Luke 2; Matthew 2 : We Have Come to Worship Him

Begin by reading Luke 2 and Matthew 2, and pay attention to any spiritual insights you receive. The study ideas in this outline can help you identify some of the most important and relevant principles in these chapters.

Access the full study materials for this lesson here.

Didn't we just read all this at Christmas?

I have to admit, this lesson was harder for me to jump into, and I spent some time this afternoon wondering why. I think it's because I KNOW this story. Luke 2 is the story of the birth of Christ, and I already know it. I've heard/watched/read hundreds of variations of the story, and stories ABOUT hearing or reading or acting the story, and, thanks largely to Linus, I even have it mostly memorized. So I didn't feel the same excitement about diving in to learn something new. 

Of course as soon as I realized that's what I had been thinking, I corrected myself. This is a new manual, it's going to have new things to focus on, there JUST MIGHT be something that will be new to me.

So here I go:

What can we learn from the examples of the stories in these chapters about witnessing and worshipping Christ?

The Shepherds

The first thought I'm having is that, as in the previous lesson, these early witnesses of the newborn Christ must have been in tune with the spirit. I don't believe angels would just come down and bear witness of this most important of events to just anybody. Yes, the shepherds were probably poor, hardworking men, but that doesn't matter to God. I believe these must have been good men, who didn't use coarse language, or lie or cheat, or were ambivalent in their feelings towards God. I like the idea that, while "watching their flocks by night", they would have been thinking of and possibly discussing scripture, or praying, or even simply enjoying the beauty of the night sky. 

The second thing I'm noticing, is that they listened, and followed through with what the angel told them. They stopped fearing, they heard the glad news, noted the signs by which they would find him, then immediately, "with haste", they left their flocks and went to find the babe in the manger. (Here I like the idea of one or two of the heavenly host staying behind to watch the flocks while the shepherds were gone. I wonder if that story from the point of view of a lamb would make a good children's book?)

The third thing they did was to share what they had learned with others. They immediately went around Bethlehem, probably telling friends and family, about the visit of the angels, the glad tidings, and the baby they had seen just as the angel had said, the baby who would be the Savior of the world. It says in Luke 2:18, "And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds." It doesn't not make mention of anybody else going to find the stable to see Jesus, but I hope there might have been one or two. Wouldn't that be sad if nobody did?

Verse 19 says that Mary kept all these things and pondered them -- I think this means the shepherds didn't only just peek in to see the child, but stayed and visited, and told why they had come and what the angels have said. I wonder if that would have been comforting to Mary and Joseph, so very soon into their baby's life, to have these visitors and further witnesses of the great destiny He was to fulfil.

Simeon

The very first verse about Simeon (Luke 2:25) says he "was just and devout", and that "the Holy Ghost was upon him". This strengthens my theory about the shepherds being just and devout men themselves. He was led by the Spirit to the temple, in time to meet Mary and Joseph presenting Jesus there. 

It must have been rather startling for Mary to have her baby suddenly held by this man; there is no indication that he greeted them first, although I hope he did. I also wonder who else was at the temple that day (besides Anna) who overheard Simeon and what they thought about it. 

And then here is another instance of witnessing to Mary herself: I wonder if it was difficult sometimes, as a young mother, in spite of all she'd already heard and experienced, to look at her tiny helpless squishy baby and see The Messiah. Did she need reminding of who He was? Or would she need these things later in life, as she watched him grow up, and begin his ministry, and ultimately end up on the cross?

Anna

Verse 38 says "And she (Anna) coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord". Anna was a prophetess who served in the temple, probably living there. She also would have been in tune with the spirit, but it doesn't say if she knew Jesus would be coming during her lifetime like Simeon did. 

However, once she'd seen him, it says that she told people about him, she "spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem". 

Wise Men

The wise men must have also been faithful, good men. They searched for the King of the Jews that they might worship him. It says they came from "the east" but most of the details of these men are unavailable to us, but it is implied that they must have traveled a long way. They stopped by the local ruler, Herod, to ask where this King would be found. Herod's priests and scribes searched similar scriptures to those in the Old Testament (see Micah 5:2) that a ruler of Israel would come out of Bethlehem.

I just noticed verse 3: "When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." We know why Herod was troubled: he was afraid of being displaced by a King. Silly Herod. But what about the rest of Jerusalem? This was an entire city full of people who knew the scriptures and the prophecies (or should have) and who were waiting for the Messiah. It must have been disturbing to hear that people were traveling to their city from far-off countries to worship the Being they had been waiting for -- he was here already? Really? SINCE WHEN? Yeah, I guess that could have been really troubling, for the faithful and unbelieving alike.

Back to the wise men: they went to Bethlehem, still following the star, which showed them where the house was, and they went and worshipped Jesus, and gave him gifts fit for the King he is. 

So what did I learn?

I like the pattern I see, studying these early encounters with the infant Son of God. Here is what I gathered:

1. These people were ready to learn about Christ. They were faithful and in tune with the spirit, so when heavenly messengers or spiritual promptings came to them, they heard and believed.
2. They came to him, some over many miles, some through many years, and some leaving behind important responsibilities. They made the efforts and the sacrifices because they knew that coming to Christ was worth it.
3. They testified of Him. They told others about Him, and their encounters with him. They bore testimony of what they had seen and heard, and of what was yet to come, not only to others, but also to Mary and Joseph.
4. They thanked God and praised Him for the gift of his Only Begotten, of a Messiah to rule and redeem the people.
5. They blessed Him, and gave him gifts. Some of these gifts were physical, but surely the testimonies of the shepherds, and of Anna at the temple, and of the wise men returning another way to avoid Herod were also gifts to Jesus to help him on His divine mission.

There is more in the lesson, of course.

Too much for me to go into in this blog, this post is long enough, but I think this was a good focus for me. I plan to ponder about what I have learned about these early examples of worshipping and witnessing of Christ. I'd like to try and live my life so that if I were called to be a witness, that I would be as ready for it as those shepherds in the fields; that I would be willing to travel or wait or whatever was required of me; that I would have the courage to share my testimony with others; and that I would thank and praise God for his Great Gift to us, and that I would give what I had to my Lord and Savior in return.