I plan to get back to the topic of forgiving others, but wanted to take the next few posts and focus on Christmas…
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, scholars from the East arrived in Jerusalem asking around town, “Where’s the recently born king of the Jews? We followed His star and we’re here to worship Him.” This announcement caught King Herod and his buddies off guard. His mind started racing. A new king? The promised Messiah? Over my dead body! Matthew 2:1-3
The world is full of people who are disturbed by the news that a King has been born.
Herod is so crazed with power that when he finds out the news that the Messiah has been born, his first response is to try to find him and kill him. The people of Jerusalem also somehow seem to know that this Messiah came to save them from their sins, and they wanted no such salvation.
Why do we resist letting Christ be King? I suggest it’s because we believe a lie. Herod believed the lie that he could hold on to power and that power would protect him. But he died, just like everyone else, and all his power was stripped from him.
Where are we unwilling to let Christ reign? In our fears? In our lusts? In our pride? In our greed?
We all have a line someplace in our souls. On one side we say “yes” to Christ; on the other side we say “no.” In between is the lie. That is our spiritual journey. Follow the “yes’s” until we get to the lie. Then let Jesus tell us the truth, so that another “no” can be turned to a “yes.”
I’m not saying this is easy. It requires great courage to find the border of our faith—but that is where Christ takes us—out into the deep. But it is out in the deep that we let down our nets and discover what we never dreamed was there.
Bible trivia:
Answer from last time: The Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and held it for several months.
New question: According to the Bible, how many Magi or Wise Men came to visit the child Jesus?
