Herod’s Reaction

Posted on December 19, 2019 by russellmckinney

“Reactions to Christ’s Birth” series: (post #5)

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. (Matthew 2:3-4, N.K.J.V.)

Thus far in our series on the reactions to the news of Christ’s birth, everyone’s reaction has been positive. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men all responded beautifully to the news. But now we come to a man who got it wrong. Actually, he couldn’t have responded any worse. His name was Herod the Great, and he was a real piece of work.

Once the Roman empire had gained control of the land of Israel, the Romans needed handpicked leaders to rule over it for them. One of those chosen rulers was Antipater, whom Julius Caesar installed as procurator of Judea in 47 B.C. Antipater was from Idumea, which was located in the larger general region of ancient Edom. Edom, of course, was historically famous as the land of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. Antipater, through his wife Cyprus (who was the daughter of an Arab sheik), fathered Herod, the second of his five sons.

Shortly after being named procurator of Judea, Antipater used his influence to get his oldest son, Phasaelus, appointed the governor of Jerusalem and Herod appointed as the governor of Galilee. Herod was 25 years old at the time. Following the murder of Antipater in 43 B.C., Rome’s Marc Antony appointed Phasaelus and Herod as tetrarchs to rule over the Jews. Following Phasaelus’ death, not to mention a great deal of military and political fighting, Marc Antony named Herod as the sole ruler over the Jews in 37 B.C. Herod then reigned as “king” over the Jews from 37 B.C. until his death in 4 B.C.

Herod wasn’t a pure-blood Jew, but he was half-Idumean, and the Idumeans did practice a nominal version of Judaism. This gave him an understanding of the Jewish people that allowed him to keep them somewhat appeased under his rule. The most prime example of his efforts to win Jewish approval was his massive reworking of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Under Herod, that temple was restored, renovated, and outright rebuilt to become even larger and more opulent than Jerusalem’s original temple of Solomon had been. 

Still, we must never forget that Herod was a moral monster. Putting it simply, his god was power and he would do anything to gain it and keep it. All told, he married ten different wives, each one for political purposes, and fathered multiple children through them. By the end of his life, however, in his unceasing efforts to stamp out all rivals and keep his throne secure, he had at various times ordered the executions of one of these wives, her two brothers, and three of these sons. This explains why Caesar Augustus once famously said of Herod, “I’d sooner be Herod’s swine than Herod’s son.”

Keep in mind, now, that Herod was the guy who was ruling over the Jews when those wise men showed up in Jerusalem and asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” Talk about asking the wrong man the wrong question! Herod surely thought, “Wait a minute, I’m the King of the Jews!” As our text says in the K.J.V., the N.K.J.V., the N.A.S.V., and the E.S.V., he was “troubled” (Matthew 2:3). Other translations render his reaction as “disturbed” (N.I.V.), “deeply disturbed” (H.C.S.B., N.L.T.), “alarmed” (N.E.T.), and “frightened” (N.R.S.V.). I think all of these descriptions accurately describe how Herod felt when he first heard the news that a King of the Jews had been born. He certainly wasn’t glad to get the information. Interestingly, he wasn’t mad, either. He was just deeply troubled and more than a little afraid as he instinctively viewed this baby as a major threat to his throne.

Herod’s next move was to summons some of the Jewish priests and scribes to his palace and ask them, “Where is the Christ (Messiah) supposed to be born?” (Mathew 2:4). The fact that Herod knew enough to ask such a question shows that somewhere along the line he had heard about a Messiah who was supposed to come and rule over Israel. That prophecy was, after all, common knowledge among the Jews. And so those priests and scribes didn’t have to race back to the temple and consult their ancient texts to find the answer Herod needed. They knew full well that the prophet Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:5-6).

Now it was time for Herod to enact his plan to use the wise men in his sinister attempt to execute the newborn king. So, he called them back to him and gave them the answer, “Bethlehem.” Then he added in the lie, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him bring word back to me, that I may come and worship Him also” (Matthew 2:8). Like I said, Herod was a real piece of work. He had every intention of letting those good men unwittingly play the role of bounty hunters in his service.

Thankfully, God stepped in and thwarted that plan. Shortly after the wise men found Jesus, presented their gifts to Him, and worshiped Him, God warned them by way of a dream not to report back to Herod. They promptly obeyed those instructions and returned to their homeland by way of a route that didn’t backtrack them through Jerusalem. Furthermore, not long after the wise men had left the little family, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word, for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him” (Matthew 2:13, N.K.J.V.). Like the wise men, Joseph immediately did as he was told and took the family south into Egypt by night (Matthew 2:14-15), and they remained in Egypt until Herod’s death a short while later.

