4. infancy narrative, part 2 - amazon web...

Lesson&#4&Infancy&Narra0ve,&Part&2&

(2:&1952)&

1"Infancy"Narra+ve,"Part"2"

In#Lesson##3#we#saw#that#Luke#begins#his#gospel#with#the#Annuncia7on,#God’s#offer#to#Mary#that#she#become#the#mother#of#his#Son,#an#offer#that#is#framed#by#God’s#announcement#to#Zechariah#that#he#will#become#the#father#of#John#the#Bap7st,#Jesus’#cousin#and#forerunner.###

Gabriel’s#announcement#in#the#Temple#to#Zechariah#structurally#parallels#his#announcement#in#Nazareth#to#Mary,#followed#by#Mary’s#visit#to#Elizabeth#in#the#hill#country#of#Judea,#where#she#stays#un7l#John’s#birth.#

We#learned#that#crea7ng#an#exact#parallel#between#the#announcements#to#Zechariah#and#Mary,#and#then#sending#Mary#to#Elizabeth’s#home#where#she#visits#with#Elizabeth#and#awaits#the#birth#of#John,#creates#a#7ghtly#woven,#cohesive#narra7ve#with#interlocking#parts.#


With#John’s#birth#in#Chapter#1,#we#move#seamlessly#to#Jesus’#birth#in#Chapter#2.##As#Lesson##4#opens,#Luke#sets#the#scene,#both#historically#and#geographically.##Historically,#the#scene#opens#when#Caesar#Augustus#(in#Rome)#issues#a#decree#that#a#census#of#the#Roman#world#be#taken;#this#was#“when&Quirinius&was&governor&of&Syria.”##Mary#and#Joseph#make#their#way#100#miles#south#from#Nazareth#to#Bethlehem,#Joseph’s#ancestral#home#and#the#town#of#David,#where#Jesus#will#be#born,#fulfilling#the#prophecy#of#Micah#5:#1\2.###


Not#me.##

Infancy"Narra+ve,"Part"2"

I’m#looking#forward#to#the#birth#of#Jesus#story.##It#doesn’t#appear#in#such#detail#in#Ma]hew#or#

Mark."

4"

Merry#Christmas!#

The#“birth#of#Jesus”#story#begins#with#Caesar#Augustus#issuing#a#decree#that#“the&whole&world&should&be&enrolled.”&

Ma]hew#focuses#his#gospel#on#the#Jewish#world;#Mark#on#the#Chris7ans#in#Rome.##Luke—the#only#gen7le#writer#in#all#of#Scripture—expands#his#focus#to#include#all#of#humanity,#both#Jew#and#gen7le.###


L;#

Infancy"Narra+ve,"Part"2" 6"

In#fact,#the#very#architecture#of#Luke/Acts#emphasizes#the#universality#of#the#gospel#message.###

No7ce#how#the#gospel#begins#with#the#“en7re#Roman#world,”#and#then#narrows#that#world#down#to#Judea,#Galilee,#Iturea,#Traconi7s#and#Abilene,#finally#focusing#on#Annas#and#Caiaphas,#the#high#priests#in#Jerusalem.##

In#like#mo7on,#Jesus#moves#from#heaven#itself#as#the#“Son#of#God”#(Luke#1:35)#to#Galilee#and#Judea,#finally#ending#his#public#ministry#in#Jerusalem#at#the#cross#and#the#empty#tomb.###

The#shape#of#the#narra7ve#looks#something#like#this:##

.#


L;#


Forty#days#ader#Jesus’#resurrec7on,#he#leaves#Jerusalem#and#ascends#back#into#heaven,#leaving#his#Apostles#with#the#command#to#be#his#witnesses#“in&Jerusalem,&and&Judea&and&Samaria,&and&to&the&ends&of&the&earth”&(Acts#1:8).##And#that#is#precisely#what#happens.###

Ten#days#ader#Jesus’#ascension,#the#Holy#Spirit#descends#from#heaven#and#the#Church#begins#moving#out#into#the#world,#star7ng#with#Peter’s#sermon#on#Pentecost#at#the#temple#mount#in#Jerusalem#and#moving#with#Paul#through#his#1st,#2nd#and#3rd#missionary#journeys,#each#progressing#farther#and#farther#into#the#Roman#world,#ending#with#Paul#in#Rome#awai7ng#trial#before#Caesar,#where#our#story#in#Luke#began.###

The#shape#of#Acts#looks#something#like#this:###

L;#


Structurally,#Luke&and&Acts#make#up#one#unified#work,#each#the#mirror#image#of#the#other.##

Not#me.##


Now#THAT#is#very#cool!"

