There are many temporary closing scenes attached to the nativity in the book of Luke. I’ve been summarizing a few thoughts. The last four chapters seem to bring me back to the beginning. In Prague there is the oldest working astronomical clock completed about 1410 AD. Note the ‘AD’ because the birth of Jesus is the center of time. BC means before Christ and AD is after His death. The 33 years in-between is what we have been looking at in the Gospel of Luke. Many questions remain. Were the shepherds, abiding in the field by night, old or young or both? Did the three wise men from the east arrive together or meet on the way? It makes sense that they would have been in an entourage and not on their own for such an auspicious journey. How old was Jesus when the wise men arrived? I guess when acknowledging a baby or toddler or boy, as the King of the Jews, from the ancient writings, age makes no difference. They probably entered Bethlehem through the front gate but then exited the back way to avoid confrontation with Herod? We can ask these questions later. It must have been a stellar event on display. Why didn’t crazy old Herod, the king, go himself? Were all peoples looking for the redemption of Israel?
The last weeks of Jesus life are described in Luke 21-24. He crammed in important discourses and hosted their last supper together. Jesus warned of coming persecution and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. The Son of Man would come with power and glory. He was handed back and forth by the authorities. Jesus was sentenced to death, without cause, and crucified but we know how the account ends. Just like there was no room in the inn at His birth – there was no tomb that could keep the Son of God. We who believe every detail of this account will be joined/rejoined with Jesus at His second coming. All men belong to God but not all choose God. Saying Merry Christmas always takes me to the rest of the biblical account and I want to say He is risen indeed! The Salvation of the Lord has come and Christmas was only the start. Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
