I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Luke 2-3.

    The first thing that occurred to me when I finished reading today’s passage was that Luke’s source for these stories had to be Mary. Thinking about that, these are the sorts of stories a mother would remember about her son. We have a story about the stressful times right after the child’s birth (“no lodging available”), another about the amazing joy of having a new child (the story of the shepherds). There are stories about memorable things that happened with the child while he was very young (the dedication at the Temple, Simeon and Anna). Finally, there is a story about the child starting to exert his independence, demonstrating what kind of man he would become (staying behind at the Temple). My Mom tells stories with similar themes about my childhood and that of my older siblings, none of them are nearly as momentous as those recounted here. I remember my Mom telling a story about where they lived when my oldest sister was born. I remember my Mom telling a story about my one older brother banging his head against the wall whenever he was in the crib. I remember her telling other stories about my siblings. The thing is, I remember her telling the stories, but I don’t remember the details. However, my mother does, just as Mary remembered the details in these stories.

    Luke introduces the beginning of Jesus’ ministry with John the Baptist. The point of John’s ministry was that it being a descendant of Abraham was not enough to shield them from God’s judgment. John preached that God’s judgment was coming. That same message needs to be preached today. When God’s judgment comes, it is not going to be enough to go to Church every Sunday. It is not enough to not be a bad person. It is not enough to say that you are sorry for the bad things you have done. You need to take actions which demonstrate that you have changed, give to the poor, feed the hungry, stop using your power to abuse those over whom you have power. All of this was just the start. John preached that there was someone coming soon who would divide those who really wanted to serve God from those who just wanted to avoid God’s judgment.