Response To The News

As I read the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, one thing I find  interesting is the responses to the news about the birth of the King of the Jews, the long-awaited Messiah.

The shepherds received the news from the angel and went with “haste” to find the Messiah. (Luke 2:15-16) My guess is that it wasn’t exactly an easy task with all the people in Bethlehem because of the taxation.  As we know the only place for Joseph and Mary to stay was in a stable.  All other accommodations were full.  But the shepherds searched until they found the baby that the angel told them about. They were told they would find the baby in a manger, but I would guess there were more than a few mangers in stables in Bethlehem.  After they found the baby they shared the good news.  The lowly shepherds were the first to be informed and the first to spread the good news concerning the Messiah being born.  They returned to their sheep “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.”  (Luke 2:20)

Then there is the Magi that evidently traveled a long distance because they saw the star that indicated to them that this King of the Jews had been born.  (By the way, there were not just three kings/Magi.  We don’t really know how many there were.  And they probably had a large entourage with them. Something about their entrance in to Jerusalem was noticeable enough to get the attention of King Herod and the people of Jerusalem.)  These men had persisted in their search for the King and came bearing precious gifts fit for a King.  Once they found the baby King Jesus, they gave Him gifts and worshiped Him.

King Herod was troubled by the news of a king of the Jews being born.  It was seen by him as a threat to his political position.  He chose to let the Magi do the work of finding for him so he could kill the new born king.  Herod pretended to want to go worship the new born king.  The Magi heeded the warning of the angel of the Lord and did not return to Herod to tell him exactly where the baby was.  But Herod still sought to kill the child that he thought may be a threat to his political position.

King Herod had contacted the religious leaders of the Jews to find out what they knew about where their King was to be born.  They told him what the Scriptures said, but there is no indication that they even had any interest in going to find this King, their long-awaited Messiah. 

I would hope that my response to the news of the birth of King Jesus would be one of immediately going to search Him out and worship Him, as the shepherds did. Or that my response to the indication of the birth of this great King would be one of persistence, traveling whatever distance I needed to in order to find and worship this great King with gifts. 

I would hope my response would not be one of seeking to destroy the King to protect my position  or of lack of interest as seems to be the case with the political and religious leaders of the day. 

(Luke 2:8-20; Matthew 2:1-18)

Prove You Are the Messiah

Luke 23:35-37, 39 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. ³⁶ And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, ³⁷ And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself...... And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

Had Jesus listened to these words and come down off the cross, He would have saved physical bodies temporarily.  But because He stayed on the cross eternal life and a glorified body is available to all. 

They wanted Jesus to prove that He was the Messiah by exercising His power to come down off the cross.  Jesus proved He was the Messiah by staying on the cross.

Discerning the Signs of the Times

Matthew 16:1-4 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

In this passage Jesus is rebuking these Jewish religious leaders of that day for being able to tell the weather by signs they see in the sky, yet failing to have any understanding of the day in which they lived. They had seen signs, miracles and healings, Jesus had done. If they had not seen them, at least they had heard about them. Here they are asking Jesus to perform yet one more. These signs were not being done just for entertainment or some show. These miracles/healings/signs were for the purpose of demonstrating the kingdom of God, God’s ruler ship over all.

These religious rulers were missing the sign that was right in front of them….their promised Messiah. They were looking for his earthly kingdom to be established, which will be established in its fullness when Jesus comes the second time. The Old Testament testified of the Messiah’s first coming also, as the suffering servant. On the road to Emmaus Jesus expounded these scriptures to His disciples (Luke 24:25-27 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.) These religious rulers completely missed it.

In our day it is important that we be aware of the signs of the times in which we live. While here on the earth Jesus told His disciples about many of the signs of His imminent return.
I personally want to be aware of the time in which I am living and be ready and waiting for Him at the time of His return.

Oh Lord, help us to have an understanding of the times and prepare ourselves accordingly.