Sunday
12/27/20 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Jesus Was A Jew”
Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 61:10-62:3
New Testament Scripture: Galatians 4:4-7
Gospel Lesson: Luke 2:22-40
Welcome once again, friends, brothers,
and sisters, on this our First Sunday after Christmas. Since we are still in
this 12-day season of Christmas, until Wednesday January 6th, which
is Epiphany, I say, Merry Christmas! We are still in this Christmas Season, so again,
Merry Christmas!
On this Sunday, the First Sunday after
Christmas, Jesus, our Lord, has been born, and this morning Jesus’ parents,
Mary and Joseph are taking baby Jesus to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in accordance
with the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses is the first five books of the Old
Testament, or the Torah. So, it is still the Christmas Season today, Jesus has
been born, and Joseph and Mary are presenting baby Jesus at the Jewish Temple
in Jerusalem. Jesus also gets circumcised on the eighth day of his life, as is
the Jewish custom for boys.
In the gospel of Matthew narrative of
Jesus’ birth, Mary and Joseph take baby Jesus, and flee to Egypt, as King Herod
orders the killing of all male children two years old and under, in and around Bethlehem.
King Herod is hoping to have Jesus killed, but Joseph is warned in a dream, and
he takes Mary and Jesus to safety in Egypt. I believe that before this happened
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple this morning. Jesus was then
visited by the Wise Men, or the Magi, as most scholars think that they did come
the night that Jesus was born, but after. The presence of the Wise Men coming
to see Jesus scared King Herod though, and he ordered the massacre of all two-year-old
and younger male children in around Bethlehem. After fleeing to Egypt, when it
was safe, Mary and Joseph came back, and went back to Nazareth where they were living
before traveling to Bethlehem for the Roman Emperor’s population census. Jesus
then grew up in Nazareth, and many called him Jesus of Nazareth, or the Jesus the
Nazarene.
Based upon the scripture, and the fact
that both Joseph and Mary were Jews, we have every reason to believe that Jesus
was raised in strict Judaism. Jesus probably learned all of what we would call
the Old Testament or the Hebrew scriptures, or the Tanakh, as did everyone in
Nazareth. Jesus was raised to follow the Laws of Moses in the first five books
of the Old Testament or the Torah, and he clearly knew what the scriptures
said. Jesus probably wore a Yakama or Kippah on his head. Jesus would go on to preach
in the Jewish Synagogues and the Temple in Jerusalem, and he had a clear
knowledge of the scriptures and the faith that he was raised in. So much so,
that Jesus always had clear response and quick rebuke to the Pharisees, Sadducees,
and other critics that challenged him. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in
the wilderness, and the devil quoted scripture, Jesus fired back with other scriptures.
“Jesus was a Jew,” God in the flesh, and he knew his stuff, and he was God in
the flesh.
In Jesus being a Jew, being raised a
Jew, the twelve disciples that he called were also Jews. Many of the people
that Jesus preached to and taught, not all, but many, were Jews. You see, many
Jews had long awaited a savior, a Messiah, would save them, who would redeem
Israel. Jesus claimed to be this savior, this Messiah. Not only this, but Jesus
fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament or Hebrew Bible prophecies about who the
Messiah would be and what he would do. For the Messiah, would be a descendant
of the great King David, he would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. This
Messiah would save his people and would do amazing things. The prophecy said that
Jesus would be called the Nazarene, as he was raised in Nazareth. Even though
Jesus would become the savior of the world, who would die for us all, he was
raised a Jew.
One of the predictions of what this
Messiah would be like, is found from our reading for this morning from Isaiah.
In Isaiah 62:1-3, it says once again:
“62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not
rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch. 2 The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory; and you
shall be called by a new name that the mouth of
the Lord will give. 3 You shall
be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God” (Isa. 62:1-3, NRSV).
Salvation
with come, through the Messiah. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive
Israel”. The Messiah, Jesus, through God, will restore Israel and all of humanity.
In
repeating, in part, some Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, about Jesus,
the Apostle Paul tells us in our reading from Galatians 4:4-7, once again, of Jesus
the Messiah. Once again, the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:4-7 for this
morning:
“4 But when the
fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the
law, 5 in order to redeem those who
were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children,
God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our
hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child,
and if a child then also an heir, through God” (Gal. 4:4-7, NRSV).
So,
the Apostle Paul is telling us that even though “Jesus was a Jew,” that his
parents Joseph and Mary were Jews, that he was born redeem Israel and all the world.
He was a Jew, but came to earth, as the Messiah, the savior of the world.
This leads me to our gospel lesson
from the gospel of Luke for this morning, once again. Prior to the first verse
of this morning’s gospel reading, Luke 2:21 says:
“21 After
eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called
Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb” (Lk.
2:21, NRSV).
So, Mary and Joseph have Jesus
circumcised, named, all in accordance with the Torah or the first five books of
the Old Testament. “Jesus was a Jew”.
The gospel of Luke then continues stating
this directly, saying once again:
“22 When
the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they
brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written
in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to
the Lord”), 24 and
they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a
pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” (Lk.
2:22-24, NRSV).
So again, more rites, rituals, and
spiritual practices that Mary and Joseph entered with Jesus, in accordance with
the Jewish Law, or the Law of Moses.
In addition to Mary and Joseph taking
8-day year old Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for the rites, rituals, and spiritual
practices of an 8-day old, Mary and Joseph, and little Jesus encountered a man
named Simeon.
Simeon was an older man, a devout Jew,
and was very aware of the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, the
savior. The gospel of Luke continues for this morning, says:
“25 Now there was a man
in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout,
looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on
him. 26 It
had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before
he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon
came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to
do for him what was customary under the law,” (Lk. 2:25-28, NRSV).
Simeon then takes baby Jesus into his
arms and praises God for Jesus, the Messiah. Mary and Joseph were amazed by
this, and Simeon told them that their child, Jesus, was destined to do amazing
things. This child will change the world, this Messiah, this savior (Lk. 2:28-33,
NRSV).
There
was also another woman at the Temple, a prophet, named Anna, and this Anna when
she saw Jesus praised God and spoke to everyone about the Christ Child, the
Messiah that she had seen with Joseph and Mary. Anna the prophet told everyone
that this child, Jesus, was the one they have been waiting years for, the
savior, the messiah, who would redeem Israel.
This
gospel reading then ends with what I believe is Mary and Joseph coming back
from Egypt, where they fled after the Wise Men visited, to head home to
Nazareth. In Nazareth, they raised Jesus, and no doubt continued to raise him
in strict Judaism. For “Jesus Was A Jew”.
I
like to give a sermon every year about our Jewish heritage as Christians, to
remind us that the Christian faith comes out of Judaism. As Christians then, we
should see our Jewish brothers and sisters, the people who still follow the Torah,
the Law of Moses, as our spiritual ancestors, from which Christ came, and through
him brought to us the Christian gospel. Understanding Judaism is to understand
the Old Testament, and where we come from as Christians.
Friends,
when we know our roots, when we know our past, when we know where we come from,
then we know who we are. Even though we are going forward today, and into the
future, knowing our heritage, knowing our past, and knowing who we are, informs
not only our present, but it also informs our future. May embrace Christ deeper
this day, but may we also remember where our faith originally came from. For “Jesus
Was A Jew”. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment