Christmas - Wise Men, Deceivers and the Masses
2000 years ago wise men from Persia came to see Jesus, King of the Jews. Along the way they stopped to chat with King Herod who was troubled by the news. All the while, the great mass of humanity noticed nothing at all.
Who are you and I like? Are we like the wise men that came to worship Jesus? Are we deceitful and angry like Herod, threatened by the Truth? Are we like a third unnamed group in this historic account, the great silent mass of humanity.
The wise men did not practice judaism. They were probably Zoroastrian priests who engaged in star gazing. When they saw the unusual star associated with the birth of Jesus, they decided to travel several hundred miles to see the babe, the King of the Jews.
His birth did not offend them. In fact, they went to worship Him.
In contrast, Herod the Great feared Jesus. When the wise men told him about the star and the baby’s birth, he became troubled. After all, he was king and did not want to lose power to another.
As a result, King Herod lied. Commanding the wise men to report back to him after they found Jesus, he stated that he wanted to worship Jesus too.
Actually Herod wanted to kill Jesus. When the wise men failed to email him with Jesus whereabouts, the enraged Herod ordered the murder of all baby boys less than two years of age.
Although the historic accounts tell us that a few wise men and several shepherds went to see Jesus, most of the people continued to go about their business unmoved and seemingly unaffected by the birth of just another baby in a small place. They had no awareness of his birth and would have placed no great importance on it.
In our day, we have been taught about the impropriety of offending others. We are told to consider the use of "Happy Holidays" rather than “Merry Christmas.” Schools hold holiday programs instead of Christmas programs. If government agencies decorate a tree, they gingerly refer to it as a Holiday tree.
We are urged to use extreme care to avoid irritating people of other faiths. We are particularly warned that the slightest mention of Christ and Christmas may offend people who have come to the United States from other lands and cultures.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Most foreigners who come to our nation are very glad to be here. They know we are a nation shaped and sustained largely by our Christian heritage.
Do our Christian roots keep them away? Absolutely not. They continue to come any way they can. Some have been waiting for years for the opportunity. Others enter illegally. They want to live here.
Once they arrive in this country they are not predominantly interested in eradicating Christianity from our schools and public life. In fact, many are quite interested in our religious traditions.
The people in our midst who raise the biggest fuss about Jesus and Christmas are activist atheists. They will not stop until they have silenced His name in our schools, kept the manger out of our public places and completely eliminated all reference to God on our coins and in our public ceremonies.
These activists are more like deceitful Herod who tried to mislead the wise men in order to bring about his own purposes. They attempt to justify their activity by appealing to the cause of those who come from other lands and follow other religious belief systems.
They use the so-called separation of church and state to crush any religious symbols, teaching or practice in the public arena. All the while they fail to mention that their belief system, secular humanism, is also a religion.
The result is that our nation dies a slow death as we move further and further away from truth. Violence, drug use, out-of-wedlock births, suicide, homosexuality and general moral decline ruin the lives of millions.
As the activists work so hard to marginalize Christianity, many of us continue about our affairs with little interest in the outcome. The press of daily life entirely consumes us.
The problem of the human heart is not merely a tendency to engage in what most people would call acts of great evil. It is also our capacity to leave God out of almost everything we do.
In a single day we are able to entertain thousands of thoughts and perform hundreds of actions without giving even passing consideration to the Lord. Even those of us who attend church on Sunday may live as practical atheists throughout the week.
When our work, pleasures, travels and day-to-day activities crowd God out of our lives, we are somewhat like the masses of people who lived in Bethlehem and the surrounding regions when Jesus was born. His birth had no immediate affect on their daily lives.
Whether we are like Herod or the silent masses, the Christmas story is a story for us. If we quietly listen we can hear the truth in spite of the traditions, anger, agendas and apathy of our day.
How silently so silently the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
This Christmas season let’s not be like the masses who continue their daily affairs without any awareness or concern of Jesus.
Let’s not be like the deceivers and scoffers who reject the truth in order to bring about their own agendas.
