Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with the Moment of Truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. Today, I want to challenge you to think through the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. We at New Geneva have begun our Wednesday night Bible study, where we are looking at the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. What a blessing it has been as well.

We are into our third, we just finished our third lesson last night, and it's just been a delight to mingle with our people in a relaxed setting. We have it in one of the homes of our people, and it's a nice laid back, we have refreshments, and just a relaxed atmosphere in which to discuss the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth and the impact of Jesus in our own lives. That has been one of the rare treats where I get to hear the impact of Jesus Christ in the lives of the people in my own congregation and just hear this again and again.

And I've heard these things before from my people, but it is just a delight to hear it again and to hear it oftentimes in more detail, more poignant detail. We've had lots of laughter, some solemn moments with tears, and then just some delightful moments in discovering and rediscovering the Christ of the Bible. It has been a delight to do this.

And I would just invite you, if you'd like to join us, we have opened this up to those outside the congregation, and we have some people that are listeners that have been coming as well, and it's been a delight to get to know them and to have them get to know members of our congregation, and to share their own experience with Jesus of Nazareth. And if this sounds interesting to you, if this sounds like something you'd like to participate in, well, I'd like to invite you to it.

And we meet on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. in the homes of our people, and you're going to have to call me so that I can direct you to the nearest home in which you might participate with us. And to do that, you can call me at our church phone, area code 208-523-0196. That's area code 208-523-0196. And I can direct you to the homes of one of the homes of our people, and you can join us in looking at the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. Although we have been three lessons already into it, you can find that each lesson is discreet and whole in itself.

You do not have to have been to previous lessons in order to enjoy the particular lesson that evening. What we're doing right now is beginning to unfold the early years of Jesus of Nazareth as they are given in the Gospels, the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And what we're taking up is the birth narratives of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was born in a particular place in time, and God subjects his truth claims to the claims of history, to the truth, the reality of history. Jesus Christ was not revealed to us in some airy-fairy space time continuum and mystically revealed to us in some cloud or some magical trance.

No, he was grounded in a body, God becoming man, fully God and fully man in time and space. A particular time, that is the first century and a particular place that is in ancient Israel, the Israel of the first century in real historical circumstances where Rome was king and where the temple was still standing, these kinds of things. And what I'd like to do today with you is ask you some questions about the birth narratives, about the circumstances and the particular stories that are given in the birth narratives that would be Matthew and Luke.

These are the two Gospels that have for us, that have preserved for us the narrative of the circumstances and particulars of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. And what I'd like to challenge you to think about first and foremost is just step back, step outside of those particular narratives and think with me, what is the overall trajectory of the life and times of Jesus? What is his purpose? Why did he come? What is his destiny?

Because this has very much to do with the birth narratives. When you launch a projectile, for instance, the target in relation to the launch point determines its trajectory. What was the trajectory of Jesus' life? The trajectory of Jesus' life depends not only on the launch point, that is the birth of Jesus Christ, but also his target, that is his ultimate goal. What is Jesus destined for?

When we consider the birth of Jesus, we must also take into consideration then his historical target as well as his origins. Both will give us a better insight into who he is and help us understand the circumstances of his birth. Was Jesus just a profound human prophet, for example, that disciples later adorned with means of divinity? Many modern scholars hold out to something like this. Or one of my favorite examples is that of Albert Schweitzer, the great biblical scholar.

I say great because he was very bright, but he was sadly mistaken in Christ's ultimate historical target. For Albert Schweitzer, he lived in the period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he would later establish hospitals in Africa because he was a medical doctor as well as a brilliant musician and biblical scholar. But he posited that Jesus failed in his mission. He posits that Jesus Christ predicted that this generation will not pass away until all of these things take place. That is, until his kingdom is fully inaugurated.

And of course, Jesus' kingdom was not fully inaugurated. It won't be until he comes again, of course, as Jesus even predicted himself. But Albert Schweitzer saw him as an utter failure because he died and was crucified. And then later, his disciples made up the story of the resurrection. That was, to his mind, what happened.

So you see how important the historical target is in relation to his origins because Albert Schweitzer, again, did not see Jesus Christ as divine, as born of a virgin. These were all stories that were later added by his disciples, according to Schweitzer. And so the historical target profoundly affected the origins of Jesus as well, in the mind of the liberal scholar, Albert Schweitzer.

