Wise Men!

December 27, 2021 Monday Message

Matthew 2:11 NLT: “The wise men entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

These “Wise Men,” these seekers of truth, apparently traveled quite a ways to worship Jesus, whose name means, “the Lord saves.” They asked Herod, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” Herod immediately perceived this as a threat. The bad thing about being king is that someone is always after your job. Kings seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time defending the throne, rather than enjoying their royal position.

These wise men “entered the house” where the family was staying, so this was well past the time of Jesus’ birth, some say as much as two years later. It’s safe to say that the wise men never met the shepherds! After the wise men left their gifts, they returned home by another route.

Apparently Herod was still stewing about the birth of the “king of the Jews!” He thought killing all the Hebrew baby boys would eliminate the “king” competition. But an angel appeared to Joseph, directing his family to Egypt for safety. With the gifts of the Magi, the family had resources to fund this journey until they could return to Israel.

The whole ‘birth of Jesus’ scenario is a series of events that could not have happened if God was not a part of it, always sending angels at just the right moment. Knowing God is “in” it means we should want to learn all we can about these things. That’s why we make such a big deal out of celebrating the birth of Jesus the Christ, who brought newfound hope to all of mankind!

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406