Sep 253 min read

I've got an announcement to make. 7, Luke.

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/2e6b9717/ive-got-an-announcement-to-make-7-luke-92424

And that's because in all of my growing up years, I never got the word.

In church since a little girl, no one ever taught me about Jesus' ethnicity, and that his ethnicity came with a heritage, customs, complexion and language that were very different than my own. Not to worry, when Jim Caviezel came along in "The Passion of the Christ", he confirmed how I pictured my handsome Jesus! hmmm . . .

Though some might consider these few verses that Luke writes as a throw-away part of the story, I think that is wrong or 'messed up' as my boys would say. You see, the details about the first month or so of the infant Jesus' life tell us a lot about the family in which he was born, his devout obedient parents, and the rites and customs Jesus would keep throughout his 33 years here. These things matter.

Here is the announcement: Jesus was a Jew.

Wait, come back! Are you shutting your laptop down? I mean, ain't no one wants to befriend the Jew right now, do they? Well unless you are a Christian who gets it--you know, the part about the Jews being the Chosen People of God. But Friend, how in the world - in the U.S. of A. can we be seeing such horrific anti-Jewish rhetoric and hate speak? Should it matter to you - here or wherever you find yourself in the world? Survey says: Yes.

Where we find ourselves - The prophesied about baby has been born in the City of David, Bethlehem, to a young observant Jewish couple.

"Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”*

Let's get real for a moment - it was sacrificial enough of our Lord to come through the birth canal of a young woman - but now, 8 days later, circumcised? [Heavy thoughts right here].

And then, ha, 2000 years before Covid, Jesus was quarantined - for 32 days because that was the Jewish custom! Was God giving Mary the only uninterrupted time she would have with her Messiah Baby? Was her Heavenly Father looking out for her as her body healed - long before there were all the nice hygienic products of our day... This, my friends, is why we look at the Bible line by line.

I am wondering - when we do, we find an intentional God at work, line by line, in the lives of we apparently insignificant human beings, some 2000 years after the Savior of the world was savagely cut at 8 days of age. Again, just talking real talk here... Jesus' sacrifice for us started immediately!

God in his plan - in his infinite wisdom, chose to send the Savior of the world, our Messiah, through the line of Abraham and David. And, he saw fit that he would be born in an area of the world, that though promised, would never know peace. Not even now. Read your Bible, Friends, there will not be peace in that land until the Prince of Peace returns and establishes it.

With this recollection or perhaps for some, new understanding, what is your role and mine? We ought educate ourselves in the rich traditions that our Messiah observed - join them. Learn to celebrate with the Jewish people, who - by the way - always dance!

--please check out the links of my friends in Jerusalem at the bottom, friends, as with Israel at war, there is a great need for them to support their families.