The Entourage

“A man is known by the company he keeps.” ~ Aesop


"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night." - Psalm 1:1-2

“As we are, so we associate. The good, by affinity, seek the good; the vile, by affinity, the vile. Thus of their own volition, souls proceed into Heaven, into Hell.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Whoever is mindful to build the church is surely well on the way to destroying it, for he will build a temple to idols without wishing or knowing it. We must confess, he builds. We must proclaim, he builds. We must pray to him, and he will build. We do not know his plan. We cannot see whether he is building or pulling down. It may be that the times which by human standards are the times of collapse are for him the great times of construction. It may be that the times which from a human point are great times for the church are times when it's pulled down. It is a great comfort which Jesus gives to his church. You confess, preach, bear witness to me, and I alone will build where it pleases me. Do not meddle in what is not your providence.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

  1. The Entourage

    1. The people we keep on the fringes.

      1. "While [Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem], the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feeding trough." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them." - Luke 2:6-20

        1. there was no room for them in the inn

          1. Who turns down a pregnant lady?

          2. If this is Joseph’s ancestral home, why can’t he stay with family?

          3. If this is a family residence, why aren’t they allowed upstairs?

        2. some shepherds staying out in the fields

          1. single dudes who don’t own land and have little/no skill

            1. second sons

            2. disowned

            3. poor families

            4. bad reputations

            5. unskilled

          2. The “rags” portion of the “rags to riches” theme

            1. Moshe loses everything and becomes a simple shepherd in Midian.

            2. David is the young (likely illegitimate) son who is left to tend the flock when the other sons of Jesse are making names for themselves.

          3. Hated by the more refined cultures that Israel was subservient towards.

            1. Egyptians considered the “flock keepers” as second-class citizens even before they sold themselves into slavery.

            2. Greeks considered shepherding an ignoble profession for the lazy and the unskilled.

            3. Your ultimate “low-class hicks” of the ancient world.

        3. Peace among men with whom He is pleased

          1. Notice that the angels recognize that God is pleased with them!

          2. The heavenly host are here in the wild place with the lowly because this is where God is pleased to reveal Himself.

          3. Thus the glorification of the outcasts begins…

    2. The Outsider Insiders

      1. Weird, old prophet dude...
        "And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD"), ... And there was         a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel." And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed-- and a sword will pierce even your own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."" - Luke 2:22-23, 25-35

        1. Simeon is not identified as a priest, but as a righteous man who has the Holy Spirit upon him.

        2. Even after seeing that they offer two turtledoves as a sacrifice (a consolation sacrifice if you can’t afford the goat), Simeon is not thrown off.

        3. Clearly identifies the Isaiah passage being fulfilled and then identifies that Jesus will bring about the “fall and rise” – death and resurrection – of many and that this “sword” he will bring is one that pierces hearts and even Mary will be touched by this sword.

          1. Somehow this is the only man in the Temple that rightly discerns prophecy when the Messiah arrives… and he isn’t even a priest.

          2. Though he will not live to see it, he foresees the true character of the Messiah’s ministry; something even the Messiah’s disciples consistently fail to do.

      2. The Crone Prophetess
        "And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem." - Luke 2:36-38

        1. Though Jewish women had more rights in the first century than they would have for the next two millennia, they still weren’t truly regarded as equals to men.

        2. The original nun!

        3. Lays a groundwork that is mostly ignored, but may very well be one of the reasons that Christianity had powerful feminine leadership for over two hundred years in the west and much longer in the east.

    3. Mystics from the East

      1. "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." ... After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned (by God) in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way." - Matthew 2:1-2, 9-12

        1. magi from the east

          1. Where we get the term “magicians”

          2. Possibly “spiritual descendants” of Daniel, who was Magi to Nebuchadnezzar and Darius.

            1. Only a small group of Jews returned to Jerusalem under the permit of Cyrus, many stayed in Babylon.

          3. Spoke Aramaic instead of Greek or Hebrew

            1. Aramaic is essentially a Babylonian dialect of Hebrew.

            2. Associated with magical power because of the Magi and their adherents.

              1. Mark has Jesus speak Aramaic while Luke has Him speak Hebrew.

        2. Saw His star in the east

          1. looked to the stars as messages from God and indications of what was happening in the earth.

