal Son who tabernacled among men by taking on flesh was presented before God in the dwelling place of God built with human hands. God’s gift of God’s Son to humanity was consecrated to God himself—God to God, God the Son to God the Father. Newly born, baby Jesus signifies the fulfillment of the Law. According to the Mosaic command, the Christ child was marked with the sign of circumcision. Full humanity put on full display as a newborn infant. He alone is the fitting and final representative for the human race. According to the angel’s word, the Christ child was given the name Jesus. Truly his entrance into the world was salvation for mankind. In their poverty, Mary and Joseph offered a humble sacrifice according to the Old Testament code. Mary went through a ritual of purification for giving birth to the one who would purify people of their sin. In the temple courts are our guides and schoolmasters. Let us learn from them. Humble and believing, Mary and Joseph are our instructors. May all disciples emulate their simple, self-denying, and sincere devotion. Trusting in God’s word, obedient to God’s command, and wholehearted in their commitment, these lowly servants were dutiful in faith and deed. Let righteous Simeon train and tutor the church of Christ as we embrace our Savior and declare of his salvation to the nations. Allow yourself to be apprenticed by pious Anna. Her lengthy wait for the first coming God’s appointed Messiah required perseverance and patience. Permit her godly life and steadfast endurance to build spiritual stamina in waiting for the Christ’s second coming. It is right for us to bless the name of the Lord, because God has done what he said he would do. We do well to be amazed that the infant child is God’s salvation to humanity. We must be warned that this great and gracious Savior will cause his detractors to fall and his devotees to rise. He will pierce the heart and make known our deepest thoughts. It is good for us to let him undo us that we can be remade in his image and likeness. We do well to stand in hope, put on courage, and look to the future with eager expectation. The light of the nations has come. May our hearts be stirred to worship and our voices be lifted up in praise. We give thanks to the Lord: in Christ our eyes see (and our hearts embrace) the salvation of God for the world.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

We bless you Sovereign Lord, who brings your plans to full fruition. Help our hearts to be pierced with the truth of Christ, eager to relinquish and reject our life of sin. Assist us to embrace Christ as Savior, making us ready to depart this world in peace. May we live by the light of Christ, reflecting God’s glory to the nations. Enable us to stand upon Christ as the one and only who makes us rise from our fall. To this Christ alone we give all our praise and honor!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How do the events of the early life of Christ teach us about who he is and what he came to do?
2. How do Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna serve as examples of godly devotion?
3. What responses should fill the heart of those who have come to embrace Christ as Savior?

Third Day of Christmas

They Fell Down

OPENING REFLECTION

Make and fulfill your vows to the Lord your God; let all the neighboring lands bring tribute to Him who is to be feared.

All that have found Christ fall down before him; they adore him, and submit themselves to him … It will be the wisdom of the wisest of men … We must give up all that we have to Jesus Christ; and if we be sincere in the surrender of ourselves to him, we shall not be unwilling to part with what is dearest to us, and most valuable, to him and for him; nor are our gifts accepted, unless we first present ourselves to him living sacrifices.

God worked out his plan of redemption in the sight of humanity. He made known the coming of Christ in ancient prophecies long ago foretold. He alerted distant people of his coming through the undeniable sign of a celestial star. God revealed the coming of his Son for generations later in his inspired and holy Word. God did not perform his work in closed doors or secret corridors. He put his gracious plan to work in the sight of human history. One may reject the Christ child, but this is due to ignorance and intentional blindness. God has not left his Son without witnesses. And we are witnesses of this work. The public testimony of Christ’s coming summons all of us to search for him. The Christmas season is a time of seeking, looking, and careful pursuit. If not careful, we can come after Christ with a blinded malice that rejects and scorns. We can see the truth with our own eyes, hear the truth with our own ears, and sense the truth in our own spirits, but adamantly deny God’s clear revelation. Instead, we ought to look for the Christ with eager intent—to study him earnestly, to know him truly, and to embrace him fully. When we find the true Christ (not one of the world’s making), one major question remains. The narrative begs this question of Herod, the Jews, and the Magi, but it also interrogates us: who would truly bow down and worship Christ the King? This season, we search for a true understanding of the true Christ so that we may follow his lead, presenting ourselves to his service as living sacrifices. We follow Christ the King with a posture of worship, falling down before him.

SCRIPTURE READING

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared. And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

Two kingdoms clashed. Heaven’s king came down in infant flesh. Earth’s powers reeled at his coming. Although a baby, the King of the Jews was rightful ruler of the nations. A worldly potentate backed with the force of Rome, King Herod panicked at the news of this child’s birth. The Son of Man unmanned this malicious monarch. Eminent Magi from the east traveled to preeminent One. The God-Man in infant frame unsettled the sovereign empires of men: regal Herod was disturbed, bustling Jerusalem was troubled, and esteemed Jews colluded. Now that the King had come, the kingdom of God was at hand. Jesus born in Israel was the King of the Jews—the sovereign Lord of God’s covenant people. The child in Judea was the promised Christ—the prophesied deliverer, the expected Messiah, the anointed One. The baby in Bethlehem was Israel’s Shepherd—the good and gracious Overseer carefully tending to God’s flock. The infant born outside of the capital Jerusalem was divine Ruler of the cosmos—lowly and least Bethlehem received him, honored him, and adored him. This day, we must look to Jesus the Christ. As the eastern wise men traveled afar, so we must ever journey Christ-ward during our earthly pilgrimage. Like the Magi who followed God’s signal star, let us heed divine revelation that inerrantly leads us to the true Christ. Those exiled east of Eden rediscover paradise in this babe of Bethlehem. He is the Ruler that steers mankind on the paths of righteousness. We must search for him carefully, lest we become like Herod who secretly hunted him with violence and malice. Our own heart is too easily prone in this Herodian slant. We must spurn his words and go on our way, walking the paths on which the good Shepherd leads, staying on the heaven-bound roads of the heaven-sent One, and embracing the long excursion toward world without end. Let us travel a different route than the one being tread by the rest of the world. Having met the incarnate Christ in his earthly abode and garb of flesh, let journey to our true country—our enduring homeland—in the world to come. We are guided on our way by God’s unerring Word. The revelation of his inspired letter cohering with the revelation of the incarnate Lord—written Word and living Word in perfect harmony. The Magi guided by the celestial star invite us to walk by the light of God’s illuminating word. When the Jewish elite retold the ancient oracle of Christ’s Bethlehem entry, it summons us to submit to God’s prophetic word. The dream that warned the wise men against Herod’s plots, calls us to yield to God’s revelation with watchful care. Like these faithful Magi, we must reject the competing voices from those in Herod’s sect—those who seek to set us against the Christ. Instead, we must be guarded and guided by God’s holy word. Hail Jesus the King! We reject Herod’s false intentions of worship, embracing the Magi’s example. We take the posture of the eastern wise men—prostrate before our Lord. We extol Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords! We open up our treasures to him, paying him our most sincere tribute. Most worthy is God’s Son, deserving all worship and praise. Most excellent is Mary’s child, fitting to represent humanity to God. Most deserving is Jesus of our fullest devotion since he came as a sacrifice for our sin. Most laudable is the Christ child, King come down to deliver sinful men. Before him, we fall down with hearts full of honor and esteem. To him, we place down our whole self in surrender and self-denial. For him, we lay down our lives in service and sacrifice.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

We bless you Sovereign Lord, who brings your plans to full fruition. The true King has come. He is Your eternal Son. He is our gracious Savior. No kingdom can contend against his righteous rule. No empire can defeat his worldwide cause. No human lord can upend his eternal throne. We offer our whole lives as living sacrifices to Christ the King. Seal us as citizens in his unconquerable kingdom. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How is life like a journey of faith? What did the Magi face in their journey that helps us in the pilgrimage of faith?
2. How does this narrative show us about who Christ is and how his kingdom confronts the kingdoms of men?
3. What are the differing responses by Herod and the Magi? How does this teach us about true devotion to Christ?