11"

It#sure#is!#

So,#let’s#get#started#on#the#journey#to#Bethlehem#in#Luke#2:#1\7.#



Geertgen#van#Haarlem.##The&Na0vity&at&Night&(oil#on#oak),#c.#1490.#Na7onal#Gallery,#London.#

The&infant&Jesus&is&the&source&of&light.&&The&angel&appears&to&shepherds&on&a&hill&in&the&background.&&

Jericho#!#

Jerusalem##

! Fording#point#at#####Scythopolis#

! Fording#point#at######Jericho#


Nazareth###

Luke#2:#41\52#

Bethlehem#(7#km#south#of#Jerusalem)#

Photography&by&Ana&Maria&Vargas&

Church#of#the#Annuncia7on,#lower#Church#with#“Mary’s#House.”#Nazareth,#Israel.&



“Church#of#the#Annuncia7on”&in#Nazareth.&


Nazareth#and#the#“Brow#of#the#Cliff”#overlooking#the#Jezreel#Valley.#



Ford#the#Jordan#River#at#Scythopolis,#crossing#to#the#east#bank#of#the#Jordan.#



Mary#and#Joseph#would#parallel#the#lower#Jordan#River.#



The#pilgrim#road#south,#along#the#east#side#of#the#Jordan#River#to#Jericho.#Photography&by&Ana&Maria&Vargas&

Pilgrim#Route##

Jordan#River#

East#Bank#(Jordan#of#today)#

West#Bank#(Israel#of#today)#


N# S#



Jericho,#the#“city#of#palms.”"

"#Jericho#

Mt.#of#Olives#!#Jerusalem#!""

Old&Roman&Road&!&&##

"#Bethphage/Bethany#

Our&historian&Josephus&writes&that&the&1st&century&Roman&Road&from&Jericho&to&Jerusalem&is&150&Roman&stadia,&or&17.25&miles.&&&


"#Bethlehem#X#

From#Jericho#the#old#Roman#Road#ascends#3,400#feet#in#eleva7on#to#Jerusalem.##



The#road#clings#to#the#southern#wall#of#the#Wadi#Qelt,#with#a#precipitous#ver7cal#drop#on#the#right.##



Near#the#top,#the#4th\century#St.#George’s#monastery#clings#to#the#northern#wall.##Photography&by&Ana&Maria&Vargas&


Bethany,#home#of#Mary,#Martha#and#Lazarus,#is#1.5#miles#east#of#Jerusalem#on#the#south\eastern#slope#of#the#Mount#of#Olives.#



Walking#down#the#“Palm#Sunday”#road,#the#path#that#Jesus#later#walked#as#he#entered#Jerusalem#“on#a#colt,#the#foal#of#a#beast#of#burden,”#to#the#cheers#of#the#crowd.#



Dome#of#the#Rock#!#(Temple#in#Jesus’#Day)#

"#Eastern#Planorm#Wall#!##

The#Temple#in#Jesus’#day,#as#he#would#have#seen#it#from#the#Mt.#of#Olives.#(1.50&scale&model&of&1st9century&Jerusalem,&Israel&Museum.)#


East#Gate#!##



Southern#steps#of#the#Temple#area#where#later#Jesus#would#teach.#

Southern#Steps#!#


Southern#planorm#wall##


Arriving#in#Bethlehem,#7#kilometers#south#of#Jerusalem,#Mary#and#Joseph#may#have#stopped#at#the#local#“Stars#&#Bucks”!#


The#Church#of#the#Na7vity#remembers#where#Jesus#was#born.##Commissioned#in#A.D.#327#by#the#Emperor#Constan7ne#and#his#mother#St.#Helena,#the#church#sits#over#a#cave.##

In#the#cave,#the#14\pointed#star#marks#the#tradi7onal#place#where#Jesus#was#born.#



Now#we#turn#to#the#shepherds#in#the#fields#east#of#Bethlehem,#the#very#same#fields#where#Ruth#met#Boaz#in#the#Book&of&Ruth.#


Shepherds’#fields,#looking#east#from#the#observa7on#planorm#in#Bethlehem.#

Photo&by&Phil&SieVes&(godwardpassion.blogspot.com)&



Julius#Schnorr#von#Carolsfeld.##Ruth&in&Boaz’s&Field&(oil#on#canvas),#1828.#Na7onal#Gallery,#London.#


Gerard#van#Honthorst.##Adora0on&of&the&Shepherds&(oil#on#canvas),#1622.#Wallraf\Richartz#Museum,#Cologne,#Germany.#

