The Life Of Jesus Pt. 2

When we think about the birth of Jesus. We usually get the image of the manger scene in our mind. In the Bible, besides Mary and Joseph, there are four different instances of someone seeing the baby Jesus. The first two that I will mention are the one's that are well known. The last two are not as well known. In this blog I will discuss the first two, and in the next blog I will discuss the last two. I will again, without going to deep would like to share some life application from the stories that we find in the Bible. The first group of people that I will mention who saw the baby Jesus are the wise men. They are also known as the magi. The following passage is from Matthew 2:1-12.

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 "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 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea ; for this is what has been written by the prophet : 6 '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.' " 7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 8 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." 9 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. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 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. 12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

I think one of the first lessons we can learn from the story of the wise men is that, 1) God speaks to people in ways that they can understand.
This group of people had been looking at the stars probably most of their lives. It was a passion to them. There are so many stories of God doing this in people's lives. There is a journalist who investigated the claims of Christ just as he would have investigated a story. As he approached Christ's claims in a way that he was familiar with, He came to believe the claims of Jesus. The way that God revealed Himself to the wise men was completely different than the way He would reveal Himself to the shepherds. And so it is with us, God will usually reveal Himself to us in a way that we can understand. He will generally use things that we all ready have a passion for.The way that He reveals Himself to you will probably not be the same way He reveals Himself to someone else. He doesn't use this approach all the time, but He does use it often.

We also see that, 2) God will use unlikely ways to lead people to Jesus. 
When you think of the purpose of a star, you don't initially think that the purpose of a star is to lead a person to Jesus. This lesson shows us that we can't limit God as to how He might lead someone to His Son. There are people who have never been drawn to Jesus by a sermon but have by the kindness of a Christian, or by the birth of a baby, or by the death of a loved one. There are so many examples that could be used. I have heard so many stories in my life of ways that people have been led to Jesus. Some have been conventional, some haven't.

The next passage is from Luke 2:8-20. It tells the story of the shepherds.

 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid ; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people ; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

God will reveal Himself to people who society doesn't think too highly of is the lesson I want to share from this story.
In the Jewish culture shepherds weren't thought too highly of. The orthodox looked down on them because they could not keep all the ceremonial laws. Isn't the same true for us? There are those who are very religious in their lives. I mean this in a negative way. They do all the rituals that you can think of. In the process of doing all these rituals they look down on others. They think they are better than others. They do all the rituals, but they do not have a relationship with Jesus. In fact, they aren't able to have a relationship with Jesus because of their self righteousness, their spiritual pride. They think in keeping all the rituals that they are ok with God. Yet, when you read the story of Jesus' birth, it wasn't to religious people that God revealed His Son. It was to the wise men, they weren't even Jewish. It was to these shepherds, they couldn't keep all the rituals. You and I would think that if God's Son is going to be born into the world, God would let the High Priest see Him, or the top religious people of the day. But those people were full of spiritual pride. No, God revealed Himself to the lowly, to the seekers. The same is true today. God reveals Himself to the humble. To those who don't feel they know it all. To those who others would never think of. If you are in a relationship with Jesus right now, you would probably agree with me that most people who know you would never have thought of you as someone who God would desire to have a relationship with. Yet, here you are, in a relationship with the God of the universe.

Remember, if you feel like you don't know it all when it comes to God. If there is a humbleness to you when it comes to God. If you feel that a relationship with God has to be more than keeping rituals, you are the type of person God can reveal His Son to. God may reveal Himself in ways that you are familiar with and He may use things that you or others would never think of as ways to get your attention and reveal Himself to you. Stay humble and alert for God loves to reveal Himself.

Troy