shawnethomas

(Preached at FBC Pauls Valley, OK 12-21-14)

They asked some kindergarteners in Great Britain about the Christmas story of the visit of the Magi, and they had some interesting insights on it: one young boy said that the three wise men brought Jesus some gold stuff “but Legos would have been better”!

Of course it’s not only children who have missed some things in the story of the visit of the Magi in Matthew 2. There have been a few ideas “passed along” as truth which in fact the Bible does not specifically assert, such as:
— There were 3 wise men. The Bible does not indicate that. It says there were 3 gifts, but it does not say how many magi there were.
— They visited the “baby” Jesus in the manger – many “manger scenes” portray this, but :16 says Herod killed all the children 2 and younger, according to the time magi gave him, so Jesus was not a newborn baby when He was visited by the magi
— Then :11 says the magi came into the “house” (oikos) to worship Jesus – so it was not the manger the magi visited, but a house, some time after Jesus’ birth in the manger.

But despite all this, perhaps the most important thing a study of this passage reveals to us is not the details surrounding Jesus’ birth, but the difference between those who really worship Jesus and those who do not. Christmas is typically the second biggest season of worship attendance in churches, just behind Easter. But it is important to understand that just because you go to church, it does not mean that you are really worshipping Jesus. This morning we find in this passage at least 3 distinct responses to the birth of Jesus, and people today are still responding in the same ways. As we look at these responses today, see if you can find yourself reflected in one of the characters here: what is YOUR response to Christmas? Continue reading →