Fourth Day of Christmas

Out of Egypt

OPENING REFLECTION

For behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore from captivity My people Israel and Judah, declares the Lord. I will restore them to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.

The preservation of Jesus from this destruction, may be considered as a figure of God’s care over his children in their greatest danger. God does not often, as he easily could, cut off their persecutors at a stroke. But he provides a hiding-place for his people, and by methods not less effectual, though less pompous, preserves them from being swept away, even when the enemy comes in like a flood.

God preserves his people during the pilgrimage of faith. Our exilic wandering in this life is guided by the sovereign hand of the Almighty God. He leads us through the weary land of a wearied life with our Savior as our greatest companion. During exile, God protects and sustains. In Christ, we have a grand and glorious exodus from bondage and affliction. During our journey to the promised land, we still expect diversions and indirect routes. None of this is because God lacks control. Instead, God can preserve his own, fend off foes, and guide his people home in ways that prove his sovereign care and control over all things. No foe can contend with the Almighty. The trouble Christ’s enemies afflict on others will come upon their own heads. The power of evil men is short-lived. The reign of tyrants is a teetering tower. The orders of godless men will collapse. The violent schemes of the wicked will not prevail. The nighttime escape to Egypt is a testimony of God’s unrelenting commitment to fulfill his promises and purposes. The mourning and weeping that lasts for a night will break free with dancing and singing in the glorious morning. The Christ child will come out of Egypt and bring along all the captives with him. The stay in Egypt will bring about the death of our sinister foe, exercising Christ’s dominion over all. In this ancient day, God sent his Son to Egypt to fulfill his promise to call his Son again out of Pharaoh’s land of bondage. His pioneering exodus paves the way for our own pilgrimage out of Egypt.

SCRIPTURE READING

When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead.” So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

King Herod personified hostility toward God. His plot to kill the Christ was born from a stubborn heart of unbelief. His rage against the infants came from an evil and depraved condition. His regal command to kill the Christ was a lustful lurch to secure his own reign, to preserve his own self-will. His ill intent to bring suffering and affliction revealed his devilish alliance with the ancient foe. Herod’s own serpentine spirit made him an enemy of God. He violently plotted against God’s anointed. Herod’s hatred of God’s Son bred violence against Bethlehem’s boys. Plenty of Herod’s kind abound. His unspiritual progeny lurk in the world. With hell-born malice they loathe God’s Son and assault the sons of God. They are anti-Christ persecutors who wield their power for the domain of darkness. Their fiendish hearts plot and scheme against God’s saints. They prey on the weak. They attack the godly. They hunt God’s holy ones. They target Christ’s own. Herod schemed against God but did not know he was opposing himself. All who oppose Christ are concocting their own demise. The persecutors of God’s people are building their own grave. Soon Herod’s evil empire collapsed. The Magi outwitted the enemy. Joseph eluded Herod’s grasp. The holy family outlasted their violent foe. His plans were foiled. His schemes were upended. Eventually, the one who sought to steal, kill, and destroy has himself died. God hid the holy family in exile. The foreign land of Egypt was their unexpected refuge. They returned to the land of Israel’s slavery to escape the menacing massacre of the Judean King. Their wilderness journey led them to a foreign land. The stay in Egypt would last for a time. The exile would even linger in the promised land as the holy family would return to Nazareth, not Bethlehem or Jerusalem. In this time of temporary banishment, God’s protection was their coverage, God’s word was their guide, and God’s Son was their co-traveler. As he did for the holy family, so God would do for his own. Exile in Egypt was not forever. Wandering the long pilgrimage in the wilderness was not indefinite. Eventually, the crushing defeat of the enemy would usher liberation for God’s people. Herod would die. The anti-Christ antagonist would become powerless. The enemy of God would be defeated. Then, a new exodus would dawn. God would call out his Son from Egypt. God’s Son would leave his Egyptian exile and return to the promised land. So too would all who believe in the Son. They will part ways with a past of bondage and enter into a freedom-filled future. Jesus’ exodus from Egypt promises exodus to all his faithful ones. The life of exodus and exile hinges upon faith in Christ and deference to God’s revelation. Our greatest safety is in journeying with Christ. If Christ be by our side—rather, if we be on and by Christ’s side—all is well. In our journey with Christ, we also cling to God’s revealed truth. As this narrative teaches, unfolding events in human history fulfill God’s inspired word. As Joseph heeded divine dreams, prophetic warnings, divine instructions, and hopeful assurances, he is an exemplar for us today. We exist in exile and embrace our exodus with dependence upon God’s revealed truth. God is calling us out of Egypt to his beloved Son. Let us heed his summoning invitation.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

We give you all praise, liberating God! The victor Christ has no Herod he cannot outwit, no foe he cannot defeat, and no suffering he cannot remedy. Our exilic bondage is no match for your sustaining, sovereign, and saving power. Even our exodus pilgrimage, fraught with unexpected detours, is not unknown to you. You will guide us safely home. Let us keep Christ as our companion; nay, let us keep Christ in steering command of our lives. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What different ways did God reveal himself in this narrative? What were the messages of these revelations?
2. What were Herod’s schemes against Christ? How do Herod’s evil intentions warn us about persecution and affliction as a part of the Christian life?
3. What was important about Jesus’ journey to Egypt and return to Israel? How does this depict for us the life of faith? What is the life of exile and exodus like?

Fifth Day of Christmas

Did You Not Know?

OPENING REFLECTION

I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

He is, moreover, said to grow in wisdom and age and grace, increasing in age indeed and through the increase in age manifesting the wisdom that is in Him … everywhere taking as His own that which is ours … What is human and what is divine belong to the one Christ, and that He Who was Himself at once God and man should pour forth like a fountain over the universe His grace and wisdom and plenitude of every blessing.

We emphatically confess: Jesus is fully God and fully man in one person. We give praise to Jesus as the one and only Son of God. We trust him as Savior, the only one able to save unto eternal life. We follow him as our great Exemplar, the pattern for growth in grace and faith. We submit to him as Lord, the sovereign King, the faithful Son of Man completing his Father’s assigned work. Undiminished in his deity, Jesus grew in strength, stature, and wisdom. Obedient to his earthly parents, Jesus was absorbed in his Father’s work. For some brief years, Mary and Joseph were earthly custodians of the Christ child, the eternal Creator and powerful Sustainer of the world. Gathered in the company of God’s people, Jesus’ parents were unaware of his absence from their traveling caravan. Finding him in the temple, they did not understand his reply. They did not fully understand who this promised child was. They did not fully grasp his vocation, his identity, his majesty, or his might. Although Jesus honored Mary and Joseph as his parents, they would eventually need to come to honor him as Savior and Lord. The godly home they had built in faithfulness to God needed Christ not only as guest but as merciful Monarch and compassionate King. Jesus not only gained favor with God and man, but, as the God-Man, he remains the only mediator between God and men. While Mary treasured up all these early happenings in her heart, she did not quite understand everything that took place. The youthful Son of God and Son of Man Jesus asks us the question he asked his virgin Mother: Did you not know? Let us not remain in our ignorance. Today, let us come to know him truly.

SCRIPTURE READING

When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the Feast. When those days were over and they were returning home, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware He had stayed. Assuming He was in their company, they traveled on for a day before they began to look for Him among their relatives and friends. When they could not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. Finally, after three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. “Child, why have You done this to us?” His mother asked. “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.” “Why were you looking for Me?” He asked. “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand the statement He was making to them. Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

Such a righteous home was the place of Jesus’ childhood and youth. The soil of this humble and holy family was fertile, bearing abundant fruit of gospel salvation and godly devotion. Theirs was a life of commitment, constancy, and faithfulness. In this home was cultivated faithfulness, solemnity, and steadfastness. Mary and Joseph summon us to this selfsame piety: obedience to God’s word, habit trained by spiritual practice, festal celebration in honor of God’s glorious redemption, sacred communion with God’s covenant people, and pilgrimage as a mode of a sojourning faith. May each of our families be a holy homestead—a sort of spiritual outpost and sanctified settlement—in which we embrace God and his ways against currents of the world. May God’s covenant people exercise their dominion on earth by consecrating every hearth to God’s holy standard. May the heavenly kingdom come to earth as God’s people—the reclaimed, redeemed, and reconciled families of the earth—congregate as a kingdom colony on this terrestrial landscape. Let us apprentice our family to that of Mary and Joseph, making Jesus the honored and exalted guest in our midst. The youthful Jesus invites us to emulate his life: his maturity is our measure, his progress is our blueprint, his development is our pathway, and his growth is our pattern for faith. Let us conform to his mold, bend to his form, and adhere to his example. Let us walk in the way of Christ, growing over the years, blooming in all life spheres, and showing our progress before all—before both God and men. What happened in the home yielded fruit in the temple; the fecundity of this spiritual environ nourished and nurtured the individual man—Christ, the Son of God. The godliness of the home is a seedbed for personal piety and vibrant community. The devout assembly is a pillar for every household and human heart. The sharpened iron of a godly person shapes family and faith fellowship. Already possessing divine might, the Christ child became strong. Through his full strength was our eternal redemption secured. Without beginning and without end, the incarnate Son of God grew in stature and in years. In accordance with his maturing eminence, Jesus endured suffering and cross without complaint to God or concession to the enemy. All-seeing and all-knowing, youthful Jesus was filled with wisdom. By his unmatched understanding our salvation was forever won. Ever in perfect fellowship with the Godhead, the young Son of Man experienced God’s grace and favor in abundant supply. Are you looking for the Christ? Are you searching for God’s Son? Are you seeking for the Savior of the world? Today, as every day, the youthful Christ invites us to put our trust in him—the unchanging Son of God and Son of Man. Do you not know about him? The young Christ astounded the religious teachers with his listening ear, pointed inquiry, and unrivaled word. There is none like him. Do you not know his unequaled worth? Youthful Jesus confounded his earthly parents, single-mindedly absorbed with his Father’s business. Do you not know his eternal work? Jesus told his parents things they did not understand, but Mary treasured these things in her heart. Do you not know who is this Christ? His life is not first an example to follow; it is remedy to apply to our sinful and ailing lives. There is no other Savior but him. Do you not know him?

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we seek your Son, who alone can rescue us from our fallen estate. We honor Jesus as Lord, sovereign over our lives. We embrace Christ as pattern of life and witness. We extol him in thought, deed, song, and confession. Conform our hearts, our homes, and our churches to Christ. Like him, make us about the Father’s work in all we do. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How did Jesus’ family model faith and godliness? What priorities and practices did they have as a family?
2. How did Jesus grow and mature from childhood into youth? How is his progress a blueprint for our spiritual growth?
3. Who is Jesus, and what makes him so unique? What does this narrative reveal about Jesus’ identity and vocation?

Sixth Day of Christmas

Look, the Lamb of God

OPENING REFLECTION

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.

In Christ, as in a great storehouse, lie all the riches of spiritual wisdom, the massive ingots of solid gold which when coined into creeds and doctrines are the wealth of the Church. All which we can know concerning God and man, concerning sin and righteousness and duty, concerning another life, is in Him Who is the home and deep mine where truth is stored.

Today, listen to the voice in the wilderness. This day, do not let the noise and clamor of the bustling world crowd out the prophetic voice. Quiet your hearts. Hear John’s testimony. Dispel your unbelieving spirit. Heed the Baptizer’s confession. Christ has come—God in the flesh. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Look to him. Take your attention away from men. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Do not let your skepticism blind you to the world’s Savior. Peer at the peerless and ageless Son of God. He left his heavenly abode to dwell with men. He came to rule the heart of humanity by first cleansing their sin. God had come to bring judgment on sin by crushing his Son on the cross. The one and only Son would die for sinful men to turn them into sons of God. The sinless and righteous one came as a sacrifice for sin. Look nowhere else. Remove all distractions. Uproot the Pharisee’s stubbornness and beware of the doubter’s unbelief. Listen to the voice making a way ready for the coming of the Lord. Follow his direction and go where he sends you. John the Baptist’s testimony resounds to us today: look, the Lamb of God. See the Christ for who he is: Son of God, promised Messiah, gracious Savior, unerring Prophet, and perfect Sacrifice. Embrace him for what he came to do: take away sin, cleanse guilt, remove shame, and restore relationship with God. All we want is in Christ. All we need is in Christ. All we have is in Christ. Let the Lamb of God be your all in all: sufficient, life-giving sacrifice and preeminent, sovereign Shepherd.

