Posted on 12/24/2013 5:41:02 AM PST by US Navy Vet
I understand your screen name. :(
Thank you!!!
Mary is not mentioned in Luke 3:23. Women's names were not commonly used among the Jews as genealogical links (and in many eastern cultures including the one that I come from). We know from Matthew 1 that Joseph's father was a man called Jacob. So Eli had to be the father-in-law of Joseph and the father of Mary. In the original language, the genealogy is presented in a very distinct pattern, except on one, where Joseph is mentioned. This would suggest that Joseph was only mentioned because of his marriage to Mary.
Merry Christmas
A couple of interesting notes on this:
Apparently a baby's blood comes only from the father and not the mother. Apparently food and waste is transferred in the placenta but no blood from the mother. The blood of Christ was purely from the Father and not from Mary.
Also, as you may know, the four beasts in Revelation 4:7 are the revelation of the four pictures of who Jesus is and corresponds to the four gospels. Matthew reveals Jesus as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, in Mark he is the working ox or calf, in Luke he is revealed as the Son of man, and in John he is the Son of God who will return as a flying eagle. So Jesus, as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah in Matthew, is shown though Joseph's line of kings as you point out. In Luke, Jesus, as the Son of man, is shown through Mary's line from which which Jesus' actual human flesh came. How wonderful is our God!
Show forth, we pray thee, Lord, thy power and come, and with thy great strength assist us, so that by the aid of thy grace, the work that is hindered by our sins may be hastened by thy merciful forgiveness: who art God, living and reigning with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. —Opening Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, 1962 Missal
We could speculate a lot on “implementation details” of what is a one of a kind occurrence, a miracle as frank as any since before the start of creation. That might or might not be enlightening, but the discussion should always be kept within the realm of charity. We can count on what the bible shares with us.
Yes, of all the people in the Bible, I look up to Joseph more than anyone. Our country would do so much better if we had more “Josephs” around. While Jesus was the Son of God, Joseph was more or less his “adoptive” earthly father.
Merry Christmas to everyone at FR! Despite the trials and travails our country is going through, keep your faith in the Lord and know that during this season, He proves that He keeps his promises and that He loves us.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all!
God became flesh and dwelt amongst us...John 1:14
how cool is that ???
Merry Christmas !!!
Why did the Magi recognize Jesus as King of King? What drew them to Bethlehem on that epic journey? A Planetary alignment that occurs once in 25 million years.
“The Horoscope of Jesus is even more impressive than the Magi could possibly have known.” says the noted astrologer and biblical scholar Jayj Jacobs (son of Reverend Jacobs). He describes it as “the most powerful horoscope the heavens have ever drawn, and perhaps ever will”. The birth chart is “awesome... it is overwhelming in power, compassion and miraculous healing ability.” says Hannibal Giudice, co-author of “The Message of The Magi” a play about The Magi’s discovery of the horoscope, and the motivations for their journey.
Two thousand years ago the heavenly alignments were of such monumental implication as to compel the wisest astrologers of those times to embark on perhaps the most significant journey in the history of the world. The rarest of all celestial phenomena was unfolding in the heavens, a once in 25,000 years meeting of the two zodiacal cycles - the Tropical and Sidereal. It was an astrological encounter between the Alpha and Omega - the beginning and the end of the longest recognized astrological cycle. It was the dawning of the new age of Pisces and the beginning of a whole new grand cycle of ages.
Additionally, in 7 BCE, the planets Jupiter and Saturn were conjoining each other 3 times is the sign Pisces. That is to say, the planets that indicate the birth of kings were meeting in the sign traditionally associated with the Jews. Finally, in the first hours of March 1st, the Sun, Moon, Venus, and the undiscovered Uranus, joined the king-makers in Pisces. Dr. David H. Menke, executive director at the Copernican Space Science Center calculates that it was a “planetary lineup that happens once in five million years”.
Correction: once in 5 million years. God came to earth as a tiny baby to change the world forever.
Merry Christmas, Navy... and God bless.
Thanks for posting that.
God’s timing was perfect. NEVER had there been anything like the Pax Romana. Under Roman rule, the ‘known’ world was at peace, as Rome had conquered all her enemies. This meant that one could go from (what is now) the UK, into Asia and Africa and there was peace and a common language, in addition to local languages. The Gospel could then be taught throughout the Roman Empire. NEVER had so many lands and people been at peace! NEVER could so many disparate peoples been introduced to GOD and His plan for Salvation!
Paul’s three year imprisonment in Rome meant that he could preach to the ‘movers and shakers’ in Rome. He was apparently guarded by the Praetorian Guard, two men at a time, in four hour shifts. His preaching had an effect! Those Praetorians who heard and believed, soon spread the teaching among the upper crust of Roman society, to the point that Christianity was accepted as a religion in the Empire less than 300 years after Jesus’ Resurrection and accepted as the ‘official’ religion of the Empire 350 years after Jesus’ Resurrection!
Merry Christmas to Everyone!
This meant that one could go
One could add the detail that the Roman roads' completion was instrumental in facilitating the Gospel's spread.
This meant that one could go from (what is now) the UK, into Asia and Africa
Another perfection was God's choice of Canaan as Abraham's new home two thousand years prior. It lies at the juncture of the world's three main continents.
God doesn't miss a trick!
As mentioned earlier, the line of David was not perfect. There were those who greatly disobeyed God. Even David himself had sinned greatly. However God in his great mercy forgave and restored David, and ensured that his line will provide us the great Messiah-King.
There are four women (other that Mary) mentioned in Matthew 1. Kind of unusual that many women are mentioned from a genealogy from those days. It is interesting to consider their backgrounds- especially considering that this is the genealogy of the Messiah-King, and God found it worthy to mention them in the line of His Son. Two of the women, Rahab and Ruth were gentiles. Tamar and Rahab were harlots, and Bathsheba had committed adultery with David. It sort of speaks to us of Christ bringing salvation to sinners, grace to the gentiles. Race, gender, background are not obstacles to come to Him.
The genealogy ends with Mary in verse 16. It speaks to us of Christ as the Seed of the Woman.
God bless and Merry Christmas.
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