As for Herod, once he figured out that the wise men weren’t going to return to him, he flew into an absolute rage and issued a decree that every male child two years old or younger in Bethlehem and its surrounding districts should be killed (Matthew 2:16). This heinous act has become known as “the massacre of the innocents.” You might ask, “Why did the decree extend to children up to two years of age?” The Bible leaves no doubt about that answer. Matthew 2:16 says that Herod chose this age “according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” This kicks back to Matthew 2:7, where we’re told that he “determined from them what time the star appeared.” This leaves us to believe that the star first appeared on the night Jesus was born, and it took the wise men several months — perhaps as long as two years — to arrive in Jerusalem.

Getting back to Herod’s slaughter of those precious children, did you know that even that sadistic crime fulfilled prophecy? The prophecy was from Jeremiah 31:15, and under the inspiration of God Matthew applied it to “the massacre of the innocents” (Matthew 2:17-18). We don’t know how many children died as a result of Herod’s attempt to kill Jesus. Since Bethlehem and its surrounding districts didn’t make for a very large area, there probably weren’t that many children two years old or younger who lived there at that time. Needless to say, though, if there was even one, that was one too many to die because of the insane workings of Herod’s mind.

In closing, let me say that even though Herod the Great is long gone, there are still plenty of people around today who despise the news of Christ’s birth about as much as he did. Satanists certainly don’t get excited about that birth. Neither do atheists and Jews. For that matter, the world’s billions of lost people don’t truly have much to celebrate at Christmas, either. The truth is that one day they will be shocked to find that the babe in the manger has become their eternal Judge and Jury (John 5:22; Acts 17:30-31), and they’ll spend eternity in the same lake of fire as Herod (Revelation 20:11-15). Is that too blunt for you? Well, forgive me, but this is what will ultimately become of any and all who reject Jesus. That’s God’s word, not mine. And in the end, His is the only one that  counts.

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The Wise Men’s Reaction

Posted on December 16, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “Reactions to Christ’s Birth” (post #4)

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:1-2, N.K.J.V.)

They weren’t kings. They weren’t from the Orient. They probably didn’t arrive in Bethlehem until several months (as much as a couple of years) after the night of Christ’s birth. They didn’t follow the star night by night as they made their journey. And the only reason to think there were just three of them rests upon the fact that they brought three gifts. Still, though, all these misconceptions not withstanding, the wise men’s visit to Jesus has classically become an integral part of the Christmas story.

The Biblical term “wise men” translates the Greek noun magi, which is the plural of the Greek noun magos. As a matter of fact, the N.I.V. translation just leaves the Greek word untranslated and goes with “Magi” in verses 1, 7, and 16 of Matthew chapter 2. In Bible times, the Magi were a group of highly educated men who served as advisers to kings in countries such as Babylon and Persia. For example, after Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar had strange dreams one night, he asked “the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans” (Daniel 2:1-13, N.K.J.V.) to tell him what he had dreamed. It’s likely that those men were Magi. Some scholars believe the Magi were the priests of the Zoroastrian religion that was practiced in ancient Babylon.

The Magi were masters of various fields of study, particularly astronomy. Such men would be impressed by the appearance of a new star in the nighttime sky. They would be even more impressed if they could somehow interpret that star to be the sign of the birth of a prophesied King. Now we’re getting to the heart of why those Magi made the trip from their homeland to Jerusalem/Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:1 tells us they were from the East. In the Bible, all directions are given in relation to Jerusalem, and so the Magi came from a land east of Jerusalem. While it’s true that the Orient (Japan, China, Korea, etc.) is located to the far east of Jerusalem, Babylon is located directly east of it. Unfortunately, the wise men’s words, “…we have seen His star in the East…” have been erroneously understood to mean that the star was located in the sky to the east of them. If that had been the case, it would have placed the star somewhere over the Orient rather than over Bethlehem. No, what the wise men meant was, “We were in the east when we saw His star in the western sky.”

We can’t say with absolute certainty what prompted the Magi to associate that new star with the birth of a king, but it seems obvious that they had access to certain prophecies of the Old Testament. This makes perfect sense in light of the fact that the people of Israel had a definite history with the Babylonians and Persians. Babylon’s Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Israel’s southern kingdom of Judah centuries earlier and had relocated the Jews to Babylon. Seven decades later, when the Medo-Persian empire had conquered the Babylonian empire, Persia’s Cyrus the Great had allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple and reclaim their status as a nation. While approximately 50,000 Jews had taken up this monumental task, millions of Jews had remained in Babylon for the rest of their lives. According to the Bible’s record, the prophet Daniel, who was very old by the time of Cyrus, was one of those who remained in Babylon. Surely, then, the Magi had read the ancient writings of Daniel.

The Magi might also have known about the prophet Balaam’s prophecy from Numbers 24:17, which said, “A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” This would explain why they showed up in Jerusalem and specifically asked Herod the Great, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” One prophecy the Magi evidently didn’t know about was Micah 5:2, which foretold that the “Ruler in Israel” would come forth from “Bethlehem Ephrathah.” If they had known that prophecy, which gave that singular location, they would no doubt have journeyed straight to Bethlehem rather than stopped five miles short in Jerusalem and basically asked for further directions.

This gets us into the matter of the star. While it is commonly believed that the wise men followed the star night by night as they journeyed, this isn’t the story the gospel of Matthew tells. What Matthew describes reads like this:

  • The Magi saw the new star, coupled that appearance up with prophecy they knew, and concluded that they should journey to Jerusalem to find the newborn King of the Jews. (Matthew 2:1-2)
  • They arrived at the palace of Herod the Great, Rome’s handpicked ruler over Judea, and asked him about the location of the birth of the King of the Jews. (Matthew 2:1-2)
  • Herod asked the Jewish priests and scribes where their Messiah was prophesied to be born and was told, “Bethlehem.” (Matthew 2:3-6)
  • Herod sent the Magi on their way to make the five-mile trip to Bethlehem, and as soon as they left Herod’s palace the star which had started them on their long journey reappeared and stood directly over where the young Jesus was. (Matthew 2:7-9)
  • When the Magi saw the star again they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. (Matthew 2:10)

The Magi then made the short trip to the house where Jesus was. Not only does the story say that at that time Jesus was in a “house” rather than a “manger,” it also uses a different Greek word (paidion, Matthew 2:11) than Luke’s word (brephos, Luke 2:12,16) to describe Him. These two pieces of evidence indicate that some time had passed between the night of Christ’s birth and the night the Magi visited Him.

Another piece of evidence for this conclusion is the fact that a little over a month after Jesus’ birth, when Joseph and Mary took Him to the Jerusalem temple to dedicate Him to the Lord, Mary offered the Mosaic law’s more affordable sacrifice of two small turtledoves or pigeons (Luke 2:24) rather than the more expensive sacrifice of a lamb (Leviticus 12:6-8). Surely Joseph and Mary could have afforded a lamb for a sacrifice if the Magi had already brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus. For that matter, Matthew 2:1 begins the whole story of the Magi by plainly saying, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea….”

As for how much time actually elapsed between the night of Christ’s birth and the arrival of the Magi, it’s impossible to nail it down precisely. If we assume the star first appeared on the very night Jesus was born, and if we assume the star’s appearance came as a surprise to the Magi, it would have taken several weeks (if not months) for them to even  prepare for the long journey from their homeland to Jerusalem. Furthermore, if they decided to travel by means of a large caravan, which is probable, that would have only increased their preparation time. And then there was the journey itself. As a prime example of how long such a journey would have required, we know that it took Ezra and the group he led four months to make the almost thousand-mile trek from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:1-10).

If the Bible provides us with one clue as to the whole question of the Magi’s arrival time, it can be found in a certain answer they gave to Herod. When he asked them when the star had first appeared (Matthew 2:7, 16), apparently their response was, “Two years ago.” I say that because in the wake of their answer, Herod had all of the male children two years old and younger killed in Bethlehem and its surrounding districts (Matthew 2:16). The only other possible explanation for Herod choosing that particular age would be that he wanted to be extremely thorough in his efforts to kill the new king.

At any rate, whatever all the exact details of the story were, what we’re primarily looking for is the Magi’s response to the news that Jesus had been born. And what was that response? Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? As soon as they got the news by way of that star, they loaded up, left their homeland, and made the trip of many hundreds of miles to find Jesus, worship Him, and bring Him gifts. It’s hard to imagine a better reaction than that!

For the record, I fully expect that like Mary, Joseph, and those shepherds who were on the scene at the manger that first night, the wise men can be correctly classified as saved believers. And if that is indeed a correct assessment, it means that their souls are in heaven right now. It’s no wonder that the old cliche says, “Wise men still seek Him.” So, in light of all this, I guess the only question left to be asked is, “Just how wise are we today?”

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The Shepherds’ Reaction

Posted on December 13, 2019 by russellmckinney

“Reactions to Christ’s Birth” series: (post #3)

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12. N.K.J.V.)

Some of the greatest characters from the Old Testament spent time shepherding. The list includes Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Amos. Even more impressive is the fact that in passages such as Genesis 49:24, Psalm 23:1-4, Psalm 80:1, Isaiah 40:11, and Ezekiel 34:31 God labels Himself as a Shepherd.

By the time of Christ’s birth, however, the minds of Israel’s religious elite had become so radically different from God’s that shepherds were considered the riffraff of society. First, shepherds were considered ignorant because they had never been schooled in Jewish law. Second, they were considered ceremonially unclean because the nature of their work required them to be around manure and (sometimes) dead carcasses. Third, they were considered unfaithful because they couldn’t leave their flocks long enough to perform all the prescribed rituals to achieve ceremonial cleanness. For these reasons, they weren’t even allowed to enter the Jewish sections of the Temple complex. As a matter of fact, their reputations were so bad that their testimonies weren’t even admissible in court.

