But, You Bethlehem

Matthew 2:1-12

Key Verse 2:6

" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "

Skim through the passage. What efforts did the Magi make in order to go and meet the object of worship? Did their efforts pay off? What can we learn from them? 

** They were fully committed to finding and worshiping the object of worship. They invested their all in the venture to go and meet the object of worship - their career, money, family, whole life. 

To them, meeting that person and worshiping in person was the purpose of their life.

** Paid off

** It reminds us of what the Lord says in Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

God is in search of men, so as men search Him, He finds the way to reveal himself to them. 

Magi were the examples; other examples include Job, the Ethiopian Eunuch, and many more. 

All fallen men are like orphans who do not know their parents, and so want to know the parents. Knowing the longing to know God the Father, from the day one of the fall of Adam and Eve, God promised to send the Savior. At God's right time, God sent the Son, in accordance with his promise, who in turn fully revealed who God is, so by looking at him, people would meet the object of worship and be connected to him for life. 

Bible verses to read: Psalm 139 showing the joy of worship; Psalm 42:1 showing man's innate longing to come to know God and love and worship Him, the only true object of worship; Genesis 1:26-28 and Ecc 3:11 showing God set eternity in the heart of men, meaning we are never going to be satisfied with earthly pleasures and pursuits, because we are created in God's image; we have a spiritual thirst, which nothing but the eternal God can satisfy. Samaritan Woman - a good example; the only difference is that the Magi came to look for Him, but in case of Samaritan woman, the Lord came to look for her; actually though even in case of Magi, it was thanks to the Lord God coming to look for the fellowship with the lost such as Magi, that they were able to come and meet to worship Him.

Statistics: teen suicide death, U.S. 2001 - suicides outnumbered homicides (20,308) by 3 to 2

There were twice as many deaths due to suicide than deaths due to HIV/AIDS (14,175)

Suicide by fire arms was the most common method for both men and women, accounting for 55% of all suicides.

More men than women die by suicide.

The gender ratio is 4:1.

73% of all suicide deaths are while males. 

80% of all firearm suicide deaths ar while males.

According to statistics u.s. 2005, by a non profit organization 'SPAS' [suicide prevention, awareness and support], on average one suicide occurs every 16 minutes. 

There were over 800,000 suicide attempts in 2005

Had they known Jesus, the Rising Sun, the object of true worship, they all could have shouted like King David, "I know full well, I am fearfully and wonderfully made." 

King David shouted like this, not because he had a secure job or had lots of money, but because he knew God in person and through the fellowship with Him, he received healing on his inmost being; he felt love of God deep inside. 

God works inside out, not the other way around; when one worships God enthroned at the innermost sanctum of his life, God provides for him the joy of life, giving him drink from the river of delights, the river flowing the fountain of life. So with all other conditions being equal, when you have Him to worship, when it rains, you sing a song of joy, but when you do not have Him to worship, as it rains, you grow moody. Think about a man singing in the rain. 

Read verses 1-2. According to the Magi, Jesus is born the "king of the Jews". What does this title mean to the people of Israel? To the Gentile believers? (Daniel 7:26-28; John 18:35-37) 

** From an average Jew's point of view, King of the Jews can mean anything but spiritual. But from God's point of view, as the Prophets prophesied on the king of the Jews coming to them to rule over them and serve them as a shepherd King, the King of the Jews meant the messianic King who would usher in the Kingdom of God to not just the Jewish people but all peoples on earth, all who would hear the gospel, repent and turn to him, surrendering to His kingship. 

It is in this sense that Zechariah spoke of Jesus coming to Jerusalem, "See your king comes to you...riding on a donkey", the king who came to carry the burdens of all men. Similarly Jesus said to the earthly ruler, "My kingdom is not of this world..." John 18:36 

This kingdom is not unrealistic, but has everything to do with our well being, for in the first place, by establishing His kingdom inside of us, he rules our hearts through His loving Spirit with his love and power, with the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, as Jesus said, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20,21

The ideal God has in mind in sending Jesus, the King of the Jews, is to build a family of God based on love which Jesus demonstrated on the cross saying, "Father forgive them" and then "It is finished." God's kingdom is a family of God with all the members united in love with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the kingdom where all are members of royal princes and princesses. As it is, all who believe in Jesus are King's Kids, the children sealed with the seal of the Holy Spirit, waiting for the redemption to come so together with Jesus, the eternal king, they would all inherit the new heavens and the new earth, and shine like sun. Matthew 13:43

