Monday 17 Dec 2018

December 17: Matthew 2:1-8

Key Verse: Matthew 2:6
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Devotion:
Why is it that people find it hard to believe certain things and not others? When people have predicted events which 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 which are misunderstood and not wanted that people find the hardest to believe; after all, why should we have to believe something we don’t want to happen? Well, that is exactly the dilemma Herod was facing too. I’m sure that when he heard 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.

I don’t think he really did understand what was going to happen and just who this person would 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 whom he thought could cause him problems. You can probably wonder what sort of things were going through his head at the time: 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? He found it all hard to believe.

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, they were wealthy, and 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! They found it easy to believe.

Why else would so much happen for a child who was to be born in a stable and laid in a manger? God wanted to make sure 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?