Read Matthew 2:8 King Herod Augustus, or as he preferred to be called Herod the Great, was appointed King of Judea by the Roman government. This was an insult to the Jews because Herod was not a Jew, and regardless of what he did to mediate between the Jews and the Romans, including rebuilding the…….Read More
Read Matthew 2:6 In Micah 5:2, the prophet wrote: “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” The chief priests and scribes knew Micah referred to the birth of the Messiah,…….Read More
Read Matthew 2:4-6 King Herod, or Herod the Great, as he liked to be called, was a cruel, power-hungry ruler who destroyed anyone he feared was trying to topple him from his throne. He even killed several members of his own family because he thought they were plotting against him. When the wise men came…….Read More
Read Matthew 2:3 Because three gifts were given, we have assumed there were three wise men. The Book of Tradition says there were three: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. But, since the Bible does not confirm that, we can only conclude the number of the wise men did not matter. It is also a common misconception…….Read More
Read Matthew 2:1-2 I hope you are beginning to get the picture that nothing about the birth of Jesus was “normal!” The way He was conceived, the place He was born, the announcement by the angels, and the visit of the shepherds on the night of His birth, were “supernatural” events, and the fact that…….Read More
Read Matthew 1:24-25 As we begin our personal studies this week, let’s review the four main things Matthew wants his readers to know about the birth of the Son of God. 18 – “Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost”. 20 – “That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”…….Read More
The Lighting of The Bethlehem Candle – (purple) the candle of peace Luke 3:4-6 As we re-light the first purple candle, we remember the meaning of the word “advent” is “coming” or “visit”! We are preparing for the Advent of Christ at Christmas; walking through those historical steps, and taking our time so we can…….Read More
Read Matthew 1:18-23 Having read or heard the story so many times, we tend to overlook many of the intricate details of these events and how they affected the lives of the people. The birth of God’s Son into the world was one of the most disturbing events in human history, and for several reasons:…….Read More
Read Matthew 1:18 One of the essential doctrines of the Christian Faith is referred to as the “virgin birth” of Jesus. Actually, Jesus was born just like any other child, but He was not conceived like every other child. To be the “Christ-child” – the “Messiah” – He could not inherit the sin nature that…….Read More
Read Matthew 1:16-17 We end our study of the genealogy of Jesus with three critically important truths. In verse 16, Matthew went to great lengths to ensure his readers understood, while Jesus was born to Mary, her husband, Joseph was not Jesus’ father. Jesus was not born of man but of the Holy Spirit. He…….Read More