Led by the Star (5 of 5)
Series: The Star
Jeff Strite
Matthew 2:1-12
OPEN: Years ago I wrote a song about the Wise Men. The first verse went this way
''Out in the fields, watching the sky, looking to heaven, searching on high.Troubled by things I'd seen on this earth, I knew that my answer lay with a child's birth.For the prophecy said that a star in the sky, would lead us to worship the King from on High. A king would be born far off in the East, and those who gave homage would rest in his peace.'' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHRDxL-8W90)
(PAUSE) Matthew 2:2 said, ''Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.''
(We showed a picture of a Nativity on the screen) This is Christmas season - all across the world - there are Nativity scenes that feature: Mary, Joseph and the Baby; Shepherds and Angels; Cattle, Donkeys and Sheep; and (of course) the Wisemen.
Now the problem with those scenes is that Wisemen didn't show up till about 2 years later. Our text says they came to the ''house'' where Jesus was and there are a couple of other clues that tell us Jesus was probably between 1 and 2 years old.
We don't much about these men. They were obviously important men, and wealthy men, and they studied the stars, but we don't know how many there were (there were 3 gifts, but there could have been 20 or more of them that came to Bethlehem); we don't their names; and we don't know exactly where they came from.
There is speculation that they may have lived as much as 1000 miles away and that the preparation for their trip may have taken about 2 to 3 months (there were no convenience stores on the way so they'd have had to have taken much of what they needed with them). And they may have traveled with as many as 300 armed men and servants (it was a long and dangerous trip fraught with danger).
But the big question is not where they came from, or their names, or how long it to ...
Series: The Star
Jeff Strite
Matthew 2:1-12
OPEN: Years ago I wrote a song about the Wise Men. The first verse went this way
''Out in the fields, watching the sky, looking to heaven, searching on high.Troubled by things I'd seen on this earth, I knew that my answer lay with a child's birth.For the prophecy said that a star in the sky, would lead us to worship the King from on High. A king would be born far off in the East, and those who gave homage would rest in his peace.'' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHRDxL-8W90)
(PAUSE) Matthew 2:2 said, ''Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.''
(We showed a picture of a Nativity on the screen) This is Christmas season - all across the world - there are Nativity scenes that feature: Mary, Joseph and the Baby; Shepherds and Angels; Cattle, Donkeys and Sheep; and (of course) the Wisemen.
Now the problem with those scenes is that Wisemen didn't show up till about 2 years later. Our text says they came to the ''house'' where Jesus was and there are a couple of other clues that tell us Jesus was probably between 1 and 2 years old.
We don't much about these men. They were obviously important men, and wealthy men, and they studied the stars, but we don't know how many there were (there were 3 gifts, but there could have been 20 or more of them that came to Bethlehem); we don't their names; and we don't know exactly where they came from.
There is speculation that they may have lived as much as 1000 miles away and that the preparation for their trip may have taken about 2 to 3 months (there were no convenience stores on the way so they'd have had to have taken much of what they needed with them). And they may have traveled with as many as 300 armed men and servants (it was a long and dangerous trip fraught with danger).
But the big question is not where they came from, or their names, or how long it to ...
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