SCRIPTURE READING

And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.” “Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet: “I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” Then the Pharisees who had been sent asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know. He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.” Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him. I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

Questions abounded. Inquiries multiplied. Delegates were commissioned. Hearts were seeking and searching. People traversed the wilderness terrain to meet John the Baptist. They came looking for the Christ. But sober-minded and serious John was not the Christ. He was a God-sent, humble witness to the Christ—a voice crying out in the wilderness. His witness was public testimony, willing admission, unashamed confession, open declaration, and candid reply. His profession prepared the way for the Lord. His testimony prepares us to receive the Christ. The Lord has come in Jesus: true Prophet, promised Christ, eternal Son, merciful Savior, and Lamb of God. God himself added his own testimony about his Son—the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. John’s baptism prepared the penitent to accept God’s salvation. John’s wilderness life confronted the dull and deaf, mired in worldly comfort. John’s echoing voice came with a directing gaze: look, the Lamb of God. The Son of God surpassed the greatness of John. The eternal Son of God preceded the renowned baptizer: the only begotten Son of God was eternally before Elizabeth’s son, the one Jesus was born after. The first of the two to launch his ministry, the prophet John was unworthy to even untie the sandals of the prophesied Christ. Yet the confession of Christ was a great unveiling of self- understanding. The threefold inquiry—Who are you?—amounted to the pointed examination—What do you say about yourself? John’s answer is a spiritual script for our faith journey. Who are you? To know Christ truly is to speak about ourselves soberly. Honoring Christ we find ourselves content with our humble estate. We are not the Christ; Jesus is the only true Messiah. We are Christ’s grateful subjects and God’s lowly servants. We celebrate his surpassing greatness and laud his eternal deity. We point any and all to look toward the Christ. Do not be ignorant like the inquiring priests and Levites, who asked about John under the pressure from their sending authorities. Do not be blind like the confronting Pharisees, who challenged John out of their religious arrogance. The world writhes with many who are unbelieving and unyielding. If you would be unknowing, do not be unknowing like the Pharisees, persisting in disbelieving the Son of God. Instead, be unknowing like John, who twice confessed Jesus as one he himself did not know. He spoke truly of Christ, although he did not fully know all. He embraced the mystery of Christ with a believing heart—faith seeking understanding. He heeded God’s revelation as a cure to his finitude. What was concealed has been revealed. Jesus has come—the fullness of God in bodily form. Now is the time to heal our unknowing by knowing Christ the Son. God’s eternal Son revealed to men in human flesh. The boundless treasures overflowing from the Christ. Look to him! He is God in bodily form. Look to him! He is the Lord visiting his people. Look to him! He is unequalled in greatness, power, and majesty. Look to him! He is the full revelation of God to mankind. Look to him! He is the eternal one sent to secure our eternal salvation. Look to him! He is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

Mighty Lord, you have visited your people in your Son. We give him all praise and honor. We believe he is the eternal Son of God. Secure us as your adopted children. We confess him as the true and complete revelation of God to men. Establish our faith on Christ, our foundation and cornerstone. We trust him as our Savior and Deliverer. Rescue us from this world of sin. We receive him as the Lamb of God. Please take away our sin. We yield to him as our majestic Lord. Magnify Christ through us. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How did John the Baptist describe his duty and self-understanding? How is John an example for us to rightly understand our identity and vocation in the world?
2. What testimony does this passage give about Christ? What does this passage reveal about the true person and work of Christ?
3. How does this passage teach us to respond to Christ?

Seventh Day of Christmas

This Is My Beloved Son

OPENING REFLECTION

Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.

It is impossible to contemplate the character of Jesus, with serious and devout attention, and not be charmed with it. We see in him all the human passions in the highest perfection. His joys were grave, his griefs were just; his gentleness and his severity, his inflexibility and his humanity, were in perfect harmony with each other. He discovered great tenderness and genuine affection on all occasions. Sensibility to human woe was his real character. As he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, so, on the other hand, every shining virtue was exemplified in him to a very high degree.

Those ancient wilderness days alert us to eternal truths. In the prophet John, we discover good news of God’s kingdom come, cleansing from sin, and righteous standing with God. John is the prophet who made straight the paths for Christ’s coming, but Jesus is the pioneer and architect of our faith. God comes as Judge with unquenchable fire and winnowing fork in hand. He pours out wrath on guilty sinners and sifts the righteous from the unrighteous. But all is not despair. Wicked sinners can escape God’s fiery judgment. Listen to John. He is a sure and reliable guide. Do not ignore his message. This prophetic herald is a serious warning to a sleepy and slumbering world. Let us wake up to the alarm trumpeted from the desert. His word from the wilderness will be eternal life if you heed him. If you reject him, you seal your own fate in darkness, flame, and destruction. Flee from God’s wrath by taking refuge in Christ. Turn from your sin and let your transformed life testify to your penitence. Do not let your tree be cut down. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Enter the waters of baptism to testify to your faith in Christ. Humble yourselves before Christ as unworthy yet grateful servants. Stop seeking the favor of men; take shelter in God’s divine approval of all who are in his Son. But most of all, confess Christ. Acknowledge him as Savior, Lord, King, and Son of God. Today, will you join in the heavenly confession: Jesus is God’s beloved Son?

SCRIPTURE READING

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” “Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him. As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

John the Baptist was a voice calling out in the wilderness. Who would heed his voice? This baptizing preacher summoned sinners to repentance. Turn now before the wrath of God comes. This final Elijah was God’s wandering messenger—a spiritual type of that blessed prophet—warning crowds of God’s pending judgment. Take care lest you be found before the judgment seat without a righteous advocate. The desert herald announced heavenly tidings: the kingdom of God was at hand. Become citizens of God’s everlasting kingdom. The wilderness minister proclaimed gospel news that the King had come. Subject yourself to his benevolent rule. John’s ancient voice is our faith’s deposit—a sacred trust that leads sinners to freedom, salvation, and forgiveness. John’s life bore witness as much as his word. In his person and proclamation, we hear the truth of God’s voice loudly address sinful men. Let John’s hairy garment confront your lavish lifestyle. His contentment in camel locks contends against our lust for worldly comforts. With his simple garb fastened with the simplistic austerity of his leather belt, John comes to us with a message serious and solemn: God’s judgment is grave and hazardous. Do not be found among the unheeding or inattentive. May the Baptizer’s diet challenge your indiscipline and indulgence. Honey and locusts bespeak his simplicity. Disentangle yourself from the world. No longer let insatiable appetites, selfish desires, and ungodly cravings rule your stomach or tyrannize your heart. Let John’s wilderness life summon you to your exilic identity. Do not so often and so easily slump into dullness. Be watchful and attentive as a pilgrim on a wilderness journey. See the throngs that came to John. The humble made confession of sin, turned from evil, and consecrated themselves to God in baptism. Heed their example. Do not be like the Pharisees—that brood of vipers—who were rebellious in pride, corrupt in arrogance, and lost in self-confidence. They claimed what they did not have. Their circumcised flesh could not equal the circumcised hearts of the true sons of Abraham: God’s children born again, raised to new life, given breath as dead stones come to life. John prepared people to meet God. He prepared people for the coming of God. God lays his axe to the tree. Whoever bears fruit in true repentance has life in his Son. God is sifting mankind. He will gather repentant and faithful into his barn and burn up the unbelieving and stubborn chaff. Flee God’s judgment. Enter into his storehouse. Escape the unquenchable flames of eternal destruction. Come to God’s Son. He is more powerful than John, more worthy than the celebrated Baptizer. John’s baptism of water was only preparation for Jesus’ baptism by fire and the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus can cleanse us of sin, purge us of evil, and wash us whiter than snow. Don’t you see! The Son of God is baptized by John. He entered the waters to show that he is fullness of righteousness before God. Jesus is God’s beloved Son. God the Father spoke his pleasure. God the Spirit confirms this testimony. He descends on the incarnate Christ. If you believe in him, the beloved Son can make you a beloved child of God. If you confess your sin, the righteous Son can make you acceptable to the Most High. If you repent of your wrongdoing, God can purify and sanctify you. If you bear fruit in keeping with repentance, you can dwell in hope of better things to come.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

We pray to you: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit! We heed the warnings of your word, confessing our sin before the most Holy One. We plead for the Holy Spirit to purge us of all that is unclean and sinful. We pledge unceasing loyalty to the beloved Son, the one who can fulfill all righteousness in us. Make us fruitful in faith to Christ and repentance from sin. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What is the nature of John the Baptist’s life and ministry? How does this teach us about the gospel message?
2. How do sinners get right with God? In what ways do John’s message and ministry teach us what it means to be acceptable to God?
3. What does this passage teach us about Jesus Christ? How did Jesus reveal himself to the world in this story?

Eighth Day of Christmas

If You Are the Son of God

OPENING REFLECTION

Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness. But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.

If the Son of God be man, then He understands me, and He has a fellow- feeling for me. He knows, at times, my unfitness even to worship Him; He knows my tendencies to grow weary and cold in His service; He knows my pains, my trials, and my griefs; yea,—“He knows what fierce temptations mean, For He has felt the same.” Man, truly man, yet sitting at the right hand of the Father, Thou, O blessed Saviour, art the delight of my soul! Is there not the richest comfort in this truth for all the people of God?

In the wilderness terrain a conflict ensued. The eternal Son of God did battle against evil Satan. From the start, the outcome was certain: Jesus would triumph over this tyrannizing foe. The victory would come in unexpected form. Although he faced great hunger, Christ would win, armed with the nourishing bread of God’s word. Self-control, self-restraint, and self-discipline characterized the Son of Man. At the same time, inestimable worth, sovereign rule, and universal authority belonged to the Son of God. Jesus Christ, the King who owns the universe and all it contains would not give homage to a rebellious created being who paid no reverence to God. Jesus Christ—truly God and truly Man in one person— resisted fierce temptation, overcoming it during a moment of extended fasting. In the wilderness warfare that took place prior to Jesus’ public ministry, Christ revealed himself as the God in the flesh. The vile and villainous foe could not contend with the incarnate Christ. Christ’s victory in the wilderness is our promise of victory over sin, power over temptation, resistance of evil, and growth in godliness. Follow the Son into the wilderness and learn from him. Enter into the battle zone and yoke yourself to his victory. In the end, Jesus’ spiritual warfare ended with the words: Away from Me, Satan. The devil could not but obey. In the end, Jesus proved that he truly is the Son of God. Today, will you acknowledge him with the same confession?

SCRIPTURE READING

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship me.” “Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

A sinister adversary opposes the Most High. Beware of his fiendish schemes, his cruel and unrelenting hostility to God and men. This rebellious one who defied God at the dawn of creation is brazen and brawling in his resistance against God. He is the devil—evil, depraved, foul, and sinister. He is a wicked tempter who seeks to sway people off the paths of righteousness. One of his great weapons is deceit. He is a liar and an accuser, who spreads falsehood. This enemy wields an anti-Christ spirit, opposing Jesus and seeking to dissuade the sons of men from belief in the Son of God. Satan faced off with God’s Son in the wilderness. A threefold assault was launched against the fasting Christ. The devil tempted the hungry Christ with satiating bread. This sinister foe enticed Jesus to demonstrate his power by casting himself from the pinnacle of the temple. He tried to lure Jesus in false worship, offering him all earthly kingdoms. The devil’s devices are never new. Even today, he tries us with the lust of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the boasting pride of life. The devil was no match for the Son of God. Christ entered the wilderness prepared for battle. He fasted forty days and forty nights. His wearied flesh, empty stomach, and tired body were training to demonstrate his self-discipline and self-control. The devil thought to prey on Jesus’ weakness. The devil was ignorant that Jesus’ humility, weakness, and lowliness would only demonstrate his unconquerable strength. After all, it was the Spirit who led Jesus to this wilderness duel. This sovereign meeting of Creator and rebel would prove Jesus’ identity to all the world. The devil came in wicked deceit; Jesus prevailed in truthful declaration of God’s word. The adversary sought to inflame insecurity; Jesus remained secure and firm in his unchanging identity and divine calling. Satan tried to exploit Jesus’ weak flesh; Jesus showed the power of self-restraint and self-possession. The evil enemy attempted to turn God the Son against God the Father. This author of disunity would not succeed. Jesus would never put God to the test. The father of lies could not defeat the Son who was on assignment from his heavenly Father. We daily walk the wilderness of this world in spiritual battle. Let us clad ourselves with the protection of faith in Christ. May God help us to follow the path of Christ with Christ as exemplar. But Jesus is more than a model to imitate; he is the Son of God who went before us to overcome the evil and secure our escape from temptation, sin, and evil. Entrust yourself to him. Hitch the carriage of your life to the Son of Man who already resisted and routed God’s wicked foe. Give no worship to any but God. Fall down and pay homage to none other than Christ. Keep in step with no other spirit than the Holy Spirit. Our sustenance is not in baked bread but in the word of God, both written and living. Our security is in the God who is ever-present and ever-near. Let us not put God to the test. Our joy and glory is a promised gift from God, not an engineered grasp of fleshly intent. Let us worship God and serve him only. Truly, Jesus is the Son of God. Let us feast on him as the bread of life. Truly, Jesus is the Son of God, let us not put him to the test. Truly, Jesus is the Son of God, let us come to him, worship him, fall down before him, and serve him.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

Glorious God, we worship and serve you alone. We confess you as the one and only true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Help us seek God’s glory above all. Enable us to keep in step with the Spirit during our battle. Assist us to follow Christ through every ordeal, offering him our worship and adoration. Cast the enemy from us. Make him depart. Foil his sinister schemes. Make us conquerors and overcomers in Jesus, the Son of the God. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Who is the devil, and how did he try to tempt Jesus? How these schemes similar to how he tempts people today?
2. How did Jesus resist the devil’s temptation? In what ways can we learn to resist temptation from Jesus’ example?
3. What did this temptation story reveal about the person, character, and work of Christ? What does Jesus accomplish for his people to enable them to live a life of resilient faith?

Ninth Day of Christmas

Come and See

OPENING REFLECTION

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”

The Son makes us sons! … Become sons of God is the message of the gospel! … It is not merely, Come unto me, and I will give you rest; but, Come unto me, and I will make you sons … There is no bargain, no price; no terms, no conditions; yet there is an appointed way; and he who will have the sonship, must have it in this one way. This way is “receiving Him;” and this receiving him is explained as “believing in his name.”