Food for thought: in Daniel 7 Jesus' kingdom stands in contrast with the earthly kingdoms appearing and disappearing, the kingdom of four beasts - kingdom of lion (Babylonian Empire), bear (Medo-Persian Empire), leopard (Greek Empire), and a beast with iron teeth (Roman Empire), kingdoms which are all doomed, for eventually despite their seeming prosperity, they will all be destroyed by the rock cut from a mountain, not by human hands. Daniel 2:45 These kingdoms are depicted with gold, silver, bronze, and partly iron, partly clay, that human kingdoms are all animalistic and materialistic, and therefor cannot sustain, nor give life to men. Only God's kingdom as established by the new born king can sustain and prosper forever.

These characteristics are true in each person, in each family, society, and nation. All individual person, home, school, society, and nation where Jesus is king will see life prosper; all the rest are going to go down the tubes to nothing.

The Magi said, "We have come to worship him." What does their message indicate about Jesus born in Bethlehem? (John 4:22; Psalm 95:1-7a; John 4:24-26)

** He is the true object of true worship. Simply Magi set the good example of the way for subjects to worship the right object of worship.

Psalm exhorts us to do what the Magi did. During his public ministry Jesus directly said he is the object of worship, as he spoke to the Samaritan woman.

Read verses 3-6. What does the "Christ" mean? Where was he prophesied to be born? (Micah 5:2) What does the fulfillment of the prophecy indicate about Jesus? 

** Christ means the Messiah (in Hebrew). In the Bible, Messiah is the one charged to restore the kingdom away from the hands of the evil one (the devil) back to God, by doing the following:

1) His birth;

2) His death; 

3) His resurrection;

4) His ascension; 

5) His coming again only to take the bride home to be with him via the event called rapture;

6) His dominion (he is going to come to the land of Israel, that is, Mt. Olives, with his saints, to save and restore Israel as a nation; he will build a thousand year rule, at the end of which he will ensure that all rise from the dead, both the righteous and the wicked; and then

7) His renewal, renewing the heavens and the earth, ushering in God's eternal kingdom forever.

Speaking of his work which is perfect, Jesus calls himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. In him, we have the hope of the life in the perfected kingdom guaranteed. And this hope is not a wishy-washy proposition but a sure thing which in God's mind had already taken place. Eph 1:20; 2:7-10

This changes the view of life for all who believe, for to them, this life is the life on a mission journey, so while on earth in a body they do what God sent them to do, and when the work is done, they go back home in glory.

** Christ was to be born in Jerusalem. 

** God sent Jesus the Savior in fulfillment of his promise. God faithfully keeps his promise. Jesus is “the” messiah God promised to send.

Read verses 5-6 again and think about the expression, "a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel." What does the occupation "shepherd" mean to the people of Israel (Genesis 48:15; 49:24; Psalm 23; Micah 5:2; 7:14)? What does this title (shepherd} tell us about the meaning of Jesus' birth?

** They were nomadic people who made a living primarily by raising sheep, lambs, etc. as their major industry. So they knew what shepherd is or does. They regarded themselves as God's sheep. Psalm 100:3 God is regarded as their shepherd. Israel who is also known as Jacob, from whom the people of Israel originated also called God as his Shepherd.

Sheep are blind as to the harms and dangers. They are weak. Unlike other animals such as goat, they have little or no power to protect them from the dangers and harms such as wolves coming in sheep's skin. So shepherd must be around and is critical to the well being of sheep. This is due to their awareness of the devil/Satan who is always prowling around looking for someone to devour. 1Pe 5:8

So says King David in Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd. 

But as such all human shepherds are faulty; but it is not so with Jesus, the good shepherd who later said, "I am the good shepherd..." John 10:11,14

Practically he indeed gave his life for all sinners. He then rose again and is working with those who put trust in Him, surrenders to his leadership. 

Read verses 7-8. What does this passage tell us about King Herod? 

** He is a prototype of a wolf in sheep's skin.

Read 9-12. How did their worship go? What did they do after worship? What does their example indicate about the way to worship?

** Their worship came with paying due respect humbly bowing down, in all humility, recognizing their nothingness as opposed to the total worthiness of the new born king. They also brought the gift and dedicated to the king, appreciating their full thanks, in honor and support of the work of God to be fulfilled via the Son the new born King. They then became the partner of God's kingdom work.

The end

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