The account of the Magi can be a caution to us today. The wise men come looking for a child -- not a baby, and the find him in the house -- not the manger. Later in the account when Herod realizes the travelers have gone home by another way, he is infuriated and has all the children 2 years old and younger killed. These hints from the text indicate that Jesus was not visited on the night he was born by shepherds and wise men, the Maggi likely showed up a year and a half to two years after the shepherds and saw Jesus in the home Joseph and Mary were then living in.
The caution for me here is that I need to be careful what assumptions I make, and that I need to keep watch. The religious leaders of the day, when questioned and pushed on the topic of Messiahs birth, knew the required information. They were not, however, looking in Bethlehem for his birth! They were beaten to his arrival by foreign travelers who were looking for a sign and a move from God.
What are you looking for today? Same old same old for you today? Or are you looking for the move of God in your life? I confess that I too often go through the motions and assume that today will be a lot like yesterday. Perhaps it is time to take a journey of faith to see the unexpected.
About Me
- Pastor Bill
- I am a committed follower of Jesus Christ, a happy husband, father and grandfather!
4 comments:
Jet (SG)
Does it means that I am to trust God on what tomorrow will bring?
Welcome Guof,
Yes, I believe that is a central lesson from Joseph and Mary and their obedience. It is easy to obey when the trip is easy, but when God's call doesn't make sense to us, it is much harder.
Pray for me that I will trust God, as I pray for you.
Bill
It's interesting the assumptions we make, probably because we fly through the text so quickly, so quickly that we can only have one track of thinking. Jesus would have been a little boy, but he was still the Lord. It still seems amazing to me that Jesus made it through the killing spree of King Herod, and everything else for that matter. It's still really sad that all those children had to die because Herod was a punk, but I bet Herod was pretty embarassed when he realized how important and divine Jesus is. Does it address Herod at all in Jesus' later life? Was he still alive?
Interesting.
Marsh
What I noticed was the verse saying that "all Jerusalem" was frightened by the news of the magi. I wonder what this means exactly - why would everyone even know, or be afraid?
Also, I forgot until this chapter Matthew's habit of making sure we see all this as a fulfillment of prophecy. "This happened to fulfill _______." I have to confess, it drives me a little crazy after the 18th time, but I get why it was important for him to do ;)
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