2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold,
wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
Matthew 2:1-4
This week we kicked off a Christmas series called “All I want for Christmas”
With black Friday that just passed by, many of us had the opportunity to shop around to buy ourselves what we wanted and even gifts for others to pass around during the Holidays.
When choosing gifts for others, it is very important to take a step back and think about what that other person likes, their interests, and tastes. Based on what we know of them and believe of them, our search for a gift can be ironed out to specific items. In the same way, when the wise men gifted baby Jesus with treasures, they brought items based on who they believed baby Jesus to be.
Today, we discussed the significance behind the gift of Gold that was brought before Jesus. Sure it holds practically significance, but at the same, it also holds a spiritual significance. The Magi were communicating about who they believed Jesus to be by giving these specific gifts. This week we discussed the first gift: gold. In the scripture, only Kings are associated to hold gold possessions. The words “gold” and “king” appear in the bible together over 50 times because this was clearly an item that only the royalty collected. The bringing of the gold gift signified the acceptance of who Magi believed Jesus to be, a King. Based on their belief of who Jesus truly was, their reactions during their visit followed accordingly, which was to come down and worship before Him.
In practice, how we do perceive Jesus in our life? Based on how we perceive Him, this dictates the role we allow Him to play in our life, which then determines our reactions and actions towards Him. For example, Magi saw Jesus as King, and therefore they worshiped Him. King Herod on the other hand, saw Jesus as a threat in political power and therefore, his reaction to this was to sentence a command to have all newborn babies killed.
We reflected individually and thought about who we see and accept Jesus as in our lives. A king? Or someone who we run to only when we find the need to? If we accept Him as our King, do our daily actions follow and display obedience and worship? Do we see Jesus really as our King? If not, this Christmas, above all other things on our Christmas list, the first thing we should ask for is King Jesus.
We need Jesus Christ in our life.
Copyright Teens Sunday School Place, Inc. All rights reserved.