Jesus was born...
Illustration
Object:
Jesus was born in Bethlehem where Herod was ruler, under the Romans. It was a rare time of peace: not the peace that everyone was happy with. Israel was not free! It was occupied, but at least the violence was over. Jerusalem was the capital. The name really means "city of peace," which can make us laugh when we study its history even up to today!
That is where the wise men came first, thinking that if a king had come, this would be the place where they would find him. They caused a disturbance when they told Herod that a king was born near there. He was jealous of anyone who might threaten his power. They are also called Magi or magicians. They were treated with honor and great respect, and were even kings in their own right. Herod called his "wise men," who told him that according to the prophecy a king would be born in Bethlehem.
Even today there are astrology columns in the paper for those who believe in a message from the stars. The wise men saw one star that stood out to indicate something of significance and they followed it. Since they followed the star it makes one think that they came from a place east of Israel, since the earth rotates westerly -- unless it was a comet. Since Persia is west of Israel it is puzzling, unless the star they followed was not following the rest of the stars, or if they were Arabs coming from east of Israel.
This doesn't change the spiritual message that even though they came from a different country they came to pay tribute to a king born in Israel. Their history does not indicate a peaceful relationship in past years, but the peace of the Roman empire could have made the difference.
It should be mentioned that "worship him" does not imply a religious ritual, as though they thought he was a god. They must have been surprised to find him in a stable. The lesson for us is that we should look for God in sometimes humble places and in humble people. This passage reminds us of the Lord saying that if we have helped the hungry, homeless, sick, and prisoners, we have helped him.
The gifts they brought were predicted in Isaiah. It is obvious that one item would be gold, as that was a common gift to kings. The frankincense was an odiferous substance that was used to perfume an area for worship. It came from Arabia, which makes some think that the wise men came from there. Myrrh was actually an embalming fluid with a nice smell. It was a gift of respect. It came from the same tree as the frankincense. It was also a symbol of great bitterness and pain.
This visit was totally opposite to the shepherds coming. We can come to our Lord proudly bearing gifts or humbly taking time off our job.
That is where the wise men came first, thinking that if a king had come, this would be the place where they would find him. They caused a disturbance when they told Herod that a king was born near there. He was jealous of anyone who might threaten his power. They are also called Magi or magicians. They were treated with honor and great respect, and were even kings in their own right. Herod called his "wise men," who told him that according to the prophecy a king would be born in Bethlehem.
Even today there are astrology columns in the paper for those who believe in a message from the stars. The wise men saw one star that stood out to indicate something of significance and they followed it. Since they followed the star it makes one think that they came from a place east of Israel, since the earth rotates westerly -- unless it was a comet. Since Persia is west of Israel it is puzzling, unless the star they followed was not following the rest of the stars, or if they were Arabs coming from east of Israel.
This doesn't change the spiritual message that even though they came from a different country they came to pay tribute to a king born in Israel. Their history does not indicate a peaceful relationship in past years, but the peace of the Roman empire could have made the difference.
It should be mentioned that "worship him" does not imply a religious ritual, as though they thought he was a god. They must have been surprised to find him in a stable. The lesson for us is that we should look for God in sometimes humble places and in humble people. This passage reminds us of the Lord saying that if we have helped the hungry, homeless, sick, and prisoners, we have helped him.
The gifts they brought were predicted in Isaiah. It is obvious that one item would be gold, as that was a common gift to kings. The frankincense was an odiferous substance that was used to perfume an area for worship. It came from Arabia, which makes some think that the wise men came from there. Myrrh was actually an embalming fluid with a nice smell. It was a gift of respect. It came from the same tree as the frankincense. It was also a symbol of great bitterness and pain.
This visit was totally opposite to the shepherds coming. We can come to our Lord proudly bearing gifts or humbly taking time off our job.
