The Where of Christmas:
Where is He who is born King of the Jews? Matthew 2:2
Simple questions. Hard Answers
The questions of the Nativity are not easily answered. It demands some digging and Holy Spirit direction. Have you noticed just how involved the Holy Spirit is in Nativity?
He orchestrated the birth of Jesus from the beginning. Let’s see how the third Person of the Trinity arranged the answer to this question. The first thing to see though is this question asks “where,” but, it is about the who: KING of the Jews.
Wise men still seek Him
Go West!
The men, asking the question, were from the East. They had followed a star. Their purpose was worship. The simpleness of the statement is lost to us westerners but was a well-understood concept among the Jews. Traveling West implies moving toward God, following a star indicates following a light (cloud by day, fire by night), and always the purpose of moving from east to west and being led by light results in one thing: WORSHIP. This indeed makes them WISE. (Matthew 2:1-2)
Herod, the political leader, knew who to summon to get answers about the Jews. He called for the men of Israel entrusted with the task of preserving the prophets’ words and writings: They were the scribes and priests. And, they had the answer: But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler (capital R) who will shepherd MY people Israel. (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6)
The Answer
Here is the answer. The KING of the Jews was in Bethlehem of Judea (Judah’s land) and He was to be a RULER. This was NOT what Herod wanted to hear! Evil hearts never do.
Go. Search. Bring Word.
I love what Herod (the tyrannical) instructed these men to do. God used an evil soul to direct those searching! Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also. How often does the LORD God use the evilness of this world to direct and encourage us to seek Him?
Today, will you “Go and search diligently for the Lord and when you find Him, WORSHIP Him?” Will you ask, “Where is the King of the Jews?” When you find HIm, will you do what the wise men were instructed to do: bring back word, so they may come and worship Him?
Angels announce to shepherds
The angels gave the shepherds directions too! Directions they understood well and they knew EXACTLY where to go. They were not wandering around in the dark looking in every stable in Bethlehem. They went to where the sacrificial lambs were birthed and cared for. But that is for another day! They too learned the “where” of Christmas and they too went to worship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsXOP7aQeqQ
Be Born In Me, by Francesca Battistelli
Prophecy fulfilled
Yes, Jesus was born in Bethlehem as foretold more than 400 years before His birth, but He desires above all to be born in you today. Where will you find Him? He will surprise you. He has been found by a child playing under a tree, a teen on the brink of self destruction, a soldier in a foxhole, a woman at the miracle of the birth of a child, a man at the bedside of a dying loved one, a widow(er) walking alone on the beach, a boy in a deer stand, a young girl without a friend. Jesus meets us where we are if we will move west following His light and do what we were created to do: Worship Him. Then, do what Jesus told us to do. Do you remember what He said? He said, “GO TELL OTHERS TO COME AND SEE!”
Your Nativity
Where did you find Jesus, the King? Where will you find the Savior? If someone has directed you to where He is, do what the Wise men of the East did: Go. Find. Him! He is the WORD full of glory, grace and truth. (John 1:14) Then, fall down and worship Him and present to Him your most precious treasure: yourself. (Matthew 2:9-11)
May the “Where of your Nativity” become your personal Holy ground. You can be assured the Holy Spirit is directing every single detail of your nativity: Christ born in you!
Prayer
Father of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Jesus, and me,
Today, I ask only this. May each one who reads this hear YOUR voice only. May You be born in their hearts (their nativity) and may they bow down and worship You, then, go and tell others. For this is the glory of Christmas.
In Jesus, THE King of the Jews, name I pray.
Amen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-RM1Lt-WLM
Bethlehem Morning
