Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. -Matthew 2:1, 2 (KJV)
We have come to worship the king. That was the reason the wise men came from the east seeking the Christ-child. We could so call this devotional thought, “The man who tried to ruin Christmas,” as Herod set about to destroy the child Jesus. That is a horrible thought right here around the Christmas season. Had not Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, heeded the warning of the angel and fled to Egypt with Mary and the baby, Herod’s plan might have succeeded. King Herod proved himself to be an evil, paranoid, and devious man. As soon as he heard the words of the wise men he was troubled, and the Bible says that everyone else was troubled also. Why was that? We rejoice at the thought of Christ’s coming into the world, but for the ancient Jews of Herod’s day, talk of a new king meant a possible uprising which would have brought the wrath of Rome down upon them.
The people would not comprehend until later that the kingdom Jesus spoke of and brought to the world was not of this world but was a heavenly kingdom. The heavenly kingdom that Jesus brought is greater than all the kingdoms of the world and will one day be established. The Christmas season reminds us that we are to welcome that day, look forward to it, and long for it. When the angels said in Luke 2:14, “peace on earth, good will toward men,” they were referring to that peace which God would bring about one day. Until Christ comes in power at the second coming His peace can rule in our hearts. However, when the trumpets sound and the clouds part, He will reign here forever and ever.
We have come to worship the king. That is truly what Christmas is all about. We worship the Lord and we seek Him with all of our hearts. Like the wise men, let nothing stand in the way of experiencing the full measure of Christ’s blessings when we come seeking Him to worship and adore Him.
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