‘JDMC Points’ … are shorter and less systematic, they are not extracts from a larger document, but stand alone and are self-contained ideas that I wanted to expand.
Image from ‘We are all priests’
Image from the latest post
This is the index for short articles on specific points from the longer and more detailed series on JDMC.JDMC stands for Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church, and is intended to help small groups of up to fifteen people make progress in obedience to Christ. That is, if you like, the full version.
‘JDMC Points’ on the other hand are shorter and less systematic, they are not extracts from a larger document, but stand alone and are self-contained ideas that I wanted to expand.
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
Find out what everyone’s leadership gifts are. We all have them, there are no exceptions. We all have the role and duty and joy of encouraging and equipping others for service. We must build one another up in love. It’s part of discipleship, part of becoming like the Master.
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I’ve been finding I don’t have time to post as often as I’d like, and one way to deal with that is to post shorter messages based around material I already have to hand. So as part of the mix I’m going to start posting single point extracts from JDMC, and continue with short image posts as well. We’ll see how it goes.
These single point extracts are intended to spark fresh thinking individually or in group discussions of up to ten or fifteen people – (Christian Unions, home groups, small groups, churches meeting at members houses and other kinds of group).
The emphasis is on working together, perhaps in much the way church met and operated in the first couple of centuries when the gospels and New Testament letters were being written and circulated. This time I’ve updated an older article for re-publication.
JDMC POINTS – 1
No, the title ‘We are all priests’ doesn’t mean I’m suggesting you all sign up for holy orders – but we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a chosen race (1 Peter 2:9). In Israel the royal and priestly functions were separate. But in Christ they are combined, he is King of Kings (Revelation 19:16) but he is also our Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14). We have Royal duties because our Father is also the King’s Father, so we have functions in leading and ruling. But we also have priestly duties because we’re brothers and sisters of the High Priest, and we have a role in bridging the gap between the people around us and our Father in heaven. Every single one of us is a servant of Christ and should be fully active – it’s part of being a disciple. We do what he does, we say what he says. The people we interact with will hopefully benefit from our activity among them.
So find out what everyone’s leadership gifts are. We all have them, there are no exceptions. We all have the role and duty and joy of encouraging and equipping others for service. We must build one another up in love. It’s part of discipleship, part of becoming like the Master.
Discuss
I can guarantee that everyone in your group has taken the lead in some way, great or small. Can you identify some of these leading abilities? It might be initiating something, reminding the group to listen to what the Spirit is saying, spreading a good idea to another group, getting people to care for one another and cooperate, or explaining something. Can you identify anything apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, shepherding, or teaching here?
JDMC on priests – This section discusses several kinds of leader
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Useful? Interesting?
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
Yahshua was still at the beginning of his work, yet he was already growing in stature and favour. We should be growing in those same ways right now, and the only way that becomes possible is that we follow in his footsteps. However young or old you might be, and however far you may have already come with Yahshua, today, this very moment, is the start of the rest of your life. It’s a great opportunity.
Greek commentary on John’s gospel dated 1190-1200 (Bodleian Library)
2:41 – Yahshua (Jesus)’s parents Yosep (Joseph) and Maryam (Mary) always went up to Yerushelem (Jerusalem) for the Passover festival, along with many others from Natsrat (Nazareth).
When he was twelve-years-old, they made this journey as they always did, but this time after a day’s journey north towards home, Yosep and Maryam were unable to find him amongst the other travellers. Frantically they returned to Yerushelem to hunt for him there and, after three days searching, discovered him in the Temple deep in conversation with the teachers there.
People nearby listening to what was said were blown away by his understanding and answers. Maryam and Yosep were astonished. Maryam asked him why he’d treated them like this – ‘Your father and I have been frantically searching everywhere for you!’
His answer puzzled them. He asked why they had searched, to him it was natural that he’d be there in the Temple (my Father’s house).
He did what they told him, and they returned to Nasrat together, and Maryam stored it all away in her heart.
So what can we learn from all this?
First, let’s remind ourselves that as followers of Yahshua our whole purpose is to pay attention to everything he says and does and get out into the world around us to emulate him and do even more that he did. How is that possible? Yashua is greater than me, greater than you. How can we do more than he does?
The answer to that conundrum is simple, there’s only one of him, there are billions of us. He is the head, we are the arms and legs, eyes and ears. He is here to make decisions, we are here to carry out his commands. It’s really that simple! But it’s upside down in terms of our usual thinking, and astonishingly we can see the truth of this in Yashua even at the age of twelve!
We will probably be as puzzled and confused as Maryam and Josep were! Don’t expect to understand fully what the head is thinking. The body receives instructions and we need to learn to carry them out without question or understanding. We’re not accustomed to this. we’re used to organisations with managers at every level, taking commands from the top and seeing them trickle down to lower levels being interpreted step-by-step on the way down.
The CEO says, ‘Increase production and marketing of product x’. The production manager plans to build additional capacity, the buyers look for ways to obtain more raw material for product x for delivery beginning at the necessary time. The sales team prepares marketing material and designs product packaging, then finds companies to produce and print boxes.
