Rachel Workman: What an amazing story. I liked both accounts
of the birth of Jesus. Before Jesus was even born man was plotting his death. I
love that shepherds were first on the scene. It's very fitting of God our
Father who is our Shepard to allow the shepherds the first opportunity to
praise Jesus. I have no doubt that Mary did keep these things in her heart and
ponder them later on. I can imagine even more so when the wise men later showed
up at her house and presented extravagant gifts.
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John Burnett: Matthew 2:7-12
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them
the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to
Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find
him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and
the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over
the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they
were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child
with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. I do not
practice the type of reverent worship the Magi practiced often enough. He
deserves my continual worship. Then they opened their treasures and
presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And
having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their
country by another route. God is in control and all things work
together for good to those who love God. He knows which way to send us
when we don’t which way to go.
Luke 2:15-20
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the
shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that
has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby,
who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they
spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, We
should be spreading the word about Jesus just as these shepherds did 18 and
all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But
Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. We should
ponder the magnitude of what Jesus did for us on the cross. 20 The
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had
heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
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The shepherds did go
see the baby in the manger. They had a lot to tell others after
this. Once we "find" Jesus, do we go out and tell others about
Him?
I also love how it says
"but Mary kept all these things in her heart" - I would imagine her
heart was overflowing with all she had seen and heard and been a part of.
We, too, need to hide
His word in our hearts and "think about them often".
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Mike Grimm:
Matthew 2:7-12
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with
the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then
he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you
find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” Herod had no intention of worshiping Christ. He
came up with this ruse to get the Magi to return to him and reveal the location
of the newborn king. Herod’s plan was to then kill Jesus.
9 After this interview the wise men went their
way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went
ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When
they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered
the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and
worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. There is speculation among the scholars that Jesus may have been
two years old when the Magi found Him. This is based on Herod asking when the
star first appeared and the fact that he had all children 2 years of age and
under murdered. There are other scriptures that would dispute this. There is also
no mention of the number of Magi. It is assumed that there were 3 based on the
number of gifts. As for me, I’m keeping the 3 wise men in my nativity set and
placing them with the rest of the nativity figures for CHRISTmas.
This must have been a
real test of faith for the Magi. I’m sure they were not expecting to find the
newborn King of the Jews to be clothed in strips of cloth and lying in a
manger.
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to
their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to
return to Herod.
Luke 2:15-20
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the
shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that
has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” These shepherds — these
outcasts of society; these smelly, dirty, unkempt, earthy shepherds — were told
from the angelic choir itself about an event which happened over on the
outskirts of Bethlehem. What was their reaction? Basically, “let’s go see.”
Their reaction may seem very unspiritual to us — they didn’t think, they didn’t
pray, they didn’t ponder — they just reacted with excitement. Much like we
would react when something joyous happens in our life. They trusted these
angels.
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and
Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After
seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel
had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the
shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these
things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The
shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they
had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Do you think that Mary and Joseph were afraid
when the shepherds showed up hastily on the scene? Mothers are very protective
of their newborns. I’m sure they had already been through quite a bit just to
get to this particular point. This company showing up unexpectedly, I’m sure,
was met with some bit of concern.
The
shepherds probably felt a duel need to explain themselves. First, to possibly
disarm (emotionally, that is) a protective father from harming his son. Yet,
they had to speak these things not simply for their protection but also because
of their desire to see what the angels were speaking of!
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