Good
morning, when Carl and I talked about switching this week, we expected to make
a one-week interlude in our series on the Bible and archaeology. Today, we will turn our attention to
Jesus’ first coming. At the same time,
we will touch on some aspects of archaeology and findings from the time of His
birth.
The
definition of archaeology is the scientific study of material remains of past
human life and activities. That includes
looking at tools, pottery, jewelry, stone walls, and monuments and even the
broken pieces of them.
I
looked at a multitude of explanations of the purpose of archaeology. Why do people study archaeology at all? Kira Heinrich is an archaeologist working
for the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office. She said it this way.
Archaeology is important simply because many
people like to know, to understand, and to reflect. The study of archaeology satisfies the basic
human need to know where we came from, and possibly understand our own human
nature.
This,
I think, is a justification that most people can agree with.
But
is that the whole story? Is that what
God wants us to think about archaeology?
Here’s a verse from Psalm 48 to consider.
Walk
about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view
her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is
our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end. – Psalm
48:12-14
I
found this passage fascinating. I’m not
sure when the Sons of Korah composed it, but based on some additional reading,
it seems likely to have been during the reign of David or not long after. That would have been a time of significant
building projects and improvements in Jerusalem. They most probably wanted to draw their
listeners’ attention to these structures as impressive testaments to God’s
greatness. In turn, they would remind
their children of God’s faithfulness in establishing Israel. But those towers, ramparts, and citadels have
been destroyed and ultimately the nation itself was destroyed for thousands of
years.
But
God’s Word still speaks far beyond the time of its human authors. These verses tell us to look at the ramparts,
towers, and citadels that have been and reflect that the God of the Psalms is
the God of our times and for all time and beyond. We can consider the evidences of the people
and places of ancient Israel (3000 years later in the case of Psalm 48) and its
surroundings to see that God is forever and ever.
Perhaps
you’ve heard of the author and journalist, Lee Strobel? He wrote The Case for Christ based on
his own personal investigation of the evidence for Jesus. As a journalist, he observed,
In trying to determine if a witness is being
truthful, journalists and lawyers will test all the elements of his or her
testimony that can be tested. If this investigation reveals that the person was
wrong in those details, this casts considerable doubt on the veracity of his or
her entire story. However, if the minutiae check out, this is some indication –
not conclusive proof but some evidence – that maybe the witness is being
reliable in his or her overall account.
And
so from an archaeological perspective, let’s continue to examine some of these
details and how they have been confirmed even in recent times. As we do that, I hope that each of us will be
encouraged that “God is our God for ever and ever,” and “He will be our guide
even to the end.” Let’s pray and ask God
to do that.
Lord
God, You are God from before the beginning, and You will be God beyond the end
of our age. We worship You. You are worthy of all praise and glory and
honor. Teach us from Your Word, Your
creation, Your truth and even bits of broken pieces of times past. We ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Let’s
start our look into the Christmas story with Gabriel’s visit to Mary to tell
her that she would give birth to the Messiah.
God
sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to
be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was
Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored!
The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered
what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be
afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth
to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called
the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father
David, and He will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; His kingdom will
never end." – Luke 1:26-33
There
is a whole lot going on in this passage.
Most important is the testimony from Gabriel about who Jesus is. He is the Son of the Most High. The Lord God, God the Father, will give Jesus
the throne of His father David. And, He
will reign over an eternal kingdom.
There is no one like Jesus before or since. That indeed is good news! Also, not to be overlooked, the King is
coming. And from our point of view, the
King has come.
At
the very beginning of the passage, there is a small but specific detail. God sent Gabriel to Nazareth. But what if there were no Nazareth at the
time of Jesus’ birth? Wouldn’t that
throw into question the validity of the Biblical account?
Matthew’s
telling of Jesus’ childhood makes the validity of Nazareth an even more
specific point. After Jesus’ birth,
after the visit of the wise men, after their time in Egypt, God told Joseph to
return to Israel.
So
he [Joseph] got up, took the Child and His mother and went to the land of
Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus
was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.
Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he
went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said
through the prophets, that He would be called a Nazarene. – Matthew 2:21-23
Again,
God’s Word is full of words of encouragement.
