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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy
word.
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 when it
rose and have come to worship Him.”
Matthew 2:1-2
This ends
today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Jesus, the Son of God and prophesied
Messiah, was born in humble surroundings in Bethlehem, the little hometown of
David. He came into the world with little fanfare outside of the angel and
company of the heavenly host who appeared before a group of shepherds who were
in the fields outside of town watching over their flocks by night, proclaiming
the birth of a Savior who would be found wrapped in cloths and lying in a
manger. And with that, Jesus had His first visitors who would come to see this
little child who was the Lord.
After seeing Jesus, the scriptures tell us
the shepherds returned “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had
heard and seen” while spreading “the word concerning what had been told them”
about Jesus. They had seen first-hand the true King of all kings and all who
heard the news were amazed at what the shepherds had told them.
One never knows how far news may have
traveled during biblical times but we do know that there were others who were
specifically seeking this newborn Messiah, the One who was born to be the ruler
of Israel and thus considered the true King of the Jews.
Who were these men who set out on a quest
to find Jesus?
We go to the second chapter of the Gospel
of Matthew to find out. Look at these opening verses:
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 when it rose and have come to worship Him.” Matthew
2:1-2
We’re not given a specific time when the
wise men (or Magi) came looking for Jesus. We only know it was some time after
His birth in Bethlehem, a time during the reign of King Herod, the appointed
Roman ruler over the Jews. The men came from the east looking for a child who
had been born to be the King of the Jews. The belief is that these men were
well-versed, not only in the Jewish prophecies of old but also astronomy as
they watched the skies and saw a star which they felt would lead them to the
child they sought. As they traveled west, they started where one would assume a
king would be, in the holy city of Jerusalem.
Upon arrival, they began to inquire about
where they might find the one who had been born the King of the Jews, a
question that brought more than a little anxiety in the heart of the Roman King
Herod which we will see in tomorrow’s devotion.
Why were they seeking this king?
Note that they weren’t simply sightseers,
wanting to just catch a glimpse of the child for themselves. No, the Magi made
it clear that their goal in finding this newborn King was to bow down and
worship Him. Thus, they were driven by hearts that were full of reverence and
adoration toward what God had done in bringing this little child, His only Son,
into the world just as had been predicted.
As we get set to turn the calendars over to
a new year, perhaps we would be well suited to adopt the heart attitude of the
wise men and pursue Jesus in a way that shows our fullest adoration and
devotion in the way we worship Him, diligently seeking Him always with an ever
present desire to be like in Him in every way.
For He, Jesus, is the true King, the King
of all kings and the Lord of all lords, the One who God has given all authority
to over all things in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), the One who is the
way and the truth and the life and the only way to God the Father (John 14:6).
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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