The wise men ask King Herod, “Where is the King of the Jews?”

2)            The Christmas story, truly, is the story of the Most High. It is an emancipative design of soteriology. So much information is couched here in Matthew 2:1, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,” and in verse 11, “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” This is undoubtedly of a historical event.

                Bethlehem means ‘the house of bread (i.e. in a fertile land).’ Jesus is the Bread of life (John 6:33, 35, 48 & 51). John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Judaea, the same as Judah, means ‘praise.’ His birth is a prophetic fulfilment of great joy. Luke 2:13-14, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Praises of the angelic host signified an end to the angelic conflict boldatiously engendered by the procacity of Lucifer in the satanic putsch. The Adamic original sin question has finally been resolved by this incarnational ingenuity of the Trinity.

                Herod is the Greek Herodes (hay-ro’-dace) meaning ‘heroic.’ This king is Herod the Great. His heroic greatness is of man, the labour to which greatness is wood, hay and stubble (1Cor. 3:12) which profiteth nothing (John 6:63). Jesus is the true Hero of our miserable life of sinfulness. Herod’s political heroism cannot be compared to the soteriological kerygma of the Lord Jesus which says of Him, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The geographical ‘east,’ from where the wise men or Magi came from is anatole (an-at-ol-ay’) ‘1. a rising of light 2. (figuratively) dawn 3. (by implication) the east (also in plural).’ Man had been looking esoterically at the sun in the worship of the sun god, Baal or Nimrod. The true Light shone into the cogitations of these astrologers and they decided to seek the Truth even Jesus. They forsook idolatrous Nimro-Semiramic assistance, turned to Jesus, the King of kings, and the Saviour of mankind.

                They came to Jerusalem which in Hebrew is Yruwshalaim (yer-oo-shaw-lah’-im) (rarely Yruwshalayim {yer-oo- shaw-lah’-yim}) and it means: ‘founded peaceful.’ Who is the Prince of peace [Isaiah 9:6]? Jesus! Who is the foundation upon which our Christian faith stands as a construction [1Corinthians 3:11]? Jesus! ‘House’ of verse Matthew 2:11 is oikia (oy-kee’-ah): ‘1. (properly, abstractly) a residence 2. (usually, concretely) an abode 3. (by implication) a family (especially domestics).’ In approaching the ‘house’ where the Baby Jesus was born, the wise men identified themselves with the family of God. No one comes to God’s abode and will not fall down in worship of Him, who alone is truly worthy of our worship. Amen! Mary is of the Hebraic Miryam (meer-yawm’). It means ‘bitterness’ and it means ‘rebelliously.’ Since the woman’s vitiation of God’s instruction of “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it” [Gen. 2:17], mankind had incessantly disobeyed God. It was important that a woman and more importantly a one whose sobriquet is a reminder of the Adamic, should be the one to say, “Yes, thy will be done, O LORD God!”

                They gave from their ‘treasures’ which is thesauros (thay-sau-ros’): ‘a deposit, i.e. wealth.’ The wise men gave of their possessions to acknowledge the Lordship of the Lord of lords. They gave in worship of the Most High. They understood this is Ancient of days who had become the Infant of days. The word ‘gifts’ from the wise men is doron (do`-ron) ‘a present, specially, a sacrifice.’ It dawned on them that this is the ultimate gift from the beneficence of the eternal Father, which will turn out to be the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of this sinful world.

                Get born again to receive the free Spirit of Christmas. Say this prayer of salvation:

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”  

(…to be continued…)

Read part one here

Click to read part three

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