Mateus 2

Mateus 2

Meyer - They offered unto Him gifts, Gold…. (marg.). Our Daily Homily Gold is for the king. It is meet that Matthew should tell this story: for his is pre-eminently the royal Gospel. Long before the Lord was born, these Eastern sages must have been started on their way, whither and to worship whom they knew not: but an ancient prophecy had foretold that to this babe should be offered of the gold of Sheba, and that kings should bring Him the riches of the Gentiles. How useful this gold was to Joseph in the following months! It helped him to defray the cost of the journey into Egypt and back, and to maintain his precious charges there. The Heavenly Father knew what those needs would be, and met them by anticipation. If you concern yourself in the affairs of his kingdom, and will obey the warnings and directions He gives; if you dare to step out on the path of literal obedience — you will find that God will become responsible and defray all costs. Gold is naught to Him. He can make it out of common dust by a word. It is sweet to think of all the gold presented to Jesus in after ages. The wealth of the rich, the golden ornaments taken from the person, the tiny pieces of gold which represent the patient savings of the poor — all these have made up the flowing river of which those golden gifts of the Magi were the first trickling drops. Have you given gold to Him, you who know Him, not as the babe only, but as the Man of the Cross; not as man merely, but as the Son of the Highest! You may have given Him copper in abundance, and silver in handfuls; but let your future gifts to Him be of the best. Or, if poverty restrains you, let the philosopher’s stone of Love turn the meaner metals to gold. A FITTING PRESENT Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. —Romans 12:1 A little boy was somewhat perplexed by all the exchanging of presents on Christmas morning, for he had been taught in Sunday school that it was the birthday of the Saviour. Finally, after a long period of silence, he asked, “Mummy, when are we going to give Jesus His present? I thought it was His birthday!” Strange isn’t it that most of us give gifts to everyone but the One whose birthday we celebrate? A good question we might ask ourselves is this: What am I going to give to the Lord Jesus this Christmas? If you have never trusted in Him as your Saviour, the thing He desires most from you is a believing heart. Why not put your faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross so you can be saved from your sins? If by faith you already know Christ as your Saviour, then the most wonderful thing you can do this Christmas is to present to God the one gift He most desires to receive from you—your body (Ro 12:1). Our bodies are to be used for God’s purposes. Because we have accepted the gift of salvation from Him, it’s only reasonable that we should present ourselves to the Father. When we give ourselves, we give the one Christmas present that truly fits the occasion! Richard DeHaan GIVE YOUR ALL TO CHRIST; HE GAVE HIS ALL FOR YOU. Someone to Celebrate Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Psalm 95:6 Today's Scripture & Insight: Matthew 2:1–12 Many manger scenes depict the wise men, or magi, visiting Jesus in Bethlehem at the same time as the shepherds. But according to the gospel of Matthew, the only place in Scripture where their story is found, the magi showed up later. Jesus was no longer in the manger in a stable at the inn, but in a house. Matthew 2:11 tells us, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Realizing that the magi’s visit happened later than we may think provides a helpful reminder as we begin a new year. Jesus is always worthy of worship. When the holidays are past and we head back to life’s everyday routines, we still have Someone to celebrate. Reflect & Pray Lord Jesus, just as the magi sought You and bowed before You as the coming King, help me to yield my will to You and to follow where You lead. When we find Christ we offer our worship. Matthew 2:1-12 Wrapped Up In Greed When they had come into the house, they saw the young Child . . . and fell down and worshiped Him. —Matthew 2:11 As followers of Jesus, we must be careful to guard our hearts from greed during this holiday season. In a society that has secularized Christmas, that’s not easy. USA Today reported the results of three polls signaling the erosion of the meaning of Christmas. In a survey of Americans, only one-third said the birth of Jesus is what makes the holiday important. What is important, then? The presents, of course! According to the poll, 97 percent of us purchase gifts. While there’s nothing wrong with commemorating the gift of God’s Son by giving gifts to those we love, this pleasant tradition can easily become greed-infected. Remember the toy-of-choice in 1996, the Tickle Me Elmo doll? Some people bought one for a child or grandchild but gave up that loving idea after learning they could turn the toy into a big profit. Newspapers were soon carrying columns of ads offering the fad-of-the-season doll for many times its purchase price. Take time this Christmastide to go A little way apart, And with the hands of prayer prepare The house that is your heart. —Anon. Selfishness makes Christmas a burden; love makes it a delight. Matthew 2:12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. NET After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back by another route to their own country. GNT καὶ χρηματισθέντες κατ᾽ ὄναρ μὴ ἀνακάμψαι πρὸς Ἡρῴδην, δι᾽ ἄλλης ὁδοῦ ἀνεχώρησαν εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν. NLT When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. KJV And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. ESV And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. NIV And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. warned - Mt 2:22 1:20 27:19 Ge 20:6,7 31:24 Job 33:15-17 Da 2:19 they left - Ex 1:17 Ac 4:19 5:29 1Co 3:19 DIVINE DIRECTIVE TO DETOUR And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod - Apparently this warning was by God Himself as no angelic messenger is described. Warned (5537)(chrematizo from chrema = an affair, business, sum of money) in the NT means to impart a divine message (an injunction or warning). Chrematizo in this sense speaks of a divine oracle or declaration as to Simeon to whom "it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ" (Lk 2:26+). Here and in Mt 2:22 it is a divine warning. Marvin