But for us, of course, we know that even as Jesus predicts, even as Jesus foretells, as the prophets foretell in the Old Testament and as the apostles foretell in the New Testament, that Jesus Christ will return a second time to establish his kingdom in full power and glory. We know this because Jesus had predicted it. We know this because God has been faithful in all his promises in the past. He will be faithful in all his promises in the future. So we know that the divine God-man, Jesus Christ, will come back and return to establish his kingdom eternally with full power and glory as he has predicted.

So this profoundly affects his origins. That is the birth of Jesus of Nazareth because what is in flower we see in the future begins in seed form. And that, of course, begins with the childhood, the birth and childhood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth predicted by the prophets. He's had deep tap roots in the Old Covenant scriptures. And those Old Testament scriptures saw the full fruition of all the promises of God in him, of course.

Well, considering these things then, let us ask, in particular, as the Christmas season approaches, let me ask you, how has the birth of Jesus Christ come down to us in Western culture? How has the birth of Jesus come down to us in the larger Western culture in which we dwell? We can't separate ourselves from this. I have grown up with Christmas in the West.

I don't know about you, but all of the Christmas trees, the Christmas presents, the Christmas carols, and all of that surrounding it, Santa Claus and his elves and him coming down the chimney with a big bag of presents, and all the things attached to Christmas come with it in the West, don't they? And there are some positive things. There are some blessings to all of this, as well as perils and pitfalls of this heritage. When I asked our class yesterday, our devout students of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, what are some of the perils and pitfalls of this heritage? Why, the first thing that came to mind was commercialism.

Because, of course, the idea of gifts and presents surround Christmas. And one of the perils and pitfalls of Christmas is the commercialism that can come with it. People get so consumed in gift-giving, gift-buying, gift-receiving that they lose sight of the true gift of Christmas, that is, God giving us the supreme gift of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. But that comes with the idea of gift-giving, the giving of Saint Nicholas, who was a fifth-century saint who loved children, and he loved the poor, and gave. He was a wealthy man himself, and he gave liberally to children and to the aged.

There's a story of a poor family, a poor man who had two daughters. And, of course, in the ancient world, a woman had to have a dowry. That is a treasure that she has been treasuring up since she was a little girl for her wedding day. And a suitor would examine to see if she had a profound dowry or no. And if she did, well, she was more marriageable than if she did not.

Well, these two poor women, one was betrothed but did not have the proper dowry. And so what Saint Nicholas did, and one night he took a bag of gold, threw it through the window, and it happened to land in a stocking of the girl. And so we get the tradition of giving gifts in stockings from old Saint Nicholas. But the idea of Saint Nicholas and his giving, which he did all year round, he was a profound saint of the church, and gave liberally from his own store of wealth. This is where we get so many of the traditions of giving of gifts.

We've lost sight of this, though. Saint Nicholas has turned into a fat elf in a red suit with a big white beard, rather than the stately, humble old man who gave presents and gifts to children and to the poor all of his life, all year round. So that's just one of the examples of contrast with some of the cultural baggage that has come down to us. So there are perils and pitfalls to the Christmas heritage, but there are also profound blessings as well.

This is a great opportunity for us to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ at this time, to proclaim his humble circumstances, to proclaim his deity and full humanity, to share it with others, and to share the gospel with others. So Christmas also has its profound blessings as well. Personally, I have great memories of Christmas. I have great memories of family and the rich heritage of the church. I grew up in the church.

I was blessed to grow up in the Reformed Church of America, and we had strong traditions in Christmas, the Christmas story read over and over again, and a loving family, loving extended family with some 29 cousins on one side and 19 cousins on the other side of my family. So I was just drenched in love and fellowship during the Christmas season. So I have great memories, profound blessings of Christmas. So these are some of the things that have come down to us in Western culture.

But if we want to find out what goes on in the birth narratives that we celebrate as Christmas, Christ's mass, we have to look at the four or at the two evangelists that give us narrative stories, that is Matthew and Luke. So let me ask you this, what were some of the things about Jesus himself that the evangelists were trying to tell us by including what they did in the birth narratives? Yes, the evangelists were trying to tell us some very important things about Jesus in what they included in the birth narratives. For example, Matthew begins his narrative with, with what?