          2. They come to worship Jesus… which reflects a very different messianic understanding.

        3. Presented to Him gifts

          1. Their gifts are associated with restoration and healing rather than warfare.

            1. Gold – precious light

            2. Frankincense – divine incense (healing agent, old arthritis medication)

            3. Myrrh – anointing oil (healing agent and antiseptic)

        4. warned in a dream

          1. similar to the warning method that Joseph receives from the angel of the LORD.

          2. Clear connection to the Holy Spirit even though they come from a different religious tradition.

  2. The Boy

    1. In the Temple
      "Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day's journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You." And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?"" - Luke 2:41-49

      1. when He became 12

        1. Just… think about it for a second… Jesus had an awkward barmitzvah and endured the terrors of puberty.

        2. Jesus was apparently embedded enough in a community that his parents didn’t notice he was gone for a solid day.

      2. after three days

        1. Jesus also spent three days depending on the charity of people in Jerusalem who may very well have thought he was an abandoned or homeless little boy.

      3. sitting in the midst of the teachers

        1. engaging in rabbinical discourse like an equal

        2. drawing the attention of the crowds

      4. Did you not know

        1. Here we see Jesus knowing exactly who He is while still lacking in wisdom… of course his mother was anxiously looking!

        2. Side note.. it technically says “in the things of my Father”, so you could also translate it as, “being in my Father’s work/activity/word”

    2. Just being a guy…

      "And [Jesus] went down with [Mary and Joseph] and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." - Luke 2:51-52

      1. He continued in subjection

        1. Jesus knows what it’s like to be in subjection to authorities who clearly don’t know what they’re doing (like all authority).

          1. First kid is always an experiment.

          2. Jesus has brothers and sisters by now.

          3. Who exactly has been vetted to be “parents of the King of All Creation”?

      2. Jesus kept increasing in wisdom

        1. These five words absolutely break the… well, the “five” part of me.

        2. Jesus is not just subject to other humans, but to the experience of being human itself!

          1. Puberty

          2. Learning things like language, spatial awareness, how to walk, being potty trained, etc.

          3. Learning things like subtext, tradition, tone, body language, etc.

          4. Mentalizing what people who don’t trust the Father for everything must be going through.

  3. We Already Have the Gospel before His Ministry Begins.

    1. Humanity is not as it should be.

      1. Where love should be welcome and find a place to be born, it is instead rejected and forced into the uncomfortable and unlovely darkness.

    2. But they are still good, and God delights in them.

      1. Broken, unwanted and lonely men with bad pasts and no future are made the heralds of the glory of God.

      2. Old, spent, not-quite-pastor-material prophets are present enough to see Him clearly and entrusted with the message.

      3. Spiritual orphans and wanderers see the signs and welcome Him where His own religion drops the ball.

    3. So he comes in complete vulnerability to break down their brokenness.

      1. A little boy with his voice cracking and tons of questions amazes the people with wisdom and insight (and then asks for falafel and a place to stay).

        1. Love is always looking for a place to stay though, isn’t it?

      2. He’s also then content for people (his parents) to misunderstand Him and dismiss his message.

    4. And rather than Lord over them as a tyrant, He will be Lord in their midst; redeeming every aspect of life from the inside out.

      1. Not by living outside of humanity, but living in complete vulnerability to humanity with everything from rookie parents, being a poor kid, having a weird accent because he was a refugee, having to acclimate to different cultures and people throughout His life while all the while none of them really “get” who He is or what He’s doing or why He does things differently.

      2. And He does it with patience, in a million little small ways while doing the work of growing and learning and engaging with all of them.

    5. So those who haven’t been bought by the world as it is open themselves to Him, and those who are owned by this world are really not going to like Him.

    6. This theme is going to continue as He steps into ministry and we see that the Rulers of the world to come are the ones who seem to be abused by the world as it is (and who respond in a particular way).

Mystery King