PASTOR MARK’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

And so He Arrived!

When we celebrate the birth of Ha’ Moshiach (the Anointed One) our Yehoshua at Christmas, our attention is most often given to Luke’s account, because it provides us with so much information. It tells us of the annunciation of the Angel Jirbil (Gabriel) to the peasant girl Miriam (Mary). It includes the story of the shepherds as well as the infancy hymns that are sung by Zacharias and by others during that time.

Matityahu’s (Matthew’s) version is much briefer. We notice at the outset that Matthew gives his account from the viewpoint of Yousef (Joseph), whereas Lukos (Luke) tells his account from the viewpoint of Miriam. Lukos assures us that what he wrote in his Gospel was well researched from eyewitnesses, and tradition affirms that Lukos got much of his information from Miriam herself. Of course, when Mattiyahu wrote his Gospel, he never got to speak with Yousef, he had no opportunity to interview Yousef.

The birth of Yehoshua was as follows; (“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”  - Matityahu/Matthew 1:18); This opening assertion is rich in content, as brief as it is. The word used here for the birth of Yehoshua is genesis. Our word genesis comes from the Greek ginomai, which means “to be, to become, or happen.” Matityahu is asserting that this is how Yehoshua came to be, it places the birth of Ha' Moshiach as recorded in history, rather than mere mythology.

The Betrothal of Miriam and Yousef:

After his mother Miriam was betrothed to Yousef, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit (“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”  - Matthew 1:18).

This takes place after betrothal but prior to marriage. A betrothal is considered to be an engagement between two people who intend to become married at a certain time, yet there are countless occasions in which engagements are broken and the marriage never comes to pass. Among the Jews of Yehoshua's time, however, a betrothal was far more serious. It was an unbreakable pledge customarily undertaken one year before the wedding, and it carried almost the weight of marriage itself; it was so close that it required virtually a writ of divorce to end it.

Following betrothal, the bride remained under the roof of her parents. She would not move into the home of her husband until after the actual marriage. Therefore, it was serious when a betrothed woman was discovered to be with child; the implications of such a pregnancy were enormous in Jewish society and could, indeed, result in execution of the woman who violated her betrothal by becoming pregnant. Yet we are told here in Matityahu that before Miriam came together with Yousef, “she was found with child of the Rauch Ha' Chodesh (Holy Spirit).” The father of this child in Miriam's womb was not some illicit lover, nor was it Yousef. The paternity was accomplished through the supernatural powers of Rauch Ha' Chodesh. In the Apostles’ Creed it is recited, “Jesus Christ . . . was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary . . .” Those two miraculous aspects.... His conception and His birth.... were integral to the faith of the Christian church of the early centuries. Jesus’ conception was extraordinary, not natural but supernatural, accomplished by the divine work of the Spirit, and as a result a baby born to a virgin.

Perhaps no concept or assertion of biblical Christianity fell under greater scrutiny by nineteenth-century liberalism than the account of "a virgin birth." We know that the term 'virgin' is a clear mistranslation of the Hebrew "Alma' (Parhenos, in Greek) meaning young maidenor young women, however, in translations, it in error became "virgin" as the word seized upon was "maiden' which may also be  a form of the word Behtulah (woman of marrying age untouched by man). For some reason more attention was given to that than to the resurrection.

Because the event had been so greatly supernatural, it became a stumbling block to those who tried to limit the very essence of the faith of Yehoshua to all that can be accomplished through natural humanity. As Miriam's pregnancy was discovered, Yousef, a mortal man and one who was also kind and gave detailed attention to the observance of the law of Elohim, not wanting to in great compassion cause her to be a public example, was minded to put her away secretly (Matityahu/Matthew 1:19). He was thoughtfully unwilling to call bring the wrath of the courts upon his betrothed, and he decided to deal with it from a spirit of compassion. After he thought it over deeply and carefully, he decided to divorce her or put her away in a private manner, so as to save his betrothed from total public humiliation.

While Yousef contemplated these things, behold, an angel of HaShem appeared onto him in a dream, saying, “Yousef, son of Daud” (“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.”  -  Matityahu/Matthew 1:20). The New Testament makes so much out of the fact that Yehoshua is the Son of Daud that it’s amazing to find Yousef being given that same title, though this is also of key importance for the lineage of Yehoshua. For Yehoshua to be a Son of Daud in Jewish categories, legally His father also had to be a son of Daud. That is why the angel gives this honorific title to Yousef when he addresses him, saying, “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” - (Matthew 1:20). This is the second time in this brief narrative that the conception of Ha' Moshiach within the womb of Miriam is attributed to the work of Rauch Ha' Chdoesh.

