Bill Smith, Author at Kuyperian Commentary

On February 3, 2019 By Bill Smith In Worship 1

Seeing Christ

No one understands. Though everything has been plainly revealed, no one can get his mind wrapped around just what it means for Jesus to be the Christ. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, it is clear that those we might think would understand don’t.

Joseph and Mary, though given specific and dramatic revelation from angels, don’t understand. When finding Jesus in the Temple after having lost him for three days, they don’t understand that it is necessary for Jesus to be about “the things of his Father.” (Lk 2.49-50) This lack of understanding plagues Jesus’ disciples throughout. Even though Peter confesses that Jesus is “the Christ of God,” he doesn’t know what being “the Christ” entails. When Jesus tells his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, be killed, and on the third day be raised, they don’t understand. (Lk 9.21-22) Even when he tells them, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men,” they did not understand what he was saying. (Lk 9.44-45) Even toward the end of his ministry, when he told them again that he was about to die, they didn’t understand. (Lk 18.31-34) After his death, his disciples still don’t understand. Two disciples on the Road to Emmaus speak to the Christ who is hidden from their eyes, telling him all about “Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,” and how the chief priests and rulers “delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.” They had “hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” (Lk 24.19-21)

(more…)

On January 27, 2019 By Bill Smith In Culture Like

A Little Leaven

Leaven, or the absence of it, becomes prominent at the time of the Passover and Exodus. The children of Israel were commanded to rid their homes of all leaven that had been cultured in Egypt. Then, for the next seven days, they would celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Only after this could the children of Israel start a new batch of leaven (or sourdough).

Throughout Scripture, leaven is a principle of growth. It can either be good or bad. There are times, such as in Egypt, that the leaven represents a principle of sinful growth. Leaven, in this case, is something sinful in a life or a culture that has been cultivated. Jesus tells his disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” (Mark 8.15) The disciples, like the children of Israel, were to cut off and avoid the sinful leaven.

Leaven also speaks of something good that needs to be cultivated. Jesus says that “the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” (Matt. 13:33) The kingdom, though small, will eventually permeate the entire lump of dough that is the world. Righteousness is a leavening agent as well. As it is cultivated, it grows until the whole lump of dough is leavened.

(more…)

On January 20, 2019 By Bill Smith In Theology Like

The Circumcision of Christ

Luke dedicates one sentence to the circumcision of Christ Jesus. “And when eight days were fulfilled, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb” (Lk 2.21). Why would Theophilus need to know this? Maybe he doesn’t know that male Jewish children were circumcised. Luke may just want to throw in the information for him. I doubt it. Though not given much shrift, the circumcision of Jesus is integral to the story of the gospel and Theolphilus’s catechetical instruction.

The story of circumcision begins where all human stories begin: in the Garden. No, circumcision wasn’t present in the Garden in the way that God prescribes it in Genesis 17 with Abraham, but its necessity and anticipation were there. When Adam and Eve sinned, their flesh was corrupted. This corrupted flesh was a source of shame before one another and before God. They sought to cover the shame by adding a new layer of “skin,” fig leaves. They knew that they needed new flesh.

The covering they provided for themselves wasn’t adequate. Ultimately, they need new flesh. The only way to create this new flesh is through the ripping apart of the old flesh. Death must take place. God demonstrated this by ripping the flesh of an animal and giving Adam and Eve new skin. This provision was effective for the time, but it only anticipated what needed to be done by the promised seed of the woman (Gen 3.15). Somehow, through this seed, the old Adamic flesh would be ripped apart and a new skin, a new body would be given.

History moves on. God unfolds his plan for the seed through the years and a certain family that draws down to a man named Abram. Abram, “exalted father,” is childless and married to a barren woman, Sarai. God promises them a child early on but waits until both of their bodies are completely dead in terms of procreation (see Rom 4.13ff.). It is at this time that God commands the tearing of the flesh of Abram, now Abraham. Once Abraham’s flesh is torn, then, and only then, can new life be produced. Abraham’s and Sarah’s bodies are resurrected and are able to produce the seed, Isaac.

