• In the time of Caesar Augustus (Octavian) of Rome, during the reign of Herod, the last king of Judea, the story of Jesus’ birth unfolds. Matthew’s Gospel records the Magi following a star to Bethlehem to worship baby Jesus, whereas Luke’s Gospel mentions shepherds and angels coming to Bethlehem to glorify and praise God before returning. Luke’s account focuses on the fulfillment of prophecy (the prophecies of the shepherds, Anna, and Simeon being fulfilled with the birth of Jesus).
• Despite such evidence, Mary and Joseph did not understand that the prophecy had been fulfilled until Jesus was 12 years old. When Jesus was 12, an incident of his disappearance occurred, and he was found in the temple three days later. At that time, when his parents scolded him, Jesus asked, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be at my Father’s house?” (verses 49, 50). His mother treasured all these words in her heart.
• There was various evidence that Jesus was the Savior (testimonies of prophets, the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist, etc.), and when God initially mentioned Jesus’ birth to Mary, it is questionable if she could continue to maintain her faith. According to today’s scripture, it seems that the couple did not believe until Jesus was 12 years old. Luke also records that the parents did not understand the words Jesus had spoken to them.
• Mary might have had a deep relationship with God through prayer and meditation, and possibly had a vague understanding of what God was going to do in the future. Today, I’m curious about Jesus’ childhood and life. Why are there no records of the period from when Jesus was 12 until he began his ministry at the age of 30?

<Reference Material>

• Caesar Augustus (BC 63~AD 14): The first emperor of the Roman Empire, adopted son of Julius Caesar. (Real name: Octavian)
• King Herod (BC 73~BC 4): Ruled the region of Judea under the Roman Empire, known for ordering the Massacre of the Innocents in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth according to the New Testament. This event is known as “The Massacre of the Bethlehem Infants,” though there are historical debates regarding the accuracy of the biblical account.
• Herod Antipas (BC 20~AD 39): Son of the first King Herod. The King Herod who appears in Luke’s Gospel during Jesus’ suffering is this Herod Antipas. He was the tetrarch of Galilee and lived longer and maintained his kingship better than his brothers.
• Scholars estimate that Jesus was born between 6 BC and 4 BC. How then did the terms B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, the year of our Lord) come about?
• In the 6th century AD, at the directive of Pope John I (pontificate AD 533~AD 535), a monk named Dionysius Exiguus developed a calendar for liturgical use, taking the birth of the Lord as the origin. However, due to a calculation error, it resulted in the strange conclusion that Christ was born around 6 BC.

<Application>

1. Recall and organize just one of the answers to prayers that God has given me in the past.
2. Testimonies:

2.1 About professional ministry workers

2.2 Regarding Sam

2.3 About being led to pray for the town I live in

2.4 The promise that He would teach me how to walk with Him

***The sudden trip to Korea due to visa issues***

1) During prayer, I was shown someone picking up Sam’s head with their thumb and index finger and placing it somewhere completely different.

2) It was a time when the entire family was anxious because Sam could not get into the Math Honors class.

3) Eventually, I had to leave for Korea suddenly to solve the visa issue: the money I had been saving was all spent on the flight to Korea.

   Lessons from 1) 2) 3): No matter how anxious we are, God can change any situation if He wills (children, jobs, money…) -> Rely only on God.

   After forgetting about this incident for a year and being caught up in life (had a tough time with my husband), I was reminded of it during early morning prayer (‘You foolish people, you do not understand even when shown,’ says Isaiah) -> When I went home and checked my passport, the date was exactly the day I had left for Korea due to visa issues -> I came to rely on God again.

   One day, when I did not want to go to dawn prayer, I heard the words in a half-awake state (it wasn’t a dream), ‘I have something to tell you,’ so I immediately got up and went to dawn prayer.

—>The word given that day

While in the US, even though we may not be wealthy, He promised to provide what we need and teach us how to walk with God -> After this event, we moved to the countryside in the US, where there were hardly any Koreans, which led me to develop a habit of meditating on the Bible and pondering God on my own every day. I had never consistently read the Bible on my own before.