So, when God the Father was ready to announce to the world that God the Son had been born in Bethlehem, who were the first people to hear that message? A group of shepherds, of course. It was as if God was saying to the Jewish religious elite, “You people might not think much of shepherds, but they still hold a very special place in My heart.”

Interestingly, the Greek word that is used in reference to the angel’s message is euagelizomai. This is the verb form of euangelistes, the noun from which we get the English word “evangelist.” Just as the noun refers to “one who proclaims good tidings,” the verb means “to proclaim good tidings.” This same Greek verb gets translated in Matthew 11:5 as “have the gospel preached” (N.K.J.V.). When you understand all this, you can understand why commentator Herschel Hobbs wrote, “Actually he (the angel) said, “I evangelize you to a great joy.”

And how did those shepherds respond to that angelic announcement? As soon as the entire host of angels departed from them, the shepherds said, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:15, N.K.J.V.). You’ll find no hesitation there. No debating. No doubting. They didn’t say, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see if this thing has come to pass.” Nope, they believed the good news and responded accordingly.

As I consider the shepherds and their reaction to the news of Christ’s birth, my mind goes to the lesson of 1 Corinthians 1:26=27. There, Paul says:

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. (N.L.T.)

Those shepherds who first heard the news of Christ’s birth certainly weren’t wise in the world’s eyes. Neither were they powerful or wealthy. And yet they not only became the first people to receive the news but also to deliver it. As Luke 2:17-18 tells us:

Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. (N.K.J.V.)

Those last three words of that reference might well jump off the page at us. This incredible story, this message of salvation, this potentially soul-saving piece of good news wasn’t told by the priests or the scribes. Instead, it was told by the shepherds. Remember, these are the guys whose testimony isn’t even admissible in court! I mean, the news that a Savior has been born and is lying in an animal’s feeding trough in Bethlehem is unbelievable enough, but now it’s being told by men who are supposedly the most unreliable witnesses in that whole culture. God must have gotten a real kick out of that, right? And you know what? He gets just as much a kick out of us today when we share the good news about Jesus. In this way, we should all have a little “shepherd” in us, and it should come out anytime we are around someone who needs to hear the good news about the Savior.

Posted in Angels, Christ's Birth, Christmas, Evangelism, Series: "Reactions to Christ's Birth", The Gospel, Witnessing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“Christian Verses” Podcast: Luke 2:11

Posted on December 12, 2019 by russellmckinney

The new podcast centers around Luke 2:11 and deals with the simplicity of the Christmas message. It was a simple message — “A Savior is born to you this day” — first delivered to a simple group of people: shepherds. These days, of course, we have made Christmas quite busy and consequently quite complicated. We have: Black Friday, Christmas shopping, malls, online shopping, Christmas parades, Christmas plays, Christmas cantatas, Santa Claus, reindeer, elves, Charlie Brown, Frosty the Snowman, Jimmy Stewart, little Ralphie, holiday meals, family get-togethers, etc., etc., etc. Admittedly, it all makes it somewhat difficult to keep the simple message of Christmas front and center. So, hopefully, this podcast will serve as both a reminder and a motivation for you to do that. Here’s the link:

https://soundcloud.com/user-185243867/thesimplicityofchristmascv2019014

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Joseph’s Reaction

Posted on December 11, 2019 by russellmckinney

“Reactions to Christ’s Birth” series: (post #2)

But while he thought about these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21, N.K.J.V.)

Joseph went to bed that night with a lot on his mind. His betrothed bride, the young virgin to whom he was scheduled to formally marry and spend the rest of his life with as her husband, was pregnant. He didn’t know who the baby’s father was, but he knew for sure that it wasn’t him.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how Joseph found out about Mary’s pregnancy. In our day, the obvious answer would be, “Mary told him.” According to ancient Jewish wedding tradition, however, the betrothed bridegroom and the betrothed bride remained separated from each other for a period as long as a year while the bridegroom prepared a place for the couple to live after the official wedding ceremony took place. This makes it most likely that Joseph found out about Mary’s pregnancy by way of local gossip.

To make Joseph’s predicament even worse, the holy law that God had centuries earlier handed down to the people of Israel provided specific instructions for how betrothed virgins who were found to have had premarital sex were to be judged. First, if the sexual misconduct occurred in a city, both sexual partners were to be stoned to death, the assumption being that if the girl had been raped, she would have cried out for help and someone would have come to her rescue (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). Second, if the misconduct occurred in the countryside, only the man was to be killed by stoning, the assumption being that the woman was raped and her cries went unheard (Deuteronomy 22:25-27). In both cases, the two-fold point of the stoning was to “put away the evil” from the land and to allow the stoning to serve as a public warning to any potential evil-doers.

