 |
|
|
December 31 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, 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.” Matthew 2:1,2. The magi were wise men, most likely from Persia. They studied the stars; so today we would call them astronomers. In all likelihood they had been searching the scriptures of Daniel and the prophesy of a coming king. Notice that they came to worship Him. So they knew that the King of the Jews was to come. Their gifts also reveal that they were fully aware of whom this baby was, for gold was given to royalty or deity, frankincense represents His coming priestly role, and myrrh was an embalming material, signifying His death. I marvel at the difficulties and awareness of purpose that these magi represent. If only we would search the scriptures to the same extent. If only we would take on the risk of hardship and self-sacrifice to seek out and find new measures of Christ. If only we would be willing to face criticism and even death in dealing with evil forces of our culture. It is often assumed that there were three wise men, but this false assumption arises because there were three gifts. There were likely many of them. And they arose from a culture that was not of the Jews. So it is today-- the vast majority of the followers of Jesus are gentile in origin. Thank You Father for giving us Your Son. We ask that we too have the courage to seek out Jesus in a culture that deliberately tries to hide Him. May we bring ourselves as a gift to Him. It is all possible because You have allowed Him to live within us. Amen. |