I intended to skip over verse 22 since we are talking of Nazareth, but
reading over it, I was drawn to the fact that Joseph made the decision to
return to Nazareth because he was afraid of Herod. I see that as a powerful example of God
working all things to the good of those who love Him and are called according
to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Verse
23 gives an even higher importance to Nazareth.
The fulfillment of prophecy is tied to the existence of this village.
Some
historians have suggested that a perceived lack of historical and
archaeological evidence from the first century AD does just that. In particular, a book from Rene Salm in 2008
speaks of Nazareth as the mythical or invented town of Jesus.
So,
the findings since that book was published have been remarkable. There have been not one but two homes that
date to the first century (100 BC to 100 AD) time frame which have been
excavated. The first one was excavated
in 2009, just a year after the publication of the book about the mythical
Nazareth. As noted on the slide, the
second first century home was excavated in 2015. That excavation took place under a Byzantine
church constructed in the fourth century.
The church was most likely built there because it was believed that this
was the childhood home of Jesus. This is
reminiscent of other early archaeological finds that Carl mentioned like Mamre
where a known location is marked with other monuments through history. And if that weren’t enough, tombs that
contain fragments of ossuaries have now been excavated in Nazareth. Ossuaries are a kind of stone coffin which
were used by Jews for a very short time period.
One source I saw said 20 BC and ending by 70 AD at the time of the
temple’s destruction. Finding ossuaries
in Nazareth indicates a Jewish presence there in the first century.
Regardless
of whether this was the actual home of Jesus, it is the actual town in which He
was raised, and the village is shown through archaeological evidence to have
existed during the first century AD.
Pretty neat. In an NBC published
story, First
Jesus-era house found in Nazareth (nbcnews.com), a
Catholic Father from the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth was
interviewed. He said, "They say if
the people do not speak, the stones will speak." Since the discovery was announced in December
2015, at Christmastime, he added that the discovery at "this time, this
period, is very interesting, especially as a Christian.” Karam said, "For
me it is a great gift."
From
Nazareth, let’s move to Bethlehem which is the other starring location of the
Christmas story. First, let’s look at
prophecy. Micah 5:2 and 4 says
But
you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of
you will come for Me One who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from
of old, from ancient times." … He will stand and shepherd His flock in the
strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they
will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
– Micah 5:2, 4
This
is the passage which the chief priests and teachers of the Law used to answer
Herod in Matthew 2:5-6. The wise men
came to Jerusalem and asked Herod where they could find the One born King of
the Jews. Herod in turn asked the chief
priests and teachers of the Law.
The
book of Micah was written about 700 BC.
Micah 5:4 is such a clear prophecy of this unique ruler to come. This ruler will be a shepherd. Jesus described Himself as the good shepherd
in John 10. He will stand in the
strength of the Lord. Jesus is God. He has the full strength and majesty of the
Lord. His greatness will reach to the
ends of the earth. The gospel has gone
to the ends of the earth and continues to impact more and new people and people
groups. The ultimate display of Jesus’
greatness will occur at His second coming.
Clearly,
this ruler who is of ancient origin will come from Bethlehem in Judah or Judea
as it was called in Jesus’ time. Gabriel
visited Mary in Nazareth, well to the north, about a hundred miles from
Bethlehem. How did Joseph end up in
Bethlehem in Judea?
In
those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the
entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius
was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So
Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem
the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went
there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. – Luke 2:1-5
This
is a familiar passage, one that we read here at the church at least once per
year at the Christmas Eve service. The
reason behind the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was the census. Luke identifies this census in three
different ways. First, that Caesar
Augustus decreed a census to be taken.
Second, Quirinius was governor of Syria at that time. Third, that people returned to their own
homes to be counted.
Are
those points verifiable through archaeology?
Caesar
Augustus did take multiple censuses during his reign. There was one as early as 28 BC and a final
one in 14 AD and several in between including one in 2 BC which was pointed to
by early church historians as the census that brought Joseph and Mary to
Bethlehem. Interestingly, there is an
autobiographical record from Augustus himself about different censuses. Here is a copy of that. So, it is well documented that Caesar
Augustus decreed various censuses throughout his reign as Roman Emperor.
What
about Quirinius? Did this guy exist, and
was he the governor of Syria? Yes, there
is clear archaeological proof that Quirinius did exist from several sources and
that was commissioned to perform censuses.