With the story of the angel coming to her to announce her virgin birth or to Joseph. That's how, is one of the stories that Matthew relates is the angel appearing to Joseph to reassure him, of course, that Mary being found with child was not to be put aside. No, that's not how he begins. He begins with what? With a genealogy, doesn't he?

With a dry, boring genealogy, a list of names. Well, that list of names is very important. It is part of the birth narrative too. Did you realize that? Part of the birth narrative of Matthew is what he begins with.

That is the genealogy of Jesus Christ, whom he says was a son of Abraham and a son of David. And then he proceeds to click off the names from Abraham through to Jesus Christ and thereby establishing the bona fides of Jesus Christ. This would have been one of the things that a Jew would look at first, before you tell me he's the Messiah, a Jew would say, show me his bona fides, that is his authentication as a Jew and an authentication as the Messiah, because the Messiah was promised to come from the line of David.

So Matthew, who wrote primarily to a Jewish audience, not sure whether you realize this or not, probably written in Hebrew and Aramaic to begin with, but his audience, his first audience was primarily Jewish. And so they would want to know the bona fides of the so-called Messiah. And so he would have to begin with a genealogy, part of the birth narratives. And we have other examples too. For example, why did Matthew also include then the story of the Magi?

That is the story of those from the East who came to see this Messiah born, saw his star in the East, and they had probably read the prophecy in Numbers where indeed the scepter would not pass from the one who had been prophesied by the star. I'm paraphrasing Numbers, of course, but they would have read the captured books of the Hebrews when they had taken them into captivity.

And perhaps there's a legend that even Daniel was one who inculcated this prophecy of the Messiah to come with the Magi, with the wise men of the East, that is the scholars of Babylon, who would have read the books of the Jews, that is the Old Testament of the Jews, and there would have seen a Messiah prophesied. And therefore, when they saw his star, they came to see this one and to worship him, bringing him presents and so forth. And one of the things that Matthew intends to point out for us is that these pagans, who had read the text perhaps more carefully than his own people, the Jews, understood the ramifications of that prophecy.

They came from afar to worship him when those up close refused to do so. And this is a constant motif throughout Matthew, is that pagans and Gentiles were more ready to receive and worship Christ than were his own people. That's true, beginning in the birth narratives. So here you have this to begin with, right? Also, Luke has his own birth narratives.

And what he does in his various accounts also is consistent with the rest of his gospel in bringing out the things he wants to bring out concerning Christ. And let me ask you, what were the accounts of the shepherds watching their flocks by night in the field when suddenly they were interrupted by a glorious host of heaven, angels, a choir of angels. I love choirs. I love the human voice, especially when it sings in harmony and glory to God. But can you imagine a choir of angels singing hosannas in the highest?

What a beautiful sight that must have been. Did they get the address wrong? Were they really aiming for perhaps the emperor in Rome? Probably not. How about Herod in the region?

Maybe the temple. Maybe he was coming to the Jews at the temple, the high priests and the chief priests and scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees. Wouldn't he have gone to them, first of all, these choirs of angels? No. Instead, they came to announce the birth of the Messiah to these humble shepherds, shepherds who were the lowest on the totem pole in the social climate of Israel at this time, demonstrating the complete humility of Christ and his appeal to the common man.

Christ had great compassion on the crowds, didn't he? How many times do we read in the gospels where Christ looked at the crowds and had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd? That breaks me every time I hear that, every time I read that in the gospels. And we have a demonstration of Christ's love for the common man, Christ's love for his flock, that is the people, very early on here in the gospel of Luke with the tale of the shepherds.

And then we also have the, after his birth, of course, when he appears in the temple for circumcision, eight days after his birth, we have his appearance then there at the temple where he encounters Anna and where he encounters Simeon as well. And we have one of the most beautiful songs in all of the New Testament in Simeon's song, who had been waiting for the Messiah. He had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. And he not only beheld, but he held this young one in his arms and gave a song of great beauty and glory to God.

