Wednesday Reading: Matthew 2:1-8
Key Verse: Matthew 2:6
6 "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the governors of Judah. For out of you shall come a Governor who shall rule My people Israel."
Devotion:
Why is it that people find it hard to believe certain things and not others? When people have predicted events that everyone wants to happen, then we are all glad to see it come to pass; but when the event is not wanted, or misunderstood, nobody wants it to happen. It seems to be the ones that are misunderstood and not wanted that people find the hardest to believe; after all, why should we have to believe something that we don’t want to happen? Well, that is exactly the dilemma that Herod was facing too. I’m sure that when he heard that someone was destined to be King of the Jews, he saw some doubt as to his future position and did not want it to happen.
It may have been the case that he did not fully understand what was happening and just who this person was to be, but his reaction could have been predicted too. He used deceit to gain knowledge of what was happening and again to try and gain access to the person who he thought could cause him problems. You can probably think of all the things that could have been going through his head: Just who do these Jews think they are? Just who do these Easterners think they are? Why is all this fuss being created when I am in charge? Why not me?
The wise men, on the other hand, were coming to see what this new star in the sky signified. If anyone would have a star in the sky just to signify their birth, then surely this person was someone to be worshipped! We don’t know too much about the wise men other than they were from the east, that they were wealthy and that they held some positions of power in their society. When their prophecy and the Jews prophecy agreed, surely something very special was happening. They wanted to be a part of it too!
Why else would so much happen for a child that was to be born in a stable and laid in a manger? God wanted to make sure that we remembered His Son coming to earth!
Points to Ponder:
What sort things do you remember the best?
Do you remember why we celebrate Christmas?
