Title: Where Is Jesus? / Matthew 2:1-12
Contents - Where is Jesus? - (Matthew 2:1~12)
Recently, a research institute investigated the consciousness of modern people about Christmas. The content of the question was this.
"What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Christmas?" To this question, most people answered that it was a gift.
Next came Santa Claus, Christmas Tree, Jingle Bells, New Year's Eve, and Christmas Cards.
So, how many times was Jesus, the true protagonist of Christmas? Surprisingly, it was the seventh.
The one who should be the protagonist of Christmas, the one to be glorified and praised, has been pushed far from people's minds.
Interest in Jesus is gradually disappearing from people.
Christmas is no longer a day to celebrate Jesus.
Now, over Finland, located in Northern Europe, 'air traffic', or airplane congestion, is taking place.
A rare phenomenon of airplane congestion is occurring in the sky as an aircraft bound for Finland is biting its tail in the wide sky.
This is because, on Christmas Day, charter planes are flying from all over the world to visit a remote Finnish village, a fictional 'Santa Village' (population 3,500) 800km away from Helsinki, the capital.
It is said that more than 600,000 people from all over the world are planning to visit Santa Village this year alone.
'Santa Village' is a fictional village. Santa is an imaginary figure.
But now, the main guests have been evangelized and people who need to go to Bethlehem are flocking to Santa Village in Finland.
It also causes air traffic. The protagonist of Christmas is changing from Jesus, who actually came to this earth, to Santa who was planned as a fictional character.
Ahead of this Christmas, the President of the United States, Bush, sent Christmas cards to about 20,000 influential people around the world.
Everyone got a Christmas card from the President of the United States, so how good it was, but those who opened the card, especially Christians, were puzzled.
This is because the content of the card was not a 'Marry Christmas' card to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but a 'Holiday' card to simply celebrate a holiday.
Now, Christmas has become a day of celebration at the end of the year, a holiday where we meet, greet, exchange gifts, and enjoy each other at the end of the year, nothing more, nothing less.
Christmas is a compound word of Christ and Mass.
So, the original meaning of Christmas is to worship Christ.
Christmas is the day when we find the baby Jesus and confess that He is the Messiah, or Christ, who came to this earth, and visit Him like the wise men and worship Him.
This Christmas is sometimes abbreviated as X-mass, using the first letter X in the Greek.
But this day has truly become an X-mass. I enjoyed it without knowing what day it was, and it turned into a day of sin.
Many people today pay no attention to the main character, Jesus, who was born on this earth.
Regardless of that, I'm going through today. But we must answer the question, "Where is the one who was born king of the Jews", which the wise men from the East cried out desperately.
Because he is the hope. Because today's protagonist is Jesus Himself.
One day a strange phenomenon appeared in the eastern sky, far from Jerusalem. A star was slowly moving westward.
Some of the wise men considered this unusual and followed the star.
Those traveling to see the stars arrived in a small city called Jerusalem.
And ask the people there. "Where is the one who was born king of the Jews?" That is, we are asking, where is Jesus?
There are a few things to think about as you read the text.
What is the relationship between the time of Jesus' birth and the stars? that is.
When a strange star appeared in the sky, was Jesus born? Or, when the star came to Bethlehem and stopped on a manger, was Jesus born at that moment?
We do not know exactly, but the words of verses 2 and 16 provide a clue to the answer to this question.
“Where is the one who was born king of the Jews?” (verse 2) “by the time when the wise men knew the male child in Bethlehem and all its borders” (verse 16). From this point of view, it is clear that Jesus was born, at least when the wise men came to Jerusalem.
The birth of Jesus coincided with the moment the star appeared.
So, what does this star symbolize? It symbolizes Jesus Christ who came to this earth as light.
It represents the Messiah who will defeat darkness. But what does the moving of the star mean? means to be alive.
The star guided the wise men. If so, the star represents Jesus who is the leader.
So, how did King Herod and all Jerusalem react when they heard the news that the Messiah had been born?
When King Herod and all Jerusalem heard of it, they were stirred (Matthew 2:3), and the people in power and almost everyone were aware of the situation and caused a stir.
Nevertheless, none of them came to Bethlehem.
The distance between Jerusalem and Bethlehem is only 7-8 km to the southwest.
There were no people who ran to the place where they could immediately run and check if they had an idea.
Was it only King Herod and the inhabitants of Jerusalem? So did the high priests and scribes.
The king asks them. “Where will Christ be?” Then they go through the Bible and answer.
“He said, ‘Bethlehem, Judea, for it is written by the prophet, ‘Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, you are not the least among the towns of Judea;
Even the high priests and scribes don't care about "where Jesus is." Words make it plausible. The Bible seems to believe.
However, they are not interested in the actual birth of Jesus. In fact, there is no desire to run and worship the One who was born.
This has great implications for us today as well.
When it comes to Christmas, there really is a commotion.
But they are not really interested in Jesus. They do not come before him to worship him.
We are having a Christmas without Jesus.
This is happening right before our eyes. So, where is my Jesus?
I have to think for a moment, do I care about him?
Where is Jesus? Why is it important to seek Him and meet Him?
Because a completely different life unfolds through meeting.
“And being instructed in a dream not to return to Herod, he returned to his homeland by a different way” (Matthew 2:12).
Here, 'another way' is more accurately translated as 'completely different' or 'a new way'. The stars are gone. It is natural to disappear.
Because the star is a symbol and a shadow of Jesus.
There are about 2,500 religions in this land. All of these religions offer their own 'path'. It means that it shows about 2,500 roads.
They say, 'This way you will be saved, you must go this way, this is the way of life'.
But who is the only 'carve'? Which road will you take to get to heaven? Jesus came to this earth as a 'write'.
When you believe in Him and follow Him, He will lead you to a new path of life.
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6) Where is Jesus, and this is the reason we need to seek Him.
Because He alone is our only savior. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
Only those who have met Jesus can walk the 'new path'. No, those who met Jesus must walk a new path.
The wise men of the Magi who met the baby Jesus began to walk a new path different from what they had ever been before. You have to clear everything that is wrong and start a new life.
After meeting the baby Jesus, everything changed. On what basis have the doctors moved their steps so far? I walked along the stars in the sky.
At other times, I listened to people and followed them and started walking.
But after a while, it all disappeared from my sight.
They are now walking a new path. To walk a new path here means to live a life of a new person that is completely different from the way of life you have been living in the past.
Complete change is possible only in Jesus. He alone can change us and make us a new person.
Dear saints,
Where is my own Jesus? You need to meet that person. You must worship him.
Because He is our 'new way'.
Only those who have met him can walk the 'new path'. You can live a new life.