Friday, January 6, 2023

Epiphany's Child

Friday, January 6, 2023

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.  About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?  We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”  King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.  He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:  ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”  Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.  Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child.  And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”  After this interview the wise men went their way.  And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.  It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.  Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.  Matthew 2:1-12

The magi are (according to tradition) the first Gentiles to recognize the Christ child as the promised Messiah.  As they disappear into the Eastern horizon we see their mission completed, tying together Christian and Jew, worship, and warning…the meeting of holy moments with political danger.

And so, the Lord, God of Time and Eternity enters the cesspool of humanity’s darkest hour with foreign dignitaries bowing at his feet, showering him with expensive gifts of honor, while a Jewish king frantically seeks to kill him.

Epiphany is (or should be­) a stark reminder that popularity and politicking are short-term issues; godliness is forever.  The Son of God came to this world to offer humankind salvation – eternal life.  Herod’s monstrous reaction, killing every male child, born within the time frame he learned from the magi[1], was a temporary and heinous rejection of God’s will.  And it is played-out that way every time a human grab for power is brought to bear.  There is little difference between Herod, Vladimir Putin, Stalin, Hitler, Sadaam Hussein, or, well…you get the point…and the dog-and-pony-show, if you just watch Washington operate.

For You Today  

The so-called right side of history is also (always) the right side of eternity.  God is in charge of that.  The saying:  Wise men still seek Him is unquestionably true.  When wise men find Him, they have the choice of the magi or murdering king.  It is God’s magnificent gift of free will in which that choice breathes.  And in that choice lives life or death.  Choose wisely.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

Star of Wonder  and  The Cry Heard in Ramah

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©  



[1] Read the slaughter of the innocents in Matthew 2:13-18

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