Milo

AUGUST 9 Reading 221
A HEALING MINISTRY
Luke 4–5

“The people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying His hands on each one, He healed them” (Luke 4:40).

In describing the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Luke focuses our attention on Christ’s healing and forgiving power. What Jesus did as well as what He said shows Him to be the Son of God.

Overview
After being tempted by Satan (4:1–13) Jesus began a ministry in Galilee (vv. 14–15). Jesus chose Nazareth to identify Himself as the Messiah (vv. 16–21), where He was angrily rejected (vv. 22–30). Moving on, Jesus drove out evil spirits (vv. 31–37) and healed (vv. 38–44). He also called His first disciples, typified by Peter (5:1–11). Jesus proved He has the power to forgive sins (vv. 12–26) and transform character (vv. 27–32), yet His hearers asked only trivial questions (vv. 33–39).

Understanding the Text
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit . . . was led by the Spirit” Luke 4:1. These chapters too emphasize the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life on earth. The Spirit led Christ into the desert to be tempted (v. 1). Jesus began His ministry in the power of the Spirit (vv. 14–15), and announced that the Spirit of the Lord was on Him to preach the Good News and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. All that Jesus did was infused with the dynamic of God’s Spirit.
But there is something else to note. We realize that the Spirit enables us to serve the Lord. But we seldom think of Him leading us into trying times. Here Luke reminds us that the Spirit may even lead us into temptation! When life brings difficulties and challenges, let’s not doubt the Spirit’s leading—or His power to make us victorious.

“He was tempted by the devil” Luke 4:2–13. Reading 197 (Matt. 4) discusses the specific temptations Jesus overcame. Here we need to distinguish between three types of temptation. (1) When Satan tempts, he lures a person into doing evil. Satan was successful in tempting Adam and Eve (Gen. 3), but failed completely in his attempt to tempt Christ. (2) When we tempt God (cf. Deut. 6:16), we act contrary to faith and demand He prove Himself to us. (3) When God places us in a difficult situation, He does so to test us—in order that we might pass the test rather than fail it! James 1:13 assures us that “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” God has given us His Spirit in order that we, like Jesus, may be victorious whenever we are tempted to sin.

“He went up to Nazareth” Luke 4:14–21. Jesus chose the synagogue at Nazareth to publicly announce Himself as Israel’s expected Messiah. He did this by reading part of a well-known messianic passage from Isaiah. Both what Jesus read and what He left out are important. He focused on the Spirit’s empowering to preach the Good News, especially announcing to the poor, the prisoner, the blind, and the oppressed—all who had no hope except for hope in God—that the moment of God’s favor had arrived. The coming of Jesus meant, and still means, there is hope for the hopeless.
What Jesus left out was a phrase found in the original Isaiah text: “the day of vengeance of our God.” Christ’s first coming was to pour out God’s favor on humankind. Only at His second coming will vengeance and wrath overflow.
In this announcement Jesus set the agenda for the church as well. We are called to announce the grace of God today—and to display it as Jesus did, in acts of love and kindness.

“All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this” Luke 4:20–29. Why did Jesus’ neighbors react as they did? The phrase “spoke well of Him” is probably an inaccurate interpretation of emaryroun auto, “bore Him witness.” The people were already disturbed, first that a neighbor’s Son should dare to make such a claim (v. 22), and second that Jesus had left out the day of vengenance to speak only of grace (e.g., “gracious words”). When Christ went on to suggest that His message would prove a blessing to Gentiles (vv. 25–27) and not be reserved for Israel alone, the people became furious enough to try to kill Him (v. 29).
Jesus had disappointed their fondest hopes, and rejected their claim to exclusive possession of the divine favor. The Jews wanted a Messiah to throw off the Roman yoke and exalt their nation. They did not want a Messiah who would merely heal and forgive sins. The thought that they would not be favored above the hated Gentiles drove the crowd wild.
Let’s be warned by the reaction of Jesus’ neighbors. We must be careful to come to God without conditions or expectations. We cannot dictate to Him what He will do. And we must realize that God’s love is universal. While we are special to Him, others are just as special as we.
It takes true humility to relate to God in this age of grace. We must be humble in relation to the Lord, seeking only to do His will. And we must be humble in relation to others, and willing to put them first.

“A demon, an evil spirit” Luke 4:31–37. Luke, a physician, makes a careful distinction between normal sicknesses and demon possession. There is no “superstitious belief that all sickness is caused by the demonic” in Luke’s Gospel!
What there is reminds us that Jesus is all-powerful. “With authority and power He [still] gives orders to evil spirits and they come out.”

“When the sun was setting” Luke 4:38–44. The people waited until sunset, because it was considered unlawful to carry a burden on the Sabbath (cf. v. 38), even though the burden might be a sick person. Jesus, however, had healed Peter’s mother-in-law on the Sabbath Day. You and I never have to wait to bring our burdens or needs to Christ.

