We Three Kings?

I just love Christmas carols.  It is one of my favorite things to do this time of year.  I look forward to signing them at church, hearing them on the radio, and going Christmas caroling.  They really seem to lock in on the true meaning of this time of year.  We set aside time now to celebrate the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Now was Christ really born on December 25th?  Probably not.  For more on that, you can read my post entitled Traditions for my beliefs and scripture about that.  However, there is one Christmas carol that I never did understand.  And that carol is "We Three Kings".  We're there really three Kings?  What does the bible say?  That is what I would like to talk about in this post.

Matthew 2:1-12
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way."

Now there is a lot of good information here in this text.  My first question is, how many were there?  Actually, we don't know.  It just says magi from the east.  We don't know if it was three, or three hundred.  It never really said.  All we know is that they brought three types of gifts.  Gold, which represents his Kingship, frankincense, which represents His royal Priesthood, and myrrh, which was symbolic of His death that would come on the cross for our sins.  And because of this we traditionally say that there were three of them.  But, we don't know for sure.

My next question is, were they kings?  That is not what the scripture says.  In the scripture above, it says that they were magi.  Now, historically, magi were known as wise men.  They were experts at astrology with there beginnings in Persia.  These were men, who spent their lives studying the stars and there movement to try to predict what was going to happen.  They were by no means kings.

My last question is, how did they know that the star in the sky was significant to the birth of Christ?  They were not Jews.  They were from Persia.  So how did they know?

Daniel 2:46-49
"Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense. The king answered Daniel and said, “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s court."

I just love how God can take a bad situation and turn it good.  Daniel was taken from his home when Judah fell to the Persians almost 600 years before the birth of Christ.  During that time, he was a part of interpreting many prophecies about the coming of Christ and the End Times.  And because of this, he was made the ruler of the "wise men".  WOW!  I am sure that he took the opportunity to share the prophecies with the wise men under his charge.  Including his 70 weeks prophecy, which talked of the coming of the King, and the Tribulation.  At the end of the 69th week, Christ would enter the gates of Jerusalem.

I know that at the time of the birth that it was getting close to the time of that entry into Jerusalem, and the magi, that at one time were under Daniel, must have been looking for a sign of the coming of the King, which was His star.

Numbers 24:17  
"I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the forehead of Moab,
And tear down all the sons of Sheth." 

So, were there really three kings?  No.  But, there story is still a true sign that He is our Lord.  And I will still sing the song for that reason alone.  I hope that you all enjoyed this little study.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless you all this Christmas season.  

Manger to the Cross

Last night our church put on our traditional Christmas play. We based our play on the book, "The Three Trees." In this story we see three trees all with a different wish. One wants to be turned into a beautiful box to carry the most valuable treasures in the world. The second one wants to be made into a mighty sailing vessel to carry kings across the seas. The third wants to be left on the mountain and point to God, so when people see him, they will be reminded of God. As the story goes, one is cut down and turned into a manger. He is overcome with disappointment, until one night when baby Jesus is placed inside of it. He knew that he was holding the greatest treasure ever known. The second tree is turned into a small fishing boat. Just as disappointed as the first one was until it found out that Jesus was on board and calmed the seas. He knew that he was carrying the King of Kings. The third tree was pieced together and had to endure a jeering crowd. Then they nailed a man to him. He felt ugly and ashamed. However, He knew after that day that every time that someone looked at him, they would remember the sacrifice on the cross.

My part was interesting. I got to play the part of a disciple in one scene and a Roman soldier in another scene. I know you are probably saying that would be kind of hard. But is was interesting working out the logistics of it. But the part I enjoyed the most was being the Roman soldier. I have talked with several people who said they could not play that part. And I understand that. But it meant a lot to me to put Christ on the cross. It really brought it home to me that it is because of my sin that He had to die on that cross. It was a good reminder to me of what His sacrifice was to me. A chance for eternal life.

Now some people have asked me why we did the whole story? Well, is that not the message of Christmas? It is not just about celebrating His birth. But, the fulfillment of a promise to us as told in the Old Testament. He had to be born before He could die, or the resurrection would mean nothing. He had to become a man, just like me and you.

John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

He came to pay a debt that He did not owe, and that we could never pay. He did this so we could have eternal life with Him. That is the true meaning of Christmas. We can see this in our favorite Christmas Carols. If you look at "Away in a Manger", "Joy to the World", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", and so on, you will see that they all start with verses about His birth. Then they talk about His life, and ultimately Him as King and Savior of this world. So this year, as we remember His birth, let us also celebrate His life, death, and resurrection as well.

Thanks for reading, God Bless, and Merry Christmas!

Traditions

One of the things about Christmas the most is some of the family traditions that we have. These are special times and activities centered around this time of year that, for me, adds a bit of excitement to our celebration. For example, I love going Christmas caroling every year with my church. We visit rest homes and the homes of some of the elderly that cannot get out much and sing our favorite Christmas tunes. I also enjoy visiting with all of our relatives for gifts, fellowship, and of course THE FOOD!!!!!!!!!! But, probably my favorite tradition is the private Christmas morning with my little family. My wife and I tell our children the true Christmas story, and the real reason for gifts to our children, and then open presents. We want to instill in them the importance of Christ's birth, more so than the commercialism that is going on around us. It seems that society does not understand the true meaning of Christmas, or argue that we should not celebrate it, because it is not really Christ's birthday.

This brings up a good question. Was Christ born on December 25th? Probably not. The Bible does not give an exact day. It was more likely that He was born in the spring or summer. Luke chapter 2 tells us that the shepherds were out watching their sheep in the fields overnight. I do not believe they would practice this in the winter time. Many people believe that we should not celebrate His birth on December 25th because of that. This brings to mind 2 passages in the Bible.

Romans 14:4-6
"Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God."

Colossians 2:16-17
"Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."

I am of a mind to celebrate the birth of Christ this time of year. And the reason we do is based on a tradition began by the early church. But what is the problem with it? Nothing. The scripture above says not to judge someone on a day they see as a holy day, or to celebrate a festival. That is between him and God, and it matters so little in the scheme of things. We should spend more time spreading the news of Christ rather than arguing over whether to recognize December 25th or not. I believe having a day set aside, whether it be by tradition or whatever else, makes it easier for me to focus on being thankful for His birth. Because His birth was the fulfillment of a promise. And that promise is that we have a sacrifice great enough to cover our sins so that we can be forgiven and become sons of God.

Galatians 3:26
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

Thanks for reading, God Bless you all, and Merry Christmas!

I would like to give you an opportunity to share some of your favorite family traditions around this time of year. Please comment below to share. If you do not have a Google ID or anything of that nature, you can post under anonymous and type in your name at the end of your comment. Thanks, and I look forward to reading!

Defending Christ's Birthday

Going in fashion with my last few posts, I am going to stay in the Christmas spirit of things. This time of year has always been, and always will be my favorite time of year. Mainly because we set aside time to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Now there are those who try to argue that we should not do this. They say that Christ really was not born this time of year, or that He is really not the Messiah. So I am going to devote this page to give some proof that He fulfilled all of what the Old Testament said about how the Messiah would be born. Now many Christians can tell you that He fulfilled those prophecies, but cannot tell exactly which verses in the old testament contain them. So here are a few that I have found, and the scripture in the new testament where they are fulfilled.

Prophecy Concerning Jesus' Birth
1)Virgin Birth
Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."

In this verse the prophet Isaiah tells us that the Messiah will be born of a virgin, and His name shall be called Immanuel which means "God with us." We see the prophecy fulfilled around 700 years later, when Mary, who was a virgin, gave birth to Jesus.

Matthew 1:18 - "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit."

Matthew 1:25 - "but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus."

2)Messiah born in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

Micah prophesied around the same time as Isaiah. In this prophecy he named a specific city to which the Messiah would be born. This rules out anyone saying that the Messiah would come from a region or country. The prophecy was fulfilled later in Bethlehem when Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem.

Luke 2:4-7 - "Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Matthew 2:1-2 - "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

3)The Messiah would be from the Tribe of Judah
Genesis 49:10 - "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples."

In this set of verses, Jacob is blessing his 12 sons. Here we see a blessing with a promise to Judah. The promise was that many of his descendents would be rulers, including a supreme one that all people would become obedient to. The bible teaches us that the Christ's Kingdom has no end, and that everyone would recognize Him as Lord.

Psalm 45:6 - "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom."

Romans 14:11-12 - "For it is written, “AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.” So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God."

Now Jesus was born around 2000 years after the death of Jacob. However, Jesus' lineage is traced back to Judah in Luke 3:23-34 and Matthew 1:1-16. I will not write these out because of their length but feel free to look it up and check to make sure that I am telling the truth.

4)The Messiah would be a descendant of King David
Jeremiah 23:5 - "Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land."

Now Jeremiah lived in the 600-500BC range. He affirmed in this prophecy that Jesus would be a descendant of King David. We can trace this lineage through Luke 3:23-35 and Matthew 1:1-16. Just as we did tracing Him back to Judah. You can find King David's name in that list of family members.

I hope this has been a helpful way to actually see the prophecy recorded, and where it was fulfilled. Now I am sure there are many other prophecies about this, but I just picked out the main ones that drive it home for me.

Thanks for reading, God Bless you all this week, and Merry Christmas!