Meanwhile Back East
Notes
Transcript
More than Mystical
More than Mystical
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”
There are some pretty interesting things going on when we read the account of the wisemen. Lets dig into who these men were. There are traditions regarding the wisemen, while it’s not possible to identify exactly who they were they have been given traditional names, and have also been known as representatives from three specific people groups that descended from Noah’s sons. Those are nice thoughts but more likely is that they were Gentiles Scholars likely from Parthia North East of Babylon given a special revelation by God about the birth of the King of the Jews.
The fact that they talk of seeing a star speaks to their education making them likely astronomers, additionally it is likely that they understood what was happening because of they may have had communication with Jewish scholars that talked about Balaam’s prophecy concerning the “start” that would come out of Jacob.
I see him, but not now;
I perceive him, but not near.
A star will come from Jacob,
and a scepter will arise from Israel.
He will smash the forehead of Moab
and strike down all the Shethites.
Either way these men are coming to worship the New Born King of the Jews. They came to Jerusalem as that was the place that a King should be born. Tradition says that there were three though there is no real understanding of exactly how many there were, it’s likely there would have been more for safety. It is pretty mystical you know a bunch of gentile’s following seeing a star and realizing through the things the had read and studied that something special was happening, but it’s not so mystical. The fact that they would have had hope, that they wanted to see what was told and studied, that the chose to make a trip to a foreign land based on research, and stories, and the study of the stars, a marriage of faith and scholarship, leading these men to the feet of the one that was going to offer hope,not just to the Jews but to the Gentiles as well.
What me worried?
What me worried?
When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.
“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”
Why was Herod and all Jerusalem troubled? You would think that the Jewish people would be happy, however there is a problem. Herod enjoyed his power and position. He liked being King, he enjoyed the power and all that came with it, but there was one glaring problem, Herod was not the rightful king from the Line of David, the truth of the matter was Herod was not even a decedent of Jacob but of Esau, he was an Edomite. Most Jews couldn't stand Herod and never accepted him as King If there was an heir of David that could one day take the throne then Herod would be out of power and out of a job. Herod was not keen on a child that could later claim his throne, even if that child was the Messiah. He called together the Pastors and Professors as it were and asked them where the Messiah was supposed to be born. That’s telling, Herod understood what was happening, Herod understood that a miracle that was taking place for a bunch of Gentiles to be traveling to see a baby.
A Dubious Plan
A Dubious Plan
Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”
The Super Villian is one of those interesting characters. (talk about different villians the smart ones the not so smart ones the dialoging etc.) In Herod we have perhaps one of the best pictures of what a villian is.
Herod wanted to ignore the fact that the messiah was going to be born, in fact he wanted so badly to keep it from coming that he attempted to coerce the wise men into leading him to the child, and then when that didn’t work he had children 2 and under killed to keep his throne. This tells me two things. 1. Herod knew that the prophesies were true and being fulfilled, he understood it, it all lined up, and he wanted to keep himself in power, and keep Rome off his back. 2. Herod was willing to deny the truth that was presented, and was willing to deny his people and ultimately the world the truth that was coming. The reconciliation of man back to god. Jesus was going to be born, he was going to be god in human flesh, he was going to make a way for us to return to relationship with God. Throughout his life time people continually denied who Jesus was. Religious leaders, Political leaders, even his own disciples would desert him, betray him, deny him. But none of that mattered because no matter how much they tried, no matter how much they lied to themselves and others, it didn’t make the truth any less real, didn’t make God in the flesh any less tangible and didn’t make his eventual sacrifice any less important.
Well Tuned Hearts
Well Tuned Hearts
After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
The Wise Men didn’t stop looking for Jesus, and God never stopped showing them the way to Him. The Star continued to shine and it lead them to Jesus. (talk about the stars that God uses in our lives to lead us to Him.) The thing is once we encounter Jesus, once we finally realize our need for him. We respond and that response is what matters. The wise men worshiped and gave what they had prepared. (expound talk about falling on our knees in worship and presenting Jesus with all we are, our best gifts, mention the difference in how the Wise Men’s encounter and Herods encounter differed.)
Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.
This Week’s Challenge.
This Week’s Challenge.
Spend time this week reading.
Matthew 1, and 2: Luke 1-2; John 1.
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