ListenDaily – 21 December 2010: Christmas Surprise #9; Now and Later
Scripture: Matthew 1:1-2, 9-11
The Visit of the Magi
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."…
…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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We discussed last time that the Magi were important, not only to the Christmas story, but to Jesus' early ministry as well. Did you wonder how? Some have speculated that the gifts they provided were saved by His family, and later used to finance His later endeavors. Makes sense to me, but I don't know.
That is not what I wanted to talk about though.
God provided the wise men a star to follow, which led them from their home to Bethlehem, and eventually “stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Does that not make it sound like the star was not visible to them for a time, prompting them to stop and ask “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”
Why would they lose track and regain sight of the star?
Could it be that God wanted that interaction? Maybe He wanted to create a stir, a buzz -- get people talking. Here were three non-Jews, strangers in town, talking about the fulfillment of the ancient Hebrew prophecies. How would those who heard them have responded? It had been four hundred years since God's last utterances through the prophets -- now this -- the King of the Jews is here? Now?
I believe, that much like our earlier discussion about the shepherds, that this talk would have spread. Others might have followed these strangers, if only out of curiosity. Would these people not have kept their eye on this family? Then, thirty years or so later, when Jesus proclaimed His Messiah-ship, would those same folks not have remembered their encounter with these men from the East?
If so -- would it not have given credence to His claims?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Who do you think these men talked to in Bethlehem?
2. Do you think news of who they were and why they were there would have spread?
3. What effect might that have had on Jesus' later ministry?
May we appreciate His vision. Pastor Jim
No comments:
Post a Comment