Luke 1 ~ He has helped +

Luke 1

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.







And what news does Mary return to? The Talmud, the Sanhedrin Council becomes very interested in Jesus. In learning his birth and his parents, in making Jesus look bad. Lying of course to smear him.

What we do learn by the Sanhedrin upheaval are  facts and their desire to sabotage Jesus with opinions. Joseph has died and Mary is poor, yet her father is Heli. David's Line, the Davidic Line through Heli. 

Remember Herod paid attention to the Magi - Biblical or Spiritual knowledge. Herod was always intrigued by God. Entirely possibly the Davidic line was removed from Bethlehem, which has so many prophecies written about Bethlehem and placed in obscure Nazareth.


Mary is reporting what Isaiah says in Isaiah 7
21 In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey.

23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns. 24 With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.


Mary knows about what her joyful prayer states. There is a severe inequality of wealth. And the Roman Empire has created another time where a remnant of the faithful are left.






King David and Mary the Mother of God have different opinions about wealth. The Sanhedrin Council roundly denounces Mary, The Mother oF God as poor. In need of work, unable to rise to professionalism pleasing to the gentry of the Temple lawyers and High Priests. They are just plain rude. And acknowledge she is the daughter of Heli. Luke 3 explains Heli.


King David has something few people talk about and the first time I heard this sermon on a radio program I highly doubted this. However, as I believe the Scripture I see this is true. David was a conqueror. He made Israel the largest this Nation had ever become. David did not spurn trade with wealthy nations. He used their architecture in his palace, located outside of City Walls - choosing instead that God alone had brought him securely and would be his protector. David chose to Shepherd all of Israel and welcomed the people who had always played it safe with money, position and political caution.

The Temple required 7-1/2 years to construct and the efforts of about 180,000 laborers, (I Kings 7:13, 5:6, 13, 14; II Chronicles 2:17-18).


The materials assembled for the Tabernacle are d in Exodus 35-38. The total quantity of gold collected was approximately one ton; of silver, 3-3/4 tons; and of bronze, 2-1/2 tons. At approximately $500 per troy ounce, or $6000 per pound, or $12,000,000 per ton. Silver currently is priced around $12 per troy ounce, or $144 per pound, which is $288,000 per ton. Hence, the gold and silver used in the Tabernacle built by Moses would be worth over $13 million today. Exodus 12:35 states Jews were given gold, silver, and ornaments by the Egyptians at the time of the departure from Egypt. The golden lampstand in the tabernacle weighed a talent and would today be worth a half million dollars for its gold alone. A replica of this Menorah is now in the Temple Institute in Jerusalem. (These prices for Gold are old.)

The plans were made, and David amassed the materials (I Chronicles 28:1-19; II Chronicles 2-4; I Kings 6-7). These materials included 100,000 talents (Ref. 3) of gold and 1,000,000 talents of silver, (I Chron. 29). From his own private fortune David also gave 3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 talents of high grade silver. This is an enormous quantity of gold and silver by any standard: 100,000 talents of gold = 3750 tons, value today = $45 billion; 1,000,000 talents of silver = 37,500 tons, value today = $10.8 billion. In round numbers, the wealth of the First Temple was about $56 billion. Or if we take the current Gold Price Per Ounce $1,232.40 = $137,984,000 Billion. (Larger than Presidential hopeful Donald Trump's 4 Billion. We have to credit all to God and some to the God inspired Egyptians.)


Josephus wrote of the hoarding of wealth by the High Priests. The Second Temple was not wealthy although the Temple Tools returned from the Babylonian Exile. The plunder Titus carried to Rome could well have been worth tens of millions of dollars. Cicero wrote of great influxes of gold to Jerusalem. Josephus, Wars of the Jews, has told of Tradition saying the intense flames of the Temple fire melted the gold and silver and it ran between the cracks of the rocks. Roman soldiers then totally dismantled the Temple stone by stone to extract the gold, Matthew 24:1-21.




David spoke of a Nation worshiping God. Still much in evidence of human failings.

Mary spoke of puppet state, where the King plays for the Emperor. And the wealthy work the laws of this. The Essenes left the Temple, saying it was empty of the Holiness of God and wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.

His (Jesus') mother and His brothers (not sisters mentioned here however) were standing outside, seeking to speak with Him." Matthew 12:46

Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:16, Acts 1:13

Mark 6:3
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.




James the Just writes of being the son of Mary and living this life.


James 2
2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves

James 1:10
But the rich should take pride in their humiliation – since they will pass away like a wild flower

James 1:26
Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless

James 2
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

James 5
5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.






There are always what Jesus calls "it rains on the just and the unjust." Parallels to now and the First Century Christians.

Jesus in His Victory had something to say about what He wants. To save the entire world.


James goes on to tell us what he has decided after Jesus becomes the Victorious Risen Messiah.


The Book of James

James 1
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.


James 2
2 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.


James 3
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.





Jesus says He gives us a new commandment - The Law to Love.

The Roman Empire was won. And the next 1,000 years the Roman Empire continued in Constantinople. 


Living Parables. His Story.

 

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †