Thursday December 22, 2011

Read Luke 2:1-12

 

You’ve read about it and sung about and probably been in a Christmas pageant more that speaks about the three wise men who came to Jesus to worship Him and give Him presents.

 

Let’s look afresh at what this passage tells us about Jesus. “We are told in vs 1-2 that He was born as a king and had a heavenly sign, the star, to announce His arrival. Being a King, one would expect Him to have subjects and to demand or expect loyalty from those subjects. No wonder King Herod was threatened. As a King, He is to be worshipped!

 

We are also told that He will be a ruler and a shepherd. Contrary to modern day cattle breeders and farmers, shepherds in Jesus day were on-the-job men who cared dearly for their sheep. Technology did not do the work for them. Often when they slept, they would enclose the sheep and sleep in the entry/exit at the gate so that sheep could not get out and wolves etc could not get in. They guarded the sheep with their very lives. Jesus is the perfect shepherd. He guards his followers and leads them to green pastures. His rod and staff comfort and direct the sheep. He watches over them and makes sure that they are always safe.

 

The gifts brought to Jesus show us more of who He is. Gold is a fitting gift for a king. Jesus was born a King, more correctly, The  King, and deserved gold. Frankincense was the resin of a particular tree used in sacrifices. Jesus would be offered as The Sacrifice, once for all, to bring us to God so it was suitable to give Him frankincense. Myrrh was used in the burial ritual. When a person died they were covered with myrrh to hide the decaying smell. Jesus would die a painful death on a cross rejected by man and God. He would die as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He would die as a substitute for your sins and my sins.  Jesus, by being a sacrifice that died, would make it possible for you and I to be loved by God and adopted by Him.

 

Prayer:

Please continue to pray for Christians in Israel, and pray that both Jews and Arabs would come to know Jesus as their Saviour.