What Does Jesus' Call Mean for Me? - Mark 2:15-28

There are literally hundreds of direct statements given in the Bible that answers the question proposed in the title of our lesson. When considered within the context intended there is no contradiction and no verbatim repetition; however there are numerous reinforcements.

Christ came to seek and save lost people. He came not to condemn the law but to fulfill it. He came to die on a cross. He came to do the will of his Father, God. He came to forgive everybody of their sin. He came to judge all men. He came to be crucified. He came to arise from the dead and prove that there is life after death. He came to defeat Satin. He came to be the promised Messiah. He came to earth as the only Savior of sinful man. He came to give us a picture of what God looks like and who God is. He said that if we have seen Him we have seen the father. He came to live a life of example, teaching us how we should live. He came to prove that he is the way, truth and light of the world. And so the list goes on with hundreds of statements proving that men are eternally lost and without hope when they reject the true Christ, the Son of God—the Christ that is in every Christmas.

Never before in the history of this world…and especially in the history of the United States of America, have people faced a more dismal picture of what people see when they observe this Christmas season. There has been an urgent and dedicated effort to remove the word CHRIST from the season. It breaks my heart to see true Christian people willing to give up so easily and allow the business world change the name of the tree, the day, the season, to a shallow and meaningless by-word “holiday” In order to emphasize their effort, they tell us that it is no longer politically correct to talk about CHRISTMAS, but we should say happy-holiday. This tendency has not happened over night, we have for years now, experienced {with deep sorrow} the wording of Christmas songs changing to the secular mode. We no longer feel the hair on our neck standing erect and the joy in our heart causing creepy feelings ascending and descending our spine as we hear the words of age old hymns that we love so well. It is different now as the words of the songs of the holiday cause us to visualize mother kissing Santa Clause, and deformed rein-deer that have grown noses of red. [I have never been a deer hunter, but might be tempted to start if the noses of the ‘legal to shoot deer’ would light up red identifying the prey.]

Let us get back to the question of why Jesus came to earth. As you read the story of his first years of life as recorded in Luke 2, there is very little recorded there that would give us any reason why people have decided to welcome and worship him in so many secular ways. In verses six and seven, Luke gave the very simple account of the birth of Christ in so remarkable few words. [Go there and read] He had just proclaimed that Caesar Augustus called for a census to be made. People abroad were required to return to Bethlehem for the census. Joseph and Mary {who was with child} had to leave Nazareth and return to Bethlehem. “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.” Note: Firstborn here indicates she had others later.

Josephus quotes the actual law that required the censuses to be taken. Their censuses were taken every fourteen years. According to Barclay we possess actual documents from every census taken from AD 20 until AD 270 and if no errors were made this census referred to in Luke 2 must have been taken in 8 BC. That means that Jesus was born in 8 BC. Luke was the only gospel writer that referred to gospel events in comparison to historical events. His audience was predominantly Greek. At that time Palestine was under Roman rule and Caesar Augustus, the first roman emperor was in charge. A part of the problem lay in the fact that Caesar was believed to be God, in contrast to the new born Messiah.

The census was taken to provide names for those that would be placed in the army and for the purpose of collecting taxes. Jews did not have to serve in the army, but was required to pay taxes, so Joseph made the trip of eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem along with his pregnant wife and a donkey. Think about that. Why? Because it had been prophesied that it would happen that way in Micah 5:2. God controls all of history so through the decree of a Roman emperor even the date and place of this birth was determined to be as Micah had predicted.

Bethlehem was crowded with people and all of the hotels, motels, bed and breakfast places, and rooms for rent were filled to capacity. Mary and Joseph were lucky to be able to stay in the stable where their donkey was being kept and fed. And there, Jesus was born and wrapped in a square of cloth and lay in the manger which was probably a stone which had been hewn out to contain food for animals. There was no room for him in the Inn…indicates that there was no room for him in the hearts of men. In fact, it tells us that there was only one place where there was plenty of room for him and that was on the Old Rugged Cross.

Luke tells us that the message of His birth came first to a group of shepherds that were tending sheep in the fields near Jerusalem. This must have been a blow to the Jewish elite. Angles came to the smelly old shepherds before they did to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Sanhedrin movers and shakers. These shepherds were probably the ones that had furnished the lambs used for sacrifice in the Temple all these years. They were privileged to grow the sacrifices that had announced his coming and now they were privileged to announce the coming birth of the Sacrifice for all man kind, Jesus himself.

Luke tells us that Jesus did not disobey the law. In this passage we see Jesus undergoing three ancient ceremonies which every Jewish boy had to undergo. [i] One was Circumcision. Every Jewish boy was circumcised on the eighth day after birth, and given his name. This law was so important that it could be administered on the Sabbath Day even though the law forbade almost every other act of work. [ii] One was the Redemption of the First-born. According to Exodus 13:2 every first born of man and animal belonged to God, and had to be purchased back from God at birth. [iii] One was the Purification after Childbirth. A mother was considered unclean for forty days after the birth of a son and eighty days if the child was a girl. She could go about her work at home but could not go to the temple or share in a religious experience. In Leviticus 12 you find that a sacrifice of lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon for a sin offering was necessary. I believe these laws were kept to prove to the people that it was true that Jesus did not come to condemn the law but to make if full, complete it, obey it as if to say that law is necessary and to be obeyed. It is important that you see that Mary offered the two pigeons instead of the lamb. Some could not afford the Lamb. The pigeons were known as the offering of the poor. The home of our Lord was just an ordinary one. Our Lord knows what it is like to be unwanted, and poor. His love for mankind is absolutely inclusive.

The time has seemingly come in our day when older Christians are not afforded the respect and appreciation they rightfully deserve. There are two individuals mentioned by Luke that should cause the reader to gain great respect for and of the elderly.

The greater number of the people believed that because the Jews were the chosen people they were bound some day to become the masters of the world and lords of all the nations. Some believed that some great celestial champion would descend upon the earth; some believed that there would be another king of David’s line arise and days of old would revive. In contrast there were a few people known at The Quiet in the Land. They had no dreams of violence and powerful armies. They relied on prayer, fasting and quiet watchfulness until the coming of the Messiah. All their lives they had waited quietly and patiently upon God.

Simon was one of these. All his life he had waited quietly and patiently upon God to arrive on the scene and comfort his people. God blessed this man and had him waiting at the temple entrance when Mary and Joseph arrived with the baby Jesus. He held the child in his arms and blessed the family. He was wise in old age and able to give these parents information they needed even if it hurt. He said “Jesus will be the cause whereby many will fall.” Many will not accept Him. Are you one of these? Then he said, “He will be the cause whereby many will rise.” He was and is the extended hand let down to sinful men to help us rise above our selves toward God. Are you one of these? Then he said, “He will meet with much opposition.” Now we know that there are no neutral grounds we either surrender to him or we are at war against him. Where do you stand? Hear this old man, your fate is up to you, decide now!

Anna was 84 years old, one of the Quiet Ones in the Land like Simeon, a widow, lived in the temple, praying and fasting and witnessing to all that would listen. Old, but never ceased to hope, worship, pray and witness. I visualize my Granny Pankey as being another Anna.

I too am old, 85, and still have my greatest hope abiding. I pray and witness, and sometimes it becomes so discouraging when so few seem to hear my plea. Simeon had a prayerful wish and it was that he could hold Jesus in his arms before he died. His wish was granted. I have a prayerful wish and God and I only know what it is; it shall remain that way and then if it comes true, I will know that God has answered my Simeon request. Got problems? Write or call me and I will pray for you.