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Where Was Jesus Born?

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These are my sermon notes for December 20, 2020. I know this is s long post but since I am now preaching every week and teaching a Revelation study every week, I don’t have time for the daily verse studies that I used to post. All my sermon notes on the Matthew series as well as the YouTube videos of the messages are available by clicking on “Matthew” in the top menu. Similarly, notes and videos of the Revelation studies are available by clicking on “Revelation” in the top menu.

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For Christians, Christmas means celebrating the birth of Jesus. And while we focus on the manger in Bethlehem, the world is more focused on St. Nicolas, or more accurately his jolly old elf caricature and the commercialized version of this blessed holiday. As I was driving to the store the other day I observed, and counted, the number of houses that were decorated with a theme of commercialized Christmas versus those that were decorated with a Christ theme. On one street alone, I counted 20 houses that had decorations more than just lights hung on trees or on the house. Of those 20, how many do you think had Christ centered decorations? One, one in twenty!

The world has drifted away from the real “Reason for the Season.” But, this is not surprising given the effort our adversary is constantly putting into distraction and disinformation regarding the birth of our Savior. Even the church has been misinformed and misled. Let me explain. Every year at our house we decorate the inside with Christmas and other winter decorations. We always set up the nativity scene in a conspicuous place. It’s a way of helping people focus on the birth of Christ, not the gift giving of Santa Claus. Over the past 15 years I have frequently done blog posts on Christmas. As I have, I’ve become less and less inspired by the typical nativity scene. Let me explain.

Most nativity scenes portray Mary sitting down, with Joseph standing by her, in a makeshift shelter constructed of wood, covered by a thatched roof. Before them is the baby Jesus wrapped in a blanket lying in an animal’s feeding trough surrounded by various animals lying down peacefully. With them are some shepherds (always with shepherd’s crooks so we know who they are.) In addition to the shepherds we usually see kings; always three, never more and never less. The kings have small treasure chests opened as they present gifts to the child. Frequently, there is an angel standing by and occasionally, there is a star above the scene shining down on them. In our house, we used to also have Santa standing by the kings with his gift for Jesus. Unfortunately, Santa has fallen and is broken. How appropriate is that!

So how much of this nativity scene is historically accurate? A couple of months ago in our study of the book of Matthew we discovered that the three kings were not kings, but Magi (wise men from the East). We also don’t really know how many of them there were. We assume it was three because there were three kinds of gifts given (gold, frankincense, and myrrh). We also learned that they did not come to the manger, they came to a house when baby Jesus was a year or two old. So scratch the “three kings.” They had been guided by the star, which did not appear over the manger, it came and stood over the house. Scratch the star. The angel appeared to the shepherds out in the field at night, not at the manger and, the angel went up into heaven after delivering his message. Scratch the angel. We’ve also been told that Jesus was actually born in a cave that had been used as a barn. Scratch the shelter. That leaves Mary, Joseph, Jesus, a few shepherds and some animals in a cave. But – even this is not entirely correct, but we’ll get to that.

Let’s look at this scene based on Luke’s account of the events of that night.

A Census

Luke 2:1-3

1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

Notes:

Caesar Augustus – He was born Caius Octavius in 63 B.C. In 29 B.C. the Roman senate declared him Rome’s first emperor (Caesar). Two years later, they honored him with the title “Augustus” (“exalted one” – a term indicating religious veneration) and required all Romans to worship him.

Registered – This is from the Greek word apographō, which literally means “to write off.” Initially, this was not for taxation purposes. The registration was for census purposes in order to compile a list of all the people in the Roman world. This census was to be performed every 14 years and later it was used to levy taxes on the people.

All the world – From the Greek word oikoumenē. This word was originally used by the Greeks to indicate the entire area conquered by Alexander the Great. Later, after Rome defeated the Greeks, it was used to indicate the entire Roman world.

A Timely Birth

Luke 2:4-7

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Notes:

Bethlehem – These registrations required everyone to return to their family hometown to be put on the list. Since Joseph was a descendant of King David, they had to go to Bethlehem. (Actually, both Joseph and Mary were descendants of David.) The trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem is about 90 miles and may have taken them anywhere from six to ten days.

Looking back at this event from our side of the cross, we know that Bethlehem was where the Christ, the Messiah was born. Back then, they only had prophecies to go by. There are two of Micah’s prophecies about where the Messiah was to be born. The first is:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being little among the clans of Judah, out of you He shall come forth to Me to become ruler in Israel; and His comings forth have been from of old, from the days of antiquity. (Micah 5:2)

The other is:

And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. (Micah 4:8)

The words translated “tower of the flock” in Micah 4:8 are the Hebrew words migdol eder. This is a specific location just outside of Bethlehem. These two scriptures are why, when Herod inquired of the scribes and Pharisees where the king would be born, he was told, “in Bethlehem of Judah.”

Betrothed – This is from the Greek verb mnēsteuō which is from a root that means “to remember.” The betrothal (engagement) was usually sealed by a contract and a gift of jewelry was given to the bride by the groom. By Jewish law, the engagement was considered binding and could only be broken by issuing a decree of divorcement. The marriage ceremony would later take place just before the consummation, which was as much as a year after the engagement. Until then, the couple continued to live with their parents. However, this was not a requirement and the engaged couple could live together without upsetting any rules of ethical morality.

Manger – This is from phatnē, which refers to a manger or crib at which animals are fed. However, it could also refer to the “stall” where the animals were kept.

Inn – From the Greek word kataluma. This word is made up of kata, meaning “down” and luō, meaning “to loosen.” It was typically an upper room, or guest room, at a place where the guest was able to “unload” their animal and rest for the night.

Since, according to Luke, this was the first registration and everyone was to return to the town of their family for this registration, it is not surprising that there were no guest rooms available as all the descendants of David came to Bethlehem.

Wrapped him in swaddling cloths – These words are translated from the verb sparganoō, which means “to swaddle,” that is, “to wrap in strips of cloth” or in a blanket.

The Shepherds out in the field at night

Luke 2:8-9

8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

Notes:

Let’s learn a little bit about these shepherds. Shepherds did not spend all of their time out in the fields with their flocks; they only did this during birthing season. The primary birthing season for lambs was in the spring (March, April, May), but there were also shorter birthing seasons during the winter and late summer. And, because of being out in the field all day and night, they were not able to keep the religious ordinances and ceremonial responsibilities that were required of everyone by the religious leaders. As a result, these same religious leaders considered shepherds little better than the heathen Gentiles. They were even banned from entering the Temple.

However, rabbinical writings indicate that any lamb that was born between Bethlehem and Jerusalem was considered sacred and was to be used only for the temple sacrifices. The male sheep were used for sin offerings and the female sheep were used for thanksgiving offerings. And, the shepherds who raised these sheep were specially trained by the rabbis in how to care for newborn sheep.

Out in the field – This is a huge clue as to what time of year Jesus was born. As we said above, shepherds only spent the nights out in the field during the birthing seasons. Since the shepherds were out in the field, Jesus must have been born during a birthing season. If Jesus was born during the short winter birthing season, Joseph and Mary would have had to travel during the rainiest part of the year. If he was born during the summer birthing season, Joseph and Mary would have had to travel during the hottest part of the year. It is most likely, therefore, that they travelled in the Spring.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them – A literal translation would be “an angel of the Lord stood over them.” The words “stood over” are from ephistemi, which is made up of epi, meaning “above,” “over,” or “on” and histemi meaning “to stand.” This word is frequently translated “stood by” but it could also be translated as “stood over.” For instance, in Luke 4:39 when Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, it is translated as “stood over.”

And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. (Luke 4:39)

So, what’s the big deal? The big deal is that the angel of the Lord did not just stand before or beside the shepherds, he stood OVER them. We know that because then next phrase is, “and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear” Anyone would be filled with fear if an angel suddenly appeared to them, but do you see what it says? “The glory of the Lord shone around them.” The word translated “shone around” is perilampō. This is made up of peri, meaning “all the way around (think of the English word perimeter), and lampō, which means “to radiate brilliance.” If the angel was standing before or beside the shepherds, their glorious brilliance would not shine all around them, there would be lots of shadows. The light could only shine all around them if the angel of the Lord stood OVER them. And, it doesn’t simply say that they were afraid, it says that the shepherds “were filled with fear.” A literal translation of the Greek says “they feared with great fear,” Well, duh! Wouldn’t you be afraid if an angel suddenly appeared directly overhead and his brilliance lit up the entire area?

The Birth Announcement

Luke 2:10-14

10And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Notes:

Luke just told us that when the shepherds saw the angel they were very much afraid. So, in typical God-like fashion, the first words out of the angel’s mouth were “don’t be afraid.”

Good news – From the Greek word euaggellidzō, meaning “to proclaim good news.” In other words, the angel said, “I bring you the gospel.” The angel said that this gospel would give great joy to all the people.

Unto you is born this day – This literally reads, “A savior was born to you today.” When the angel made the announcement to the shepherds, Jesus had already been born. In Greek, word order is very important, the most important word appearing first, and that word was “a Savior.”

Who is Christ – The word “Christ” is christos, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Mashiach (Messiah), meaning “anointed one.” Now, think about this. Of course the shepherds would want to go see the Messiah. But, how would they find him? They couldn’t just go asking around, because nobody knew that he had been born yet! They wouldn’t go knocking on every door, it was nighttime!

This will be a sign – The angel told the shepherds what to look for. But, this was also a huge hint to them about where He was, “you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Why does that tell the shepherds where to look? Remember what we learned earlier from Micah’s prophecy about migdol eder? It was the tower of the flock. This was most likely a stone tower build with interior stairs that led up to a platform at the top. Towers like this had a room at the bottom used for various purposes. We also learned that the sheep raised there were dedicated to be sacrificial lambs for the temple sacrifices? We don’t know whether or not these particular shepherds, the ones who the angel appeared to, were the ones raising the sacrificial sheep, but all the shepherds in the area would be familiar with how new born sacrificial lambs were cared for. When a shepherd from the tower of the flock saw a ewe going into labor, he called for the other shepherds and they immediately brought her into the room on the first floor of the tower. In that room they cared for the mother while she gave birth. As soon as the new lamb was born, they inspected it to ensure that it was healthy and without blemish. Then, according to the rabbinical teaching, they swaddled the lamb and laid it in a feeding trough (phatnē) where they kept a close watch to ensure that it survived.

Do you see that?! The angel told the shepherds that their Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, was born at migdol eder and that he had already been treated like a sacrificial lamb! Remember the prophecy of Micah?

And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. (Micah 4:8)

But that’s not all. It gets even better!

Singing Angels

Luke 2:13-14

13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Notes:

Suddenly – This is from the Greek word exaiphenēs, which means “suddenly and unexpectedly.”

Multitude – The Greek word is plethos, meaning “to be full”

Host – This is translated from stratia, which means “an army.”

Heavenly host – This was not an earthly army, but a heavenly army. These angels were in the heaven (the sky) and they were “with” the original angel. This is more evidence that the first angel stood over them.

While the shepherds were still reeling from having a brightly shining angel appear over them, and still processing the message that the Messiah had been born nearby at migdol eder, suddenly the sky was filled with an army of angels proclaiming “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth for those on whom his favor rests.”

Away in a Manger

Luke 2:15-20

15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Notes:

Let’s put ourselves in the shepherds’ sandals for a minute. They were out in the field while their sheep slept peacefully on an early spring night, when suddenly there was an intensely bright light from the sky. As they looked up they realized it was an angel of God. Surely, they had heard of angels, but never before had they actually seen one. Then this angel spoke to them and told them that the Messiah had been born and was lying in a manger at migdol eder. Then, just as suddenly, the sky was filled with angels proclaiming “Glory to God in the highest!” Can you say, “Struck with awe?” When the angelic chorus was finished, the angels all disappeared up into heaven and there was stillness in the night. The only sound the shepherds could hear was the wild beating of their hearts.

As soon as they recovered their senses, they ran to the tower of the flock and found Mary and Joseph with the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. Not in a makeshift shelter, not in a cave, and no other animals lying on the ground. Scratch the other animals from the nativity scene.

We also are told by Luke that once they had seen Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, “they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.” This makes it sound like they went out and told everyone about the child, but that’s not what Luke said. The Greek literally reads, “and having seen, they made known concerning the statement spoken to them about this child.” They shared their experience with everyone in the room.

Then Luke tells us, “And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” We have to ask ourselves who the “all” refers to. It didn’t include Mary, because we are told that she “treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” So, other than the shepherds who heard the message from the angel, and Mary, who was left? If it was just Joseph, why did Luke say “all who heard it wondered.” It must have included the other shepherds, the ones who normally cared for the sheep at migdol eder. Now, we have to add a few more shepherds to our nativity scene.

I wonder how long the shepherds stayed. I suspect they stayed the rest of the night watching the baby in awestruck wonder to ensure that the Messiah, the perfectly sinless Lamb of God, was safe and healthy.

Remember, all the male lambs born at migdol eder were destined to die as a sacrifice for sin. I wonder whether it occurred to any of those shepherds that this baby, their Messiah, would also be offered as a sacrifice for sins?

So What?

I don’t expect any of you to go home and remove part of your nativity scene. That’s not the point of this message. The point is that what we celebrate on Christmas Day is not so much the birth of a baby, but Emmanuel, our God. who is now with us; our Savior who has forever taken on human form so that He could offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Not only that – after offering Himself for our sins, He didn’t stay dead. He rose from the grave and now reigns in heaven, making intercession for us in the heavenly courtroom. After freely offering Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, He rose from the dead. He is risen!

Christmas is not about commercialized selfishness, it’s about submissive self-less-ness. He gave us the supreme example. Are we willing to follow His example? Are we willing to take up our cross, take His yoke upon us, forsake worldliness, humble ourselves before Him, and follow Him, seeking His will, not our own?

This Christmas, instead of standing tall, pleased with all the gifts we received, let’s fall on our knees in humble adoration and thank God for the gift of eternal life!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Will

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Gospel Message – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

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Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised the third day according to the Scriptures,

Truth to Learn

The most important part of the Easter message is the Gospel (the Good News).

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “gospel” in is the Greek word euaggelion, which is a compound of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and aggellō, meaning “to proclaim.” It means “good news.”

“Received” is translated from the Greek word paralambanō, which is composed of para, meaning “from” and lambanō, meaning “to take” or “to receive.” This word means “to receive to oneself something that is offered.”

 

Meaning Explained

We spent a lot of time these past few days analyzing Scripture and doing calculations to determine exactly on which day of the week Jesus was crucified. However, it doesn’t matter one iota whether He was crucified on a Wednesday, a Thursday, a Friday, or any other day of the week. The important thing is not what day it happened, but that it really did happen. The perfect man, without sin, suffered on the cross to pay the penalty for imperfect mankind, steeped in sin. He died for you and me and he was buried. But even that is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that He didn’t stay dead. He rose from the dead and now lives forevermore.

One day this life will be over and when it is, you and I will stand before the Judge. When we do, it won’t matter whether we know for sure what day of the week the crucifixion occurred on. And, it won’t matter how many times we went to church. It won’t matter how much money we gave to the church or to the poor or to the homeless. In fact, it won’t matter how many good and benevolent deeds we have done at all. The only thing that will matter is whether or not we have believed the gospel message. I mean “believed,” not on an intellectual level, not in our head, but in our heart. Paul describes it as having “received” the gospel message.

If you truly believe the gospel, then the Bible says that you “have been bought with a price” and it says that you were purchased, “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish of spot.”

 

Application

Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins? Have you submitted your will to Him as your Lord and Master? If your response to all of these is yes, then you too will be with Him in Paradise!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2019 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Spotless Lamb of God – John 19:31

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Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

Truth to Learn

Jesus is the true Pascal Lamb, sacrificed for you and me on the day before the Passover!

Behind the Words

Several days ago we looked at the word “Preparation” and learned that this was the day before a Sabbath. We also learned that this particular Sabbath was the day of Passover.

Meaning Explained

We have gone to great lengths to show that the Bible does, in fact, indicate that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday. Most Biblical scholars will read these posts and say, “This guy is full of baloney” or something equivalent. However, if you will bear with me for just a few more paragraphs, I will show you conclusively that this is so.

The first thing we need to determine is when Jesus was born. We all know he was born on December 25th, right? Well, actually we don’t know the exact day of the year. It was most likely in the springtime. The Roman Catholic monk who calculated Jesus birthday was Dionysius Exeguus (this literally means “Dennis the Little”). He lived during the 6th century. He made an error, however. He was three years off. So, by the reckoning of our calendar (which is the Gregorian Calendar) he was born in the year 4 BC. Jesus began his ministry as he was baptized by John the Baptist when Jesus was 30 years old. This was the specified age at which a prophet or priest began his ministry. Jesus was crucified some three years later. Thus, the year of his crucifixion was AD 30. (When you do the calculations to check my dates, keep in mind that there was no year zero. It went from the year 2 BC to 1 BC, to AD 1 to AD 2, etc.)

Now we need to talk about the Jewish calendar. It consists of 12 months of 30 days each. It is based on the lunar cycle (from new moon to new moon is 29.5 days). Every 6 years or so an additional month is added to make up for the 5 ¼ day error incurred each year. The Jewish year is counted from the year of creation. This is expressed as Anno Mundi, meaning “Year of the world” (abbreviated as AM.) Every month of the Jewish calendar begins on the day of the new moon and the first month of the year is Nisan. Passover is always in the month Nisan and it is always on the day of the full moon (the 15th of Nisan). So, the Preparation day is and was always the 14th of Nisan. Conversion from the Jewish Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar is a complex process. However, in this age of computers and the Internet we can determine exactly what day on the Gregorian Calendar that Jesus was crucified and what day of the week it was.

Below is a table showing the years AD 25 through AD 40. The day of the week is based on three different website calculations and they all agree. You will notice that the 14th of Nisan was on a Wednesday in the year AD 30. That’s what the Bible tells us too!

Application

Although it is very hard for us to accept this, Jesus was not crucified on a Friday and he was not raised from the dead on Sunday. He was crucified on Wednesday and resurrected on Saturday evening.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about the implications of this revelation.

What day of the week was the crucifixion?
                 
Jewish Gregorian Day of the week
Day Month Year (AM) Month Day Year (AD) *1 *2 *3
14 Nisan 3785 March 31 25 Monday Monday Monday
14 Nisan 3786 March 20 26 Friday Friday Friday
14 Nisan 3787 April 7 27 Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday
14 Nisan 3788 March 27 28 Monday Monday Monday
14 Nisan 3789 April 14 29 Saturday Saturday Saturday
14 Nisan 3790 April 3 30 Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday
14 Nisan 3791 March 24 31 Monday Monday Monday
14 Nisan 3792 April 12 32 Monday Monday Monday
14 Nisan 3793 April 1 33 Friday Friday Friday
14 Nisan 3794 March 20 34 Monday Monday Monday
14 Nisan 3795 April 9 35 Monday Monday Monday
14 Nisan 3796 March 28 36 Friday Friday Friday
14 Nisan 3797 March 18 36 Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday
14 Nisan 3798 April 5 38 Monday Monday Monday
14 Nisan 3799 March 25 39 Friday Friday Friday
14 Nisan 3800 April 13 40 Friday Friday Friday
                 
                 
*1 http://bsswebsite.me.uk/Daysanddates/hebrew-date.html    
*2 https://keisan.casio.com/exec/system/1346139486      
*3 https://www.abdicate.net/cal.aspx        

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2019 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Twisting Facts – Matthew 12:38-40

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Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But answering, He said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Truth to Learn

We don’t need to “twist the facts” to believe that Jesus always told the truth.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “just as” is the Greek word hōsper . This is made up of hos, meaning “as” and the emphatic particle per. Hōsper literally means “just as” or “exactly as.” It does not mean “kind of like” or “similar to.”

The words “three days and three nights” are a literal translation of the Greek, treis hēmeras kai treis nuktas.

 

Meaning Explained

I have studied the teachings of numerous scholars and esteemed teachers of the Bible and I do not cease to be amazed at the lengths they go to in order to make the crucifixion on Friday and the resurrection on Sunday. The most common explanation is to say that by Jewish reckoning a part of a day is reckoned as a whole day. Others say that “evening and morning, or night and day, is the Hebrew phrase for the natural day. The Greeks called this nuchthemeron, meaning “nightday.”

You may recall that when God created the heavens and the earth we are told that He said, “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” (Genesis 1:5)

However, you will notice that Jesus did not say “three nightdays” and he did not say “three nights and three days,” either of which would be a Hebrew reckoning of days, and could indicate parts of three days. Instead, Jesus said, “three days and three nights” which is a Roman reckoning of days and means “three complete days and three complete nights.”

You may recall from yesterday’s post that the women who went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body, purchased the spices on the day after the Sabbath. Our immediate conclusion is that this indicates that the women purchased the spices on Sunday. But, as we pointed out earlier, there was not sufficient time to purchase the spices, prepare them, and still arrive at the tomb very early in the morning. We seem to be at an impasse! But wait! Remember that some of the Jewish holy days were Sabbaths in addition to Saturday Sabbaths. Passover was one of those holy day Sabbaths, called a “High Day.”

If Jesus was crucified on Wednesday (the Preparation Day of the Passover), then the following day (Thursday) would have been a Sabbath, and Friday would have been the “day after the Sabbath.” The women could have purchased the spices and prepared them on Friday. Then, early in the morning of the day after the Sabbath (Sunday) they went to the tomb to anoint His body.