Like the skins in the Garden, circumcision was effective for the time, but it couldn’t bring about God’s full intention: a new body. In fact, circumcision further clarified the mission of death for the seed of the woman. That is, in order for new life to come, in order for corrupted flesh to be cleansed, the seed’s flesh needs to be torn. Only after this will resurrection occur and the needed new body be given.

For about two thousand years the children of Abraham through Isaac circumcised their male children, anticipating the time when the seed of Abraham would fulfill the mission of Israel, be ripped in half in death, and be resurrected with a new, uncorrupted flesh. Luke tells Theophilus that this time has come in the Person of Jesus.

Jesus takes up the mission of the seed of Abraham, embodying the story, promises, and purpose of Israel. What has been foreshadowed in the circumcision of every male in Israel will reach its fulfillment in Jesus’ death and consequent resurrection. Jesus’ old creation flesh is ripped at the cross so that uncorrupted flesh would be resurrected.

For any of us to be rid of our corrupted flesh received from Adam, our flesh too must be torn. We all need circumcision. Those of us united to Christ in his death and resurrection through baptism have been circumcised. Paul tells us in Colossians 2.11-12 that, “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Through our union with Jesus’ circumcision—his death—our corrupted flesh has been torn and we receive a new body in Christ, a truth that will be fully realized in our bodily resurrection from the dead.

We look forward to that bodily resurrection, but we have new flesh even now. Our sins are forgiven. We are resurrected. Sin does not have dominion over us (see Romans 6). Therefore, do not allow sin to have dominion over you.

On January 13, 2019 By Bill Smith In Culture, Theology Like

The Gospel of Great Joy

Everybody is angry. When you read or hear the headlines or scroll through social media, the grievance machine is churning up anger at a head-spinning rate. Social justice warriors find racism, sexism, and every other kind of offensive -ism behind every comment. The #metoo movement (though seemingly losing some steam now) stands ready to interpret every male gesture as some form of rape. The Democrats are angry with the Republicans. The Republicans are angry with the Democrats. The Libertarians are angry with everybody. News talk shows feed and feed off of this anger for ratings.

Not all of the anger is illegitimate. There are serious moral injustices in our society. There are reasons to be angry with the murder of the unborn, the violence that fills certain segments of our society, the continual and doubling down on sinful stupidity in the governance of our country, unjust wars, and oppressive tax laws. The world is, in many ways, upside down and inside out. Not to be angry at immorality is, itself, immoral.

Our anger is, at times, rooted in fear. Fear is what overwhelms us when we sense that we have lost control, when we come into the presence of something that overwhelms us. It is the hurricane that threatens our family, the unknown intruder that invades our home, or the earthquake from which we cannot escape. We feel a sense of powerlessness, that the world is coming apart, and nothing on the immediate horizon says that we can change our future.

In the face of all of the worlds perceived and real injustices, we fear, and that fear begins to lash out trying to regain some control over the situation so that we can feel at peace. We only want things to be right, and they aren’t right.

But in the midst of this world where we can be caught up in this tidal wave of anger, fear, and despair, we hear the angel’s word to the shepherds in Luke 2.10 that, in the midst of a world that is racked with sin and its effects, they bring the good news, the gospel, of great joy. When they bring this word Herod, the Edomite, sits as king of the Jews. The scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and priests as a whole are leading God’s people astray. Caesar Augustus has brought “peace” through bloody subjugation and maintains it through fear. What is there to be joyful about?

The gospel is the gospel of great joy, not because everything is immediately made alright, but because it will be. Joy is not a superficial happiness that denies the harsh realities of life so that I can keep a smile on my face. Joy is rooted in faith and is that deep sense of satisfaction and contentment … even happiness … that is nurtured by the hope that we have that God is and will make all things right. This means that I don’t have to be angry all the time. I don’t have to live in fear of losing control because I and all that I am and have are in the hands of the one who is complete control and is for me. He has declared unequivocally in Christ that he loves me and, even though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, he is with me. He is making all things right.

We Christians, we gospel of great joy people, should be the most joyful people on earth. Even while the world all around us seems out of control, upside down, and inside out. The good news of God’s promises in Christ are the source of our joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength.

