Pastor Phua Seng Tiong, 19/12/2010
Christmas is one of the most misunderstood / misrepresented seasons. People celebrate without knowing the
real reason. (Jesse and I found out that christmas / noel refers to the period between Dec 24 to Jan 06).
We read about the wikileak. We want to leak the good news.
Mat 2:1-12 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, (2) 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." (3) When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; (4) and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. (5) They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: (6) "'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.'" (7) Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. (8) 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." (9) 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. (10) When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. (11) 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. (12) And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Pastor Phua shared this verse.
2Ch 16:9a For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.
He told us we are in God’s radar. We are not sure why things are happening but rest assured that God’s eyes are on us and He wanted to give us strength.
Matthew 2 is an amazing story, recording the Advent story. But what is it to us? Some Bible scholars believe it to be legendary. We believe it was a kairos moment. Matthew emphasized the kingship of Jesus. Chapter 1 started with the genealogy. Chapter 2 proceeded to talk about the king of the Jews. The kingdom of God however is not about land but it is in the hearts of the people.
Why did he want to be king and take over? That is disturbing to many.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. It would be like Sekinchan today. It is a small and unknown town. Bethlehem means the town of bread. His birth is a fact and not an issue with Matthew. It was an unnoticed birth though.
A young couple travelled 80 miles to Bethlehem, a city of David. They were from the line of David. The baby was born unannounced. Just like any parents, when a baby was born, it became their preoccupation. Can we imagine the King od kings came in such a limited way as a human baby? The omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God became a baby,
On the first day, a few rough people (shepherds) came. On the 8th day, Joseph and Mary brought baby Jesus to the temple to circumcise him. Simon and Elizabeth met him and recognized him. That was about all the excitements.
The Matthew 2 account is a story 1.5 years after the birth. The wise men were not from the orient but from the east. They could be the remnant of Daniel. They were also anticipating the birth of the king. They likely read the Torah. So, when they came to ask about the king, even though the people did not have an answer, they understood their question. They took pain to travel long distance. They saw the star. They possibly studied astrology. They could tell when there was a new star. Based on one start, they took an arduous journey to visit the king with the intention to worship him.They were likely people with high social status, consulted by many people. Yet there was a thirst to worship the king.
They followed the star. They could have assembled an entourage. They probably rest during the day and travel by night (which is cooler). It took almost 2 years. This is not possible unless they were serious seekers.
They came, they asked and they disturbed everybody! Nobody could answer their question. They disturbed and exposed the ignorance of the Jews. They asked about the child that was born to be king of the Jews. They were so sure by the star that a new king was born. They were so sure the star was his star and they came to worship him. There were no other intentions.
It disturbed not only the inhabitants but also the king with their loaded question. Their presence and possible different accent stood up as sore thumbs. Suddenly, there was the mentioned of the king of the Jews and this struck a nerve in King Herod and all Jerusalem.
King Herod was not a Jew. He was appointed as the ruler of the Jews. He guarded his throne jealously. He had many wives and many children. He got rid of any suspected threat. He was in a state of paranoia. He’d investigate any possible threat to his throne. It exposed his insecurity and insignificance. There is a spiritual dimension to it.
Many of us when we heard about Jesus, we are not sure about it.
Pastor Phua met a guru, bearded and wore long robe. He talked to Pastor Phua about the cosmo and the soul. Pastor Phua later talked to him about Jesus. It disturbed the guru. He was hostile yet yearning for acceptance. All that held him and all that made him who he was (a man who commanded high respect in his community) had to go if he were to receive Jesus.
This is the same with King Herod. His position and power were at stake. Does the truth of Jesus caused us to feel insecure? Or do we recognized that we in our insecurity need Jesus?
The Jews waited for 600 years. King Herod was not the Messiah. The Jews had given up. What Hannah said about Jesus was true – he would redeem his people from sin. The city was disturbed. They Jews were worried about King Herod’s violent retaliation to the news.
We can be disturbed but we can also respond positively. The Jews were looking for a political redeemer. He redeemed his people from their sin.
The coming of Jesus also stirred / exposed the indifference of the scholars. They knew about the coming Messiah but they took no action. Many Christians are like that – NATO.Jesus came in such a pathetic state just for the sake of us.
The coming of Jesus also sparked the curiosity of a group of seekers, challenging them into taking actions. The Bible tells is when we shall seek him and we shall find him. What they learned about the truth will become part and parcel of their life. These wise men saw the star, believed Jesus was the king and they came to worship Him.
That was the baby Jesus. Today, He is our Saviour. He has defeated death.
Pastor Phua shared with a young man who came from a strong religious background. He had this gnawing doubt about his own belief. He came to receive Jesus who is in the presence of God. He acknowledged that no one can be pure enough to be in the presence of God.
Where is the he who was born the king of the Jews? I have heard the news. I want to worship him.
Pastor Phua met another young man who learned how to assembled M16. At the age of 14, he started using the weapon. He said the best time of his life was when he was disturbed by Jesus in the prison. He received Jesus. He has led more than 1,000 of his friend to know Jesus.
It’s ok to be disturbed. Make sure we respond correctly.
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