Consider this: if Joseph placed Jesus in the tomb at 6:00 on Wednesday and Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights (Wednesday night, Thursday day, Thursday night, Friday day, Friday night, and Saturday day), then he would have been raised at 6:00 on Saturday evening. That would be three days and three nights in the tomb.

 

Application

I know what you’re thinking, “You claim that Biblical scholars try to twist the facts to make their idea fit and now you’re doing the same thing.” Tomorrow we’ll look at the calendar to determine precisely what day of the week Jesus was crucified.

 

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2020 Will Krause. All rights reserved

After the Sabbath – Mark 16:1, 2

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When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that coming they might anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

 

Truth to Learn

We need to read the Scriptures very carefully if we are to glean the truth.

 

Behind the Words

“Was past” is translated from the Greek verb diaginomai, which is made up of dia, meaning “through” and ginomai, meaning “to be” or “to begin to be.” Thus, we see that diaginomai means “to be through, to be past, or to have elapsed.” In other words, it was no longer the Sabbath, it was the day after the Sabbath.

The word translated “bought” is agoradzō, meaning “to purchase something.”

“Very” in verse 2 is from lian, which means “very much” or “exceedingly.”

“In the morning” is translated from the adverb prōi, which is from pro, meaning “before.“ Prōi means “early in the morning.” When this is combined with lian it means, “exceedingly early in the morning.”

 

Meaning Explained

Most of us, when we read these two verses, see no problem with what is said. We know it was after the Sabbath and the women got up very early, bought the spices to anoint Jesus’ body and then went to the tomb to anoint Him. Except that’s not what these two verses tell us. “Say what!” Verse one says that they bought the spices on the day after the Sabbath and verse two says that they went to the tomb exceedingly early on the first day of the week.” Still don’t see it?

OK, we’ll take it slow. Verse one says that the women bought the spices on the day after the Sabbath. It does NOT say that they bought the spices very early in the morning on the day after the Sabbath. They couldn’t have done that because the shops weren’t open very early in the morning. And even if they had been able to purchase the spices early in the morning, the preparation of the spices took a fair amount of time. So much so, in fact, that they would not have been able to go to the tomb “exceedingly early on the first day of the week,” which is what verse two says.

So, there wasn’t enough time on Sunday to have purchased the spices, prepared them, and then visited the tomb very early in the morning. Don’t feel bad if you missed this. I have read many Biblical scholars and learned preachers who missed this. For some of them, the explanation is that on the Preparation Day, shops frequently stayed open past 6:00 because of a little wrinkle in the laws governing the Sabbath. This would have allowed the women to purchase the spices on the day Jesus was crucified. The problem with this explanation is that verse one says they bought the spices, “When the Sabbath was past.” Remember, Jesus was crucified on the Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath. The next day was the Sabbath and it was the day after that in which the spices were purchased. They did not purchase the spices on the Preparation Day.

Okay, you say, but what if they didn’t have to prepare the spices. They could have purchased them already prepared late on the Preparation Day. The problem with this is in Luke 24:1 which says:

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.

This tells us that they did not purchase the spices already prepared for them. The two Marys and Salome prepared them and they prepared them on the day after the Sabbath.

 

Application

Careful reading of the Bible sometimes gives us a different picture than what we have been taught in Sunday School and from the pulpit. Tomorrow we will talk about how to make sense of all this.

 

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2020 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Preparation Day – Mark 42:42-47

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Preparation Day – Mark 42:42-47

And evening having already come, since it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable member of the Council, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate marveled that He had already died. Having called the centurion, he asked him if He was already dead. And ascertaining it from the centurion, he gave the dead body to him. And having bought a linen cloth, and having taken Him down, he wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a tomb that had been cut out of a rock, and he rolled a stone against the opening of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where He was laid.

 

Truth to Learn
————–

Jesus was crucified and buried on the Preparation Day (the day before the Sabbath).

 

Behind the Words
—————-

The word “evening” is opsios. The Jews actually had two evenings. The first began at 3:00 PM and the second one began at 6:00 PM. This was most likely the former (3:00 PM) which was the time that the Passover sacrifice was to be killed. By law, dead bodies were not allowed to remain on the cross after 6:00 PM.

