Read This: Matthew 2:19-23 Opposition to Jesus took two forms — threats and ridicule. As a child, the threat of being killed by Herod sent Him fleeing to Egypt in the middle of the night. Later, when it was safe to return home, Joseph didn’t bring the family back to Bethlehem. That would have put […]
Category: following jesus
Following Jesus • 22 / Foreshadowed and Foreshadowing
Read This: Matthew 2:13-18 We see Herod, the priests, and the magi as characters in the Christmas story, but there’s more going on here. They were real men whose actions revealed what was in their hearts. The wise men came boldly and were spiritually discerning. Herod was insanely jealous and quick to rage. And the religious […]
Following Jesus • 21 / Power, Religion, and Wisdom
Read This: Matthew 2:1-12 Local news is interesting, but international events grab everyone’s attention. Especially the birth of a king. The magi were waiting for a world ruler to come from Judea. When His star finally appeared they immediately set out to meet Him. To them — as to Simeon (see Day 17) — the […]
Following Jesus • 20 / The Full Meaning of the Magi
Read This: Matthew 2:1-12 If you could travel back in time six hundred years before Christ you’d find Daniel in Babylon. Daniel was one powerful man. His wisdom and spiritual discernment made him the leader over the most influential group of advisors in the ancient world — the magi. The magi were experts in science, […]
Following Jesus • 19 / Paying Attention
Much is said about Jesus’ low-key birth. Small-town parents, strangers in Bethlehem, no vacancy, sleeping in the stable. Mary and Joseph were nobodies from nowhere. Unnoticed. But Jesus’ birth was no secret. The birth of John the Baptist six months prior was “talked about through all the hill country of Judea” (Luke 1:65-66). And since […]