so...after the sermon today, one of my favorite christmas songs will certainly be thought of in a different way....
in talking about the wise men (matthew 2:1-12) our pastor brought up a few interesting points...
-the wise men weren't kings. they were academicians who studied astronomy. pagans back then believed the stars could fortell the future, so anyone who could read the stars was regarded as highly intelligent and was well respected.
-we don't know if there were 3 of them. the bible never says anything about 3 people, only that they brought gold, incense, and myrhh. 3 gifts don't necessarily equal 3 people.
-the wise men did not show up when Jesus was in the manger. Vs. 11 says they came to a house. So we are unsure how old Jesus was when the wise men actually got there. (So technically....they don't really belong in the manger scene....)
- Vs. 4-6 talk about how all the priests and teachers of the law knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (which was not far from Jerusalem), yet they did not go there! The gentile/pagan wise men were more concerned with worshipping the king than the people who knew the truth.
....perhaps instead the priests and teachers stayed home and "studied the scriptures" instead of doing what they said.
convicting? definitely. interesting? always.
1 comment:
Oh Gentle Lady,
What would a Christmas nativity be without the 3 Kings? Far cheaper is what and who wants that? We want a holiday that support capitalism and all its offspring - good and bad. Thus the focus on the MATERIAL gifts given, and not the SPIRITUAL gift of salvation given.
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