But Jesus isn’t like a CEO, he is a King! He will lead us, he’ll come with us because he’s also our brother, he gives us gifts and he makes us fruitful. Those are the things we should learn to develop, improve in, and practice. The sequence is absolutely critical. It determines everything.
First we must meet Jesus and get to know him really, really well.
Second we must become disciples, learning to listen and follow.
Third we set out on mission, we reach the people around us, wherever we live, and work.
Fourth we must allow him to build us into church the way he wants it. That means, not the way we want it. That means not the way you and I want it.
If we are honest, we can learn all of this from Jesus even as a 12-year-old. His parents had to learn this, so did the Temple teachers, so do we.
And notice Luke 2:41-52; Yahshua was still at the beginning of his work, yet he was already growing in stature and favour. We should be growing in those same ways right now, and the only thing that makes it possible is that we follow in his footsteps. However young or old you might be, and however far you may have already come with Yahshua, today, this very moment, is the start of the rest of your life. It’s a great opportunity. Make it a journey with the risen Lord and, long or short, it will be the most exciting and productive time of your life. So forget everything else, step out with Jesus and get going – right now!
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
Perhaps, from Luke’s point of view, since Yahshua is in a sense the first-born of his heavenly Father, not of Yosep, there was no need for the five shekel fee. Maybe the Simeon passage (Luke 2:25-33) is included specifically to make this clear.
Greek commentary on John’s gospel dated 1190-1200 (Bodleian Library)
2:21 – Just as with Yohanan (John) and for every Jewish boy, on the eighth day after birth, Yahshua (Jesus) was circumcised and named. For the details of this read the previous post.
True to his word in his introduction, Luke arranges everything in proper chronological sequence, first the birth of Yashua, then his circumcision and naming, and then anything more he can find about him as a child. At sometime the family would have returned to Nasra (Nazareth) in the north near the shore of Lake Ginnosar (Galilee).
Temple offerings
There’s a lot to mull over in verses 22-24. There are two distinct obligations that must be fulfilled when Yahshua is about 40 days old. The first concerns Maryam’s purification following childbirth. After giving birth to a son, a mother was ceremonially unclean for 7 days. On the 8th day came circumcision as we have seen (Lev 12:3 and Luke 2:21). But a woman needed to wait a total of 40 days before she could touch anything holy or enter the sanctuary. (For a daughter those periods would be doubled to 14 and 80 days.)
An offering was required when the 40 days were up, she would bring a year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a pigeon or turtledove as a sin offering. The priest would make atonement for her, and she was then regarded as ritually clean (Lev 12:6–7). Poor people would not have been able to afford a lamb for the burnt offering, and in this case two turtledoves or two young pigeons were acceptable, one bird for the burnt offering and the other for the sin offering (Lev 12:8).
Luke mentions the concession for poverty so it seems Yosep and Maryam were needy at this time. The sin offering does not suggest any wrongdoing on Maryam’s part; it was simply a ritual uncleanness due to the loss of blood during the birth.
Redeeming the first-born
It was also necessary to redeem a first-born son (see Exodus 13:2, 12–15, repeated in Exodus 34:19–20, also Numbers 3:11–13, 40–51 and Numbers 18:15–16). However, the child did not need to be taken to the Temple for this redemption, and Luke doesn’t mention the five shekels being paid.
Perhaps, from Luke’s point of view, since Yahshua is in a sense the first-born of his heavenly Father, not of Yosep, there was no need for the five shekel fee. Maybe the Simeon passage (Luke 2:25-33) is included specifically to make this clear. Hearing this prophecy over the infant Yahshua clearly impressed Yosep and Maryam and gave them further pause for thought.
Hanna (Anna)’s words (Luke 2:36-38) will no doubt have reinforced these impressions and thoughts still further in Yosep and Maryam’s minds.
After fulfilling all the requirements for ritual cleansing and redemption, they returned home to Nasra (Nazareth), and Luke has no details to share about Yahshua’s early life there except for the generalisations that he grew, became strong, was filled with wisdom, and that Father’s grace was on him (Luke 2:40). There remains just one piece of additional detail, and we’ll look at that next time. We can also add, though Luke doesn’t tell us, that Yashua during his childhood years would have learned Yo-sep‘s trade as a general builder (not, as commonly thought, a carpenter, though carpentry would certainly have been included). He would also have been taught by a local scribe to read and write Hebrew and would have studied the Hebrew Bible exhaustively, learning considerable chunks by heart as all Jewish boys were required to do.
Question: Consider that Yahshua, as he grew up, worked with Yo-sep at building and repairing work. Do you think practice at building and repairing structures might have helped him later with the work of building and repairing relationships? Think about the skills involved in getting things to fit well, the need for firm, reliable foundations. Think about things like care, attention to detail, self-control, gentleness, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness. He came to repair relationships between everyday people and between those people and his Father in heaven. He said, ‘I will build my church’.
