We Three Kings

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. . . Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.". . . After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. . . On coming to the house, they. . .bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, and of incense and of myrrh. -Matthew 2:1-2, 9, 11-12
The word "wise man" referred to a scholar who studied the stars. We don't really know if there were three kings or more. But we do know that they in fact saw the special sign in the sky and followed it to Bethlehem.
My children and I attended a presentation at the Tessman Planetarium in Santa Ana a few years ago. The Christian astronomer discussed all the possible explanations of the star of Bethlehem. The most likely result was two planets which were lined up with one another, causing a bright light in the sky over Bethlehem. Whatever it was, its timing and placement was a divine occurrence and intended for a specific purpose.
 The gifts that the magi brought were significant. Gold represented Jesus' kingship. The frankincense a reminder He was to be worshiped. Myrrh was an embalming oil and represented that Jesus was born to die.
It is common to see the wise men as part of the Nativity scene; but in reality the wise men didn't find Jesus until He was older.
 Still, the wise men, who were Gentiles, are a reminder that Christ the King came to be the Savior of ALL. 
May we always be reminded that Jesus is the King of Kings, deserving of our worship because He came to die for our sins.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Benefits of Being a Child of God

Image
In her book "Breaking Free", Beth Moore writes about five benefits God intends "to be the daily experience of every child of God." (p. 23) The first benefit is to know God and believe Him . Beth Moore writes that "one of your chief purposes on this planet is to know God intimately and with reverent familiarity. That intimate relationship begins, but was never intended to end, with what we call the 'salvation experience.' So the first question to ask yourself is, Have you received Christ as your personal Savior?" "One of the most beautiful elements of salvation is its simplicity. Christ has already done all the work on the cross. Your response includes four elements: 1) Acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself. 2) Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and only He can save you. 3) Believe that His Crucifixion was for your personal sins and that His death was on your behalf. 4) Give Him your life and ...
Read more

Philippians 2:3-4

Image
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus . -Philippians 2:3-5 photo credit
Read more

Fuel Up with the Holy Spirit

Image
 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” John 14:26 Once we decide to get on the road with Jesus, we discover that the Bible is like a road map for our journey; helping us to live in a way that pleases God. If we spend time in the Word everyday, we will grow to be more like Jesus. A car needs gasoline in order to work. In order for you to keep going, you have to fill the tank up. Well, just like our physical bodies need food for energy, and cars need gasoline in order to go, our spiritual bodies need a kind of fuel too. This "fuel" is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and energy for life. We know that God created us. We know that Jesus saved us. But you might wonder who the Holy Spirit is. In John 14:16-17 we see that before Jesus was going to die on the cross, He told the disciples that God would send another Helper to help them. This w...
Read more