“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man” Luke 5:1–11. One of Luke’s literary techniques was to tell his story through vignettes of individuals. Here he portrayed Christ’s call of His disciples by focusing on Peter, the chief disciple.
The story is rich in psychological insight. Jesus acted in a way that Peter saw as miraculous. Even though what Jesus did was for Peter’s benefit, Peter was suddenly stricken with a sense of guilt, and begged Jesus to go away. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden, Peter’s first reaction when he became aware he was in the presence of the Lord was one of flight.
Jesus, however, was not put off. He had come to find sinners just like Peter—and to transform them into “fishers of men.”
Some non-Christians, but not all, will feel much like Peter, uncomfortable at the thought of being in God’s presence. It’s up to us to reassure them. Jesus isn’t worried about being contaminated by sinners. He came to save sinners, and has the spiritual power required to make even the most wicked good.

“Who had come from every village of Galilee and . . . were sitting there” Luke 5:17–26. Luke made it clear that the “Pharisees and teachers of the Law” present were an official delegation, come to check on the young Preacher and Teacher of Galilee.
In the first century a person could be recognized as a teacher of the Law—a rabbi, or sage—only after going through a lengthy period of training under an acknowledged master. Jesus had no such training, and so a skeptical ecclesiastical commission came down to observe Him.
Jesus could sense their condemnation when He forgave the paralytic’s sin. He then announced He would heal the paralytic to prove that He had the power to forgive sin. If He failed, God had not heard Him, and His announcement of forgiveness was meaningless. But an actual healing would show that God was working through Him, and confirm His claim to be able to forgive.
Ecclesiastical commissions still have a tendency to stand in judgment on the working of the Holy Spirit through people who have no “official” recognition. Many a woman today with significant spiritual gifts is unable to exercise them in the church. But the key to effective ministry remains the same—God’s gifts, and His calling. And evidence of God’s call is still seen in the transforming results of an individual’s ministry to others.

“Yours go on eating and drinking” Luke 5:33–39. I remain amazed at the mentality of people who can witness wonderful works performed by God and then argue about the insignificant. Good heavens! Jesus was casting out demons! He was healing the sick! He was claiming, and proving, His ability to forgive sins! And some folks asked Him a question about fasting!
Jesus’ answer, basically, was this. Get rid of the old categories in which you’ve thought about religion and relationship with God. You must not try to fit what I say and do into your old ways of thinking, but you must put My “new wine” into “new wineskins.”
How much we need to be open to what Jesus is doing in our world, and what He teaches in His Word. Our best theology cannot contain God’s thoughts or purposes. If we become rigid in our thinking about God, we will fall into the trap of those who ignored Jesus’ wonders to wonder about what might better have been ignored.

DEVOTIONAL
That Three-Letter Word
(Luke 5)
Most parents tend to watch out for four-letter words. But today many adults have at least as strong a dislike for a three-letter word: sin. It’s certainly gone out of style today, and anyone who talks about it is likely to be accused of trying to “impose his (or her) morality on others.” According to folks like Norman Lear and his People for the American Way, talking about sin is the biggest sin of all!
Actually, the Bible doesn’t treat “sin” as such an awful word at all. In fact, sin is one thing Scripture is quite confident God is able to deal with. Why avoid it then, if it’s really no longer a threat?
Luke 5 contains progressive stories about sin. Verses 1–11 tell how Peter came to realize that Jesus was truly Lord (note v. 5, and then v. 8), and that when He did Peter was suddenly aware he was a sinful man. He begged Jesus to leave, but Christ wouldn’t go. Instead Jesus held out the prospect of a new life to Peter: “from now on you will catch men.” Jesus isn’t repelled by our sin either. He knows that He has power to change us, and to change our lives.
Verses 17–26 show us how Jesus deals with our sins. He forgives them. As He broke the power of the paralysis that kept the man immovable on his mat, so His forgiveness breaks the bonds that paralyze our ability to do good.
And verses 27–32 demonstrate just that power. For Levi, the tax collector and social outcast, was none other than Matthew, the disciple who wrote the Gospel that bears his name (cf. Matt. 9:9). Christ not only calls sinners to repentance, but those who do repent He transforms into servants of God.
So don’t be put off by that word “sin,” and don’t apologize for it. Sin is still a reality that every human being needs to face. The good news we have to share is that sin isn’t a problem . . . for God. In Jesus there is forgiveness and renewal.

Personal Application
Call a sin a sin to bless others, not to curse them.

Quotable
“Who does not know what it is to rise up from a fault—perceived, confessed, and forgiven—with an almost joyous sense of new energy, strength, and will to persevere?”—H.L. Sidney Lear

JESUS AND JOHN
Luke 2–3

“John answered them all, ’I baptize you with water. But One more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie’ ” (Luke 3:16).

Luke’s written history draws attention to the special signs associated with Jesus’ birth and His announcement by John. Truly, Luke is telling us, Jesus is the Son of man and the Son of God.

Overview
Luke dated Jesus’ birth (2:1–7), and told of another angelic visitation (vv. 8–20). When presented at the temple, the Infant Jesus was identified as the Messiah by Simeon (vv. 21–32) and the Prophetess Anna (vv. 33–40). At age 12 Jesus visited the temple and called it “My Father’s house” (vv. 41–52). Luke then dated and described John’s ministry (3:1–20), reported Jesus’ baptism (vv. 21–22) and gave Jesus’ genealogy (vv. 23–38).

