#DailyDevotion Having Met Jesus Are Still On The Same Road Or A New One?
Matthew 2:1–12 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea when Herod was king. Then wise men came from the east to Jerusalem. 2“Where is the Child Who was born King of the Jews?” they asked. “We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3When King Herod heard about this, he became alarmed and all Jerusalem with him. 4He called together all of the people’s ruling priests and Bible scholars and tried to find out from them where the Christ was to be born. 5“In Bethlehem, in Judea,” they told him, “because the prophet has written: 6And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are not at all the least among the leading towns of Judah, since from you will come a leader Who will be the Shepherd of My people Israel….”9After hearing the king, they started out. And there was the star they had seen in the east! It led them on until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was. 10They were overjoyed to see the star. 11They went into the house and saw the little Child with His mother Mary. Kneeling, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered Him gifts: gold, incense, and myrrh. 12But God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they went home to their country by another road.
Whatever star the Magi were following, it had disappeared by now. They knew by whatever means that a king had been born of the Jews. So where do you go to do homage to a new born king of the Jews? Jerusalem. Now Herod had many wives and concubines, nevertheless, there had been no new news of any of them having a child. Not only that, but if any of them survived Herod, there would be a few of them way ahead of any new born child of his. Herod and Jerusalem were shocked by this. He and they knew there was a promised Messiah of the Davidic line being waited for and was expected by those believing the prophecy.
Herod not totally up to biblical prophecy calls in those with the knowledge to find out where this new born king would be born. Now it was known by the scholars he would be born in Bethlehem in Judea. The prophet Micah prophesied, “from you will come a leader Who will be the Shepherd of My people Israel.” Herod was a ruthless king. He even killed his sons rather than they become king. He wasn’t about to let someone who wasn’t related to him threaten his reign as king. He indeed would become one more tool of Satan to try to prevent God’s promise from coming true. He called the Magi to himself to find out when the star appeared to get an idea of the birth. They did not know he meant to kill the child. He would try to take care of that when they “came back to report to him where the child was.”
Well the Magi see the star again and follow to where the child was. Some think Jesus no longer in Bethlehem but in Nazareth, which is why they needed the star again to find him. Finding Jesus they give him gifts fit for a king. Now when they came to Judea they were pagans as far as we know. When they leave Jesus they return home another way. Now on one hand they simply are listening to God who warned them about Herod. However I think you and I can also take this another way as well. Having met the Christ Child they were not the same people when they got there. God had revealed himself to them as the LORD incarnate brought into the world to save them from their sins. They were on another path than their old pagan way having met their Savior. Are going home on a different path having had our Savior Jesus Christ revealed to us?
Merciful Father, reveal your Son Jesus Christ to us as our Savior that we may return to you on the path of salvation instead of destruction. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.