San Diego First United Methodist Church – Daily Devotion for
Sunday, 5 January 2014 - Sermon theme for coming Sunday: Power for Living
Text to read: Matthew The Visit of the Wise Men
2: In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judea, wise men[a] from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the
child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its
rising,[b] and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he
was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the
chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the
Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it
has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least
among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d]
my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men[e] and learned
from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to
Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have
found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they
had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that
they had seen at its rising,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child
was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with
joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and
they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they
offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned
in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another
road.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 2:1 Or astrologers; Gk magi
b. Matthew 2:2 Or in the East
c. Matthew 2:4 Or the Christ
d. Matthew 2:6 Or rule
e. Matthew 2:7 Or astrologers; Gk magi
f. Matthew 2:9 Or in the East
g. Matthew 2:10 Gk saw the star
-------
John Wesley’s Notes/Commentary for Matthew 2:1-12
Verse 1. Bethlehem of Judea - There was another Bethlehem in the
tribe of Zebulon. In the days of Herod - commonly called Herod the Great, born
at Ascalon. The scepter was now on the point of departing from Judah. Among his
sons were Archelaus, mentioned ver. 22; Herod Antipas, mentioned chap. xiv, and
Philip, mentioned Luke iii, 19. Herod Agrippa, mentioned Acts xii, 1; &c.,
was his grandson. Wise men - The first fruits of the Gentiles. Probably they
were Gentile philosophers, who, through the Divine assistance, had improved
their knowledge of nature, as a means of leading to the knowledge of the one
true God. Nor is it unreasonable to suppose, that God had favoured them with
some extraordinary Revelations of himself, as he did Melchisedec, Job, and
several others, who were not of the family of Abraham; to which he never
intended absolutely to confine his favours. The title given them in the
original was anciently given to all philosophers, or men of learning; those
particularly who were curious in examining the works of nature, and observing
the motions of the heavenly bodies. From the east - So Arabia is frequently
called in Scripture. It lay to the east of Judea, and was famous for gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. We have seen his star - Undoubtedly they had before
heard Balaam's prophecy. And probably when they saw this unusual star, it was
revealed to them that this prophecy was fulfilled. In the east - That is, while
we were in the east.
Verse 2. To do him homage - To pay him that honour, by bowing to
the earth before him, which the eastern nations used to pay to their monarchs.
Verse 4. The chief priests - That is, not only the high priest
and his deputy, with those who formerly had born that office: but also the
chief man in each of those twenty-four courses, into which the body of priests
were divided, 1 Chron. xxiv, 6-19. The scribes were those whose peculiar
business it was to explain the Scriptures to the people. They were the public
preachers, or expounders of the law of Moses. Whence the chief of them were
called doctors of the law.
Verse 6. Thou art in nowise the least among the princes of Judah
- That is, among the cities belonging to the princes or heads of thousands in
Judah. When this and several other quotations from the Old Testament are
compared with the original, it plainly appears, the apostles did not always
think it necessary exactly to transcribe the passages they cited, but contented
themselves with giving the general sense, though with some diversity of
language. The words of Micah, which we render, Though thou be little, may be
rendered, Art thou little? And then the difference which seems to be here
between the prophet and the evangelist vanishes away. Micah v, 2.
Verse 8. And if ye find him, bring me word - Probably Herod did
not believe he was born; otherwise would not so suspicious a prince have tried
to make sure work at once?
Verse 10. Seeing the star - Standing over where the child was.
Verse 11. They presented to him gifts - It was customary to
offer some present to any eminent person whom they visited. And so it is, as
travelers observe, in the eastern countries to this day. Gold, frankincense,
and myrrh - Probably these were the best things their country afforded; and the
presents ordinarily made to great persons. This was a most seasonable,
providential assistance for a long and expensive journey into Egypt, a country
where they were entirely strangers, and were to stay for a considerable time.
-------
Daily Devotions from Monday, 30 December 2013 through Sunday, 5 January
2014
-------
Monday - Read the entire passage from Matthew The Visit of the
Wise Men
2: In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judea, wise men[a] from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the
child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its
rising,[b] and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he
was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the
chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the
Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it
has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least
among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d]
my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men[e] and learned
from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to
Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have
found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they
had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that
they had seen at its rising,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child
was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with
joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and
they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they
offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned
in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another
road.
The Escape to Egypt
13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to
Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the
child, to destroy him.” 14 Then Joseph[h] got up, took the child and his mother
by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out
of Egypt I have called my son.”
The Massacre of the Infants
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men,[i]
he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around
Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had
learned from the wise men.[j] 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken
through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud
lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be
consoled, because they are no more.”
The Return from Egypt
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a
dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother,
and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are
dead.” 21 Then Joseph[k] got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the
land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in
place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in
a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in
a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might
be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 2:1 Or astrologers; Gk magi
b. Matthew 2:2 Or in the East
c. Matthew 2:4 Or the Christ
d. Matthew 2:6 Or rule
e. Matthew 2:7 Or astrologers; Gk magi
f. Matthew 2:9 Or in the East
g. Matthew 2:10 Gk saw the star
h. Matthew 2:14 Gk he
i. Matthew 2:16 Or astrologers; Gk magi
j. Matthew 2:16 Or astrologers; Gk magi
k. Matthew 2:21 Gk he.
How does the actual biblical story differ from the story of
"tradition"?
Tuesday - Herod and the Magi have two different goals in mind.
How are they like us?
Wednesday – Who else of fame was born in Bethlehem?
What does that mean?
Thursday – How is this story one about overcoming obstacles?
How are they dealt with according to Matthew?
Friday – What can we learn about how God can work in our
obstacles?
Saturday – How do you usually understand obstacles?
What do you do with them?
Sunday – Pray for those who fight for God's justice in the midst
of insurmountable obstacles.
-------
First United Methodist Church
2111 Comino del Rio South
San Diego, CA 92108 United States
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment