Scripture
Matthew 2:1-8 Now when the birth of Jesus took place in Bethlehem of Judaea, in the days of Herod the king, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,2 Saying, Where is the King of the Jews whose birth has now taken place? We have seen his star in the east and have come to give him worship.3 And when it came to the ears of Herod the king, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And he got together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, questioning them as to where the birth-place of the Christ would be. 5 And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judaea; for so it is said in the writings of the prophet, 6 You Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the chiefs of Judah: out of you will come a ruler, who will be the keeper of my people Israel.
7 Then Herod sent for the wise men privately, and put questions to them about what time the star had been seen. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and make certain where the young child is; and when you have seen him, let me have news of it, so that I may come and give him worship.
Luke 2:15-20 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Observation
There are a lot of different people involved in the story of Jesus birth, each of them with their own response to the appearance of the God of the universe coming down to earth as a man.
He had come to earth before; he visited with Adam in the garden and with Moses and Abraham, he spoke directly to the prophets. But now he was down here on earth as much one of us as he could possibly become, he breathed our air, dealt with temptation, and experienced our heartaches and disappointments.
The various reactions the people had when they learned of the noble birth are the same as the reactions that people have today. Just like the inn keeper, some are too busy to care. Some are like Herod and are violently opposed to our Lord. But most people are just indifferent and don’t understand why it matters.
The only appropriate response to Jesus birth was to worship him, it is amazing that he would come to be with us and begin a journey that would lead him to a cruel death on a Roman cross.
Application
I will not be like the religious leaders that Herod consulted with, they knew the facts of the Christmas story but they didn’t care about seeking the savior and giving him the reverent love and devotion that he deserved.
I will not be like the inn keeper that didn’t have room in his life for Jesus in his life.
I will not be like all the people that the shepherds told the good news to that didn’t respond by following the shepherds back to the manger.
Prayer
I will worship you Jesus for all that you went through for me. Help me to never stop being amazed that you came to earth to start a long journey that would lead you to a cruel end, an end that would give me the greatest present that I could ever receive.
I will worship you Jesus for all that you went through for me. Help me to never stop being amazed that you came to earth to start a long journey that would lead you to a cruel end, an end that would give me the greatest present that I could ever receive.
Psalms 147:11 The Lord takes pleasure in his worshipers, and in those whose hope is in his mercy.
