Look for Jesus

Dear Friends,

In Matthew 2:1-12 we learn that with the arrival of the Magi, all Jerusalem was disturbed, and none more so than King Herod. The Magi were asking for the location of the one who was born to be the King of the Jews.

The word “disturbed” is related to the word for earthquake. People are shaken by this news because they know Herod well enough to know that the news of a rival king would not be received favourably. History records that Herod killed off any and all rivals, including his own sons and wife. He seems to have been an unstable man fuelled by jealousy!

Herod is unable to respond to the Magi’s request, so he consults his own teachers of the law, asking where the Messiah is to be born. They know from the Old Testament (Micah 5, written in the 7th C BC) that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

The Magi receive guidance from the Word of God. That is still the same for us today. True guidance about God and life comes from the Bible, which is God’s Word to us. The Magi immediately go and look for Jesus. Interestingly, we don’t see any interest from the religious leaders to follow up this news. We also learn of Herod feigning interest in Jesus as his true motives are revealed when he sends his soldiers to kill the baby Jesus. Whether by open hostility or lack of interest, it is a tragedy when people miss an opportunity to find Jesus.

God’s Blessing David O’Mara

From the PM Pastor’s Bulletin, 19 December 2021