This particular find is for a later census in 6 AD, but it does confirm
Quirinius, his role as legate or governor of Syria, and his responsibility for
performing any census in his region of responsibility. The only archaeological question that seems
to be unresolved is whether it can be firmly demonstrated that Quirinius was in
a governing role in Syria earlier, when Jesus was born. Rodger Young published a Biblical chronology
in 2012 which delved into this question and demonstrated that Roman records
show that Quirinius was indeed a governor of Judea and that an empire-wide
census was taking place in 2-3 B.C.
Finally,
what about the requirement to return to one’s home to be counted. Is that accurate? In our modern time, this seems like a strange
requirement. Why wouldn’t you just count
people where they are. Well, there are papyri
(papyruses) from the first and second centuries AD that have been discovered
that attest to the practice in the Roman Empire of requiring people to return
to their ancestral homes for censuses.
This has been demonstrated as a common practice from archaeological
finds.
What
about Bethlehem itself at the time of Jesus?
It turns out there is a Bethlehem in Galilee. At least a few scholars have tried to say
that Jesus came from that Bethlehem in Galilee because it would drastically
reduce the challenge for Mary traveling 100 miles while in the later stages of
pregnancy. I saw one story reported on
NPR at Christmas in 2012 that gave voice to this possibility. Dig Finds Evidence Of Another Bethlehem : NPR
This
Galilee – Bethlehem connection was a challenge for some even in Jesus’
day. In John 7:41-43, after people heard
what Jesus said and how He spoke, they debated who He could be. Some thought Jesus was the Messiah, God’s
anointed One. Others hesitated saying,
How
can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will
come from David's descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David
lived?" Thus the people were divided. – John 7:41-43
The
verse shows how people of Jesus’ time did have knowledge of the prophecy. They were not confused about which Bethlehem
was intended. They just couldn’t figure
out how Jesus could be from Galilee and Bethlehem both. Since we already know the story so well, it
doesn’t seem that far of a stretch, but in Jesus’ time was hard to resolve how
both could be true.
Some
have complained “that there is little archaeological evidence in Bethlehem of
Judea from the time of Jesus.” Again, it
has been similar to other cases we have studied. “There used to be a lack of material culture
from first-century Bethlehem, however, recent discoveries have silenced this
claim.”
In
2012, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a bulla (a
clay seal impression) that mentions Bethlehem and was on the tax document of a
shipment from Bethlehem to nearby Jerusalem.
It dates to the 7th or 8th century BC.
This is the earliest reference to the town of Bethlehem outside of the
Bible. We also know there was a village
there in the time of Constantine in the 4th century AD. The fact that the village of Bethlehem
existed 700 years before Jesus and 300 years afterwards suggests it was there
during the time of Jesus too.
Then
in 2015-16, there was an excavation led by Shimon Gibson next to the Church of
the Nativity in Bethlehem. This
excavation revealed pottery shards and other artifacts proving the existence of
the village of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth. And so Bethlehem was likely a small,
seemingly insignificant village in the first century, certainly in keeping with
the humble way our Savior entered the world.
Born
in Bethlehem – SourceFlix | Living Hope
So,
we celebrate the Word of God. It is the
truth, and it is vindicated time and time again as trustworthy. God’s Word tells us what we need to know. We are blessed to be able to answer the
question of how Jesus can come from Nazareth in Galilee and Bethlehem in
Judea. God uses a variety of means in
bringing about His will. Sometimes He
uses the wind and waves, sometimes He uses governments that think that they are
the supreme ruling authority just as He used Caesar Augustus’ decree for a census
to fulfill the prophecy of Micah 5:2.
God’s Word is true, and it will continue to be shown true.
Biblical
events really took place in space and time.
This is important, critical, crucial even. Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 15, if there
has not been a historical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, then “our
faith is in vain” and “our faith is futile” (I Corinthians 15:14,
17). In the same chapter, he went on to
say that if the dead aren’t resurrected in reality, “Let us eat and drink, for
tomorrow we die.” (I Corinthians 15:32)
The reality of history, His-story, is essential to the Christian faith.
The
Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the
glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. –
John 1:14
I
think during Christmas time, we celebrate the identity of Jesus, the reality
that He is God in a deeper way. The
words of the carols are full of declarations about Jesus and His many names. Those names come from Scripture.
