These Gifts We Bring
Rex Yancey
Matthew 2:11
Matthew immediately tells us two things about the birth of Jesus. First, he was born in Bethlehem. This is important because it fulfills Micah's prophesy. Micah 5:2 ''But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be born ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting.'' Second, he was born shortly before the death of Herod. Josephus, a Jewish historian recorded that Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse at the close of March or the beginning of April, 5 B.C.
We also know that the shepherds saw Jesus as an infant. By the time the wise men arrived, he was a child, perhaps a toddler.
These wise men were probably from Iraq, perhaps Bagdad. They were gentile scholars. They studied the stars. It seems that God met them at their level of understanding. They were interested in religion and science. They must have heard and read about the birth of a Jewish King.
We do not know how many wise men there were. They brought three gifts. However, in all likelihood they traveled in a caravan to make the three-hundred-mile trip.
They brought gifts befitting a prophet, priest, and King; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were expensive gifts to honor the Lord Jesus.
We don't know much about the wise men or the star. The focus should be on the fact that they came to bow down before Him. They came to worship Him. Jesus is Lord of all Gentiles and Jews.
I would outline this part of Matthew as: The truth they sought, the thrill they caught, and the gifts they brought.
But today, what kind of gifts could we bring that would be befitting the King?
1. WE GIVE HIM THE GIFT OF OUR TESTIMONY.
-What is a testimony? In legal terms, a testimony is a form of evidence obtained from a witness who makes a solemn statement or declaration of fact. It may be written or oral. If one is called as a witness ...
Rex Yancey
Matthew 2:11
Matthew immediately tells us two things about the birth of Jesus. First, he was born in Bethlehem. This is important because it fulfills Micah's prophesy. Micah 5:2 ''But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be born ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting.'' Second, he was born shortly before the death of Herod. Josephus, a Jewish historian recorded that Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse at the close of March or the beginning of April, 5 B.C.
We also know that the shepherds saw Jesus as an infant. By the time the wise men arrived, he was a child, perhaps a toddler.
These wise men were probably from Iraq, perhaps Bagdad. They were gentile scholars. They studied the stars. It seems that God met them at their level of understanding. They were interested in religion and science. They must have heard and read about the birth of a Jewish King.
We do not know how many wise men there were. They brought three gifts. However, in all likelihood they traveled in a caravan to make the three-hundred-mile trip.
They brought gifts befitting a prophet, priest, and King; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were expensive gifts to honor the Lord Jesus.
We don't know much about the wise men or the star. The focus should be on the fact that they came to bow down before Him. They came to worship Him. Jesus is Lord of all Gentiles and Jews.
I would outline this part of Matthew as: The truth they sought, the thrill they caught, and the gifts they brought.
But today, what kind of gifts could we bring that would be befitting the King?
1. WE GIVE HIM THE GIFT OF OUR TESTIMONY.
-What is a testimony? In legal terms, a testimony is a form of evidence obtained from a witness who makes a solemn statement or declaration of fact. It may be written or oral. If one is called as a witness ...
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