Understanding the Text
“Everyone went to his own town to register” Luke 2:1–7. Luke was careful to pinpoint the date. But the passage of time has caused the reference points to be lost today, and the specific time of Christ’s birth and the census continues to be debated. There is no doubt, however, that Roman practice required citizens of provinces to be enrolled in one’s original home. Why is this important?
Micah had predicted the Christ would be born in Bethlehem. God used a census, called for by a pagan Roman emperor, to arrange for Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem at just the right time. How wonderful our God is. He so shapes history that the decree of Augustus became a means of accomplishing His own divine decree. There is no circumstance beyond the power of our God to control—or to overcome.

“There was no room for them” Luke 2:7. This poignant phrase has touched Christians ever since Luke penned it. It may not have been an “inn” that turned the couple away: the Greek word is also used of guest rooms in private homes. As the crowds returned to Bethlehem for the registration, space was finally found for Mary in what tradition says was a cave used to stable animals. There, we’re told, the Christ was born.
Contemplating the humble surroundings and the audience of animals, one hymn writer penned:
Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me.
But in Bethlehem’s home there was found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus;
There is room in my heart for Thee.-Emily E.S. Elliott

“Good news of great joy that will be for all the people” Luke 2:8–18. A great company of angels appeared to shepherds in fields near Bethlehem, praising God. The meaning of their words, once translated: “Peace on earth to men of good will,” is better captured in the eQ¸: “Peace to men on whom His favor rests.” Rather than limit the promise of joy to men of good will, the angelic shout proclaims a grace of God that is Good News and the promise of joy to all! In Christ the Saviour, man’s deepest need is met. Through Christ, God’s favor is poured out on all who will but believe.

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” Luke 2:19. Despite all Mary had been shown, she could hardly grasp the full implication of her calling to be Jesus’ mother. The Greek text draws a fascinating comparison. While shepherds and people who heard their report were amazed and excited, Mary in contrast (“but”) chose to hold these things in mind and meditate on them.
Mary’s course is the better one. Some of us respond with great, immediate emotion to almost any message. But the feelings quickly wear off, and with them our interest in the message disappears. Mary did not overreact to the amazing events. She chose to think about them, meditating on them for a long time.
It’s true that God touches our emotions as well as our minds. But, like Mary’s, our faith must be rooted in contemplation of what God has done and its meaning for us, not in feelings primarily—or alone.

“Moved by the Spirit” Luke 2:21–40. Luke related two more incidents that serve to demonstrate Jesus’ identity. On the 40th day after His birth Jesus’ mother came to the temple to offer the sacrifice required of the poor for purification after childbirth (v. 24; cf. Lev. 12:8). There the Holy Spirit caused two aged saints to identify Jesus as the promised Messiah.
While the incidents serve as historical evidence, they surely had special meaning to Joseph and Mary. Very shortly after this, Matthew tells us, the couple was forced to take the Baby Jesus and flee the country. How much the memory of every unusual word about their Child would serve to encourage Joseph and Mary then.
Many of God’s most unusual works are performed more for the comfort of His own than for some great theological purpose. Here God comforted four: Simeon and Anna near the end of their lives; Joseph and Mary at the beginning of a difficult period in theirs. The very personal purposes seen here encourage us to expect the Lord to meet our needs as well.

“I had to be in My Father’s house” Luke 2:41–52. At age 12, when custom dictated a boy became responsible to the Law, Jesus’ parents took Him to the temple at Passover. We might focus on Jesus’ conversation with the sages who, during festival periods, taught publicly in the temple courts. Most significant, however, is Luke’s mention of Jesus’ attitude toward God.
The “theantropic person,” a name theologians give to the bonding of Deity and humanity in Jesus, remains a great mystery. The incarnate Christ clearly did not exercise all of His attributes as Deity. As Luke says, He “grew in wisdom” as well as in stature. Yet there seems no question that Jesus was conscious at an early age of His unique relationship with God His Father. Yet at all times Jesus lived His life as a godly human being, even as a Child being “obedient to” His parents.
We will never unravel the mystery, or be able to isolate God from man in Jesus. And frequently, as here, we will be reminded by Luke of the mystery as well as history of our faith.

“As He was praying, heaven was opened” Luke 3:21–22. Luke is the only one of the Gospel writers to tell us that Jesus was praying as He was baptized and as the Spirit descended from heaven. Only Luke tells us Christ also prayed before choosing the Twelve (6:12) and on the Mount of Transfiguration (9:29). Other instances of Jesus praying are found in 5:16; 9:18; and 11:1.
Jesus did live His life on earth as a human being, but as a perfect Man. Christ’s reliance on prayer reminds us how much we need to communicate constantly with our Heavenly Father.

“The son, so it was thought, of Joseph” Luke 3:23–37. The phrase “about thirty” in that culture is an approximate number. Christ may have been in His mid-30s when He began to minister. But while age was dealt with loosely, genealogy in ancient Israel was a serious issue, and records were meticulously kept. Luke would have had access to records that contained the data found in this chapter.
Luke’s genealogy differed from the genealogy in Matthew. The places where the lines diverge have been explained by assuming Matthew traced the legal line through Joseph, while Luke traced the actual line of Jesus through Mary. Other explanations of the differences have also been suggested. We do not have enough information to know which explanation is the actual source of the variance.
What is most significant, however, is that while Luke made it clear that Joseph was only assumed to be Jesus’ father (v. 23), Luke traces His ancestry not to David or Abraham but to Adam. Luke wants us to understand that Jesus was a true human being; one of us, as well as the Son of God.

DEVOTIONAL
Kill to Make Alive
(Luke 3:1–20)
John was not a smooth, comfortable preacher. He was blunt, confrontive. He pulled no punches, and preached a message of coming wrath. He was one of those “sin” preachers that folks today seem to find so distasteful.
John’s warning not to rely on descent from Abraham (v. 8) struck at a root of first-century Jewish faith. As the chosen people, the seed of Abraham, and possessors of God’s Law, many felt their standing with God was secure. John attacked this favored doctrine, and demanded repentance matched by moral reform.
Perhaps it’s surprising, but people often hunger for just this kind of preaching. Deep down everyone senses he is not what he could or should be. There’s a sense of relief when pretenses are stripped away, and we’re forced not only to face our need—but are given hope that we may somehow become better than we are.
It’s this that kept crowds coming to hear John, and wondering in their hearts if John might be the Christ. And it’s this that makes modern John—like messages of repentance and “unquenchable fire” messages of “good news” too (vv. 17–18). The Bible’s “condemning” word about sin isn’t condemning at all! In demanding that we face our guilt, Scripture brings rather than annihilates hope. Only when we face guilt do we seek forgiveness, and find the new life in the Jesus that John preached.
So while you and I rightly major on the grace of God when sharing Jesus with others, it’s not wrong now and then to stand, like John, and fearlessly rebuke both sin and sinner. The word that condemns is at times the door of hope.

Personal Application
Let God guide you when to share the Good News in the guise of bad.

Quotable
“Ministers who can preach the Gospel of Jesus in our kind of civilization without making anyone uncomfortable deserve an automobile for the difficult feat. And they need one to compensate them for the lack of spiritual vitality which makes performance of the feat possible.”—Reinhold Niebuhr

Luke

INTRODUCTION
This Gospel and the Book of Acts were written by the same person. Early tradition and internal evidence identifies the author as Luke, a physician and companion of Paul on many missionary journeys (2 Tim. 4:11).
Luke was a careful historian, who interviewed eyewitnesses to establish the factual basis of Christian faith (Luke 1:1–4; cf. Acts 10:39). Yet Luke’s history is anything but dull. This Gospel is rich with sympathetic sketches of the people Jesus met and ministered to. Among them are more women, more children, and more poor, than are mentioned in the other Gospels.
This rich and complex work presents Jesus not only as a historic and admirable Person, but also as the Saviour come to “seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). Other themes that are emphasized by Luke are Jesus’ prayer life and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Appropriately, expressions of joy and praise abound in this Gospel of the glory of God as disclosed in His Son (1:46–55; 2:13–14; 7:16; 10:21; 18:43; 19:37–38).

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS
I.
Introduction
Luke 1:1–4
II.
Birth and Childhood
Luke 1:5–2:52
III.
Preparation for Ministry
Luke 3:1–4:13
IV.
Galilean Ministry
Luke 4:14–9:50
V.
Teaching and Travels
Luke 9:51–19:44
VI.
The Final Week
Luke 19:45–24:53

IN GOD’S TIME
Luke 1

“You will be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:31–32).

God’s Spirit is active whenever the Lord is about to do a work in and for His people.

Overview
Luke stated his purpose (1:1–4), and immediately launched his history. He reported angelic visitations before the birth of John the Baptist (vv. 5–25) and Jesus (vv. 26–38). He told of Mary’s visit to John’s mother (vv. 39–45) and recorded her “Magnificat,” a hymn of praise (vv. 46–56). When John was born (vv. 57–66) his father, Zechariah, predicted his ministry as forerunner of Messiah (vv. 67–80).

Understanding the Text
“Eyewitnesses and servants of the Word” Luke 1:14. Many believe that Luke had the opportunity to travel in Palestine and interview Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah, and others during the two years Paul was kept under arrest at Caesarea (cf. Acts 24:27). Luke himself said he “carefully investigated everything from the beginning,” indicating he searched out many sources and compared their accounts before writing.
Luke wasn’t interested in passing on rumors or twice-told tales. He offered a factual, carefully researched study of Jesus’ life. Why? In sending this account on to Theophilus, to whom Acts is also addressed, Luke said he had written “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” Jesus did live; Jesus did teach and perform miracles; Jesus did die and rise again. Just as this and the other Gospels say.
So travel with Luke. Meet the people who actually knew Jesus, and hear their testimony about Him. As you do, you realize anew that our faith is rooted in reality, not in myths or legends.

“But they had no children” Luke 1:5–7. The pain of childlessness was particularly acute in Israel, where this condition was also a source of shame. But note that the text stresses the upright character of both Zechariah the priest and his wife Elizabeth. Only then does it say, “But they had no children.”
By linking their character with her condition, Luke makes it clear that Elizabeth’s barrenness was not a consequence of sin. He also reassures us. We too can experience suffering that has no relationship to personal sins.
God, who had only good in mind for Zechariah and Elizabeth, and ultimately blessed them, will ultimately bless you and me too.

