Latest / The Five Minute Bible Podcast / Luke 2 - Devotion

Transcript

Luke 2 - Devotion · The Five Minute Bible Podcast

• 0:00
  Welcome to Five Minute Bible in our journey through the New
• 0:02
  Testament. In each episode, we.
• 0:05
  Take just a few minutes to focus on one chapter of the New
• 0:07
  Testament, exploring the truths God is teaching us through His
• 0:11
  Word and expanding our view of who He is.
• 0:14
  Before you listen, make sure you've gone straight to the
• 0:17
  source, either by reading today's chapter of the Bible
• 0:20
  yourself or listening to today's read along episode in this
• 0:23
  podcast feed. If you haven't done that yet,
• 0:26
  feel free to pause and do that now.
• 0:28
  When you're ready, let's dive into God's Word.
• 0:31
  Together, in Luke chapter 2, we see a
• 0:45
  glimpse of the birth and early life of Jesus of Nazareth, a
• 0:48
  different glimpse than we saw earlier in Matthew chapter one.
• 0:52
  What Luke emphasizes in this chapter surrounding the birth of
• 0:54
  Jesus is the announcement and reception of his birth by a
• 0:58
  handful of individuals. In particular, we see the birth
• 1:02
  of Jesus announced by the angels to the shepherds that were
• 1:04
  watching their flocks in the fields near where Jesus was born
• 1:08
  in Bethlehem. After the birth, we see Jesus
• 1:11
  presented in the temple to be circumcised and named.
• 1:14
  It is there that we meet two more individuals who have been
• 1:16
  awaiting the birth of the Messiah.
• 1:19
  First is Simeon, who the text describes as righteous and
• 1:22
  devout, looking for the consolation of Israel and the
• 1:25
  Holy Spirit was upon him. Then a prophetess named Anna
• 1:29
  meets Jesus. The text says that she was
• 1:31
  advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years
• 1:34
  after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of 84.
• 1:38
  She never left the temple, serving night and day with
• 1:41
  fastings and prayers. So what is happening in this
• 1:44
  chapter as the birth of Jesus is celebrated by the shepherds,
• 1:47
  Simeon and Anna? First, we cannot miss at the
• 1:51
  announcement of the birth of the Son of God.
• 1:53
  The King of the Nations was not done with the pomp and
• 1:56
  circumstance that we might expect a royal birth to receive.
• 1:59
  With one exception, there was one group that was treated to a
• 2:03
  loud, bright royal announcement, the shepherds.
• 2:08
  It is this interaction that has LED us to sing hymns like Hark
• 2:11
  the Herald Angels Sing. The announcement was not made to
• 2:14
  the religious leaders or to the political authorities or to the
• 2:17
  ruling class. No, it was to these lowly
• 2:20
  shepherds that the angels put on a display, and the message
• 2:24
  implicit in this proclamation is that the good news that comes
• 2:27
  with the birth of the Savior is not restricted to the high and
• 2:31
  mighty. Jesus, who would describe
• 2:33
  himself later as gentle and humble at heart, has come to
• 2:36
  save sinners, in particular those humble enough to admit
• 2:40
  their need. One more beautiful reality that
• 2:42
  we can draw out from this reading on the birth of Jesus.
• 2:45
  The birth of Jesus was good news for humanity and ultimately for
• 2:49
  the glory of God. When the Angel speaks to the
• 2:51
  shepherds, he says, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you
• 2:55
  good news of great joy, which will be for all the people.
• 2:59
  Then when the host of angels appear, they praise God and say,
• 3:04
  Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among men with
• 3:07
  whom he is pleased, good news for mankind, and glory to God.
• 3:12
  Then Simeon meets Jesus and he is exuberant.
• 3:15
  He takes Jesus into his arms and immediately blesses God.
• 3:19
  He testifies of the salvation that God has prepared for Jew
• 3:22
  and Gentile. Alike.
• 3:24
  Good news for mankind and glory to God.
• 3:27
  And last we see Anna, the prophetess who had worshipped
• 3:30
  the Lord faithfully for decades. She comes up to the newborn
• 3:33
  Jesus and begins giving thanks to God and the text says,
• 3:37
  continue to speak of him to all those who were looking for the
• 3:40
  redemption of Jerusalem. What she had waited for had
• 3:44
  arrived and her only response was to thank God and proclaim
• 3:47
  this good news. Good news for mankind and glory
• 3:51
  to God. So don't miss this as you read
• 3:55
  this familiar chapter. When Jesus was born, the world
• 3:58
  was forever changed. God himself taking on human
• 4:01
  flesh to redeem the very people who had turned their backs on
• 4:04
  Him. This is the greatest news you or
• 4:07
  I could ever hear. Give glory and praise to God.