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Three wise men visited baby Jesus. |
1 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him." 3 Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. "Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?" he asked them. 5 "In Bethlehem," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 'O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.' " 7 Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star. 8 Then he told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!" 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
--Matthew 2:1-12 New Living Translation
Can you imagine a star being created in your honor? That's just what happened when Jesus was born.
Now imagine being sent on what could only be described, by humans, as a fool's errand.
The star was so awesome that
the Maji, priestly astrologers, were entranced by it. They followed the star until it lead them to the baby Jesus. The wise men knew that the baby was special.
The three wise men didn't come empty-handed. They came with gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh, which would later come in handy. These items would provide the finances needed for Mary and Joseph to protect, and care for, Jesus. You see, God, the Father, thought ahead to what His only begotten Son would be needing while here on earth.
It is my firm belief that God sent the three wise men for a specific reason. I believe God wanted three knowledgeable and respected men, from distant lands, to witness the coming of Jesus. After all, what would compel three learned men to travel a long distance to visit a baby? The child, who was born, would be the king of the Jews.
Even a prophet of old knew that a king would be arriving someday. He foretold of it in the scriptures. King Herod was deeply upset by this because, in his mind, he was the only ruler of the land which surrounded him. Men like that are greedy with power and control and aim to keep it at all costs.
I, for one, am very happy that the baby Jesus was born. To me, He grew up to become the King of all kings. I bow down to Him, even though He is not here on earth. The Holy Spirit of God is here to counsel us, while Jesus is away. Jesus is currently sitting at the right hand of God.
Thanks for reading this blog entry about the wise men who visited the baby Jesus. I appreciate you taking the time to read it.
How about you, my beloved readers? As Christians, do you understand the idea of Jesus Christ being visited by three wise men? If you are a Christ-believer, are you willing to share this message with others? Are you bold enough to remind others about the true meaning of CHRISTmas? I encourage you to read different versions of Matthew 2:1-12 to understand what the Bible says about the baby Jesus' visit with the three wise men. May the only true God of all gods bless us, my dear friends, with His wisdom and peace. In Jesus' name. Amen!
Great post!
ReplyDeleteRena,
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Rebecca G.