REMINDER:
I wanted to begin by briefly reviewing what we have already learned about Jesus Christ before his ministry in Galilee. We previously discussed the birth of Christ, the prophetic announcement of his birth, the place of his birth and the reasons for his birth in this geographical area (Judea, Bethlehem), as well as the prophetic significance of this birth.
We then retraced the place where Jesus Christ grew up and the reasons for his childhood in this geographical area, while seeking to understand the prophetic interpretation of why Jesus grew up in Nazareth, Galilee.
Before going any further, here are some fundamental truths that formed the basis of our previous teaching.
THE PROPHECY OF CHRIST'S BIRTH:
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (Isaiah 7:14)
THE PROPHET ISAIAH PROPHESIES THAT THE VIRGIN WILL BECOME PREGNANT:
In the Old Testament, one of the prophets who prophesied extensively about the birth of the Messiah, Christ, was the prophet Isaiah, who is ranked among the major prophets according to Judaism.
Much of the prophet Isaiah's message was one of salvation, for he predicted the coming and birth of Christ, and even his suffering, many years before Jesus Christ, who is the salvation of the world. Isaiah was therefore a salvationist.
THE PROPHET PREDICTS THAT THE VIRGIN WILL BECOME PREGNANT
THIS IS WRITTEN IN Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us).
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF JESUS' BIRTH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:
Many years later, Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled: the virgin conceived. Here is how the Bible tells the story of Mary's miraculous pregnancy.
THE APPEARANCE OF THE ANGEL TO MARY
In the New Testament, the story of this birth begins with the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Mary in Nazareth, Galilee, who announces what will happen to her in the days to come. For God does nothing without first revealing His thoughts to His servants.
THIS IS WHAT IT IS WRITTEN IN LUKE 1:26-56:
Six months later, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a young woman engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. Her name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, you who have found favor with God; the Lord is with you!”29 Mary was deeply troubled by this greeting; she wondered what it meant. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for God has been gracious to you. 31 You will conceive and bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.” 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High God will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy child to be born to you will be called the Son of God.” 36 “Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant, though she is very old. It was said that she could not bear children, and now she is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Mary replied, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord. Everything you have said to me may be done for me.” And the angel left her.
IMPORTANT;
In this apparition, I wanted to draw your attention to something important: the Gospel begins by identifying the geographical location where Mary was living with her fiancé, where the angel appeared to her, namely NAZARETH IN GALILEE, which was the city where he was living at the time the angel Gabriel appeared to her. It was therefore in Nazareth that she became pregnant.
NAZARETH A WORTHLESS VILLAGE:
It seems that the words of Nathanael of Cana: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (Jn 1:47) aptly characterize the insignificant presence of this place. Of course, many Judeans had never heard of Nazareth, as it was unknown to many Jews at the time of Jesus.
MIRACULOUS PREGNANCY: (Matthew 1:18-24)
After the angel had announced the news to Mary, and during their wedding preparations, an unusual event occurred before their marriage. The virgin miraculously became pregnant without having had sexual relations with her fiancé. This news shocked Joseph, her fiancé, who was ready to leave her secretly. God then told him not to make such a decision regarding Mary.
It is written: Matthew 1:18
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was thus: His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph. But before they came together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
WHAT THE LAW SAYS IN THESE CASES:
Jewish law classifies this situation as infidelity because she becomes pregnant, but her future husband is not the biological father of the child. In this case, according to Jewish law, Joseph has the right to file for divorce or end the relationship. If Joseph makes this decision, it will open the door to legal and traditional prosecution against his fiancée, which could lead to a death sentence by stoning, according to Jewish custom.
JOSEPH'S DECISION TO BREAK UP WITH MARY:
Joseph, being a good, law-abiding Jew, decided, after some thought, to apply the law by breaking up with her. But because he was a good, respected, and honest man, and also out of love for his fiancée Mary, whom she loved so much, the Bible says that he planned to do it secretly, without anyone knowing. He also wanted to spare Mary death by stoning, as the Jewish court had ordered according to the Law of Moses.
Matthew 1:19
Her fiancé, Joseph, who was a righteous man and did not want to dishonor her, suggested that they break up with her secretly.
THE APPEARANCE OF THE ANGEL TO JOSEPH (Matthew 1:18-24)
So that JESUS's pregnancy would not be contested by JOSEPH, MARY'S fiancé, and to avoid any accusation of infidelity against Mary, the young virgin, God saw fit to send the same angel Gabriel to alert Joseph and warn him not to dispute the pregnancy and not to hesitate to marry his fiancée, for everything is done by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The biblical account shows us that, while Joseph was reflecting on the situation and the decision of his heart, the Lord sent him an angelic message informing him that he should not hesitate to take Mary as his wife, for the child she was carrying came from the power of the Holy Spirit. And this happened in a vision. The Bible makes this clear.
Matthew 1:20
While he was thinking, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child she is carrying is by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
NOTE:
From a biblical perspective, the fact that God chose the voice of a dream to speak to Joseph, Mary’s fiancé, is excellent proof that s visions and dream are excellent channels through which God often communicates His thoughts to us. Therefore, we must never neglect dreams and visions, but rather examine them with the discernment of the Spirit to determine whether they come from God or the evil one; if they do, we must take them into consideration.
JOSEPH OBEYED GOD’S WILL:
Upon waking, as the Bible records, Joseph correctly followed the instructions given by God through his angel. He decided to marry Mary and continued to abstain from sexual relations with his wife until the birth of the baby Jesus.
Matthew 1:24-25
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. 25 But he did not have marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son (firstborn), whom he named Jesus.
THE CONFIRMATION OF THE MESSIAHSHIP OF THE CHILD JESUS;
Through this prophetic vision, the angel confirms to Joseph the messianic nature of Jesus Christ as the Savior of His people and their sins.
Matthew 1:21-23
She will bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: 23 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means "God with us."
CONCLUSION:
To conclude, we understand here that Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth before the birth of Jesus. It was therefore in Nazareth, Galilee, that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, and she later became pregnant in Nazareth, where she was living with Joseph.
But Jesus was born in another place, far from their family home. It was therefore in Bethlehem, Judea, that Jesus Christ was born, so that the prophecy of Micah 5:2 would be fulfilled. And we have seen in the Gospels how God Himself orchestrated events to facilitate the fulfillment of the prophecy of Christ's birth in Bethlehem, Judea.
The Gospels confirm that after Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, Judea, after fulfilling what the law required of them, they returned to their family home in Nazareth, where Jesus grew up until the day he was baptized by John and finally began his ministry.
I RECOMMEND YOU READ THIS:
LUKE 1:26-56
LUKE 2:1-7
LUKE 2:39-40
NEXT:
We will soon discuss Jesus' ministry and its impact: how was he introduced to the ministry, by whom, and why? Where did he begin his ministry and why? What lessons can we learn from his ministry?
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