Luke 2:12 (ESV) -- And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.
Micha told us where ...
Micah 5:2 (ESV) -- But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
So the "Wise Men," having been schooled long ago by the prophet Daniel, knew where to look:
Matthew 2:1-2, 9-10 (ESV) -- 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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” ... After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
How Will They Recognize Him?
The "Wise Men" went to see him, but before that, just after he was born, Yeshu'ah was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger. Both details are important.
Swaddling clothes are long strips of linen (swaddling bands). In a "manger" underscores Jesus's profound humility. In first-century Judean homes or caves, a manger (Greek phatnē) was a rectangular trough or ledge where livestock ate fodder like hay or grain. It held food accessible to animals' heads. It was basically a raised basin.
WITNESSES
Christmas is the story of Jesus's birth. The next time we hear of Jesus being wrapped in linen clothes is when he is placed on the ledge along a wall in his tomb. That's where two of his apostles, John and Peter, looked in and saw only the linen clothes.
John 20:4-5 (ESV) -- Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
John 20:9 (ESV) -- for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
WRAPPED IN CLOTH
Seeing the baby wrapped in linen cloth is how they recognize baby Jesus. Seeing the linen clothes without Jesus's body is how they know recognize Jesus has risen.
Those famous burial linen clothes, known for many centuries as the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium (facecloth) of Oviedo, testify to Jesus's death and ressurection. They are Jesus's own testimony written with his own blood. The shroud is a Love Letter written to the world.
What Is It About Birth and Death that IS So Significant?
Matthew 27.50 (ESV) -- And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. As it says in Luke 23:46 (ESV) "... And having said this he breathed his last."
Read about Crying out.
THE TRUTH
Jesus foretold to his disciples why he had to breath his last breath in John chapter 16. The whole chapter is amazing, but I want to point out a particular verse in light of the holiday we are in.
John 16.7 (ESV) -- Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
The First and Only Mention of Hanukkah is in the Bible - The gosple of John chapter 10.
There is no mention of Hanukkah in the Hebrew Tenach. But Jesus is at the temple for Hanukkah in the Gospels.
Jesus had many Jewish followers in addition to his apostles, but earlier in the gospel of John, the Jews who are not following Jesus, asked him for the plain truth. The answer he gives them will bring about a pivotal shift in the story of his ministry.
John 10:22-24 (ESV) -- At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the [Messiah], tell us plainly.”
Jesus gives them as plain and truthful of an as answer possible. He says,
John 10:27-30 (ESV) -- My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”
Verse 30, "I and the Father are one,” is for all intents & purposes is Deuteronomy 6:4, the first verse of the Hebrew prayer called the "Shema."
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Jesus’s response is enough for the Jews to hear that Jesus is saying that he is "deity." To those "who do not understand," Jesus has spoken blasphemy -- a crime punishable by death.
TIS THE SEASON
It isn't Christmas yet. The holiday we are in is Hanukkah. Today is the 4th day of Hanukkah.
When we light the Hanukkah 🕎 menorah, the first candle we light, which is used to light the other 8 candles during the celebration Hanukkah (Dedication) is called the Shamash, which means "helper." Some refer to it as the "attendant" or "servant" candle because the Shamash remains available to re-light any of the menorah candles.
Pause and reflect on the word "truth" as we celebrate Hanukkah.
Shema and Shamash
The word "Shema" (Hear) derives from the Semitic root שמע, denoting auditory perception and obedience (as in "Hear, O Israel"). Above is Deuteronomy 6.4 as written in ancient Hebrew scrolls. Hebrew reads right to left. (We load the Hanukkah menorah candles from right to left.) So the far right Hebrew word is "Shema." Notice the last letter, which looks like a "y" is larger. That is the letter "Ayin," which means "Eye(s)." Therefore, the word for "hear" also emphasizes "eyes."
Now I want to call your attention, your eyes, to the the last word. The word on the far left. It is the Hebrew word "Echad," which is written in English as "One," but means "a complex unity of one." In the word "Echad" you can see that the last letter is also larger than the others. That letter is the letter "Dalet." A dalet IS a "door." It is also the number 4. (This is the 4th day of Hanukkah.)
The word Shamash (the center candle of the lampstand) stems from the Hebrew word שמש, which is linked to service or ministry. That is why the "Helper" candle is also called the "Servant" candle.
BE THE LIGHT
When we look around the world it is easy to be consumed by the darkness in the world. On Hanukkah the light drives away the darkness. Rabbis tell us just as the light of the shamash spreads to other candles and quickly illuminates the night, we must also be the light that illuminate the darkness in the world.
Remember, this holiday season, that we are supposed to be like the Shamash.
Chag Hanukkah Sameach...Happy Hanukkah!
