Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. – Matthew 2:1-12
I mentioned in my previous blog that some of my family and I had recently gone down to Hattiesburg to see the William Carey Music Department’s Christmas program. I won’t go back over all of that eventful trip (or talk about our Subway experience again). However, I want to share something that stuck with me from the program.
As Dr. Wes Dykes, dean of the Winters School of Music spoke to the audience near the end of the presentation, he challenged us that just as the wise men had gone home differently than they had arrived, so we should not leave the same way we came. In other words, the message of Christmas should change us.
Jesus has a way of doing that, doesn’t He? Consider a few people He changed:
Mary – apparently a godly young woman, but otherwise unremarkable, from an ordinary Jewish family. And then she was told she would carry the Messiah. Some people might want to say that this was forced on her and she had no choice in the matter. But if you understand the God of the Bible, you understand that He already knows how we will answer Him. He would never have given the honor of being the mother of the Messiah to someone whom He already knew would be unwilling to do so. Notice that when Mary responded to the angel Gabriel, she didn’t resist or hesitate in her response, except to wonder how it would happen since she was a virgin. When it was explained to her, she simply said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). That statement of submission changed her entire life from that moment forward.
Joseph – a “just man” who did not want to shame his betrothed by exposing her pregnancy – even though he knew he was not the father. He was nevertheless planning to dissolve their impending union … that is, until he was visited by an angel via a dream. Being informed that God had brought about Mary’s pregnancy through completely supernatural means and that he had been chosen to raise the Messiah, the baby whom Joseph was to name Jesus, changed not only Joseph’s mind about putting Mary away, but it completely changed his purpose in life. I know from observation and hearing testimony that it’s hard enough to raise someone else’s child … but can you imagine if that someone else is God?
The shepherds who were visited by angels – these guys were hanging out with the sheep in the field. The birth of Jesus caused them to do something they would never have considered before: they left their sheep to go see a baby!
The wise men from the East – these men traveled for maybe two years to find the new King whose birth had caused the new star they had seen in the sky. (Consider that, too – Jesus even changed the stars! Of course, He was involved in the creation of all the rest of them too, so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that a new one appeared when He was born into earthly flesh.) And because of a warning in a dream, the wise men ignored King Herod’s command to come and report to him about the new King of the Jews and instead returned home by a different route, which is what Dr. Dykes referred to in his admonition at the concert.
King Herod (Herod the Great, Herod I) – an evil king already, this man was so disturbed by the prospect of another king of the Jews that he had all the baby boys around Bethlehem (2 years old and under) slaughtered in his attempt to remove any rivals to his throne.
These are just some examples of lives that were changed in response to the knowledge that Messiah was being born in the flesh. Later on, Jesus would change millions because of His life and His sacrifice: the apostles; the woman at the well; blind Bartimaeus; Mary, Martha, and Lazarus; the demon-possessed man in the tombs; Martin Luther; C. S. Lewis; Billy Graham; me; you, I hope …
It’s funny, isn’t it, that Jesus changes everyone – not just those who follow Him. You may love Him, or you may hate Him, but there is very little chance you will be indifferent to Him.
Jesus doesn’t go where He isn’t welcomed, but where He is, He doesn’t leave. I pray that you will choose to welcome Him into your life. You won’t regret it.