On January 11, 2019 By Bill Smith In Men Like

Cultivating the Body

We are quickly moving to that time of the year when we will be bombarded with advertisements concerning weight loss. New Year resolutions for weight loss are practically on the liturgical calendar of America. Somewhere around the beginning of a new year, people resolve that they will get in better shape. Maybe they are made to feel guilty by the obesity police in our country (whose standards are, many times, very unrealistic, one-size-fits-all approaches). Perhaps they are outgrowing their wardrobe, or maybe some legitimate health concerns are resulting from carrying too much fat on their bodies. (Heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and such the like, though they can be hereditary, are, many times, the result of poor diets and lack of consistent physical exertion.)

Our savvy entrepreneurs are ready to cash in on the resolutions. Fitness or health clubs will incentivize the resolute by offering special deals. And Americans will consume the offer. From the year 2000 to the year 2014, revenue for these fitness centers increased from 11.6 billion dollars to 24.6 billion dollars.[1] Of course, to go to the gym one needs to look good, so we buy athletic apparel to the tune of 30 million dollars a year.[2]

Though in many areas of our country the health and fitness craze is a perverted obsession, we have put our collective finger on a real issue: our bodies need consistent care. As technology advanced over the past century or two, we moved from a predominately manual labor society to having machines do the strenuous physical work for us. We still work hard, but the work tends to be more with our minds and managing the machines. People like my grandfather were glad to see this day coming. When I was a boy, he refused to teach me certain skills (for better or worse) because he didn’t want to see me have to work as hard as he had. He wanted an easier physical workload for me. That has happened, not only for me but also for the great majority of our society.

Consequently, we are more sedentary in our work than previous generations. We sit in chairs behind desks or, if we are more physically conscientious, we have standing desks or sit on exercise balls. Nevertheless, the amount of physical activity related to our vocations has decreased exponentially. All of this good technology that has produced physical rest has resulted in a new set of issues that call for lifestyle adjustments.

Our bodies were made for physical exertion; they were made to face resistance, work through it, and become stronger through the entire process. When we don’t go through this resistance, our bodies fall into the disrepair of atrophy and disease. God gave us food to fuel this process. Bread strengthens the heart of man (Ps 104.15). Honey gives energy to weary (1Sam 14.25ff.). Our bodies need the appropriate fuel for the work that we face. That, of course, is different from individual to individual depending upon his level of physical activity. When physical exertion is neglected and our diets are out proportion with our activity, the fuel becomes more of a poison to our bodies; it may be a slow-acting poison, but it is a poison nonetheless.

On the outside-looking-in, there is this (Reformed?) guy who thinks this whole emphasis on exercise and diet is silly. He understands that he has freedom in Christ, that all of these rich foods are gifts from God, and that he can imbibe with thanksgiving. And imbibe them he does! In our relatively rich society, he eats and drinks better than many kings of old. He eats and drinks what he wants, when he wants, and in the amount he wants. If anyone tells him that he really needs to be careful and take care of his body a little better, he may even defensively retort that what the person is espousing is a “doctrine of demons” (1Tm 4.1ff.). But is he? Is there a biblical rationale for caring for your body through diet and exercise? I believe that there is.

Learning this rationale began for me back when I was in my late twenties. (I am fifty years of age as I write this.) I was somewhere around two-hundred sixty-five pounds on a six-foot-one-inch frame. I was wearing a forty-two-inch waist pant. And I was as happy as a hog in mud (and kind of looked like one). I was the one that would say, “Well, we’re all going to die anyway. I might as well die eating what I want!”

But then I started teaching my congregation the Ten Words. While I was reading Thomas Watson’s exposition of the Sixth Word in his book The Ten Commandments, I was convicted about my slow self-murder. Watson said, “Many dig their grave with their teeth.”[3] At that point, I realized that cultivating bodily health was commanded by God. I didn’t fully understand the rationale behind the command, but I knew I had to do something about my lack of self-control and the consequent health problems. I also knew it would be a challenge to teach my congregation about self-control while I looked like Eglon, king of Moab.

