Jesus, Our King, part 2

Jesus just does not seem to be the kind of king that the world expects. In fact, it seems that even many of the scholars of Jesus’ time thought that there must be two Messiahs who were coming. As they studied the prophecies, they understood that the prophets made it clear that the Messiah would be a King; but those same prophecies also made it very clear that the Messiah would be humble and would suffer greatly. How can a king suffer in humility and still be a king?
 

Have you ever wondered about the reaction of those Magi from the east? They saw the star of Jesus and knew that a King had come to the earth. They saw that the star rising above Israel, so they knew that the King of the Jews had been born. So, naturally they went to Jerusalem, the capital, heading for the palace of King Herod.

How surprised they must have been when they arrived in Jerusalem only to find that there had not been any new births in the palace. A new child had not been born to King Herod.

They must have been surprised as they asked, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” They knew that He had been born because the star led them there - but nobody in Jerusalem seemed to know who or where the new King was, or even that He had been born. 

In fact, Herod was disturbed - and why shouldn’t he be? After all, he was the reigning king, and if a new King had been born outside of his family, it meant that he was going to be deposed. Matthew says that all of Jerusalem was disturbed as well. If there was a new King born while the current king was still on the throne, it meant that there was going to be trouble. Our democratic country generally changes administrations fairly easily; a new president or congress is elected and power is transferred peacefully (usually). But when you have a despotic king, like Herod, on the throne, change only comes through armies and bloodshed. A new King meant that there was going to be a battle. 

So, Herod called together all of his scholars and asked them where the new King was supposed to be born, since the Magi had determined the time of His birth. They put their heads together, dug out the prophecies, and determined that the King was to be born in Bethlehem, a sleepy little town about five or six miles outside of Jerusalem. Herod sends the Magi off to find the new King, deviously instructing them to come back and let him know where the King was exactly, telling them it was so he himself “could go and worship Him as well.” (Of course, Herod planned to "worship" the newborn King… with an executioner’s sword.) 
 

Overjoyed to know exactly what town the King was to have been born in, the Magi headed off for Bethlehem.

Now, just try to imagine their faces when they came to the house where Jesus was, went in, and instead of finding a royal household or a conquering army, they found a peasant household! They must have been dumbfounded! The King was this young child? The King of the Jews was going to be descended from a poor, teenaged woman and her carpenter husband?! I wonder if they were pulling out their charts as they arrived at that humble home in Bethlehem, double-checking the prophecies – is this the right place?! - over and over, and scratching their heads in wonder that this was the King they were searching for!

But, when everything was said and done, they realized that no matter how incredible it might be, this was the King that they were looking for, so they did what came natural to those in the presence of a King: they fell down and worshiped Him, showering Him with costly gifts.

I would have loved to see their faces when they found out that this Child was indeed a King. But I also would have loved to see the reverence and awe in their faces as they worshiped the Child.

Continued tomorrow