Today begins the season of Advent, a four week celebration of the first coming of the Messiah as Christ-followers eagerly await the second coming. In a way it is the Christian version of the Jewish holiday Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles, which depicts the time when God will dwell with Men once more. Celebrated mostly by the liturgical churches of the world, there is a great benefit in understanding and celebrating this tradition even for evangelicals. The season begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and begins the liturgical New Year in western churches.
Back on October 23 of this year I made a passing reference to the location of the temple in Jesus’ day and hinted that it might not be where we have been thinking for a good many hundreds of years. Before too much time passes I want to address this issue, and especially as it has some bearing on other issues to be discussed this holiday season. Of all the articles we’ve posted here on Think-Biblically.com this is one you will probably want to bookmark.
Begin this week’s study by reading Genesis 28.10-.19 then come back here and keep reading. You’ll be glad you did. Clearly when Jacob stopped to rest the place he chose to camp was unremarkable. It was an ordinary place, and he chose an ordinary stone for a pillow. This sounds uncomfortable but it doesn’t have to be. A properly shaped stone behind your neck can be wonderfully relaxing, especially at the end of a long journey. But I want to be sure we understand that there were no signs posted: “No Trespassing – Holy Ground!” There was nothing mystical about the stone he slept on; it held no magical powers. Yet in the light of the new day both the ground and the stone would be honored in a special way.
Acts 25 starting in verse 13 we see the new governor Festus consulting with King Agrippa regarding Paul’s case. To assure there is no confusion, it is important to note that Governor Festus is in authority over the king. Most westerners understand king’s to have absolute authority, but in the Roman Empire this was not the case. King Agrippa was king over Israel, but fell under Roman authority. Caesar was the highest authority, with Governors over provinces being fairly autonomous in the day to day running of their region. Under governors were local kings, who did not have the authority of capital punishment. For this reason, Jesus and now Paul had to be brought before a Roman authority to be tried in a capital punishment case.
Today American’s celebrate Thanksgiving, which is not a Biblical holiday but is a spiritual one for Christian-Americans. In order to learn how to celebrate this holiday as its framers intended, I’ve reprinted here the 1782 Continental Congress Proclamation, The historical document establishing Thanksgiving a national holiday:
When a football team wins the Super Bowl each member of the team receives a special ring of great value, both as a reward and a reminder of their accomplishment. Every year there is an awards ceremony for those film and television actors who have performed in a way so stellar they are deserving of special recognition. Pageants are held to recognize men and women of extreme beauty and talent. Mankind is very good at recognizing the accomplishments of other men and women, yet we rarely (if ever) award God for the outstanding achievements he creates in our lives.
Once all the crew, soldiers, passengers and criminals in transport were accounted for they were greeted by the natives. The Greek word used here is “barbarians” and indicates the people were neither Roman nor Jewish. Lest we assume these were a tribe of ignorant natives, these men and women were likely of Phoenician and Sicilian heritage and worshiped the gods of the Greeks and Romans. Their religious ties to Rome are apparent later in the chapter when the reference the goddess Justice. They showed the shipwrecked men great hospitality and welcomed them into their homes, which were likely free-standing structures made of stone.
From a prison at the Roman barracks in Jerusalem Paul travelled under cover of darkness 40 miles with 200 troops to protect him. His destination would afford him favorable accommodations, for not only would he have better protection from the assassin zealots but he would be put up at the Governors palace. Which is where we find Paul at the start of Acts 24.
Debate has begun over the birthplace of Jesus. Due to the identification of a second city by the name of Bethlehem not far from Nazareth, some scholars have taken the position that Jesus was born not in Judea but in Galilee. “If Jesus were born in the City of David,” they argue, “why is he called the Nazarene?” Even early Christians were called Nazarenes and Christianity was known as the Nazarene Sect.
Standing stones are important, but equally important are the words Jacob spoke about that place. He named it Beth-El. It is a compound word, “beth” (pronounced “bait” in Hebrew) meaning house, and “El” which was the common name for God. Together they mean “House of God” which to my way of thinking is odd. How can a place outside, in the wilderness, be a “house”? The answer is given by the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon asks himself “Will the Lord God dwell in a house built be the hands of men?” The place is unimportant; where the Lord dwells is his home. That can be in a wilderness, it can be in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. It can be upon a golden ark or a temple adorned as no other. Home isn’t where you hang your hat; it’s where the presence of the Lord is!
In the fall Festus sent Paul to Rome. Luke sets the tone of the journey at the start, telling us that the winds were not favorable for travel and the ship had to sail under the lee of Cyrus, meaning the captain used the island to take the brunt of the wind by sailing on the north and eastern side of the island. The weather was a constant battle making it slow going.
We’re nearing the end of the book of Acts and everything rushes from this point forward to a surprise ending. Here in Acts 23.12-.35 we are given details of yet another plot to murder the apostle Paul. This time the conspiracy didn’t came from men unpracticed in the art of treachery, but neither was it by a secretive sect of assassins like Sicariqim. In this case the cause was taken up by 40 devote but hardened Jewish zealots who sought permission to kill Paul from none other than the high priest.