David Bahn – Reflections

I know this story. I know how it ends: Jesus is found in the temple after Mary and Joseph’s anxious three-day search. When chided by his parents, Jesus replies, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

So many questions. How were they supposed to know? Where did they search for three days? Where did Jesus stay at night? Didn’t anyone know where he was when his parents searched for him – surely they asked people, “Have you seen our son?” Where did they look? Did Jesus just stay in the temple during those three days – a temple urchin of sorts? So many questions.

God asks questions not for his own information, but for the sake of those he asks. Perhaps Jesus is doing that now. He is wanting his parents to know what to expect of him from then on. He is not formally considered an adult at the age of twelve. The formal rite of passage to adulthood for Jewish boys occurs at the age of thirteen. It would be then that he becomes a son of the commandment (the literal meaning of the Hebrew bar mitzvah). Nevertheless Jesus is even now beginning to ask questions.

This is how they found him: “in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” Jesus’ actions in the temple – listening, asking questions, and astounding teachers with his understanding – reflect both his growing maturity and his divine identity. He is not yet an adult, but he is showing a maturity beyond his years. The people are amazed. His parents are astonished – and no doubt a bit angry and relieved all at the same time: conflicted. 

“Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” This question, in particular, is telling. Where does God belong? In his house. And now, we are told, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Those who believe are the place of God’s dwelling. 

Do you know where Jesus is? Is he in your heart? He belongs there.

Four times in chapter 2 of Matthew’s gospel, there is mentioned a fulfillment of Scripture. Some we are familiar with: Bethlehem being the place of Jesus’ birth, and the inconsolable weeping of the women over the death of their children. We can even see how these are easily connected with Jesus’ lineage, and the events surrounding his birth. Two are a bit more obscure: “Out of Egypt I called my son,” and “he shall be called a Nazarene.”

When you look at the context of these prophecies, even the more familiar ones are not obviously fulfilled by Jesus. The promise of Bethlehem’s source for Israel’s redemption is more obviously tied to the then-current situation of Assyrian threats. Look at the later verses of this chapter:

When the Assyrian comes into our land
    and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven shepherds
    and eight princes of men;
⁶ they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
    and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;
and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian
    when he comes into our land
    and treads within our border. – Micah 5:5-6

And the prophecy of the return of Jesus from Egypt is even more obscure when you read the fuller context:

Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and out of Egypt I called my son.
² The more they were called,
    the more they went away;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals
    and burning offerings to idols.– Hosea 11:1-2

But Hosea holds the key to understanding how Jesus fulfills the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament. He is the fulfillment of all that God intended his people to be. He did what Israel could not do – nor can we. He lived a life of perfect faithfulness, entrusting himself to God in every situation. Loving God first without reservation, and loving his neighbor as himself. So whereas Israel had failed to follow God as they should have Jesus would follow God’s will and plan perfectly. Whereas the battle would rage between Israel and the Assyrians and would never establish a perfect kingdom, Jesus would overcome sin, death, and the devil.

Frankly, the fulfillment of Jesus being called a Nazarene is quite obscure. This is not a direct quote of any Old Testament prophet. The word, “prophets” (note the plural) offers us a clue to the best understanding of this prophecy. It is not a direct quote, but a thematic understanding of Jesus’ ministry. Nazarenes were not highly thought of. Remember Nathan’s response to Philip about Jesus (from Nazareth), “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” – John 1:46.

Then there is the inevitability of Herod’s death. Like taxes, death is certain to come to us – unless Jesus returns first. This tyrannical ruler would not reign forever. Joseph would need to take his wife and son to Egypt for their safety. But he would not have to stay there. Herod would die. It is inescapable and inevitable.

But we should remember, also, that the fulfillment of God’s word, promises and prophecies is also inevitable. The Bible says that God’s word endures forever. That means it remains true and alive, powerful and active beyond our days on earth. When we die, God’s word does not become invalid. The fullness of God’s grace and truth will define our lives beyond life on this earth. It is not only inevitable, it is  the eternal foundation of our Christian hope.

The glory of the Lord shone around them. The people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple. I noticed today the connection between the appearance of the Glory of the LORD at the dedication of Solomon’s temple in the Old Testament, and the glory of the Lord surrounding the angels at their announcement of Jesus’ birth. 

“The glory of the Lord” refers to God’s revealed presence, his holiness, and power – especially as he makes himself known in mercy and judgment, in history and ultimately in Jesus Christ. It inspires reverence, worship, and awe and is the destiny for which creation longs. John witnesses to it in his account of the incarnation, “the Word became flesh…and we have seen his glory” (John 1:14).

Christ embodies the glory of God in humility, suffering, death, and resurrection. Hebrews 1:3 says Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.”

God’s splendor, holiness, majesty, might, and power, as magnificent as they are, only begin to describe His glory. God’s glory is also bound up in his humility, his grace, mercy, and specifically seen in Jesus’ birth, life, suffering, resurrection, ascension, and final coming.