Matthew
1:1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Son of David,
the Son of Abraham
Matthew
1:21 You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people
from their sins.
Matthew
1:23 They will call him Immanuel which means God with us.
Matthew
2:2 “Where is the one born King of the Jews?”
Matthew
2:6 (quoting Micah 5:2) Out of you [Bethlehem] will come a Ruler who
will be the shepherd of My people Israel
Luke
1:32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High
Luke
1:32-33 The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will
reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.
Luke
1:68-69 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel because … He has raised up a horn
of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.
Luke
2:11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord.
Luke
2:25 He [Simeon] was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
Luke
2:30 My eyes have seen Your salvation.
Luke
2:32 A Light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people
Israel.
Isaiah
9:6 And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.
I
think that makes about 20 names in just those few verses. There is no one like Jesus. He is great over all the earth. The last verse mentioned, Isaiah 9:6,
explains Jesus is God. He is the Mighty
God. He is the Everlasting Father. He is the only begotten Son of the
Father. He is of the same likeness and
essence as the Father. There is no
distinction.
In
view of His greatness, God’s love toward us and humility are simply
stunning. What He came to endure is
incredible. Even from birth, He faced
uncertainty, difficulty, and hardship.
Then, beyond those early years, Jesus set out to walk the path that led
to the cross.
He was pierced for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5
And
so, we celebrate Christmas in the light of Easter. [How December 25 Became Christmas - Biblical
Archaeology Society] In Matthew 1:21, Gabriel told
Joseph to “Name Him Jesus, He will deliver His people from their sins.” Jesus is really Yeshua or Savior. God sent Gabriel to Joseph to tell him not to
divorce Mary and to name Jesus Savior because that is a core aspect of who He
is. He is our Savior, our deliverer. He has delivered us from our sins. Wow!
Much
of what we have studied in this archaeology series has been rocks because rocks
are the things that last. Ancient homes
were often made of stone and certainly the ones that can be excavated today
have been made of stone. Tablets with
inscriptions are made of stone. It’s not
a scientific analysis, but three quarters of the pictures we looked at today
are things made of stone. That doesn’t
include pottery which is made of earth.
Isn’t
interesting that Scripture also talks of the Lord as a Rock. Jesus is our Rock and our Redeemer. (Psalm
19:14) Jesus is the Rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:2) Jesus is the stone the builders rejected, but
Jesus has become the cornerstone. (Psalm
118:22)
So
this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested
stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic. – Isaiah 28:16
Jesus
is the living Stone. (I Peter 2:4) I could go on, and you are welcome to study
it out more later. The imagery is
clear. Jesus is a Rock, a Stone, a sure
Foundation. His kingdom will never end
because He will never end. Jesus is
eternal.
That
is amazing and makes Him worthy of our praise.
And yet, there is more. The
message of salvation is not just one and done.
I Peter 2:4-5 tells of our relationship with Jesus, the living Stone.
As
you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by humans but chosen by God and
precious to Him-- you also, like living stones, are being built into a
spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ – I Peter 2:4-5
We
too are part of an eternal home. We are
living stones. We are to be a holy
priesthood and offer spiritual sacrifices through Jesus Christ. In our Hebrews study, we heard how Jesus is
the true and perfect high priest … “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from
sinners, exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:26) It is through Christ that we offer spiritual
sacrifices. It is not something we do in
isolation.
Turning
just a couple of chapters over, we can see in I Peter 4 examples of what these
spiritual sacrifices are.
Each
of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful
stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do
so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so
with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised
through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.
Amen. – I Peter 4:10-11
Serve
others with the gifts God has given, being utterly dependent on God. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. He is with us.
In
all things, it is not we who are to be praised, but God through Jesus
Christ. Jesus is the One whose Name is
above all Names. The One who has all
majesty, dominion, and power both now and forevermore.
[His]
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and [His] dominion endures through all
generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He
does. – Psalm 145:13
Our
children will also serve Him. Future
generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not
yet born. They will hear about
everything He has done. The will
proclaim His righteousness declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it! – Psalm 22:30-31 NLT
A Savior has been born
to you; He is Christ the Lord. – Luke 2:11
Let’s
pray.
No comments:
Post a Comment