DON ’T BE AFRAID!
Verse of the Day
The kingdom of God has come near.
—Mark 1:15
Read Luke 2:42–52
Jesus talking with Jewish teachers of the law in the temple gives one clue. “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers,” Luke tells us (2:47). For the first time, ordinary people could hold a conversation with God in visible form.
Lord,thankYou for Jesus,who tookon human form and drew near to us.
Jesus can talk to anyone—His parents, a Jewish teacher, a poor widow—without first having to announce, “Don’t be afraid!” In Jesus, God draws near.
Nearly every time an angel appears in the Bible, the first words he says are “Don’t be afraid!” Little wonder. When the supernatural makes contact with planet Earth, it usually leaves human observers flat on their faces in fear. But Luke tells of God making an appearance in a form that doesn’t frighten. In Jesus, born with the animals and laid in a feeding trough, God takes an approach that we need not fear. What could be less scary than a newborn baby?
FOOD
On Earth, Jesus is both God and man. As God, He can work miracles, forgive sins, conquer death, and predict the future. But for Jews accustomed to images of God as a bright cloud or pillar of fire, Jesus also causes much confusion. How could a baby in Bethlehem, a carpenter’s son, a man from Nazareth, be the Messiah from God? Why does God take on human form? The scene of 12-year-old
“Don’t Be Afraid” is excerpted and adapted from Our Daily Bread 21 December 2018 article, by Philip Yancey.
Reflection
Jesus reveals God’s character to us. Name three things Jesus did when He was on earth. What do these things reveal about God’s character?