This is all connected with the initial reports of the glory of the Lord in the Old Testament. The glory of the Lord was seen in the pillar of cloud as God lead the children of Israel through the wilderness. It showed up on Mount Sinai for six days as Moses ascends to receive the Law of God. The glory of the Lord comes down when the Tabernacle is dedicated. And it shows up in our readings today at the dedication of Solomon’s temple.

But look more closely – especially at the passage from 2 Chronicles 7 today.

When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” – 2 Chronicles 7:3

And at Jesus’ birth the angels say, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” At his baptism and at his Transfiguration God says clearly that he is pleased with Jesus. We who honor him, recognize that the fullness of God’s glory dwells in Jesus, will seek to love God and neighbor and will find in his steadfast and gracious love power to live to his glory.

There is something disorienting about reading of Jesus’ birth in May. We may talk about having Christmas in July. We may say that we should celebrate the Savior’s birth every day. We may even speculate that the day of Jesus’ birth was most likely in May. Clement of Alexandria, an Early Church Father suggested dates in April or May. But it still seems wrong, or at least slightly inappropriate to be reading about Jesus’ birth in May. After all, the world over celebrates either December 25 or January 6 (Epiphany – which is called the Christmas of the Gentiles) as the day of Jesus’ birth.

Inappropriate as that may be there are at least two issues with regard to Matthew’s account, and the Old Testament foundations of Jesus’ conception and birth that seem quite appropriate to consider.

First is the startling fact that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. This is right up there with the resurrection. Babies aren’t conceived apart from a sexual union between a man and a woman. We know how babies are conceived. Even in this day of artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization, there is extraordinary difficulty associated with success in this manner. And it really wasn’t an option.

Some have suggested that the prophecy in Isaiah doesn’t really state that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. They argue that the Hebrew in Isaiah 7:14 is best translated as, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman [emphasis added] is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.” This is the RSV translation, part of the scandal among conservative Christians regarding that translation of the BIble. The Greek is unambiguous, however, and the RSV gets it right there: “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” I’ll go with Matthew here. This was a miraculous conception, and a marvelous gift from God, taking on human flesh in this manner. A miracle “wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger” (cf. Luke 2:7).

Second is the clarity of God’s word about human sexual relations. There is no doubt about how God feels about people who hook up sexually. The passage from Deuteronomy goes into great detail here. Bottom line, if a man has sexual intercourse with a woman outside of marriage he is to take her as wife, or be severely punished – both the man and the woman.

We’ve lost that battle today in the church. Fornication is an out-of-date prohibition in the minds of almost everyone outside the church, and even some within it. This should not be. God’s design is that one man and one woman should be united as one for life. The pattern is given in Genesis 2:18: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

There are many who have failed to keep this commandment pure – within and outside of the church. But those who follow Jesus turn to God in contrition, repentance, and faith. They know they need God’s mercy and forgiveness to sustain a relationship with him. They also know that God’s perfect, pure, and spotless Son is their righteousness. Our Savior: born of a virgin, crucified by sinners, raised in power. He is gracious, merciful, forgiving, and gloriously alive.

I was struck by the mention of the Babylonian captivity in Matthew’s genealogy. It’s as though Matthew is making the point that the line of David to Jesus is not uncluttered by sin and failure. I notice not only the mention of the Babylonian captivity, but also Manasseh who is often remembered as the worst king in Judah’s history—so evil, in fact, that his sins are cited as the tipping point that led to Judah’s eventual destruction. Through these kings – glorious and inglorious – the Savior will be born.

Two things come to mind in regard to this. These genealogical records are not mere historical accounts; they underscore the faithfulness of God in preserving the line through which the promised Messiah would come. Despite the moral failures and challenges faced by many kings in this lineage, God’s providential plan culminated in the birth of Jesus Christ, fulfilling the prophecies and promises made throughout the Old Testament.

There is also no lily gilding when it comes to records of God’s people. These are not flannelgraph cutouts. These are real people, some of them examples of godliness, faithfulness, and justice. But some are evil, unjust, and unfaithful. The Bible is no fairy tale. No airbrushing. No cover-up. No whitewashing. This is us: real and unfiltered. No pretence.

That’s good news for us who must live among sinful leaders in a fallen world. Although we are not likely to be taken into captivity we still have potential threats from sworn enemies and foreign powers. And these threats and terrors are woven into the story of God’s redemption. All these are testimony to God’s sovereign power over all things, and his commitment to restore all things and bring all things under the reign of Christ. What others intend for evil, God can use for good. Even through wicked rulers, unjust systems, or looming threats, God is not absent. He is actively working through the brokenness to accomplish His promises—to reconcile the world to Himself in Jesus, and to bring His people safely into His everlasting Kingdom.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

² Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, ³ and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, ⁴ and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.

I sometimes joke that I know the names of maybe twelve celebrities – fourteen if you include athletes and news anchors. It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but true enough: I’m not much for celebrity culture. And these days, I’m forgetting names more easily, even the ones I should remember.