We find in Lukos account that when the angel Jirbil (Gabriel) told Miriam that she has conceived the child and will bring forth a baby, she was stunned and said, “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” - (Lukos/.Luke 1:34). The angel replied, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of G-d.”  - (Luke 1:35).

It is that Jirbil (Gabriel) explained to Miraim how the birth would take place. Rauvh Ha' Chodesh would overshadow her so that the child would be born as a result of this supernatural work. Lukos employs similar language which is used at the dawn of creation: “In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the earth” (Genesis 1:1), and then we are told that the Holy Spirit came and hovered over the waters, and G-d said, “Let there be light” - (Bereishit/Genesis 1:3). In the act of creation, the Spirit is moving on the face of the deep, and out of the nothingness of that darkness Elohim, through the power of His Spirit and through His spoken Word, brings forth the whole of creation.

From the biblical perspective, the genesis of life in the first place was through the power of the Spirit of life, of Rauch Ha' Chodesh. Arch Angel Jirbil (Gabriel) was declaring before Miriam that same power by which the universe was made; that same power that brought life out of the darkness originally is the very same Holy power which shall overshadow her womb and produce a son, Ben Elohim (Son of G-d).

The Authority to Name: So, do not be afraid, Joseph, to take Mary as your wife. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” - (Matityahu/Matthew 1:21). It was the privilege of Jewish parents to name their children. The very first enterprise given to humanity in the garden was the scientific task of taxonomy, that is, the task of naming the animals, and in that task of naming, the superior names the subordinate. Elohim provided to Adom (Adam) and Chavvah (Eve) the responsibility and authority to name everything in the animal kingdom. Yet throughout the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), when a child was born into specific historical and redemptive purposes, Elohim removed the privilege from the parent and named the child Himself, indicating that the child belonged to Him. That is what happened with Zacharias in the birth of John the Baptist. Elohim informed Zacharias what to name his son; “But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elshieva (Elisabeth) shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.” - (Lukos/Luke 1:13). The same thing happens in Matthew. The Lord is saying to Yousef, “You are not going to choose a name for this boy. You will name Him what I tell you to name Him, because ultimately, He is my Son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” The etymology behind that name is “Yehovah saves.” Name Him Yehoshua “for He will save His people from their sins.”

The idea of redemptive salvation in scripture generally means some kind of rescue from a threat of destruction or calamity, and the highest, ultimate sense of salvation is rescue from the worst of all possible calamities. The worst calamity that could ever befall human beings is to fall under the judgment of Elohim for their sin. That is the calamity that awaits every person who does turn to Yehoshua for redemption and everlasting-life .It is however that the baby is called “Yehoshua” because He is the light of the world and He will save His people from the consequences of their sins.

The Virgin Birth: So, all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, G-d with us." - (Yeshayahu/Matthew 1:22-23). This verse, in which Matityahu/Matthew is quoting Yeshayahu/Isaiah, was sharply attacked by the critics of the nineteenth century. In the Jewish language there are two words that can be used to describe a virgin.

The most precise and technical word is not the one that Yeshayahu (Isaiah) chose. Rather, Yeshayahu/Isaiah (meaning Salvation of the Lord) chose another word, Alma, translated as “young woman” or, more appropriately, “maiden,” which presumes virginity but doesn’t necessitate it. The critics point to that and say that Isaiah wasn’t speaking of a virgin but saying only that a young woman, a maiden, would conceive. Therefore, some Theologians state Scripture does not convey a “virgin birth.” That’s what we call the exegesis of despair.

Yahsa'yahu (Isaiah) said, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” - (Isaiah 7:14), but here in Matityahu,  Jirbil states that they shall call His name “Yehoshua.” Those names are not the same, and they do not mean the same thing. Isaiah does not tell us why they will call Him “Immanuel.” The term Immanuel describes what Ha' Moshiach (our Messiah) does. It describes the event of incarnation. He will be called Immanuel because He will be the incarnate presence of Elohim with us, but His proper Jewish name will be Yehoshua, because “He will save his people from their sins.”

^“Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS." - (Matityahu/Matthew 1:24-25). This reflects not only the obedience and submission of Yousef to what the angel had directed him to do, but also that Yousef fully embraces Ben Elohim (Son of G-d) Yehoshua as his son and fulfills all legal requirements of the genealogy. Yousef did this, even though the child’s name was not selected by him but by the angel. In the truest sense, Yehoshua was named by Elohim, who is His ultimate given Father. In the proximate sense, Yehoshua was named by Yousef, who was given the astounding and unique blessing and privilege of being Yehoshua's earthly father.

No matter the method through which we celebrate His birth, the truth remains of Yehoshua's direct ministry among the people through which we discover "The Kingdom of heaven is Within."

Journey in faith, walking in grace and know YOU are loved.

Pastor Mark