The words “Preparation day” are translated from paraskeuē, meaning “preparation.” The day before a Sabbath was called Preparation Day;. It was on this day that the Sabbath meal was prepared. The Sabbath began at 6:00 and no work was allowed on the Sabbath, so the meal had to be completely prepared before 6:00 PM.

“member of the Council” is translated from the Greek word bouleutēs, which can refer to a “councilman,” “a senator,” or “a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.”

 

Meaning Explained
—————–

Over the next few days we are going to look very carefully at a number of verses regarding the Crucifixion of Jesus. I am sure that many of you will see things that you have never seen before and you will very likely react negatively to them. You will not believe at first because of what has been ingrained in us since we first became Christians.

We all know that Jesus was crucified on Friday and that he arose from the dead on Sunday, right? Well, not only is that not what the Scriptures teach, it is not what really happened. The key to understanding this paradox is the fact that there was more than one kind of Sabbath for the Jews. Every week there was a Sabbath which was the seventh day of their week. They considered this so because God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. But in addition to these weekly Sabbaths, there were a number of special holy days that were considered Sabbaths as well. This Sabbath was referred to as a “high day.” One of these was the Passover Sabbath. This Sabbath could fall on any day of the week (we’ll get more into this in tomorrow’s verse.) Preparation day referred to in these verses was the Preparation day before the Passover Sabbath (considered a high day).

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. (John 19:31)
Jesus, just like the Paschal Lamb, was sacrificed on the day before the Passover.

 

Application
———–

The Christians in Berea had a special place in the Apostle Paul’s heart. He said, “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

I encourage you to do as the Bereans did. Search the Scriptures to see whether these things are so. Don’t believe it because I said so. Believe it because you have searched it out.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2020 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:9 – Righteous Without Surgery

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Romans 4:9

Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.

Truth to Learn

We can receive the same blessedness that Abraham enjoyed through faith.

Behind the Words

“Blessedness” is from makarismos, which we looked at in verse six, meaning “possessing the fullness of God’s favor.”

“Circumcised” is from the Greek word peritomē, which is a compound word made up of peri, meaning “around” and a form of the verb temnō, meaning “to cut or to cut off.” Hence, this word refers to a circular cutting off of the foreskin.

The word “uncircumcised” is translated from akrobustia, which is made up of akron, meaning “the tip” and a form of the verb buō, meaning “to cover.” Therefore, this word refers to someone who has not had his foreskin cut off.

We can see from these two words, that a literal interpretation would be “round cuts” for those who are circumcised and “tip covers” to refer to those who are not. Though this sounds peculiar to us, it is much the same type of imagery that was used to describe American Indians as “red skins” because of the reddish color of their skin. Given that Paul is specifically talking about the practice of keeping the law with regard to circumcision as it relates to salvation, however, “circumcised” and “uncircumcised” are the best translations of these words.

Meaning Explained

Paul has been quoting from the book of Psalms where David declared the blessedness of the person to whom God will not impute (mark to his account) sin. This blessedness is a characteristic of every person who has saving faith. In Noah’s case it was the belief that God was going to bring a flood. In Abraham’s case is was belief that God was going to give him a son in his old age. In our case it is the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died on the cross to pay for our sins. In each of these examples, it is faith that is accounted for righteousness in God’s record book.

Paul, referring to the blessedness described by David, now asks the Jewish Christians in Rome a pivotal question. Remember, the Jews of the early church still believed that you had to keep the law and be a devout Jew before you could become a Christian. They believed that all Christian males had to be circumcised and keep the Law, even after salvation. There are many churches today that have established laws, ordinances, and rules for their constituents. They teach that obedience to these rules is necessary to be a Christian and to be a member of their church. Paul doesn’t think so!

He asks, “Does this blessedness (that God will not impute sin) apply to those of the circumcision (keepers of the Law) only? Or, does this blessedness also apply to those who don’t keep the Law (or obey the ordinances of the Church) but who simply believe. After all, in Abraham’s case it was his faith that was accounted to him as righteousness.”

Application

It doesn’t matter who your ancestors are, what church you go to, or even if you occasionally break some of the rules. If you believe the gospel message you are righteous according to God.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Romans 4:7 – Thrown-away and Covered

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Romans 4:7

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;

Truth to Learn

God has separated our sins us from and has covered them with the blood of Christ.