But God doesn’t forget names. He saw fit to preserve many in Scripture – some famous (like Moses), and some infamous (like Onan). If you scan chapters like Genesis 46 or Numbers 7, you’ll find lists of names – names that meant something, even when the people behind them failed.

Matthew opens his Gospel with a genealogy, and he names names: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez, and others. From Genesis 38, we learn that Judah had a son named Onan, who refused to fulfill his duty to his deceased brother’s wife. The Lord was displeased with him, and Onan died. But Judah’s story didn’t end there. His own actions – deceptive and morally compromised – involved an encounter with his daughter-in-law Tamar, whom he mistook for a prostitute. And yet, from that union came Perez, and from Perez… the line of the Messiah.

God works through sinners – some notorious – to bring about His redemptive plan. The genealogies aren’t just about lineage; they testify to grace. They show that God can bring life out of brokenness and purpose out of sin-stained pasts.

Some mothers proudly point to their sons – like Mary at Cana, nudging Jesus to intervene. But there are also those whose family stories are hidden in shame. I remember when I first realized that Jacob was more of a scoundrel than the flannelgraph figure I’d seen in Sunday school. It was disorienting. And yet, the Bible doesn’t whitewash the heroes of faith. Scripture records not only the good, but also the bad and ugly. Abraham lied about his wife. Isaac played favorites. David committed adultery and murder. The list goes on.

But there is one name that stands above all the rest. The name of Jesus – the only name that is holy, undefiled, and worthy of all praise. At His name every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (cf. Philippians 2:9–11).

Baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we carry the only name that ultimately matters. The name that saves. The people named in these genealogies testify of God’s far-reaching grace. Shown in Jesus. Celebrated by saint and sinner alike.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. I have these verses memorized. It speaks of the reality of God’s love, our salvation, faith, and true religion. The foundations of these are laid out in the Psalms and books of Moses.

The psalmist says,

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹ for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
⁵⁰ And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
⁵² he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵ as he spoke to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

There certainly are times we wish for a bolt of lightning to come from heaven and smite the evil-doers. We see injustice, unfairness, and corruption and we wish for that swift hand of retribution and vengeance to strike, to set things right, to make the wicked fall and the oppressed rise. I think of human traffickers, embezzlers and swindlers preying on widows, and terrorists launching their missiles against the innocent. I think, also of rich people oppressing the poor. Set it right, O Lord!

Psalm 10:17–18

“O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”

But that is not the spirit of Hannah’s prayer or of Mary’s Magnificat. Mary sings:

he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.

I think of Amy Grant singing, “El Shaddai, El Shaddai, … your most awesome work was done in the frailty of your Son.” The readings from 1 Samuel and Ezekiel today chronicle not only Hannah’s prayer, but the corruption of Eli’s sons, and their downfall. Ezekiel records how Egypt who was thought to be powerful would be overcome by yet another power. Nebuchadnezzar will overcome Egypt. The result: “On that day I will cause a horn to spring up for the house of Israel, and I will open your lips among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 29:21).

God doesn’t smite people for fun – an overstatement to be sure. His ways are part of a more sweeping story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. The rise and fall of Babylon, Egypt, and Israel are part of the cosmic span of history. The manner of setting things right falls on the shoulders of Jesus, who will take the strike of God’s hand of justice so that we may experience the mercy of God. There will be a day. And on that day we who wait, hope, and trust humbly in God’s faithful and gracious love will rejoice in God’s salvation.

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷ and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

And Mary said [to the angel Gabriel who had announced the coming birth of Jesus], “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Maybe you remember the ad campaign, “I’m Second.” The campaign was a Christian media and outreach movement launched in 2008 by the e3 Partners Ministry, based in Texas. Its central message is that Jesus is first, and individuals—no matter their fame, wealth, or struggles—find purpose and identity when they put themselves second to Christ. It’s a way of saying, “I’m not first,” in other words portraying a spirit of humility.

Years ago I interviewed for the position of assistant to the President of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. I was honored to have been considered. During the interview process, however, it became clear that I was not to be second to the President, but a step removed from that position. I’m not sure I was all that humble about my reaction to that. I thought, I’m willing to play second fiddle to the President, but not third fiddle. For the record the man who eventually took that role was eminently qualified for it – second or third fiddle status.

John was second fiddle to Jesus. John’s mission was to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. This had been promised through the prophet Malachi. He will be born of Zechariah and Elizabeth “to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” Yet as important as he was, and vital to the Redemption Saga of God, his humility factor was extraordinary. When the time came for Jesus to inaugurate his public ministry, he said, “He must increase. I must decrease” (cf. John 3:30). He made no presumptive claim to being anything other than the one preparing the way for Jesus.

Mary responds to Gabriel’s announcement of the coming birth (through her!) of the Savior humbly saying, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” So she was. And she bore the Savior of the Word in her body and brought him into the world. Yet she remained the Lord’s servant.

Most followers of Jesus are willing to play second fiddle to Jesus. But as Christ-followers, we are also to be willing to play second fiddle to one another. Philippians 2:3 says, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” In other words we ought always be willing to be second.