And in doing this, but we have here as bookends in Christ's childhood, his appearance in the temple where he is held by Simeon. And then later, of course, in chapter, at the end then of chapter two, we have Jesus' appearance at the temple again at his bar mitzvah at age 12, when he comes to the temple during Passover with his parents. And you remember his parents lose track of him on the return and they go to the temple in his father's house. Jesus tells them, where did you expect to find me but in my father's house? And of course, he had been examined by the elders and temple scribes and teachers and priests.

And there he was found to have a profound knowledge of the scriptures. And in his quiz, if you well, at age 12, at his bar mitzvah, he was found worthy to participate in the Passover supper. So we have then in the very birth narratives, the one bookend of him in a temple with Simeon, and then the other bookend of Christ completing his childhood in the temple with the chief priests and scribes being quizzed there. So we have time and time again, a consistent reason and purpose for the particulars of the birth narratives in the Bible. Each Luke and Matthew having their own intents and purposes for including what they include.

Well, let me ask you this then. How then, I'm sorry, what prompted the journey by Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem? What prompted the journey by Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem? It was, of course, the taxation of the emperor at the time who wanted to know who and what constituted his region, took a census so that he could tally all of his subjects and tax them more appropriately. He wanted, of course, to make sure he didn't undertax.

No king, no government worries about overtaxing their people, but they certainly do worry and fret about undertaxing them. And Caesar Augustus, who was reigning at this time at the birth of Jesus, Caesar Augustus wanted to make sure that he did not undertax his people. And so he called for a census of his empire. And Herod then executed that census as an underling of Augustus. And Joseph and Mary had to report to their city of origin, which was Bethlehem, that is the house of bread.

And this was prophesied. Oh, Bethlehem Ephrathah, considered smallest of the cities of Judah. Exactly, right? But nevertheless, blessed because the Messiah was prophesied to come out of Bethlehem. And so having had visions of the virgin birth given by angels, both to Mary and to Joseph, they went in great expectation that he would be indeed be born there and be confirmed then as Messiah.

So it was the census of Augustus in AD 1 that we now account, which was the reason for their journey then to Bethlehem, where Christ indeed was born. Well then, how do each of the birth narratives, let me ask you this then in closing, how do each of the birth narratives contribute to understanding the virgin birth? This is a great question with which we want to give more time in the future. But both of the birth narratives contribute to understanding the virgin birth. This is utterly requisite to our understanding Jesus of Nazareth.

It's utterly requisite for our understanding of our own salvation, dear listener. Can you be saved with Jesus as just a human being? We must give an emphatic no. Without his connection to God and without the divine intervention of God in human form, we could not be saved because we need that bridge between man and God. We need the intercessor to be divine in order to undergo the trials and tribulations of the crucifixion and not break, which could not be done by a mere mortal.

And we also need a perfect one to fulfill the law, to live a perfect life on our behalf. Jesus indeed fulfilled all righteousness, as he told John the Baptist. And he needed to be divine to do that because with just a fallen human nature, he would not be able to do this. So we need to understand the nature of the virgin birth, that Christ was born not only fully human, being born of a woman, but also fully divine, that is being conceived by the Holy Ghost. Note the following elements with me, and we're just going to be able to begin here with this.

Notice with me the binding nature of the betrothal versus the engagement. I want you to consider for next week the penalty for the transgression of a betrothal. She was pregnant before marriage. How about the angelic intervention with both Joseph and Mary? Very profound testimony to the virgin birth.

The reception of both to the news, they were both humble and receptive to that news, weren't they? And then let's think of the relation between the two parents and the two natures of Christ as well. Fully God and fully human. What a profound mystery this is. And then we must also continue to ask you, why is the virgin birth essential to Christianity?

We're going to touch on all these things in times to come. But in the meantime, we are unpacking all of these as well in our Bible study on Wednesday evening at seven o'clock, and we invite you to it, dear listener. We have listeners to the radio program attending, and I'm so happy about that, but we want more. We want you, dear listener, to come and join us because we're just having a delightful time, a blessed time in unpacking the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth.

And you can join us at 7 p.m. in one of the homes of our people on Wednesday night, and you can call us to get a place to find out where we're meeting by calling area code 208-523-0196, and you will be able to connect with us and then, and join us. And we must also say, New Geneva Meets for Holy Worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 10 a.m. at 1014th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. Join us for worship as well. 1014th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard, 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. Call us at area code 208-523-0196.