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
‘Hey, don’t be afraid, guys; relax, nothing to worry about here.’ And he continued, ‘I’m bringing great news that will make everyone rejoice. Today, in David’s town, a Saviour has been born for you, Ha Maschiach (the Messiah), the Lord’.
Greek commentary on John’s gospel dated 1190-1200 (Bodleian Library)
2:1-7 – Some three months after the birth of Yohanan (John) it was almost time for Maryam (Mary) to give birth to Yashua (Jesus) after her return to Nasra (Nazareth), and in due course her time of labour would begin. Luke begins the chapter by telling us that the Roman Emperor Augustus had decreed a census for the entire empire. There’s a bit of difficulty here for Bible scholars and historians alike.
The chronology
It’s generally agreed that Yahshua (Jesus) was born well before our year zero, probably in the period 6 to 4 BC. If you want a nice round number go for 5 BC, you will be less than a year out so it’s quite reasonable as a guess to keep things simple. But (and it’s a big ‘but’) historians of the early Roman Empire under Augustus have found no record of a census in those years. There was a census in 6 AD but that is a very poor fit for several reasons.
The most obvious reason is the timing difference. Most historians assume Luke has inadvertently referred to the later census mistaking the date with the earlier one. Theologians have tried to reconcile the two dates in several ways but there’s been little agreement. But bear in mind that it’s entirely possible there was an earlier census and the records have been lost.
According to Luke’s account, here in chapter 2, the Emperor Augustus ordered that everybody (oikoumenē) should be registered. Luke says this was the first registration, when (or possibly before) Quirinius was governor of Syria, and adds that everyone went to their own ancestral town. That explains why YoSEP (Joseph) and Maryam travelled from Nasra to BaytLEhem (Bethlehem). Later, in Acts 5:37 Luke mentions the later census in 6 AD. He tells us that Gahmlee’el (Gamaliel) mentioned Judas the Gallilean, who rose up in the days of the census. This refers to the census of 6 AD, not one around 5 BC.
There is one further possibility. The ‘census’ might have been an affirmation of loyalty, not a tax raising exercise. Josephus writes in Antiquities 17.42 that there was an oath of loyalty to Augustus and Herod around 7–6 BC, and the 5th-century writer Orosius links an oath to Jesus’ birth. Matthew puts the birth of Jesus during Herod the Great’s reign, and Herod died in 4 BC. But Matthew doesn’t mention a census at all: and in his account the family seems to live in Bethlehem already and only later moves to Nazareth. Mark, John and Paul do not mention any census.
Family of David
YoSEP’s family were descended from the line of DahWEEth (David) at the town of BaytLEhem (Bethlehem), so that’s where he and his wife-to-be had to go. It must have been a very difficult journey for the pair of them, with the baby so nearly full-term. And she did, in fact give birth while they were right there in BaytLEhem for registration. They were unable to find accomm0dation in the small town, it must have been very crowded, so Maryam wrapped the baby in bands of cloth and laid him down in the farm animal’s hay trough.
The shepherds
Luke 2:8-20 Almost everyone in the western world is familiar with the story of the shepherds coming from the fields to worship and wonder at the new baby. It has become a standard and popular part of the Christmas story. While shepherds watched their flocks by night is one of those carols that everyone knows and loves, and the events are acted out at school nativity plays. So let’s read Luke 2:8-20 now and see how much of that popular story is here in Luke’s gospel.
The shepherds had been living outside at night to keep an eye on the sheep at a time when they they might have been prey to wolves or other predators if left alone. One of Yahweh’s angels appeared, his Shekinah glory shone brightly and they were terrified by this experience. To see the glory meant instant death according to the teaching of the priests. But the angel was unconcerned, saying something that in colloquial English might have been, ‘Hey, don’t be afraid, guys; relax, nothing to worry about here.’ And he continued, ‘I’m bringing great news that will make everyone rejoice. Today, in David’s town, a Saviour has been born for you, Ha Maschiach (the Messiah), the Lord. Luke, writing in Greek, uses the word Kyrios for Lord, the angel would have spoken Aramaic to the shepherds and therefore used the equivalent term Mar-ay (or possibly the Hebrew Adon or Adonai).
He added, ‘Here’s a clue for you, you’ll find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a farm animal’s hay trough!’
And suddenly great crowds, a veritable army of angels, appeared in the sky, praising Yahweh (I Am) and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’ Once the angels had returned to the skies, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go and see this event that Mar-ay told us about!’
So the shepherds hurried to find YoSEP, Maryam, and the baby; and after seeing him they left and told others who were all amazed to hear the details. Maryam, meanwhile, stored it all away in her mind and quietly considered it. The shepherds returned to the fields, glorifying and praising Elohim for everything they’d witnessed which had come about just as they’d been told.
So what Luke writes here matches what we see in nativity plays in the 21st century apart from a bunch of farm animals in the outbuilding with the hay trough, and the three visiting kings (or wise men) with their gifts. But these visitors get a mention in Matthew’s account.
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
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