THE OPPORTUNITIES WE MISS (1 OF 4)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-11
This content is part of a series.
Title: The Opportunities We Miss (1)
Series: The Journey Of Christmas
Author: Jeff Strite
Text: Matthew 2:1-11
We opened by singing the first verse and chorus of "We three kings of Orient are"
"We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. CHORUS: O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light."
It was a star of wonder, a star of night, a star with royal beauty bright - and when the Wisemen saw that star from the East they went... and they stopped at Jerusalem to ask for directions. What is interesting is what we read in Matthew 2:3 - "When Herod the king heard this, he was TROUBLED, and all Jerusalem with him."
Wait a minute! Israel had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah for centuries... and they're "troubled?" Alfred Edersheim (a prominent source of information on Jewish life in the days of Jesus) states that the Jews yearned for the return of kingdom. And the Jewish Talmud speaks of the coming Messiah who would rebuild the Temple, and the gather back the scattered people of Israel (https://www.foi.org/2021/04/01/the-messiah-who-was-israel-expecting/). In fact, there were several false Messiahs that popped up around the time of Jesus as had been predicted by the prophecies of the book of Daniel - and these false Messiahs were followed because of this dream that the coming Messiah who would lead them to greatness.
So now, there's this entourage from the East, looking for the Newborn Messiah. And this is not some rag-tag band of travelers. There probably way more than just 3 wisemen knocking at the gates of Jerusalem. Because of the dangers of travel in those days, one man speculated that "at a minimum they would have brought a full military escort along with their servants. And the total party could have amounted to more than 300 people." (Bill Brian)
Here at the gates o ...
Series: The Journey Of Christmas
Author: Jeff Strite
Text: Matthew 2:1-11
We opened by singing the first verse and chorus of "We three kings of Orient are"
"We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. CHORUS: O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light."
It was a star of wonder, a star of night, a star with royal beauty bright - and when the Wisemen saw that star from the East they went... and they stopped at Jerusalem to ask for directions. What is interesting is what we read in Matthew 2:3 - "When Herod the king heard this, he was TROUBLED, and all Jerusalem with him."
Wait a minute! Israel had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah for centuries... and they're "troubled?" Alfred Edersheim (a prominent source of information on Jewish life in the days of Jesus) states that the Jews yearned for the return of kingdom. And the Jewish Talmud speaks of the coming Messiah who would rebuild the Temple, and the gather back the scattered people of Israel (https://www.foi.org/2021/04/01/the-messiah-who-was-israel-expecting/). In fact, there were several false Messiahs that popped up around the time of Jesus as had been predicted by the prophecies of the book of Daniel - and these false Messiahs were followed because of this dream that the coming Messiah who would lead them to greatness.
So now, there's this entourage from the East, looking for the Newborn Messiah. And this is not some rag-tag band of travelers. There probably way more than just 3 wisemen knocking at the gates of Jerusalem. Because of the dangers of travel in those days, one man speculated that "at a minimum they would have brought a full military escort along with their servants. And the total party could have amounted to more than 300 people." (Bill Brian)
Here at the gates o ...
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