I began some moderate exercise (about thirty minutes of aerobic exercise in the mornings) and changed my diet significantly. I lost between fifty-five to sixty-five pounds over the year. For the past twenty years or so, there have been ups and downs and the exercise routines have changed, but I have experienced the benefits of cultivating health.

Through these years I have been able to reflect a little bit more on biblical rationale of maintaining healthy disciplines. Caring for and developing our bodies is rooted in the nature of our creation. God created man from the dust of the ground and commanded man to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. The agricultural images used are not superficial metaphors. There is a correspondence between man and the ground. Men plant seeds in women and fruit is born from the womb. We are living, walking, breathing ground. Our bodies are gardens that need to be cultivated in many ways. We learn things about ourselves by observing how the ground is glorified. One lesson we learn is that our bodies need attention to be fruitful or healthy. Our bodies need to be cultivated and nurtured, fighting back thorns and thistles, in order that good, healthy fruit can be produced.

We cultivate our bodies through “plowing them up” with physical activity and “fertilizing them” with proper diet. The first plot of ground for which God has given us stewardship is his little garden that is our body. It is His body and caring for it properly is part of our dominion mandate. We should learn how to bring our own bodies into subjection. As we do that, then we are better able to fulfill the other aspects of our dominion mandate.

The everyday benefits of good routines of exercise and healthy diet are well-known. Resistance or strength training (anaerobic exercise) and endurance training (aerobic exercise) have positive effects on many areas of your life. Combined with a consistently good diet, not only are things such as blood pressure and bad cholesterol kept under control, but you are also helped with your mood. Good physical exertion is a stress reducer. A college professor and pastor once told me, “Bill, you have a certain amount of energy that you need to burn up physically. If you don’t burn it up, then it will burn you up.” He was right. An overall balanced lifestyle of exercise, diet, and rest helps reduce stress, increases overall energy, stimulates hormones that can help with depression, boosts your immune system, and helps prevent heart disease.

None of this should be a surprise to us who have a biblical view of the body. God created us to fight the ground and make it fruitful. He promised that we would see fruit. The health benefits, in general, are part of that fruit.

None of this is to say that all of this is a panacea that will make us immortal. Our bodies are still subject to death. There will be thorns and thistles. And we are reminded at every funeral and Ash Wednesday that we are dust and to dust we shall return. This is the reality until the resurrection from the dead. Diet and exercise do not have life in themselves and, therefore, should never become an idol. We are working with dying, decaying bodies. Nevertheless, God has commissioned us to do battle with the thorns and thistles and enjoy the fruit of our labor. We do this when we battle disease; every time we take medicine or administer it to someone else, we are battling the ground. We do this because the body matters.

Improving and maintaining your health is not a selfish endeavor. In fact, it is a form of service to others. As you maintain your health, for example, you are able to handle stress better. Your disposition toward others tends to be more pleasant. Improving your health also helps your energy level so that you can work more efficiently, achieving more in less time. Also, as you do what you are able to improve and maintain your health, you are working so as not to become a burden to others as a result of your indulgences through the years.

Therefore, beloved brethren, take up the battle of the bulge, cultivating your body to the glory of God. Present your bodies to him as a well-tended garden.

Originally published at Theopolis.

[1] http://www.statista.com/statistics/236120/us-fitness-center-revenue/

[2] https://www.quora.com/How-much-money-do-Americans-spend-on-fitness-products-each-year

[3] Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1995), 145.

On January 6, 2019 By Bill Smith In Politics 1

Pantokrator

Caesar Augustus was one emperor in a long line of rulers in a world that God constructed back in the days of the prophet Daniel and king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. God revealed this new world order to Nebuchadnezzar, and it is recorded in Daniel 2.

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. This dream was of a statue that had a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, abdomen and thighs of bronze, legs/shins of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. A stone was cut out of a mountain without human hands, rolled down, hit the statue at the feet, and brought it down to the ground. The stone that destroyed this statue itself became a great mountain-kingdom that filled the entire earth.

