Day 2 - Luke 1:46-80

I know I posted Day 1 a little late last night (I had to watch my Mavs game!), I do apologize. I had a good conversation today at work with a co-worker of mine about my previous post. Not only did she agree with my assessment of how drunkeness diverts us from being used by God (because it is through our consciousness that God communicates with us) but she quoted some scripture herself (for a lot of alcohol-related Scriptures, check 'em out here).

Today, we're going to delve a little into the birth and life-purpose of John the Baptist, tomorrow the birth and short adolescent history of Jesus as found in Luke 2.

Read Luke 1:46-80 (find it here)

Mary realizes that she is just a "lowly servant girl" (1:48) but that hasn't stopped God from choosing her to be probably the most popular woman in all of history (so much so that many people worship Mary, which is called Mariology).  She didn't have much to offer God except her obedience and full allegiance but that was more than enough.

However, even a lowly (translated from Greek, the New Testament's original language, more likely means humble rather than poor) girl writes a psalm that mimics the poetic style and usage of words like her ancestor King David.
  
(Anyone else find it weird that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for THREE MONTHS?!)

When Elizabeth's baby is born, Zechariah is still unable to speak. The neighbors and relatives who came to his circumcision ceremony wanted to make the baby a junior, basically.  Don't miss this subtle point. Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!” (1:60) But what did the crowd do? They disregarded her answer and played charades with Zechariah to ask him the name of the baby.  He wrote down, "His name is John." Right after that, he regained his ability to speak.

You'll hear me mention this point over and over again about the Jewish culture (or Ancient Near Eastern culture, to be more specific) of biblical times. Women were not given the same respect as men.  Men wanted their children to be boys, not girls.  Women were actually deemed unclean and cursed when they were on their period or even after they give birth (see Leviticus 12:2, 5)! Courts would only take testimony from men, not women. Women could not work outside the home without ridicule. Women basically had the same rights as children (in certain situations less than that if one of her children were a boy).

Crazy, huh?

The story spread like crazy and people were already wondering what lil' John would end up doing with his life.  But his father went ahead and gave the people the inside scoop on that.

Zechariah, in verse 69, is already telling everyone that Mary's child (Jesus, who is from the royal line of David) is the long-awaited Savior.  Like was said in yesterday's post, Zechariah shows faith in what God said He was going to do ("by remembering His sacred covenant with Abraham").

But also his son (in what had to be an incredibly proud and humbling moment) will be called, "the prophet of the Most High." Prophet basically means one who speaks for God.  Lil' John will be the first preacher who leads people to Jesus and the new path of salvation which is all about humility and forgiveness of sins rather than sacrifices and following all the 600+ laws.

John grows up "strong in the Spirit" and in the wilderness, perhaps to be away from public attention and distraction, which definitely is a good indicator of how serious he took his alone time with God. You'll see that Jesus practices the same thing.

But he would bust out of the wilderness soon enough with a ministry that would rock Israel. How? Check back tomorrow!


Questions:

1. If Mary was chosen by God even though she was a "lowly girl," does that give you hope that God has a plan for your life? What do you think God is preparing for you to do with your life?

2. Women weren't treated with respect in biblical times. However, gender discrimination still occurs today (Time Magazine in April of 2010 says that women make 23% less than men for the same jobs!).  Are you part of the problem or part of the solution? You'll find that Jesus is a huge supporter of women as we go along in the New Testament.

3. I defined a prophet as a one who speaks for God. Most people think of a prophet as being a larger than life character when in reality, anyone who speaks for God (that person would definitely be guided by His word, the Bible) is a prophet.  So, the last question is, are you speaking up for God in any way to anyone? Why or why not?

Post your answers, comments or any questions either here or on Facebook!