“He was chosen by lot” Luke 1:9–12. The priests were divided into 24 groups, each of which served for a week twice a year at the Jerusalem temple. But the privilege of burning incense inside the temple was distributed by lot, and a priest might have this honor only once during his lifetime! Now, in Zechariah’s old age, at last the lot fell on him.
Again we see that God’s blessings are often delayed. Though it’s hard, you and I too need to wait patiently for God’s timing.

“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth” Luke 1:13–17. The angel that appeared to Zechariah conveyed God’s promise of a son, who would be the forerunner of the promised Messiah (v. 17). The account contains the first mention of the Holy Spirit, whose activity dominates this chapter (vv. 35, 41, 67). God had chosen that particular moment in history to personally intervene, to bring salvation to humankind.
Note too the reference in each context to joy. John, filled with the Spirit, “will be a joy and delight to you” (v. 14). Elizabeth and her babe, also filled with the Spirit, “leaped for joy” when Mary “the mother of my Lord” came to visit. Neither Mary nor Zechariah could contain the overflow of praise as the Spirit worked in their lives (vv. 46–55; 67–79).
As we open ourselves to God’s Spirit and surrender to Him, we too will discover a joy that bubbles over into praise.

“Because you did not believe my words” Luke 1:18–25. Asking God for a special sign of confirmation can be right or wrong. In this case Zechariah’s request for a sign grew out of unbelief, and therefore was wrong. But notice that Zechariah’s unbelief did not cause God to go back on His word.
Sometimes true believers like Zechariah have difficulty taking hold of the promises of the Lord. Don’t let others frighten you with the teaching that unless you believe, you will never benefit from God’s promises or receive His gifts. Many promises are unconditional, and depend on the faithfulness of God rather than on the strength of the believer’s faith. When you come across a promise in God’s Word, deliberate on how trustworthy God is, and simply thank Him for His gift.

“Nothing is impossible with God” Luke 1:26–38. How fascinating to see a young girl, certainly not out of her teens, unhesitatingly accept Gabriel’s promise of a Virgin Birth. Zechariah, a godly and aged priest, had doubted the same angel’s promise of a far less wonder!
Mary is certainly one of Scripture’s most appealing characters. She reminds us that finding favor with God and having faith in God do not depend on age, theological training, or high religious position. The youngest and the simplest of us can have a vital faith in God and be loved deeply by Him (see DEVOTIONAL).

“What then is this child going to be?” Luke 1:57–66 The story of John’s unusual birth was told and retold for years in the hill country of Judea, where he was born. While Jesus grew up in obscurity, John was the focus of attention through childhood (v. 80). A Nazarite from birth, John wore his hair long and avoided wine, setting him apart from others (v. 15). This and the unusual events surrounding John’s birth may have been one means God used to stimulate the attitude of expectancy that did grip many in the first century, who were eagerly looking for the appearance of the Messiah.
God not only prepared a place for His Son; He prepared the people who would be invited to trust Him.
It’s helpful for us to remember this when we have an opportunity to witness. God will have already been at work, preparing the other person for what we have to share.

“His father Zechariah . . . prophesied” Luke 1:67–79. Zechariah’s utterance is a prophecy: a prediction made by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As such it sums up the implications of all the events that Luke described in this first chapter.
There’s a pattern here, with each statement of God’s action matched by praise for its benefits. God has come and redeemed His people (v. 68). God has raised up One of David’s house, able to save and so kept His promise to rescue from all enemies (vv. 69–71). God has performed a covenant-keeping act of mercy (vv. 72–73) and not only rescued us, but enabled us to serve Him “in holiness and righteousness . . . all our days” (vv. 74–75).
As for John, he would be a prophet (v. 76), who went before the Messiah to give people “the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (v. 77).
Earlier Gabriel had told Zechariah that John “will be a joy and delight to you” (v. 14). I know that nearly every child is a joy to its parents. But what a special joy, to know that our children will serve the Lord.
There has been only one John the Baptist. But many a Christian parent has shared the joy of Zechariah, and seen children trust God, and then mature in faith.