Since Joseph and Mary both lived in the city of Nazareth, the only logical conclusion Joseph could draw was that Mary’s sexual misconduct had occurred with the confines of that city. This meant that by law she was to be stoned to death as a public example. The fact was, though, that Joseph really didn’t want to push the matter that far. As Matthew 1:19 says:

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. (N.K.J.V.)

The term “put her away” is old terminology for “divorce,” and you’ll notice that the verse refers to Joseph as “her husband.” You see, a betrothal was binding enough to cause the couple to be legally classified as “married” even before the wedding and the sexual consummation of the marriage came to pass. As such, nothing less than a legal divorce could get the man or the woman out of the betrothal. This also explains why any sexual misconduct that violated the sanctity of the betrothal period was a capital punishment offense.

Again, though, Joseph didn’t want to make Mary a public example by having her stoned. For that matter, perhaps he was also afraid that people would wrongly assume that he was the child’s father and would figure that he deserved stoning as well. So, he made the decision to divorce Mary in a way that was legal but private. This was the only possible course of action to avoid an open scandal, and there weren’t even any guarantees that it would avoid one.

It is with all of these things weighing upon him that Joseph lies down to sleep. He nods off and at some point, an angel appears to him in a dream. The angel instructs him to proceed with the betrothal/marriage because the child conceived in Mary is of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the child is a son whom Joseph should name “Jesus.” The name “Jesus” means “Savior.” It is the equivalent of the Hebrew name “Joshua,” which means “The Lord is Salvation.”

Okay, Joseph, now it’s time for your reaction to the news about Christ’s birth. What will you do? Will you believe the unbelievable and do as you have been instructed? Or will you defer to your own logic and follow through with your plan to divorce Mary? Tick tock, tick tock, the clock is ticking on your decision.

The Bible’s record of how Joseph reacted is found in Matthew 1:24-25:

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS. (N.K.J.V.)

Some interpret the words “took to him his wife” to mean that Joseph went ahead and moved Mary into his home. If nothing else, they mean that he continued on with the betrothal even though the marriage wasn’t sexually consummated until after Jesus was born. We do know from Luke 2:5 that the couple were still considered “betrothed” when they traveled together to Bethlehem while Mary was still pregnant.

Whatever the exact details were, there’s absolutely no doubt as to how Joseph reacted to the news of the birth of Christ. He reacted in a wholehearted, enthusiastic way that was worthy of the man whom God was granting the staggering responsibility of overseeing Jesus’ birth and upbringing. The fact is that God presented Joseph with a challenge unlike any other challenge presented to any other man, and Joseph rose to meet it. Therefore, Joseph stands as one of history’s greatest believers, and his reaction to the news of Christ’s birth should serve as a positive motivation to us all.

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Mary’s Reaction

Posted on December 9, 2019 by russellmckinney

“Reactions to Christ’s Birth” series: (post #1)

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33, N.K.J.V.)

We don’t know how old she was even though everyone agrees that she was probably a teenager. We don’t know anything about her family other than she was a relative to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:36). We don’t know the details of her upbringing except for the fact that she lived in Nazareth. We don’t know how she met Joseph or how their betrothing came to pass. With all these unknowns, Mary’s life before she became the most famous woman in history certainly doesn’t provide much of a background for her story.

What we do know is that she was right on verge of beginning her new life as a married Jewish woman when suddenly, without warning, without expectation, the angel Gabriel showed up and dropped a news bomb on her the likes of which the world had never seen and hasn’t seen since. “Mary, you are going to conceive the Messiah in your virgin womb and give birth to Him.” How’s that for a life-changing word from out of the blue!

Mary’s conversation with Gabriel actually began with the angel’s opening greeting to her: “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:28, N.K.J.V.). Interestingly, the Bible doesn’t tell us how Gabriel appeared to her. That’s one more entry in the “unknown” file about Mary. The New King James translation says concerning the start to the conversation: “And having come in, the angel said to her…” The New American Standard translation renders the original Greek in pretty much the same way, putting it: “And coming in, he said to her…” Those translations make it sound like Gabriel, perhaps in the form of a man, knocked on Mary’s door and was invited inside her home. I don’t know if this is how the event actually took place, but I certainly like the idea of it. If the meeting did begin this way, it would explain why Mary wasn’t struck with awe and fear the way eyewitnesses to angels typically are in the Bible.

While the story doesn’t say that Mary was troubled by Gabriel’s physical appearance, it does say that she was troubled by the words of his greeting. As Luke 1:29 says:

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. (N.K.J.V.)

