Wait! THEY'RE Included?

Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Matthew 2:1–12 NASB95

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 2

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,

ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;

FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER

WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’ ”

7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Have you ever been a part of a club? Maybe just an informal group of people with some specialized connection?

In High School, I was the type of kid that could fit in just about any circle. I wasn’t really PART of any circle, but I was “sort of” part of almost all of them. I fit in easily and regulars in the group felt like I was part of the group even if I didn’t feel like I was. That can upset friends at times. Whether it’s friends from one group who think you shouldn’t be a part of “that other” group .. or it may be the friend who invited you into the group that isn’t as ‘received’ in the group as you are.

In his adult life, Jesus had a similar dilemma. The Pharisees challenged him to be more like them ... which indicates they saw him as one of them! They would ask, “Why is he eating with THOSE people?” ... but the implication is “Why is he eating with THOSE people...when he should be eating with US!?”

Likewise, I’m sure the lower-class folks who hung around Jesus probably wondered what he ever did with the Pharisees in the first place. He was born to a poor working family — the son of a carpenter, he had no status or reason to be in those circles. “Why is he spending time with those people, when he should be serving US?”

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The earthly king of the Jews sought to kill the One who was “born King of the Jews.” — Wesleyan Bible Commentary

The visit of the wise-men gives us in miniature the paradox of Jesus’ ministry. The Jewish rulers did not care to go the short distance to Bethlehem to seek the Messiah. The earthly king of the Jews sought to kill the One who was “born King of the Jews.” At the same time Gentiles sought the Savior and worshiped Him. It is a commentary on —“He came unto his own [things], and they that were his own received him not.” His own nation rejected Him, and the Gentile church took its place as God’s people.

Earle, R. (1966). The Gospel according to St. Matthew. In Matthew-Acts (Vol. 4, p. 17). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

In , Jesus has just come out of the wilderness, and he’s traveling around the region, teaching in synagogues. He goes to his hometown, and preaches. The people are amazed, and they ask, “Is this really Joseph’s son that we watched grow up?” They were so proud ... until he said that God was including Gentiles (non-Jews) in his plans of blessing and salvation! HOW DARE HE?! Moments after being so proud of him, Luke records:

Luke 4:28–29 NASB95

And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.

In the matter of a few minutes, the crowd swung from great pride in Jesus to wanting him DEAD! ... all because he included Gentiles in God’s blessings.

28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things;

29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.

In the matter of a few minutes, the crowd swung from great pride to wanting him DEAD! ... because he included Gentiles in God’s blessings.

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We usually relate with the Gentiles in this story, because we’re non-Jews in our backgrounds.

Today, I want you to see where we may be the Jews in this story:

St. Mark’s youth are VERY good at inviting their friends to youth group. In fact, probably 50% or more of our youth don’t have any connection to St. Mark’s other than youth group. Their families don’t attend here (many of them are engaged in a church community elsewhere). And it’s not terribly unusual during a discussion of the youth group for someone to ask me, “Well, are they OUR kids?”

YES! If they walk in our door or come to our event ... they are OUR kids!

Peter’s letter is written to Jesus people: He doesn’t specify Gentile or Jewish families. He just says:

2 Peter 1:1–4 NASB95

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...to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours...

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

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2 Peter 1:3–4 NASB95

seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Through the power of Christ, believers are granted all things pertaining to life and godliness.

Through his knowledge they received glory and virtue.

(2) Through his knowledge they received glory and virtue.

Through his promises they become partakers of the divine nature.

(3) Through his promises they become partakers of the divine nature.

There are many inequalities in the material world. Some have little material wealth; others have much. But ... all the divine resources are available for the taking. ...

The objective of these promises is that all might be partakers of the divine nature.

Ball, C. S. (1966). First and Second Peter . In Hebrews-Revelation (Vol. 6, p. 288). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

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Today, we celebrate that the worshipers at Jesus’ feet are Gentiles because it opens a door for us. But if we expect to receive

“All things pertaining to life and godliness

glory and virtue

and to become partakers of the Divine nature,”

we have to open the door every bit as wide as God does. If we’ve been grafted into His vine, maybe we can see an unlimited availability for ALL to be grafted in, as well.