 |
| My new outdoor nativity scene, 2011 |
"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, 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. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh."[i]
As I was finishing my gift wrapping on Friday, I was thinking a lot about this passage of Scripture. And as many of us exchange and open gifts this Christmas Day, I hope we all pause and give thanks for the greatest gift we have ever been given – the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift[ii].
 |
| West End Baptist Church, Halifax |
A great deal of mystery surrounds these men from the “East”
and many suppositions have been made about them. It has often been assumed
there were three men, but Scripture only makes clear there were three gifts. The
Magi who are mentioned in Matthew’s account are often traditionally referred to
as “wise men” or “kings”. However, they were most likely well-educated “astrologers”
who studied the stars. This would explain their keen interest in this new star
which suddenly appeared in the night sky. They obviously had some knowledge as
well that a new king was to be born to the Jews and they were eager to worship
Him. Many have speculated where these men originated from…the Orient, Iran,
Iraq…we really don’t know except they came from east of Judea. Also, many
people presume the magi visited Jesus at the manger, but Scripture clearly
states they found Him in “the house”[iii]. Since we read later
that Herod ordered all Hebrew boys two years of age and under to be killed, it
is very possible that Jesus was not an infant when the magi worshiped Him.
 |
| My favourite nativity scene |
The gifts the magi presented to Jesus are significant. Gold…a treasure truly fit for a king.
Did they realize that this young child would one day be more than King of the
Jews…that God would exalt Him to the highest place and give Him the name that
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven
and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father[iv]? Frankincense…a bitter vegetable resin used primarily as a perfume
or for fumigating at sacrifices[v]. Did these visitors from
afar have any idea that such a gift might be used to embalm the body of Christ
after His death? Myrrh…a bitter gum
resin often used as an antiseptic, stimulant, perfume, or to dull pain[vi]. Did these learned men
know that this little child would someday refuse this very gift as He hung dying
on the cross?[vii]
 |
| From my living room to yours! |
The star the magi followed must have been very
spectacular. They were “overjoyed” to see it. The Amplified Version says they
were “thrilled with ecstatic joy” and the King James Version says, “they rejoiced
with exceeding great joy”. Don’t you wish, like me, that we could have been
there to see that exceptional star?
I love the verse in Luke 2:19 that describes Mary’s
response to all that happened surrounding Jesus’ birth, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
I trust that will be my sentiment today and throughout the rest of this
Christmas season.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my dear
readers!
Kathy
P.S. Thank you to my sister, Susan, for her gift to me on Friday - the beautiful outdoor nativity scene pictured above that she handcrafted herself! The "Peanuts" characters (Linus, to the right of Lucy, missed being in the picture) were made by my dad about 40 years ago and except for new paint every few years, they're still in pretty good shape!
[i] Matthew 2:1-2, 9-12 (NIV)
[v] Vines Complete Expository Dictionary
of Old and New Testament Words, W.E. Vine; Merrill F. Unger; William White, Jr., 1985 by Thomas
Nelson, Inc., page255
[vi] Vines Complete Expository Dictionary
of Old and New Testament Words, W.E. Vine; Merrill F. Unger; William White, Jr., 1985 by Thomas
Nelson, Inc., page 423-424
Merry Christmas. Thank you for being a part of Seasonal Sundays.
ReplyDelete- The Tablescaper