Daniel interpreted the dream for Nebuchadnezzar. The statue is one, but it is a succession of empires. The head of gold is Nebuchadnezzar. The chest and arms of silver are the Persians. The abdomen and thighs of bronze are the Greeks. And the iron and iron mixed with clay are all in the time of the Roman rule. The stone that is cut out of the mountain will roll down some time during the time Rome rules the empire-world, and it will bring down that old system. It will become the kingdom that will cover the earth of which all nations will be its provinces.

When Luke tells us in Luke 2 that during the days surrounding Christ’s birth that Caesar Augustus decreed that all the world should be registered for taxation, this world set up during the days of Daniel is the world of which he is speaking.

Caesar Augustus, like rulers before him, arrogated to himself more than what God allowed. After putting down Mark Antony and all rival claimants to the throne, Augustus proclaimed his adopted father, Julius Caesar divine, thus, making him “son of god.” Through massive bloodshed Augustus ushered in the Pax Romana, Roman peace, and was, therefore, called “savior.” He ruled the world and was acclaimed “lord.” Provinces began celebrating his birthday as the beginning of the year. The proclamation of his birthday as well as all of his exploits was the “gospel,” good news, for the world.

But his time and the time for all of his ilk was coming to an end. Luke tells us that the one born of Mary is “the Son of God” (1.35). At his birth the angels proclaim the “gospel,” the good news, of great joy which shall be to all people (2.10). The Savior is born, who is Christ the Lord (2.11). Through him there will be peace on earth (2.14).

The parallels are not incidental or coincidental. Luke knows exactly what he is doing. This baby born in Bethlehem is the rock that is coming from the house of David that will bring down the giant statue. The time of the old empire-world is coming to an end. The kingdoms of this world are becoming the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ (Rev 11.15). Caesar, the embodiment of all world powers, must yield to their true Lord and Savior.

The Son of God was revealed to us, not merely so that we may have some internal work done on our hearts so that we can escape this world and go to heaven when we die. Jesus came to take down the old world structures and rule the world. He came to set up a new empire of which all the nations would be provinces.

The mission of bringing in the nations to submit to and worship the Lord Jesus Christ has been left to the church. Because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, because he is the Lord of all, we, the church, are to proclaim the gospel of the king and disciple the nations (Mt 28.18-20). Moreover, we can be assured that because Jesus is already reigning that our mission will be successful.

This is a great task. It is overwhelming for a person or a local church to think about. But the entirety of the task is not given to one person or a local church. It is given to the entire church, every congregation in the world. The responsibility of each individual, family, and local church is hold the line and press the crown rights of king Jesus right where they are. Sin is to be put to death in my personal life, my family, and my church. We are to continue to work and pray right where we are and trust that our brothers and sisters are doing the same all over the world.

So, pull your weight. Man your post. Continue to fight. And never forget that we are fighting a winning battle with brothers and sisters all over the world.

On December 23, 2018 By Bill Smith In Politics Like

As Far As The Curse Is Found

Is Zechariah confused? What is singing about in Luke 1: a political, sociological, national deliverance or a spiritual deliverance? On the one hand he prophesies about “being saved from our enemies and all who hate us,” and on the other hand he speaks about John giving the “knowledge of salvation in the forgiveness of sins.” Maybe Zechariah is still trapped in the thinking that the Messiah would come as a military leader to deliver Israel. But wait, he also speaks about the forgiveness of sins. Can it be both?

Zechariah’s song resonates with the song of Moses after Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Words such as “visited,” “redeemed,” and “remember” all have echoes of the Exodus. Phrases such as being “saved from our enemies” and being “delivered from the hand of our enemies that we might serve him without fear” all point to Zechariah understanding what is happening with the birth of his son and of Jesus as being a new exodus.

In the Exodus God saved his people with many signs and wonders. He destroyed the entire old creation world of Egypt, burying Pharaoh and his armies in the Sea. Zechariah sees that God is doing this again.

Was this a “political deliverance” or a “spiritual deliverance?” You might hear that Pharaoh and his armies are a “picture” or “representative” of the problem that each of us has with sin. The Pharaohs of the world are not the problem. Sin is the problem. When Jesus comes, he will deal with sin of which Pharaoh was only a picture. This leaves at least the strong implication that the Pharaohs of the world–the wicked rulers and systems of the world–will be untouched by Jesus while he does some sort of internal work on us.

