Rev. Moultrie

Q4. (Mark 15:34) What does Jesus

I believe that Jesus makes St. John responsible for His mother Mary because it was Jewish custom for the eldest son to take care of his widowed mother. I think He chose John because He was close to him and trusted that John would do right by His mother. This action tells us that Jesus loved His mother very much and He adhered to the Jewish customs. We should apply the same kind of love and care towards our parents today. Too often, widows & "widowers" are left to fend for themselves by uncaring children. This should not be so. The Bible says that we are to honor our father and mother; it doesn't say do this 'if' you happen to love or like them, but just do it. Besides, God's Word also tells us that we should love everyone. Leaving an elderly parent who is no longer able to do for themselves is showing neither love nor honor.

[/color] I feel that mankind was most responsible for killing Jesus. We bear total personal responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus because He died to redeem us of our many sins. Jesus was praying for us because those present at the time either knew that they were condemning an innocent man and/or were ignorant of the fact that Jesus the Christ was indeed the Son of God. I think his prayer extends to us today because we continue to live as though Jesus had not given His life as a ransom for ours, so we still need that forgiveness today.

Of those listed, great joy, praise, amazement, telling others, and thoughtful meditation are the reponses to the Good News that are present in my life. I am an ordained minister of the Gospel, so all of these responses are especially shown when I stand before a congregation and preach the Word of God. However, I also try to live during my everyday life the joy, praise, & amazement that I display when I preach. I also have to find time for thoughtful meditation so that I can stay focused on God and what He wants me to do for Him. After all, He has already done it ALL for us!! To anyone who is missing some of these responses, I say to you, stay focused on God. Study His Word and learn exactly what all He has done for us. Do this on a daily basis and practice living according to the example that Jesus set when He walked this earth. By the grace of God, I truly believe that if you do this, those 'missing responses' to the Good News will begin to flow in your life and you will never be the same! TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!

I believe the message of Jesus' birth comes to the shepherds because they represent the common, everyday sinner, whom Jesus came to save. The fact that Jesus was born in a stable with a manger(animal feeding trough) for a bed is significant and intentional. God is making the point that Jesus is the Saviour for ALL who will accept and receive Him. He took off His Glory totally and became just as mankind. He was not here on earth just to be a Saviour to the rich, the high-class, or the well-educated. Jesus was and is the Saviour of ALL who will come unto Him in faith and belief that He is indeed the son of God as well as the son of man who has come to redeem our sins.

The journey to Bethlehem was difficult for Mary because she was in the late stages of her pregnancy and it was a 4 day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Pleasure is not necessarily an indication that we are in God's will. In fact, a lot of times, the things that we find pleasurable are often worldly and not at all pleasing to God. [For example, using myself, I USED TO find smoking cigarettes pleasurable when I was a smoker many years ago. However, smoking cigarettes pollutes the body which is the tabernacle of God; therefore it is a pleasure that is NOT in God's will. I thank God to this day for deliverance from that "pleasurable" addiction!] As to the statement, "being a consistent Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow", I tend to agree. If we are out of God's will and being "good little devils" then satan has no need to try to make things rough for us because we're already living in his will. However, if we're living the life of a God-fearing Christian, we will experience more hardships because there WILL be more attacks from the enemy(satan); also, in His Word, Jesus said that in this world we WOULD have trials and tribulations, but to be of good courage because He had overcome this world (paraphased). So yes, we can expect more hardships living as a consistent Christian, but we also have more help to deal with and overcome problems because Jesus promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us.

Luke names the rulers in 2:1-2 to show that the events of which he is speaking are an actual part of real history. The reign of these rulers can be verified and thus makes a stronger case for Jesus being an actual person during this time and not just a myth or legend.

The significance of the Star of Bethlehem that the Magi saw is that it was prophecy fulfilled. It had been prophesied in several places in the Old Testament that a star out of the east would signal the birth of 'the King of the Jews'; a king divine in nature. The Magi came to find the Christ-child because they believed Him to be the promised Messiah or Saviour. As already stated, the 'Star', the 'King of the Jews', and the 'Messiah' had already been prophesied before the occurence of the actual event.

Joseph's accepting of Mary as his wife tells us that his character is one of humbleness, obedience to God, love for Mary, and trust in God. The fact that Joseph "named" the child Jesus was significant in relation to prophetic fulfillment of Jesus as a Son of David because 1) Joseph's "naming" Jesus meant that he had accepted/adopted Jesus as his son even though Joseph knew that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit; 2) Therefore, since Joseph was a descendant of king David, then this would mean that his 'son' Jesus was also a Son of David. Hence we have fulfillment of prophecy regarding "Jesus", the One who will save His people.

The prophetic concept of the virgin conception and the name "Immanuel" found their fullness in the birth of Jesus to Mary just by the mere fact that the birth occurred. Jesus' birth was prophesied, it came to pass, He was born of a virgin, and He was known as "Immanuel" (God with us) because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

The significance of the name Jesus is in it's meaning; YAHWEH saves. Jesus was born to save/ deliver mankind from sin. The angel gave the name to both Mary and Joseph independently so that there would be no mistaking what God intended for the child to be named; because the name "Jesus" verified the mission that this child would carry out and also verified that He was God manifested in the flesh. I believe another reason that they were told independently is so that when they gave witness to the visitation of the angel, there could be no accusation of the 2 of them 'collaborating' on a story to tell everyone.

Mary did not have many options being pregnant with a child that her husband had not fathered. She would definitely be shunned by her family and community. Under Jewish law, she could even be stoned for committing adultery since being betrothed was considered the same as being married during this time of history. Joseph exhibited a character of kindness and humility by deciding to divorce Mary quietly so that she would not be publicly humiliated, even though he at first thought she was guilty of adultery. I think this also showed the depth of his love for Mary. Yes, it also would save him from public humiliation as a cuckolded husband, but I truly believe that Joseph had Mary's best interest at heart when he made his decision.

As the son of a carpenter, Jesus would have learned many different life skills. First and foremost, He would have learned how to build things using his hands and the tools of carpentry. Jesus would have learned patience as it takes patience to fashion wood into something that is useable, such as furniture, and of good enough quality that others would want to buy it. Also, He would have been exposed to the experience of how to deal with different kinds of people as He watched His earthly father Joseph deal with his many different customers. Undoubtedly some were satisfied & kind customers, while others may have been unsatisfied & not so kind customers.

The titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" are appropriate for Mary because to be a 'virgin' mother is a miracle of God and therefore one would be blessed if God saw fit to perform that miracle in one'e life. Also, the fact that Mary was 'impregnated' by the Holy Spirit, which is one facet of God, makes the child the child of God. God the Father, God the Son, & God the Holy Spirit are one, therefore the title "Mother of God" is also an appropriate title for Mary. I believe that we are sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women" for fear of taking some of God's glory and giving it to Mary. However, as long as we keep things in perspective, understanding that it is God who orchestrated this whole experience, and giving Him all the glory for the Immaculate Conception, then I feel we will be safe in our use of the term "blessed among women".

The essence of Mary's positive response to the angel is trust and faith in God. No matter what it seemed like and no matter how God was going to use her, Mary in essence gave an "informed consent" by agreeing to let God have His way with her. When we respond to God, we consent to either let Him use us or not use us for His glory. I believe our answer should always be YES LORD!!

The virgin conception teaches us that Jesus is divine in nature; in fact, He is God manifested in the flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the virgin conception is very central to the Christian message because it is a main basis for the Christian's belief that Jesus Christ is indeed the son of God and also God himself. Mind Boggling! But because we have faith in the Bible as the "inspired Word of God", then WE BELIEVE! +++DURING THIS SEASON OF ADVENT, LET ALL OF GOD'S PEOPLE REMEMBER TO THANK HIM FOR THE BIRTH OF OUR SALVATION+++

Mary's "how" question seems to have the undertone of- yes I believe, but I just don't understand how it is going to happen since I have not 'known' a man. On the other hand, Zechariah's "how" is more of a challenge for the angel to prove that this miracle can be done; he(Zechariah) just doesn't believe this message. Therefore, it boils down to belief. Mary believed, although she didn't understand, and was rewarded. Zechariah did not believe the message from God and was therefore disciplined.

The angel's announcement said that Mary's child should be named Jesus and that He would be known as the Son of the Most High God. He would inherit the throne of His father David and rule over the house of Jacob forever; thus fulfilling the promise that was spoken to king David in the book of 2 Samuel 7:16.

A "broken and contrite heart" is achieved by being truly sorry for something you have done that is not pleasing unto God. It differes from just "being sorry" because you feel deep within that you have wronged God and are compelled to somewhow make it right in His sight. You cannot even find rest within yourself until atonement is made. Humility is related to this condition in that you must have a humble spirit within you to even be able to acknowledge that you have "messed up" so badly. You may be ashamed, but you realize that you must "come clean" with or confess to God.

I am "a little" behind on my studies of this series, but upon reading your response, I must say that I believe you really have a point when you say that we do not sin against people. As you pointed out, it is God that we sin against; and this brings to my mind another issue that should be pointed out along those same lines of thinking. We would all do good to remember as we fight against sin that we "wrestle not against flesh & blood". We're not fighting a particular person or people, but the spirit of evil "principalities, spiritual wickedness in high places" etc. (From Ephesians 6:12). God bless you for reminding me of this point!

No, he is not minimizing his sin. He is actually speaking/praying to God about the terrible sin that he has committed. When David mentions his sinfulness from before birth, I believe he is NOT excusing himself, but he is referring to the fact that we are all born under the shadow of Original Sin. David understands the seriousness of the sin that he has committed & he also understands that he has to repent before God in order to be forgiven.

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THIS PSALM TEACHES ME THAT GOD LOVES PRAISE & THAT IT SHOULD OCCUR ANYWHERE! ANYTIME WE THINK ABOUT GOD, A PRAISE SHOULD ARISE WITHIN OUR SOULS! PRAISE CAN BE CONDUCTED WITH A VARIETY OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, YOUR VOICE, YOUR HANDS & FEET, EVEN YOUR THOUGHTS. EVERYONE SHOULD PRAISE THE LORD! AFTER READING THIS PSALM ALOUD, I FEEL REJUVENATED IN MY THOUGHTS TOWARD GOD; BECAUSE HE IS TRULY WORTHY TO BE PRAISED! HALLELUJAH TO HIS HOLY NAME!