Kings, Priests and Wise Men

Dear friend,
Season's greetings and Happy Holidays to you.
We here will probably celebrate a White Christmas this year. There's lots of snow. Glory.

Day before yesterday my children presented me with a pair of ice-skates. It is very cold today and the pond by our house is frozen solid. Now they're outside and want me to go skate with them. I will need to hurry and get this teaching done before they start throwing snowballs at me here in my office.

Let's study how people react to Jesus today.
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, wise men 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."

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
They said to him: "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet."

After hearing the king, they [the wise men] went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
After coming into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the wise men left for their own country by another way."

Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he becane very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity from two years old and under; according to the time which he had determined from the wise men." Matthew 2, 1-5; 9-12; 16.

In these verses we see three groups of people react in three different ways to the news that the saviour of the world, that Messiah has come.

Herod and the court of Jerusalem are all flustered. "A new king is born!" The obvious question is: what are we going to do with the old king? Herod was afraid of this divine child. He saw Jesus as a threat to his position. He had something to loose. As unpopular as he was, he knew if the populace was left with a choice between him and the messiah as king, he would loose the election. So he sent out his Alpha squad on a special mission: kill all those threatening two year olds in Bethlehem and save my hide from them.

This is what sinners are ever prone to do, from the time since Adam hid from God. Instead of resigning themselves to God and expecting forgiveness, they set themselves adamantly against him. They would even kill God if they could.

But God loves sinners. If they turn to him he gives them new lives, new identities. When you surrender to God it will cost you, yes. It will cost you your old dirty life. But you will gain something new and precious: you will be made a partaker of his divine nature. You will gain blessings here and eternal life in the world to come.

The priests and scribes baffle me. They knew exactly where their messiah was going to be born. But when somebody came and told them: "He's here now!", they reacted with complete indifference! They seemed to know a great deal about him from their studies in the scriptures, but when he finally came, they were desinterested in meeting him.

Maybe they were so taken up with their temple rituals and priestly ceremonies that they simply didn't have time to consider what they missed. Maybe they were so involved in working for God that they completely forgot what it all meant.

Its like shining your shoes like crazy for your visit to the opera. But when the opera starts you are still at home shining your shoes like crazy...

They were not against Jesus like Herod. They didn't hate him. They just didn't care. They were so dreadfully busy. Much, much to busy for God.

The wise men on the other hand baffle me even more.

This substantial group of pilgrims came to find and meet a mere child! I mean, they came all this way from the east just to SEE Jesus. He was but a small child back then. He might barely have started talking. One thing for sure, he could not preach to them yet. The wise men did not visit Jesus for his wisdom. But that didn't matter. They lived so close to God that they made this far journey just to see his king. God had preeminence in their lives. He was more important to them than anything.

They came not to get but rather to give! Theirs was an unqualified act of true, self-sacrificing worship. They opened their coffers for him and presented him with gold, frankincense and myrrh. Exceedingly expensive all three.

The wise men remind me of christians who give gladly and liberally for mission ventures into countries which they themselves will never visit. They gave to bless. They gave as an act of worship to the one true God.

- And after their short visit the wise men went on their long journey back into the eastern lands from whence they had come. They made history. Worshipers still do.

Wise men still seek him.

Wishing you a Meeerry Christmas and blessings always,
your friend,

Gert Hoinle, Pastor

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