A little more about the events following the Christmas story.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Matthew 2:1-12 (find these or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
There are a few things about the story of the Wise Men that differ from the traditional telling:
We often see scenes depicted with the Wise Men at the manger with the Baby Jesus. However, the actual Scripture says "on coming to the house, they saw the child..." So, they found Him in a house...and I understand that the Greek word, translated 'child', refers to someone not a newborn, maybe a toddler. (Does anyone else find the "Toddler Jesus" an interesting image?)
We also have no idea how many there were, the tradition of three comes from the gifts they brought.
The history of Magi dated back centuries before the time of Christ. Even a famous Jewish man, Daniel, was called "Chief of the Magi" (Daniel 4:9). Their importance to the Persian kings grew over the centuries. In the sixth century B.C., King Darius attempted to establish Zoroastrianism as a national religion. This belief emphasized astrology and so the Magi were confronted with the blending Zoroastrianism, Judaism, as well as the Persian beliefs and traditions. Many accepted this blending in order to maintain their political power. Some held to their original beliefs, while others held onto the thought that Daniel's God was the One, True, God.
I cannot help but wonder if the Wise Men of our Christmas story, were part of that latter group...a group of men who had long been seeking God.
Then they found Him.
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Questions:
1. How do the Scriptures lineup with your thoughts on the Christmas story?
2. How important are the Wise Men to the story?
3. What do you think the Magi did with this news after returning home?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS:
"There is no better evangelist in the world than the Holy Spirit."
D.L. Moody
"A church in the land without the Spirit is rather a curse than a blessing.
If you have not the Spirit of God, Christian worker,
remember that you stand in somebody else's way;
you are a fruitless tree standing where a fruitful tree might grow."
Charles Spurgeon
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