L;#


“And#Mary#kept#all#these#things,#reflec0ng&on&them&in#her#heart”##

# # # # # #(2:#19)#

• Verse#19#offers#insight#into#Mary’s#thoughts#surrounding#Jesus’#birth.&&“Reflec0ng&on&them”#translates#the#Greek#word#sumbavllw#(soom\BAL\o),#a#compound#of#sun&=#“with”#or#“together”#and##ballo&=#“to#throw”).#An#ac7ve#present#par7ciple,#the#word#carries#with#it#a#sense#of#turbulence,#not#a#gentle#“reflec7ng”#or#“pondering.”#

• This#sense#of#turbulence#increases#when#Simeon#tells#Mary#that#Jesus#will#be#“opposed”#and#that#“a#sword”#will#pierce#her#heart,#as#well.#

• Finally,#Mary#“treasured”#all#the#events#in#Luke#2#(2:#51).##The#Greek#word#is#diathrevw (dee\at\ay\REH\o),#which#carries#an#intensified#sense#of#“thoroughly.”#

Ccc#

Not#me.##


I#had#always#thought#of#Mary#as#gently##“pondering”#these#

things#in#her#heart,#not#wrestling&with#them.##It##makes#sense,#though.###"

38"

I#need#to#think##about#that.#

Eight#days#ader#Jesus’#birth#he#is#named#and#circumcised,#as#was#John#in#1:#59\60.##This#fulfills#God’s#commandment#to#Abraham#in#Genesis#17:#1\12.#

Forty#days#ader#Jesus’#birth#Mary#and#Joseph#go#to#the#Temple#in#Jerusalem#for#Mary’s#purifica7on,#as#prescribed#in#Levi7cus#12:#2\8.#

Here#they#meet#Simeon#and#Anna.#



Albrecht#Durer.##Circumcision&of&Christ&(oil#on#wood),#c.#1495.#Old#Masters#Gallery,#Dresden.#

Aert#de#Gelder.&&Simeon’s&Song&of&Praise&(oil#on#canvas),#c.#1700.#Royal#Picture#Gallery,#Mauritshuls,#the#Hague,#Netherlands.#


Rembrandt.&&The&Prophetess&Anna&(aka#“Rembrandt’s#Mother”)#(oil#on#panel),#1631.#Rijksmuseum,#Amsterdam.#


We#conclude#Luke’s#infancy#narra7ve#with#the#story#of#Jesus#being#lost#at#the#Temple,#2:#41\52.#


William#Holman#Hunt.&&The&Finding&of&the&Saviour&in&the&Temple&(oil#on#canvas),#1860.#Birmingham#Museum#and#Art#Gallery,#Birmingham,#England.#


To#understand#this#story,#we#need#to#walk#our#now\familiar#old#Roman#road#from#Jerusalem#down#to#Jericho,#descending#from#2,500#feet#above#sea#level#to#900#feet#below#sea#level.#


Leaving#the#Temple#area,#we#ascend#up#the#Mount#of#Olives.##


East#Gate#!##


Once#over#the#top,#we#pass#Bethany#on#the#down\slope,#home#of#Mary,#Martha#and#Lazarus.##



The#road#clings#to#the#southern#wall#of#the#Wadi#Qelt,#with#a#precipitous#ver7cal#drop.##





Once#at#Jericho,#a#day’s#journey#from#Jerusalem,#Jesus#is#missing!#

Not#me.##


Of#course!##For#Mary#and#Joseph#the#only#possible#

explana7on#is#that#12\year#old#Jesus#was#fooling#around#with#the#other#boys#and#fell#to#his#death!##Hence,#the#3\day#

search."

50"

Yikes!!!!#

1.   When#Mary#and#Joseph#make#the#100\mile#journey#from#Nazareth#to#Bethlehem#for#the#census,#what#might#Mary#have#been#thinking?###

2.   Why#is#it#necessary#that#Jesus#be#born#in#Bethlehem,#rather#than#Nazareth?#

3.   The#angel#Gabriel#appears#to#Zechariah#in#the#Temple,#to#Mary#in#Nazareth#and#to#the#shepherds#in#Bethlehem.##What#func7on#do#Gabriel#and#the#host#of#angels#play#in#Luke’s#narra7ve?#

4.   How#do#you#think#Mary#felt,#hearing#Simeon’s#words?#

5.   Why#does#Luke#close#his#infancy#narra7ve#with#the#story#of#Jesus#being#lost#at#the#Temple?#


Copyright#©#2015#by#William#C.#Creasy#

# All# rights# reserved.# No# part# of# this# course—audio,# video,#photography,# maps,# 7melines# or# other# media—may# be#reproduced#or#transmi]ed#in#any#form#by#any#means,#electronic#or# mechanical,# including# photocopying,# recording# or# by# any#informa7on# storage# or# retrieval# devices# without# permission# in#wri7ng#or#a#licensing#agreement#from#the#copyright#holder.#


4. infancy narrative, part 2 - amazon web...

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