John the Baptist heralded the gospel news across the wilderness landscape. His proclamation echoes throughout the whole earth. The wait is over. Jesus has come. The King has arrived. The Son of God took on human flesh. The Son of Man has appeared to fallen mankind. The One of whom the prophets foretold dwells with men. The Lamb of God has drawn near to take away sin. Do not remain far off. Come to see the Christ. Believe in him as the Messiah. Cling to him as Lord and Savior. Today, he calls you to forsake your sin and follow him. He invites you to know him for yourself in reconciled relationship with God. He summons you to abandon your old life and become a new creature in Christ. Do you have questions? Come to him and let him address your heart concerns. Are you unsure where he will lead you? Spend time with him, and see the green pastures and still waters whereby he will shepherd you. Do you wonder if he will know you and understand you? Come before him and let him tell you everything about yourself. Are you puzzled how such a lowly man from Nazareth can be Savior of the world? Embrace him and taste his ever-satiating goodness. What keeps you from coming? Do not let the insecurities within you, the distractions around you, or the unstable ground beneath you deter you or delay your coming. Today, come and see the Christ: the Son of God who came to make sons of God out of the sons of men.

SCRIPTURE READING

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” And when the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?” “Come and see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s testimony and followed Jesus. He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ). Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter). The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” “How do You know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” “Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus said to him,“Do you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” Then He declared, “Truly, truly, I tell you, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

John’s gospel testimony went forth with intrepid zeal and penetrating power: Look, the Lamb of God. Hear his voice and heed his direction. The wilderness prophet guided human gaze to the incarnate Christ. Yes, Christ is Rabbi, the unerring teacher of divine truth. Surely, he is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of the carpenter Joseph. But he is also Son of God, the eternal begotten of God the Father. He is Son of Man, the promised deliverer come to earth in human flesh. He is none other than the King of Israel, the promised Davidic regent of God’s kingdom rule. He is the One prophesied in the Law and Prophets. He is the Messiah, the promised rescuer of fallen mankind. Hear and heed John’s words and go with the two: follow Jesus and go where he is staying. Spend the day with him, take up your abode with him, and make him your lifelong companion in life’s pilgrimage. Go with Andrew and Peter: find the Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth. There is no other. Let Jesus change you from Simon son of John to Cephas. Travel with Philip and go wherever Jesus leads. Apprentice yourself to the One of whom prophets foretold. Listen to Philip’s invitation: journey with Nathanael and discover the compassionate and all-knowing Christ. Let him unfold your spirit, expose your character, and excavate your heart. The God-Man is supreme commentator on human nature, the infallible exegete of divine essence, and the gracious Savior of repentant sinners. Find him by heeding the gospel invitation and discover your new self in him. Do you ask how you may find Christ? Do you wonder how you can discover this divine-human Lord, this one and only Savior? Pay attention to this simple summons: Come and see. Look to the Lamb of God. Come to see him for yourself. Converse with him in prayer. Discover him in the Scripture. Find him alive, resurrected, and exalted in heaven. Meet him at work in the hearts of men who dwell on the earth. With the two disciples, come and see where he stays and how he lived. With Nathanael, come and see the one who will patiently and plainly answer your questions. When you come to him, be ready to listen to him. He will guide you in all that is right. He is the truth. When you come to him, be willing to follow him. He will lead you in the paths of righteousness. He is the way. When you come to him, be open to believe in him. He will secure for you eternity. He is the life. When you find Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life, go find any and all who will hear. Plead with them to hear the gospel news. Pray that they yield to Jesus’ loving lordship. In reality, it is Jesus who has first found us. Praise be his name! He came to earth on a search and rescue operation. He seeks after the lost. He recovers his errant people. He comes and asks what we want to direct our hearts to him—that deep and endless fountain that overflows with living and thirst-quenching water. He comes to speak a transforming word in our lives, making us new creatures with a new calling. He comes to restore sinful humans to his covenant people—true Israelites with no deceit. He comes to show us his greatness to promise us better things in the world to come. This day, come and see the One we have all been waiting for in the person of Jesus Christ.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

Merciful Lord, reveal to us the fullness of your Son. We are unworthy to enter his presence, unfit to take up our abode with him, undeserving of his life-giving offer. Our hearts are not true. We are filled with deceit, corrupted with selfishness, and contaminated with sin. Yet to Christ we humbly bow and receive his gracious offer of salvation, cleansing, and forgiveness. We come to him as Savior. We yield to him as Lord. We follow him as Master. We believe in him as Son of God and Son of Man. We trust him as the Christ. We honor him as King. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How did Jesus call his first disciples to himself? How did people in this story come to believe and follow Christ?
2. In these encounters with Jesus’ first disciples, what do we learn about who Jesus is and what he came on earth to do?
3. What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ? Which disciple do you most relate to in this narrative?

Tenth Day of Christmas

A Light Has Dawned

OPENING REFLECTION

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.

Christ is to the souls of men what the sun is to the world. He is the centre and source of all spiritual light, warmth, life, health, growth, beauty, and fertility. Like the sun, He shines for the common benefit of all mankind,— for high and for low, for rich and for poor, for Jew and for Greek. Like the sun, He is free to all. All may look at Him, and drink health out of His light … But whether men will see or not, Christ is the true sun, and the light of the world. There is no light for sinners except in the Lord Jesus.

God did not permit the domain of darkness to forever rule over a harassed and despairing humanity. God penetrated the darkness. He severed the shackles of sin. He dispelled the long and lonely night of a condemning curse. He healed an ailing people who long suffered with sickness and shame. The light of God has dawned in the land of shadows and death. Christ the Son has come to earth. The Son of God brightly broke forth to scatter the darkness. The Son of Man appeared as man to overcome the menacing and taunting schemes of an evil foe. Christ revealed himself to the world as the light of the world. He cured the sick with loving and divine power. He liberated the oppressed and emancipated the enslaved. With unparalleled authority and righteous character, he summoned people out of the shadows into his marvelous light. Jesus called his disciples with purpose and promise. He preached good news of freedom from sin and the coming of God’s kingdom. He formed his family of faithful followers into a community of light. Since Jesus’ coming into the world, the news has been spreading. The light is overtaking the cursed cosmos and redeeming it as God’s own. As he sets people free from their entangling nets and burdensome boats, he is also reclaiming the whole world. The light will retake the shadowlands, the borderlands, and all the lands beyond, subjecting it to the lordship of Christ. The King has come. The kingdom is at hand. The light of the world has dawned among the darkness of men.

SCRIPTURE READING

When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” And at once they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them. The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

While John the Baptist was detained in prison, the light of the gospel continued to shine abroad. Nothing could overshadow its illuminating force. Good news cannot be bound. The gospel will not be detained. It is impossible to shackle the truth. The light of the world, Jesus Christ, would not be extinguished. He breaks forth through the night like resurrecting dawn. He is a great light that casts away the darkness of shame and sin. Like rays of the sun overcoming the night, the Son of righteousness dispelled the despairing dark that loomed over humanity. The light of the world dwelled among the shadows of men. Jesus of Nazareth moved to Galilee. He came to people living in darkness. He healed the sick, cured the diseased, and liberated the oppressed. The incarnate Christ made his home near Zebulun and Naphtali, to those living in the land of death. The compassionate Christ made his abode in Capernaum to shed his merciful light on those living in the shadowlands. By the way of the sea, Jesus showed glimmering hope to the despairing, shed beams of healing to the hurting, and offered his luminous presence to those groping in darkness. Bright hope had dawned on our dark planet at the coming of the Son. The light of Jesus’ presence was matched by the light of his heralded word. He preached a message of turning from sin. Flee the dark world. Turn from wickedness and rebellion. Repent from godless living and stubborn unbelief. Embrace the light of God’s eternal kingdom. The righteous rule of God has come in Christ the King. Leave your blind stupor and inherit the righteous kingdom of God’s Son. Crown him as King in your own heart. Coronate him as Lord of your life. Enthrone him as Master of your eternal destiny. Behold, Simon and Andrew have heeded his voice. They left their nets to become fishers of men. Do you not see? James and John followed Jesus’ summons. They left their boat to embrace gospel work. They left their father to pledge their loyalty to God’s Son. Follow them as they follow the incarnate Christ. He is calling you just as he called them. Do not let your nets delay your coming. Do not remain at a home heading to destruction when the Son of God calls you to your eternal country. Forbid your earthly pursuits to ruin your heavenly prospects. Christ’s disciples are his apprentices. They follow him in life and faith. As his disciples, we are also his ambassadors, calling others to follow Christ. Let us cast the net wide, for the Christ has come. Many have yet to embrace him in faith and submission. Go to the lands beyond to gather in a large catch of fish. Spread the news for the news is spreading. Go public with the gospel for crowds and throngs are in need of truth. Cross the river and seas to herald the name of Jesus. Take up residence in Zebulun to zealously announce Jesus’ coming. Carry the news to Syria and beyond that Christ the Lord rescues ruined mankind. Travel to the Gentiles in Decapolis and the peoples beyond the Jordan that they may hear of the light that has come into this dark world. We are the light of the world. Let us penetrate the dark world with Christ’s all- consuming light. He has revealed himself to the world: the light of the world has dawned in the land of dark shadows.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

Glorious God, we live in a world of darkness but find hope in the light of your Son. He is our freedom from bondage, our hope in despair, our healing from the curse, and our recovery from blindness. We turn from the darkness of sin and take cover in the Son of Righteousness. We leave our entanglements with this world to find our new selves in the light that dawned among mankind. Help us to proclaim Jesus abroad, to shed the light of Christ to all we meet. Assist us to live as a community of light in the dark world. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How did Jesus fulfill prophecies about himself when he moved from Nazareth to Capernaum in Galilee? What did this teach us about who Jesus is?
2. What kind of people did Jesus minister to? How did Jesus minister to people?
3. How did Jesus reveal himself to mankind? What does it mean to respond to Jesus and follow him?

Eleventh Day of Christmas

He Revealed His Glory

OPENING REFLECTION

For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

It is impossible that he who never meditates with delight on the glory of Christ here in this world, who labours not to behold it by faith as it is revealed in the Scripture, should ever have any real gracious desire to behold it in heaven.

At his birth, the incarnate Jesus revealed himself in humility. Throughout his life, the God-Man gave humanity glimpses of his glory. The glory of Christ is the Christian’s all-encompassing vision of life, faith, godliness, and joy. Today, let the majesty of Jesus rule your hearts. Bask in the inestimable worth of the Son of God. Be done with lesser things. No longer drink from wells of cheaper supply. Our good is dependent upon Christ’s glory. Truly, misplaced glory is the tragic tale of sin and curse. Eden was lost by misdirected glory. But paradise is regained by the glory of Christ. The world suffers from emptiness and void. But Christ has come to pour out his fulness on believing men. Creation has painfully aged under the curse. But Jesus can restore his world and give it a better estate. In Christ, better things are to come because he is the best that has come into the world. To know Jesus as the source of all fullness and flourishing is to embrace him as he truly is. Let us not seek to emend Jesus to our own liking. Refuse to accept only bits and parts of Jesus of Nazareth. Embrace him fully. Believe in him earnestly. Know him truly. You too can be eyewitnesses of his glory. You no longer need to remain in blindness and ignorance. For in God’s word are recorded the wonders of the Son of God. These signs remove the veil so that we can embrace God’s Son who has come into the world. Take him at his word and yield to his authoritative command. Remain not silent about his matchless name. Reveal to others what God has clearly revealed about his Son.

SCRIPTURE READING

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why does this concern us?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. “Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!” Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

The feast of joy was threatened. The celebration in Cana was in great danger. The wedding was in jeopardy, and the banquet faced peril. The hearts of men were confronted with sad news of a sorrow and woe: there was no more wine. The time of joy nearly became an hour of shame and misery. An occasion for delight almost devolved into a moment of emptiness. Mirth gave way to dearth. Too quickly the pleasures of this world fade and flee. Earthly delights do not remain. While our hearts drink of their merriment, their cisterns quickly run out. No worldly well is deep enough to quench the aching thirst of the human heart. But there is a deeper fountain sure to meet and relieve human longing. Mary offered her Son, Christ, as the remedy to the quandary. Even though the hour of sacrifice had not come, the Son of God took on himself the concerns of men. Six stone jars were filled to the brim with water. Still, who would relish water at a wedding feast? Gallons next to gallons of full vessels, waiting for the powerful and permitting touch of the divine. Then Christ performed a wonder during that Cana banquet. He turned the water into wine. Empty vats are no challenge for the One who can create out of nothing. He who is born of the virgin finds no obstacle in depleted resources or earthly finitude. Not human folly nor human sin can impede his sovereign designs. Even as incarnate Lord, his power is boundless, his supply is abundant, his storehouses are full, his provision is timely, his well runs deep, and his care is compassionate. The infinite One who lived on earth met the need of sinful men. What Jesus provides is best, enduring, and incomparable. The latter wine of the wedding surprised the bridegroom. Normally, the best is used first and then people are given cheap wine. But Jesus did not follow this human convention. He made wine out of water and better wine than the guests had at first. Give praise to the Son! Exalt Jesus above all! He himself is the better wine the world has been waiting for. The works of God in the Old Testament were great and glorious, but the glory of the Son surpasses them all. Divine redemption in the ancient days was monumental, but the salvation of Christ would outshine all other rescues. Jesus is no cheap replacement for other suitable alternatives. He is the well that never runs dry, the Lord that never abandons his people, the final lifting of shame, and the wine that never ceases to bring joy. Jesus performed his wonder without public notice. Yet in this back-scene miracle at a wedding in Cana, Jesus revealed his glory. He performed his first sign to showcase his person and foreshadow his mission. One day, his blood would be shed like spilled wine. But not all knew him. What the master did not know the servants knew. They knew that if one wants the finest, the best, and purest one must come to Christ. Find yourselves knowing like these servants. Do whatever he tells you. The disciples with Jesus also knew this and believed in him. Become Jesus’ disciples today. Bring your empty self to him so that it can be filled. Apply his blood to your sin-stained life so you can be cleansed. Imbibe the better wine of Christ so that you will never thirst again. Believe in him even if you do not fully understand all. Let your faith seek out understanding through trust in Christ!

