Day 84

Christmas day and I hope everything was an amazing day for each of you and your families.

Deuteronomy 3 is still a recap of what has happened to the Israelites so far.

Deuteronomy 4  to me feels like Moses is wrapping it up.  He knows his time is almost up and he is trying to make sure that the Israelites keep everything they have learned from God.  To me it sounds like he is trying to make sure that they do not slip up again and lose everything that they have gained while he was with them.  It also feels like he may be stalling a little bit so that he does not have to die and he still might get a chance to go into the promise land.

The first part of our reading in Luke is Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the temple on the eighth day.  When they arrive at the temple a man by the name of Simeon who was a righteous man came up to them and took their son.  Now, I am not sure how exactly this happened.  I do not know if he was such a righteous man that nobody doubted his actions or if he politely asked to see Jesus?  I would hope that he was a polite and kind man with the words that he spoke.  I could only imagine what Mary and Joseph must have felt like to hear these words being said about their son.  The smiles that must have been on their faces.  Now, the final portion of Luke 2 jumps forward in Jesus' life and He is now twelve years old.  His family has traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.  When the feast is over and they begin to make their way home Jesus stays behind and goes to the temple.  I begin to wonder what everyone was thinking when this first started.  Why does Jesus not tell his parents that He is going to the temple?  Why do Mary and Joseph travel for a full day before they realize that their son is not with them?  Are they traveling in such a large group that they could not notice their son was not with them?  So, after a full days travel out and a full days travel back, Jesus has now been away from them for two days.  Do you think he was scared at all?  Where did he sleep?  So many questions I do not know if I could put them all down.  Mary and Joseph then proceed to look for Jesus and find him in the temple.  Oh, what it must have been like for them.  A complete mix of feelings and emotions.  Were they happy or mad?  Do you punish the Son of God.  I mean really I think I would be afraid to punish Him.  I think this is also the first quotes we see from Jesus and His Earthly parents really do not understand what He is saying.  He is so young and He already knows what His life has in store for him.

Tomorrow's reading is:
Deuteronomy 5, 6, 7 and Luke 3