DEVOTIONAL
The Mother of My Lord
(Luke 1:26–55)
There’s a vast difference between calling Mary the “mother of my Lord,” as Elizabeth did, and the “mother of God.” In Jesus, God took on human nature, and that human nature was derived from His mother, Mary. God the Son, like God the Father, eternally existing, had no mother. In no way can His divine nature be attributed to Mary, who was merely a creature like you and me.
It’s this that Luke seemed to emphasize in his lovely portrait of Mary. She was a creature, like you and me. But her unusual response to God sets us an example.
Mary is an example of submission. “I am the Lord’s servant,” she said. “May it be to me as you have said” (v. 38). Mary knew full well what she risked as an unmarried woman: rejection by Joseph, the scorn and contempt of her neighbors. Yet Mary did not hesitate. She committed herself totally to the Lord’s plan for her life.
Mary is an example of humility. Twice in that poem known as Mary’s “Magnificat,” she mentions her “humble state” (vv. 48, 52). Though to Mary alone was granted the privilege of being mother of the Messiah, the “One desired by women” (Dan. 11:37), she never became proud. Many men of Scripture through whom God worked succumbed later to pride. Mary, who had more to boast of than any of them, never lost her spirit of selfless dependence on God.
Mary is an example of thankfulness. She responded to God’s touch with her whole soul and spirit, praising and exalting the Lord. She saw in God’s work in her own life evidence of His love for all His people, and was thrilled with God’s might, grace, mercy, and faithfulness.
Today we should honor Mary, and thank God for her simple trust. But the best way to honor Mary is not to pray to her. Rather the best way to honor Mary is to model our own relationship with God on the traits she displayed. The acts of recognition of which Mary would approve remain the same: to readily submit to our Lord, to nurture a humble spirit, and to express our appreciation to God in praise, as Mary did so long ago.

Personal Application
Don’t pray to Mary. But do honor her, by following her example.

Quotable
“Humility is like a pair of scales; the lower one side falls, the higher rises the other. Let us humble ourselves like the blessed virgin and we shall be exalted.”—John Vianney

JANUARY 14 Reading 14
“GOD WILL BE WITH YOU”
Genesis 47–50

“I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers” (Gen. 48:21).

Genesis ends with Jacob’s family settled in Egypt. Yet the passing of the patriarchs marks the beginning, not the end, of what God will do for and through the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is the same with us. The passing of one generation is not the end. As we trust in God, we can say to our children, “God will be with you.” We can rely on God to work out His purpose in their lives.

Overview
The family arrived and was settled on prime Egyptian land (47:1–31). Jacob counted Joseph’s 2 sons as his own (48:1–22), and blessed all 13 before he died (49:1–33). Joseph buried his father, reaffirmed his forgiveness of his brothers, and obtained a promise that when God brought their offspring back to Canaan, Joseph’s bones would be returned to his homeland (50:1–26).

Understanding the Text
“Egypt and Canaan” Gen. 47:1–31. Canaan depended on rainfall for the moisture needed to raise crops. Egypt, however, depended on the Nile River, which overflowed annually and enriched the farmlands lying along its banks. Times of famine are reported in ancient Egyptian records, yet the Nile generally made Egypt famine-proof. Egyptian reliefs and records depict peoples from Syria-Palestine asking permission to stay in Egypt in famine, and coming to Egypt to buy food.

“The land became Pharaoh’s” Gen. 47:20. Ancient inscriptions confirm that Egypt was considered to belong to Pharaoh, and that 20 percent of the crop was to be his. Records also show that temple lands did not belong to Pharaoh, which meant that Egypt’s rulers were often troubled by too-independent religious hierarchies. No independent Egyptian records tell the story of Joseph or explain how Pharaoh’s ownership was established.

“Your two sons . . . will be reckoned as mine” Gen. 48:1–22. It is sometimes confusing. The “12 tribes of Israel” are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. Yet if we compare lists, there are actually 13 tribal groups! Levi is not included in some lists, because this tribe provided priests and worship leaders. On other lists, such as the one in Revelation 7:5–8, Levi is included and Dan is left out.
What happened is that Jacob “adopted” the two sons of Joseph. These two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, became heads of tribal groups, and the name “Joseph” was dropped.
It’s helpful for us to remember this if someone else is given credit for what we have done while our name remains unmentioned. Genesis reminds us that it isn’t recognition that is important. It’s contribution.
Joseph’s name may not appear in Scripture’s lists of Israelite tribes. But we know—and God knows—that he made a greater contribution than any of the other brothers!

Jacob’s blessing Gen. 49:1–28. The concept of blessing is a powerful one in the Old Testament. In giving a blessing, a superior, such as a father, verbally conferred a gift or endowment to another person. This was not magic, for the Old Testament makes it clear that all blessing is from God (14:19; Num. 22; Deut. 10:8). Only a person who was in a close personal relationship with God could act as a channel through which God blessed others.
In Genesis 49, Jacob, enabled by God, looks ahead and in his blessing makes oft-obscure predictions about the future of each family group, based in part on the character of each of his sons (v. 28).
What is more important to us, however, is a phrase found in the blessing given Joseph. That phrase is, “Because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you . . . your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains” (vv. 25–26).
The deep faith in God that Joseph displayed blessed his sons, and remained a vital influence even on distant generations. If we want to be a blessing to our children’s children, there is no surer way than for us to live as close to God as Joseph did. When we are faithful and obedient, our “blessings are greater.”

“The scepter will not depart from Judah” Gen. 49:10. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah. This blessing, which predicts a ruler to emerge from Judah’s line, is one of the earliest and clearest of the Old Testament’s messianic prophecies.

“A full forty days” Gen. 50:1–14. The text again provides an accurate picture of cultural backgrounds. Israelite burial took place as soon after death as possible, with no attempt made to preserve the body. In Egypt, however, a lengthy process of removing viscera and treating the body with preservatives was followed. Jacob was embalmed after the Egyptian pattern because he had asked his sons to bury him in Canaan, too long a journey to take with a corrupting corpse.
Why would Jacob want to be buried in Canaan? Jacob’s request was an affirmation of faith. God had promised that his descendants would inherit Canaan. In choosing to be buried with his father and grandfather in Canaan, Jacob affirmed his conviction that his descendants would return and God’s promises would be fulfilled.

“God will surely come to your aid” Gen. 50:22–26. When death finally visited Joseph, he too took the opportunity to affirm his faith in God’s covenant. He had the family promise that, when God did bring the Hebrews out of Egypt and give them the Promised Land, his body would be carried home.
The deaths of Joseph and Jacob remind us that the funerals of believers, while darkened by grief, are also bright with hope. Neither Joseph nor Jacob viewed death as the end. Each looked beyond his own time on earth and found comfort in what God would do in the future. This is also the case with us. Because of Jesus we understand even better than they. Death’s sting still hurts. But we know that the death of the body is our induction into a full experience of eternal life.

DEVOTIONAL
What If?
(Gen. 50:1–21)
I remember how strange I felt that afternoon. I slipped into our living room, edged past my dad, and headed for my room.
Usually it wasn’t like that. Usually I hurried home, ran to Dad, and asked if we were going fishing that afternoon.
Not that day. That day I’d gone to school clutching a coin Dad gave me to buy new shoelaces. I went into Eli Bassett’s store. But I never made it past the candy counter. At school I tried to eat the candy, but it didn’t taste right, and I threw it away. That afternoon I told my dad I had lost the money.
Somehow knowing that I had done wrong distorted my relationship with my dad. I didn’t feel comfortable with him that afternoon. Not at all.
So I really can understand Joseph’s brothers. They remembered the wrong they had done, and it made them uncomfortable. What if Joseph held a grudge? What if Joseph intended to pay them back? What if?
Joseph must have understood too. The text says that “he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” Joseph even made his commitment to them unmistakably clear: “I will provide for you and your children.”
What was it that freed Joseph to forgive so freely? Perspective. Joseph realized his brothers had intended to harm him. But he also understood that God had used his siblings to achieve a good and important end. In looking beyond the act to consider God, Joseph was able to see his brothers’ sins in a fresh perspective. Sensing the good hand of God even in the evil others did freed Joseph from anger and from any desire to take revenge.
It’s strange, isn’t it? The brothers suffered more from their earlier sins than the man they had sinned against! Just as a child I suffered more from misusing the money Dad gave me to buy shoelaces than he did. I suffered more because my act made me feel guilty, and awareness of guilt created what seemed to me an uncrossable gulf in my relationship with my dad.
When someone we know sins against us, we need to adopt Joseph’s view of things. We need to realize that God can and will use even our hurts for good. We need to understand that sin hurts the sinner, perhaps even more than it hurts the person sinned against.
We can react with anger when we are hurt. We can strike out or use silence as a weapon to express our pain. Or we can take Joseph’s course and “speak comfortably” to the person who sins against us. This doesn’t mean that we ignore the sin. After all, Joseph said, “You intended to harm me.” But Joseph went on to “speak comfortably” to his brothers, to reassure them of forgiveness and express again his commitment to them.
When we take Joseph’s course, making plain our willingness to forgive and our continuing commitment to care for the one who has hurt us, then the pain of sinner and sinned against can be healed.
And we will have walked in a path marked out not only by Joseph, but by Jesus as well.

Personal Application
If you sense your alienation from someone who has hurt or sinned against you, why not try Joseph’s approach?

Quotable
“Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back; in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.”—Frederick Beuchner

JANUARY 13 Reading 13
WAIT AND SEE
Genesis 42–46

“Now we must give an accounting for his blood” (Gen. 42:22).

Twenty-two years had passed since Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave. When famine drove the brothers to Egypt, and they applied to Egypt’s second most powerful man, they had no idea he was Joseph. Yet it’s clear that none of them have forgotten what they did to Joseph. The question was, Had they changed?

Overview
When famine drove Joseph’s half brothers to Egypt to purchase food, they failed to recognize him (42:1–38). On a second visit, bringing Joseph’s full brother Benjamin, Joseph tested them (43:1–44:34). Joseph finally revealed himself to his stunned family (45:1–28). The clan moved to Egypt, where Jacob was reunited with the son he thought was dead (46:1–34).

Understanding the Text
“You are spies” Gen. 42:1–17. When the brothers appeared in Egypt to buy grain, Joseph accused them of being spies. This, and the other things that Joseph did to his brothers, should be understood as tests. Twenty-two years earlier, when Joseph was only 17, his half brothers had sold him as a slave. Joseph wanted to know if the Lord had worked any change in their characters. The tests that Joseph devised showed that God had!

“Surely we are being punished because of our brother” Gen. 42:18–38. The brothers were shaken by their brief imprisonment and by the suspicions voiced by Egypt’s ruler. The conviction that they were being punished shows they had never forgotten Joseph’s pleading as they cruelly sold him into slavery. For over two decades they had lived with that memory.
People sin lightly, as if doing wrong were no great matter. But once committed, sin’s memory snaps at our heels, burdening us with guilt and shame.
Note too Reuben’s statement, “Now we must give an accounting.” It sums up the Old Testament view of sin as (1) a violation of a known standard (2) for which one is accountable (3) and which merits punishment.

