Matthew 2:1-12
I think the idea of Jesus as King of the Jews or Messiah is going to be a theme through this book. My understanding is that Matthew wrote the book to prove to a Jewish audience that Jesus was the Messiah or the King. This is why Matthew is the only writer to include the visit from the Magi - visiting foreign dignitaries coming to pay their respects to the baby "crown prince".
The contrast between the two kings is pretty huge: King Herod jealously and madly trying to hang on to his power at any cost and King Jesus, innocent and hardly able to hold on to anything. I think that Matthew may also be trying to portray Jesus as a legitimate threat to Herod's reign, proving again that he really is the Messiah and King of the Jews.
The journey of the Magi is interesting to me. We have no idea where they came from (lots of speculation but the Bible doesn't make it clear) or how long they travelled (again, lots of speculation - Herod ends up killing the baby boys two years and younger therefore the star must have been visible for two years) or even how many of them travelled together (just because three gifts were presented we assume that there were three magi). I imagine it must have been easy to give up the journey at times. I imagine that they probably faced some ridicule along the way - I mean they were chasing a star! I imagine that they must have questioned their own sanity at times. But they never gave up. The knowledge I have of the King and the kingdom is much more than what the magi had to go on and yet I do not think that I seek the King and the kingdom with the same determination and focus. "Where is the King?... I have come to worship him."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Jer, I like your insights on the magi coming to visit Jesus. I think you raise a good point about us knowing so much more and yet we can loose focus of our journey of seeing and knowing the king. May we not loose direction and continue to seek the King because we want to worship him.
Post a Comment