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

All-Sufficient God, the vessel of my heart has run dry. Earthly pleasures do not long give me happiness. They are temporary treats that will never satisfy my insatiable longing. Only Christ can fill me. Only Jesus can quench my thirst. He is the fullness of better things. He is the epitome of the best things. He is the finer wine in a world of cheap delights. Help me trust him with my whole heart. Enable me to know him as he truly is. Equip me to do whatever he says. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What took place at the wedding in Cana that became a problem? How does this problem signify the human condition?
2. What miracle did Jesus perform? What made this miracle so spectacular?
3. What was the significance of Jesus’ first miracle? How did Jesus reveal his glory by turning water into wine?

Twelfth Day of Christmas

He Knew What Was In Man

OPENING REFLECTION

Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness. But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.

Who are they that sell oxen? Who are they that sell sheep and doves? They are they who seek their own in the Church, not the things which are Christ’s … they will not be redeemed: they have no wish to be bought, and yet they wish to sell … Now, what does it profit to acquire in this world any temporal and transitory thing whatsoever, be it money, or pleasure of the palate, or honor that consists in the praise of men? Are they not all wind and smoke? Do they not all pass by and flee away? Are they not all as a river rushing headlong into the sea? … Let the heart of such an one turn away from every seller; let him come where he receives freely.

The incarnate Christ knows the heart of men. The first Adam ruined paradise with a sinful barter with that sinister serpent. From then on, all of Adam’s seed have corrupted worship to God. God’s beautiful world degenerated into a woeful wreckage. The temple was turned into a marketplace. The human heart degraded into a revel of idolatry and an orgy of indulgence. The Son of Man is not silent about this travesty. He does not remain uncaring about the twisted human condition. Jesus is most zealous for God’s glory and renown along with our good and godliness. Watch the Son of Man drive out men like animals and liberate doves like freedmen. Hear his convicting word of judgment on the merchants in the temple courts. Listen to his rebuke to cast out all that defiles and debases. Remember the prophetic oracle of zeal, passion, and divine jealousy. Know that he indeed has authority to cleanse the temple. He alone has the power to purify the human heart. He will show a sign of his authority in his own body—the true temple and dwelling place of God. Jesus is God dwelling with mankind in human flesh. He came to offer his body: to allow the temple of his flesh to be crucified. He promised to rebuild this temple: to rise again from the dead. Christ has come to cleanse the hearts of men, to purify worship of God, and to reclaim a people for himself. Lend him your ear. Give him your heart. Allow the incarnate, crucified, and risen Lord to purge your heart today.

SCRIPTURE READING

After this, He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples, and they stayed there a few days. When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables. So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.” On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?” Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” “This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?” But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name. But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION

The temple of God was turned into marketplace. Spirituality was for sale. Humanity offered religiosity at a price. Bartering and business did violence to the sanctity of devotion and worship. The season of Passover twisted into an opportunity for personal gain. The covenant people of God became mercenaries of the faith— merchants of religion. Do you smell the tamed cattle? Can you hear the bleating sheep? Do you not see the flapping doves? Do you notice the poor doves enslaved in God’s house? Are you aware of the money, the coins, and the vendors? These animals of sacrifice have borne witness to mankind’s sacrilege—a brazen willingness to turn the dwelling place of God into an arena of commercial profit. The money changers testify against the human condition—selfish ambition above pure worship. Since the fall of Eden, mankind has erred in his worship of God: withholding from God the honor do his name, exalting himself as supreme, and paying fealty to false gods. Humanity has exercised its self-will, yielded to indulgence, and practiced corrupting idolatry to its inevitable demise. Hiding behind every false god is a human effort to exalt the self. Oh, the damnable pride of false worship. In sin, people have turned away from God and sought their own preeminence. In rebellion, humanity has forsaken paradise and pursued the crumbling delights of earthly pleasures. In wickedness, God’s creation has exchanged the glory of the Creator for a preference for and fixation on created things. But God will not ignore false worship. He will not forever endure being treated lightly. The weight of God’s glory cannot overlook human pride and spiritual infidelity. God is jealous for himself. The judgment of God has come. The Son of Man shows his zeal for the house of God. With his righteous whip, he drives out men like cattle. With his holy hands, he overturns the merchants’ tables. With his sinless strength, he pours out the profits of men, spilling them to the ground like water. With his just voice, he evicts the people from the temple and denounces their vile use of God’s holy ground. With his liberating word, he gave exodus to the penniless doves encaged. The righteous anger of God contended against the depraved deeds of men. Jesus was daily clothed with zeal for God’s house and God’s glory. The people questioned his actions: What right and authority do you have to drive out merchants and ruin our status quo? The Jews demanded a sign from the incarnate Christ. He gave a word of prophecy: destroy the temple and I will raise it again in three days. This oracle foretold Jesus’ greater zeal: a passion to offer the temple of his body as a sacrifice for sin, a willingness to have his body crucified on a condemning cross, and a promise that he would raise again in triumph of sin and death. The incarnate Son has come: God dwelled with man in human flesh. During the temple cleansing, the Son did not entrust himself to man. He knew human nature. He understood the human heart. His time had not yet come. Yet he had come to one day set humanity free from his own sin, impurity, and idolatry. The Son had come to suffer. Jesus has been born to die. The Christ had come to be crucified. The Son of Man buried in a tomb would rise again. Trust the Scripture. Believe in the Jesus the Christ. Learn the depravity of your own heart. Cleanse your heart of self. Purge your spirit of pride. Forsake your idolatrous ways. Cast away all that is impure. Let the zeal of the God-Man purify you today.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

Holy God, forgive me for impurity in worship, selfishness of heart, sinfulness in action, and pursuit of personal gain. My heart was made to have you dwell therein. I have turned the temple of my heart into a marketplace of selfish ambition. Cleanse me of my sin. Purge me of my wickedness. Purify me of all that is unclean. I believe in your Son. I trust him alone for my salvation and sanctification. Sanctify me and turn my heart into an undefiled dwelling place for God. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why was Jesus upset with the people in the temple? What was so wrong about the merchants doing business in the temple?
2. How did Jesus respond to the people in the temple? What strikes you about his actions, words, and passion?
3. How did Jesus’ predict his death and resurrection? What is the relationship between Jesus’ coming and his crucifixion?

 Bruegel, Pieter. The Census at Bethlehem. 1566. Oil on oak panel, 115.5 x 163.5 cm. Oldmasters Museum.