Zechariah wasn’t confused. He knew exactly what salvation from sin would look like when it happened. Sure, the indwelling power of sin in each of us would be a target of Christ’s work of forgiveness. But that is not where salvation would end. Salvation from sin would reach as far as the curse is found.

The Pharaohs of this world–the oppressive governments in China and the Middle East, for example–are expressions of sin in the world. Before Jesus came, Pharaohs would be destroyed, but the power behind Pharaoh continued to live its deathly existence. Jesus came to deal with the power behind the powers. Once the empowering sin is dealt with, then the structures that they support will eventually fall.

Jesus didn’t come merely to work on your individual heart to make you a better person and give you a ticket to heaven when you die. Jesus came to bring the whole world order down by striking at the foundations built by Adam, tearing down kings and kingdoms animated by sin. He came to break the power of sin that rules over individual lives and the power of sin that corrupts societal structures. Salvation touches every part of our human existence, which means that salvation touches everything in the world.

Our Advent hope anticipates the day, not only when we will be freed from the power of indwelling sin, but also when nations will be freed from unrighteous, ungodly rulers. These two aren’t antithetical. This is the salvation that was promised of old and is coming to pass in Christ Jesus.

On December 16, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology, Worship 1

Singing In The New Creation

In the beginning there was God and nothing else. Then Word carried by Spirit begins to pulse in harmonious tones into the nothingness. A world outside of God himself begins to appear. The song sung by the Triune God creates and begins to shape the world. As each element in the cosmos comes into being through this song, the song continues to reverberate in each created thing’s existence. The morning stars created by the song echo back and enhance the song as they become millions of voices (cf. Job 38.7). Mountains and hills, raised from their watery darkness, break forth into singing as they emerge. The trees that spring from the earth clap their hands (cf. Isa 55.12). Sea creatures, birds, and land animals all take up the song and sing the song of their Creator. Then the song shapes the dust of the earth into the form of a man and breathes the song into him. And when the woman is created from the man, the song is then sung in praise to God for the woman.

God is musical. God is a singer. His speech is glorified, and his glory cloud is made up of angelic hosts who surround him with music. The prophet Zephaniah says that he exults over us with loud singing (Zeph 3.17). Is it any wonder why, then, from the beginning of our existence, music and singing have been so prevalent? We are images of the Great Musician. His song, his image, vibrates through every fiber of our being. We are intended to continue this song, continuing to shape and create the world in harmony with God. (more…)

On December 10, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology 2

Mary: Serpent Head-Crusher

Since the fall the woman has played a vital role in the war with the serpent. When God pronounced his curse on the serpent, he first stated that there would be enmity between the woman and the serpent (Gen 3.15). Through grace given to her in child-bearing, she will be saved by the serpent’s head being crushed (see 1Tim 2.15). Child-bearing is the preeminent tool, you might say, given to the woman to play her role in taking dominion over the serpent.

Throughout the Scriptural record we hear of women participating in this war and crushing heads of serpents. They use various tools of their dominion to accomplish this. For instance, when Abimelech, the son of Gideon and self-proclaimed king, approached the Tower of Thebez to defeat the people of Thebez, an unnamed woman throws an upper millstone–a tool for grinding wheat, a tool of dominion–down upon the head of Abimelech (Jdg 9.50-57). (more…)

On December 2, 2018 By Bill Smith In Theology 2

Born of the Virgin Mary

“… Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man.” For centuries churches throughout the world have confessed this truth as a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith concerning Jesus Christ. This statement in the Nicene Creed summarizes what Luke records in Luke 1.26-38.

The virgin conception of Jesus takes center stage, you might say, in this passage. It is spoken of three times and is the literary center of the passage. Luke is drawing attention to it as a vital aspect of the gospel story. His emphasis on the virgin conception of Jesus tells us that everything Jesus will be and all that he will do hinges upon the truth of Mary’s virginity. This is not a sideline issue. It is integral to the gospel. (more…)