Behind the Words

The word translated, “lawless deeds” is the Greek word, anomia, which is made up of a, meaning “not” and a form of nomos, which means “law.” So literally, it means “not legal.” By interpretation, then, it means “those things which are not legal” or “those things which are in violation of the Law.”

“Forgiven” is from the Greek word aphiēmi. This is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and hiēmi, meaning “to send.” Hence, this literally means “to send away.” The verb is expressed here in the aorist tense and passive voice. The aorist tense indicates action that was performed at a point in time in the past and the passive voice indicates action done to the subject (lawless deeds). So Paul is saying that the lawless deeds were sent away at some point in the past.

“Sins” is from hamartia, which is from the verb hamartanō, meaning “to miss the mark.” Hamartia, therefore, describes a situation where we have not met God’s expectation of us.

The word translated “covered” is epikaluptō, which is made up of epi, meaning “upon” or “over” and kaluptō, meaning “to cover.” This is also expressed as an aorist passive, indicating that the sins were covered over at some point in the past.

Meaning Explained

Remember that Paul is quoting King David here, from Psalms 32:1. David is describing a condition of blessedness, when God demonstrates His favor toward us. This blessedness is the result of God forgiving, or “sending away,” our illegal actions, which is also what it says in Psalms 103:12:

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

God actually separates us from our sins (our acts of lawlessness) when they are forgiven. Otherwise, He would not be able to fellowship with us because sin cannot remain in His presence. Therefore, when God forgives our sins, he sends them away (as far from us as the east is from the west!)

This verse also says blessed is the man whose sins are covered over by God. In the previous chapter of Romans we learned that Christ is our mercy seat. The mercy seat was a covering of the Ark of the Covenant on which the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled, covering sins so God can “pass them by.”

Hence, in this verse David is saying that the man whose acts of lawlessness and sins are sent away and covered over possesses the fullness of God’s favor. And, as we have just learned, this blessedness does not come because we earned it in any way. We are blessed because God has chosen to bless us.

Application

My Christian brother or sister, do you realize just how blessed you are? You and I can have fellowship with our Holy God because He has removed our sins from us and covered them with the blood of Christ. Why not take a few minutes to get on your knees and thank Him for everything He has done for you!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Romans 4:6 – Righteousness Without Works

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Romans 4:6

just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:

Truth to Learn

David also talked about those who are blessed due to God’s declaring them righteous without having done good works.

Behind the Words

“Just as” is translated from kathaper, which is made up of katha, meaning “as” or “just as” and per, which is an article indicating abundance. So, we could translate this as “exactly as” or “very much as.” In other words, Paul is showing a very strong relationship between the example of Abraham’s justification by faith and the things that David said, as quoted in the following verses.

The word translated “blessedness” is makarismos, which refers to someone who has been declared as fortunate, or happy. A very similar word is used in the following two verses where it is translated as “blessed.” Paul is using the word here to describe someone who “possesses the fullness of God’s favor.” Another way of saying it is “one of God’s favorites.”

The word “imputes” is translated from the Greek word logidzomai, which we looked at back in verse three, meaning “to credit to someone’s account.”

“Apart from” is the translation of the word chōris, which we looked at in the previous chapter. This word indicates separation of two things in space or time. Therefore, it could be translated here as “separate from” or “without.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has already shown that Abraham is an example of God’s crediting righteousness apart from works of the Law. He now cites another example from the Old Testament. This time it is a quote from David, who obviously understood that God considers a person righteous without the works of the Law. In fact, David declares the person “blessed” to whom God imputes righteousness through faith. It may seem strange to think of God as having favorites, but in a very real sense that’s what David says about those who believe God’s good news.

And this favoritism comes, not from works of righteousness, but as a free gift from God. It is not granted to us because we have kept a set of rules or followed all the requirements of a particular church or even because we have been obedient. God’s favoritism comes simply because He has chosen to grant it to those who believe.

If you believe that you are a sinner in need of salvation and you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for all of your sins, Paul says because of that faith, God has declared you to be as if you had never committed a single sin. You are declared “righteous” and your name is written in the Book of Life. It also means that you will not appear at the Great White Throne Judgment spoken of in Revelation 20:11-15. Instead, you will appear at the Bema Seat Judgment spoken of in 2Corinthians 5:10 where you will receive rewards for those things which you have done for the glory of God.

Application

Because of this gracious truth, let’s commit ourselves to living the remainder of our lives for the sole purpose of glorifying God. It’s the least we can do! Don’t you agree?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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