Have you ever thought about the fact that Mary’s reaction to Gabriel’s opening words to her shows us quite a bit about her? When the angel told her that she was highly favored, had the Lord with her, and was blessed among women, Mary didn’t think to herself, “Of course, I am. I’m a good person. I live a holy life. If I’m not highly favored and blessed, who can be?” No, she was far too humble and lowly to hold such a lofty opinion of herself. Instead, Gabriel’s opening words of compliment to her filled Mary with confusion, trouble, and a fair amount of fright. She surely thought, “Why is he saying such things to me?” To calm Mary’s worry, Gabriel then uttered the words of our opening text: “Do not be afraid, Mary…”

But now let’s proceed to the main point of this post. Once Mary had gotten over the initial shock of the opening to the conversation, and once she had asked the obvious question of how a virgin could conceive and had been given as much answer as she was going to get (Luke 1:34-37), now it was time for her reaction to the news that Jesus, the Messiah, would soon be born into the world. And what was that reaction? We find it in Luke 1:38:

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word!” And the angel departed from her. (N.K.J.V.)

There it is, a reaction so simple and sincere, yet so profound. Not only did Mary believe the news about Christ’s birth, she immediately volunteered herself to play the role that God wanted her to play regarding it. And may the same be said of each of us today. No, God doesn’t want us to help bring Jesus into the world, but He definitely does want us to embrace the truth that Jesus has indeed come. Even more than that, He wants us to place our belief in Jesus for salvation and live each day as the menservants and maidservants of Christ.

Posted in Christ's Birth, Christmas, Series: "Reactions to Christ's Birth" | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

How Satan Leads Us to Our Own Destruction

Posted on December 7, 2019 by russellmckinney

Noted British pastor Charles Spurgeon once told the story of a preacher who was taking a leisurely stroll through a small village. As the preacher walked along, he saw a farmer leading a herd of pigs down the road. Since pigs are very independent creatures that don’t usually follow leaders, the whole scene struck the preacher as very odd.

Piqued by curiosity, the preacher took his place alongside the farmer and asked him, “How do you get these pigs to follow you like this?” The farmer said, “It’s easy. I have a sack full of peas in my pocket, and every now and then as I walk I drop a pea on the road behind me. One of the pigs gobbles up the pea and all the pigs keep following me because they know that I’ll be dropping another pea sometime soon.”

As the preacher listened to that explanation, he thought, “That’s very smart.” Then he asked the farmer, “And just where is it that you are taking the pigs?” Bluntly, the farmer answered, “To the butcher’s shop.”

Friend, could it be that Satan is dropping just enough peas in front of you these days to lead you to a bad place? Oh, what a master tempter he is! He knows just what appeals to you, just what you like, just what will keep you marching down the road he wants you to travel. That’s why it takes serious discernment to stop eating his peas, lift up your head, look around, and figure out that you aren’t where God wants you to be. Not surprisingly, few people ever show such discernment.

Right now, wherever you are in life, you would do well to ask God if you are on a road that is pleasing to Him. Ask Him to reveal His will to you. Ask Him to make His path plain and easy to spot. Ask Him to bring to nothing any wrong dreams that you are chasing. Ask Him to give you the wisdom and discernment to see Satan’s peas of temptation for what they really are: the seeds of your demise. In short, I guess what I’m saying is, don’t let the devil lead you to one of life’s butcher’s shops. I assure you that’s not a place you will enjoy.

Posted in Backsliding, Choices, Decisions, Discernment, God's Will, Satan, Sin, Temptation, The Devil | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How Many Pastors Should a Church Have?

Posted on December 5, 2019 by russellmckinney

Our English word “pastor” translates the New Testament’s original Greek word poimen, a word that literally means “shepherd.” “Pastor,” of course, is the leadership title that is most commonly used in our American churches. The fact is, however, that the New Testament only uses the title “pastor” one time. That one reference is Ephesians 4:11, where the Bible says:

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. (N.K.J.V.)

The New Testament’s most frequently used title for the role we call “pastor” is “elder,” which translates the Greek words presbuteros (the adjective form) and presbuterion (the noun form). Obviously, this is the Greek word from which we also get the word “Presbyterian.” As for the use of “elder” in the New Testament, consider the following examples (all from the N.K.J.V.):

  • So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Acts 14:23)
  • From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. (Acts 20:17)
  • Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and doctrine. (1 Timothy 5:17)
  • For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you… (Titus 1:5)
  • Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (James 5:14)

As long as we are passing through here, another New Testament title for the job of “pastor” is “bishop” or “overseer,” depending upon which translation of the Bible you prefer. While the K.J.V. and the N.K.J.V. translate the Greek word episkopos as “bishop” or “bishops” in Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:1-2, and Titus 1:7 (with the K.J.V. doing the same in 1 Peter 2:25), other translations consistently render episkopos as “overseer.” Either way, the office is the same as that of elder/pastor. This is clearly seen by consulting all the applicable passages, among them being Titus 1:5-7 where the titles “elders” and “bishop” are used interchangeably.