“Deeply moved” Gen. 43:1–34. This chapter is deeply emotional. We sense Jacob’s anguish at the thought of danger to Rachel’s other son, Benjamin. We sense the brothers’ terror as they faced a return to Egypt, where they were convinced the ruler intended to “seize us as slaves and take our donkeys” (v. 18). Only the prospect of starvation in Canaan forced Jacob to send Benjamin, and compelled the brothers to take the road to Egypt once again.
Joseph too was torn by emotion. He could hardly control himself at the sight of his brother, and word of his father. Yet Joseph controlled his emotions not out of necessity but out of wisdom. The test of his brothers was not complete. Joseph still needed to know their hearts.
All too often we act from emotion rather than wisdom. It is especially important in dealing with our children to do what is best for them, rather than what our heart tells us.

“Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father” Gen. 44:1–34. The final test Joseph devised placed unbearable stress on his brothers—but it revealed what Joseph needed to know. How significant it is that Judah is the one who makes the plea recorded in verses 18–34. Years before Judah had been against murdering Joseph, but had been more than willing to sell him as a slave and bring home evidence that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast (cf. 37:26–31). Now Judah offers to become a slave himself in place of young Benjamin, motivated by thought of the anguish that the loss of Benjamin would cause his father!
God had worked a real change in the heart of this man who was so calloused just 20 years before.
It may seem strange, but realization that we have sinned often launches personal transformation. Guilt is not intended to drive us from God but to Him. Even a person who has something as terrible to look back on as Judah did need not despair. God is the God who forgives sin and who transforms the sinner!
Judah’s reaction here offers hope to all who are burdened with memories of past sins. Our past need not determine our future! We can confess our sins to God and, like Judah, we can be changed.

“Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt” Gen. 45:1–46:34. A stunned Jacob heard the news and realized that before he died he would actually see the lost son he loved so dearly. Emotionally this is the climax of the story of Joseph.
In the flow of Genesis, it is not. The historic significance of Joseph is that through his rise from slavery to power, God made it possible for his little family to move to Egypt where they could multiply and become a great people. Yet the joy that echoes in the brothers’ excited announcement of the news that Joseph lived serves as an important reminder.
In working out His grand master plan for the ages, God never forgets the individual. He remembers each one of us and truly cares about our joys and our sorrows. I confess that I get tears in my eyes as I read Genesis 45:26–28. I suspect that God, figuratively speaking, had tears in His eyes as He witnessed that scene. Ultimately, God’s most important works are not those He does in shaping history’s flow, but those He does in the hearts of human beings. Transforming a Judah. Bringing a Jacob unexpected joy.

DEVOTIONAL
Beersheba
(Gen. 46:1–27)
Beersheba lies in southern Canaan. It is a pleasant place, some 974 feet above sea level. Further south, however, one can look down on the Negev and the wilderness of Zin, deserts through which an ancient highway wound its way toward Egypt. In a sense, Beersheba lies on Canaan’s border. To go further south is to leave the Promised Land behind.
I suspect this is why Jacob stopped at Beersheba to build an altar and offer sacrifices to God. Jacob was so eager to see Joseph again. The dry and devastated land of Canaan was no longer livable. Yet Jacob stopped at Beersheba.
I appreciate Jacob’s wisdom. Many decades before, Abraham, driven by another famine, had hurried on past Beersheba in his rush to reach Egypt (12:10–20)-even though God had placed him in Canaan. Jacob wasn’t about to leave the land in which God placed him, despite strong motives, without stopping at Beersheba to pray.
Genesis 46 tells us that there God spoke to Jacob in a vision, and told him not to be afraid to go down to Egypt. There God gave Jacob confirmation that he was doing the right thing.
I suspect that this part of the Joseph story provides a model for our own decision-making. We carefully consider our options. We note reasons to do one thing rather than another. On the basis of our information and our desires we “set out.” And this is right. God has given us minds with which to consider and desires that move us toward one goal or another. Our decision-making as Christians should not be mystical, but just as practical and reasoned as was Jacob’s decision to bring his family to Egypt.
But, as we set out, we need to be sure we stop at Beersheba. We need to be sensitive to God’s leading and ask the Lord to confirm or to correct us in the direction we’ve chosen to move.
The 70 members of Jacob’s family who were united in Egypt could be sure that they were where God wanted them to be. Jacob had stopped at Beersheba.
How good it is, as we make important decisions in our lives, to stop at Beersheba and indicate our willingness to continue or turn back at God’s direction. When we stop at Beersheba, we will have the confidence that, whatever happens, we are living in the center of God’s will.

Personal Application
Make decisions carefully. But make it a practice as you act on them to stop at Beersheba.

Quotable
“Gethsemane teaches us that the kingdom of God is entered only through a denial of one’s own will and the affirmation of the will of God. Therefore, the cross must stand central to an understanding of the kingdom. Since the essence of the kingdom is our obedience to the absolute will of God, we understand it only as we bring our own will to the foot of the cross. No self-will can live unchallenged in God’s kingdom.”—Dennis Corrigan