Let’s be like those who have put aside backgrounds and traditions to come to Jesus. Let's receive Him as our Savior, the promised One, Jesus the Christ. Let's worship Him.
Who are you and I like? Are we like the wise men that came to worship Jesus? Are we deceitful and angry like Herod, threatened by the Truth? Are we like a third unnamed group in this historic account, the great silent mass of humanity.
The wise men did not practice judaism. They were probably Zoroastrian priests who engaged in star gazing. When they saw the unusual star associated with the birth of Jesus, they decided to travel several hundred miles to see the babe, the King of the Jews.
His birth did not offend them. In fact, they went to worship Him.
In contrast, Herod the Great feared Jesus. When the wise men told him about the star and the baby’s birth, he became troubled. After all, he was king and did not want to lose power to another.
As a result, King Herod lied. Commanding the wise men to report back to him after they found Jesus, he stated that he wanted to worship Jesus too.
Actually Herod wanted to kill Jesus. When the wise men failed to email him with Jesus whereabouts, the enraged Herod ordered the murder of all baby boys less than two years of age.
Although the historic accounts tell us that a few wise men and several shepherds went to see Jesus, most of the people continued to go about their business unmoved and seemingly unaffected by the birth of just another baby in a small place. They had no awareness of his birth and would have placed no great importance on it.
In our day, we have been taught about the impropriety of offending others. We are told to consider the use of "Happy Holidays" rather than “Merry Christmas.” Schools hold holiday programs instead of Christmas programs. If government agencies decorate a tree, they gingerly refer to it as a Holiday tree.
We are urged to use extreme care to avoid irritating people of other faiths. We are particularly warned that the slightest mention of Christ and Christmas may offend people who have come to the United States from other lands and cultures.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Most foreigners who come to our nation are very glad to be here. They know we are a nation shaped and sustained largely by our Christian heritage.
Do our Christian roots keep them away? Absolutely not. They continue to come any way they can. Some have been waiting for years for the opportunity. Others enter illegally. They want to live here.
Once they arrive in this country they are not predominantly interested in eradicating Christianity from our schools and public life. In fact, many are quite interested in our religious traditions.
The people in our midst who raise the biggest fuss about Jesus and Christmas are activist atheists. They will not stop until they have silenced His name in our schools, kept the manger out of our public places and completely eliminated all reference to God on our coins and in our public ceremonies.
These activists are more like deceitful Herod who tried to mislead the wise men in order to bring about his own purposes. They attempt to justify their activity by appealing to the cause of those who come from other lands and follow other religious belief systems.
They use the so-called separation of church and state to crush any religious symbols, teaching or practice in the public arena. All the while they fail to mention that their belief system, secular humanism, is also a religion.
The result is that our nation dies a slow death as we move further and further away from truth. Violence, drug use, out-of-wedlock births, suicide, homosexuality and general moral decline ruin the lives of millions.
As the activists work so hard to marginalize Christianity, many of us continue about our affairs with little interest in the outcome. The press of daily life entirely consumes us.
The problem of the human heart is not merely a tendency to engage in what most people would call acts of great evil. It is also our capacity to leave God out of almost everything we do.
In a single day we are able to entertain thousands of thoughts and perform hundreds of actions without giving even passing consideration to the Lord. Even those of us who attend church on Sunday may live as practical atheists throughout the week.
When our work, pleasures, travels and day-to-day activities crowd God out of our lives, we are somewhat like the masses of people who lived in Bethlehem and the surrounding regions when Jesus was born. His birth had no immediate affect on their daily lives.
Whether we are like Herod or the silent masses, the Christmas story is a story for us. If we quietly listen we can hear the truth in spite of the traditions, anger, agendas and apathy of our day.
How silently so silently the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
This Christmas season let’s not be like the masses who continue their daily affairs without any awareness or concern of Jesus.
Let’s not be like the deceivers and scoffers who reject the truth in order to bring about their own agendas.
Let’s be like those who have put aside backgrounds and traditions to come to Jesus. Let's receive Him as our Savior, the promised One, Jesus the Christ. Let's worship Him.
posted by Steve at 3:55 PM
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