But now let me get to the issue at hand. Because Acts 14:23 says that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders (plural) in every church (singular), some people contend that the one-pastor-per-church model is not scriptural. These people teach that every church should have multiple pastors/elders/overseers. Call it a pastoral team, call it a board of elders, call it whatever you like, but the idea is that the leadership and oversight of a local church should never be vested in just one man. So, does Acts 14:23 really prove that the one-pastor-per-church model is wrong? No, it doesn’t, and if you will permit me I’ll explain why it doesn’t.

First and foremost, it must be understood that a typical congregation in the early church was a house church. Admittedly, the world’s first church was a massive one that was founded in the city of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost that is described in Acts 2:1-47. That church literally began with approximately 3,000 believers (Acts 2:41) and proceeded to rapidly grow from there (Acts 2:47, 4:4; 5:14; 6:7). A church that large needed a pastoral team/board of elders, and the apostles played that role.

In point of fact, though, the Jerusalem church was an anomaly among the churches described in the New Testament. Far from being megachurches, the average congregations of those days were house churches. The references to such churches are numerous: Romans 16:3-5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon verses 1 and 2; James 2:1-3; and 2 John verse 10.

Assuming there were multiple house churches in each city — and that is certainly a reasonable assumption in view of the populations of large cities such as Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, etc. — all of the house churches in a given city made up the one “church” of that city. For example, when Paul wrote to “the church (singular) of God which is at Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 2 Corinthians 1:1), he evidently had in mind that his letter would be passed around to each of the house congregations in Corinth. Likewise, when he wrote to “the church (singular) of the Thessalonians” (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1), he evidently had in mind that his letter would be passed around to each of the house congregations in Thessalonica.

This matter of the cities having multiple house churches might also explain why Paul didn’t usually use the word “church” in his introductions for his letters. As you read the following introductions (all from the N.K.J.V.), notice that he seemed to make a point of not using the singular word “church” in addressing his audiences:

  • To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)
  •  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and pace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:1-2)
  • Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:1-2)
  • Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We might ask, “Was there ever an instance where Paul addressed a letter to certain “churches” (plural)?” The answer is yes. In his opening to his letter we call Galatians, he says that the letter is written “To the churches of Galatia.” However, the explanation for this unique wording is easy to understand. Galatia was a general region rather than a specific city. For that reason, it had “churches” (plural) rather than a “church” (singular).

What I’m trying to show you in all of this is that when Acts 14:23 says that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in every church, that doesn’t have to mean that they appointed pastoral staffs for each congregation. Actually, in light of the fact that those congregations were house churches, having multiple pastors really wouldn’t have made much sense. Seriously, how big could a house church have been? What makes more sense is to interpret Acts 14:23 as referring to Paul and Barnabas appointing individual elders/pastors to lead the individual house churches of each city. If this is indeed a correct interpretation, it also explains why Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders in every city as opposed to every church (Titus 1:5). You see, by comparing scripture to scripture we find that Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5 are more than likely describing the same type of appointing.

Furthermore, it might very well be significant that in 1 Timothy 3:1-13, which is Paul’s most detailed description regarding the offices of pastor and deacon, he uses the singular in reference to a pastor and the plural in reference to deacons. Did Paul, writing under the inspiration of God, word the passage this way to show that a local church should have one pastor and multiple deacons? It’s certainly a possibility.

Look, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with a congregation having multiple pastors/elders. To the contrary, I consider such staffing a mandatory requirement for any church that reaches a certain size and beyond. All I’m saying is that these people who frown upon a church that only has one pastor and claim that such a church isn’t operating in a scriptural manner need to hush. Any serious study of the New Testament will show that there is a lot more scriptural evidence for small congregations that met in homes than there is for large congregations that met in massive gathering places. By implication then, there is a lot more scriptural evidence for the one-pastor-per-church methodology than there is for the multiple-pastors-per-church methodology. And suffice is to say that if we are going to debate this topic, let’s debate it in the light of inspired scripture rather than in the light of current trends in the modern church.

Posted in Church, Deacons, Ministry, Pastors, Preaching | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Good That Can Come From Your Day of Trouble

Posted on December 3, 2019 by russellmckinney

The residents of a remote area of Alaska were having serious trouble with wolves. In desperation the residents posted a $5,000 reward for each wolf brought in dead. That sizable reward prompted Bill and Joe to try their luck.

The two men hiked deep into the Alaskan wilderness, set up camp, and settled into their tent for a night’s sleep. Their plan was to rise early the next morning and start hunting. Shortly after midnight, however, Bill was awakened by noises that sounded like growling. At first he thought they were just Joe snoring in the sleeping bag next to him, but then he realized that Joe was sleeping quietly. No, the sounds were coming from outside the tent.

It was then that Bill noticed the silhouettes that were being cast onto the tent by the moonlight and the flames of the campfire. The shapes of the silhouettes left no doubt as to what form of creatures were growling outside the tent. It was a pack of wolves.

Bill shook Joe to wake him, and Joe finally roused up enough to groggily ask, “What’s the matter?” Bill said, “Well, it’s one of those bad news-good news situations.” Joe said, “Okay, what’s the bad news?” Bill answered, “There’s a wolf pack just outside our tent and they are growling like they are ready to pounce.” In a panicked voice, Joe said, “If that’s the bad news, what could the good news possibly be?” Bill responded, “We could be rich!”

Moses and the Israelites trusted God to lead them out of Egypt and into the promised land of Canaan. What they didn’t expect was that God would lead them to the shores of the Red Sea and then allow Pharaoh’s army to close in behind them. Why did God do that? He did it because He wanted the Israelites to learn to trust Him even in situations that seemed hopeless.

We know, of course, how the story turned out. God parted the waters of the Red Sea and allowed Israel to pass through them on dry land before He brought the waters back together to drown Pharaoh’s army when they followed Israel’s path. Basically, God turned a terrible predicament of bad into a tremendous pathway for good.

Have you ever read Psalm 50:15? In that verse, God extends a glorious invitation to those who serve Him. He says:

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. (N.K.J.V.)

Note that term “the day of trouble.” Have you ever had one of those days, those weeks, those months, or those years? If you haven’t, keep living and you’ll get there. And what should you do during such a time? God says simply, “Call upon Me.” That’s your part right there. Then it’s God’s turn to do His part as He says, “I will deliver you.” Following the deliverance the ball then falls back into your court as God says concerning the aftermath, “…and you shall glorify Me.”

So, are you right now surrounded by some metaphorical pack of wolves? If you are you should call upon God, asking Him to flip the situation around to your benefit. Mind you that this is not the same as asking Him to deliver you out of the situation. After all, God didn’t magically teleport Moses and the Israelites to the other side of the Red Sea, did He? Instead, He kept them in the situation and made a way for them to glean incredible good from it. This is what He will do for you as well.

Afterward should come the praise as you glorify God for what He has done. This is what Moses and the Israelites did on the opposite shore of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1-21). But why could they burst into such heartfelt praise? It was only because God had led them straight into a situation that was at the same time filled with both difficulty and opportunity.

Posted in Adversity, Depression, Disappointment, Encouragement, Faith, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Sovereignty, Perseverance, Trials, Trusting In God | Leave a comment

A Word Worth Ten Shillings

Posted on November 29, 2019 by russellmckinney

In 1907, famed English writer Rudyard Kipling won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Not only was he the youngest recipient of the prize at that time, he was also the first English-language writer to receive it. At the height of Kipling’s earning power, he was paid ten shillings per word.

That exorbitant fee irked a couple of jealous Oxford students who didn’t think any man’s words could be worth that much. So, as a joke, they sent Kipling ten shillings in an envelope and asked him to give them one of his best words. By cable, Kipling sent them back the word: “Thanks.”

“Thanks.” I guess that’s a good word for any day, any age, any situation, isn’t it? No matter who you are, where you are, or what you are doing, if you can find something for which you can be thankful, you are indeed blessed. I heard about a man who was in desperate straits financially. On Thanksgiving Day he vented to his friend, “What have I got to be thankful for? I can’t even pay my bills!” To that his friend replied, “Then I guess you can be thankful that you are not one of your creditors.”

Today, on this day after Thanksgiving, be sure to find things for which you are thankful. If you have a refrigerator full of leftover food, be thankful that you have plenty to eat. The lines for food pantries and soup kitchens are long today. If you go Christmas shopping, be thankful that you have enough money to buy gifts. Some people will lose their homes, have their cars repossessed, or get laid off this Christmastime. If you spend the day putting up a Christmas tree or decorating your home, be thankful that you have the health and strength to do so. The hospital beds and nursing home beds are pretty much always full. For that matter, if you even have a home, be thankful for it. When the nights turn bitterly cold this time of year, the homeless shelters start running out of cots.

But if you still can’t find anything to make you say, “Thanks” then consider Jesus. He was God in the flesh, come down from heaven, born to a virgin to live a sinless life and then die as the substitionary sacrifice for the sins of the human race. He died on the cross as the payment for your sins, my sins, and everybody else’s sins, and then He arose from the dead and ascended back to heaven, from which He right now offers salvation to anyone and everyone who will believe in Him as Savior. That includes me, and it also includes you.

What am I saying? I’m saying that if you can’t find anything else for which to be thankful today, you should at least be thankful that God in the flesh loved you enough to die for you so that you might have the option of having all your sins forgiven and spending eternity with Him in perfect bliss rather than separated from Him in a lake of fire. Friend, that’s an item that ought to eternally rank in the top slot of the list of things that make you say, “Thanks.” You see, if you have truly placed your belief in Jesus as Savior, then you saying, “Thanks” to Him for what He has done for you is worth infinitely more than ten shillings.

Posted in Christ's Birth, Christ's Death, Christ's Resurrection, Forgiveness, Salvation, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment