Passage Read: Matthew 1-2
Meditation Verses: 2:1-3
Thought
The magi came innocently to Jerusalem, but their arrival triggered the death of countless children. They came seeking the one born king of the Jews, and probably assumed everyone knew! The child was, after all, their long-awaited Messiah. And they were probably shocked to find that no one had any idea He had been born. How were the Jews not searching and watching and studying to know when God's promised King would arrive? How did they, as foreigners, know better than the Messiah's own people? And worse, how is it that when they showed up looking for the Messiah, no one showed any interest in why they thought the Messiah had been born, nor did anyone accompany them to see for themselves. They came alone, got a key piece of information, then left alone. Only they and Herod understood the significance of the child they sought. All foreigners. None of God's own people. And when Herod killed all the children, was there any outcry from the religious leaders? How completely insensitive and unaware and uninterested the people were to the things of God, even while they went through the motions of worship. Life must have been too comfortable under Herod's infamous reign.
Application
It is dangerous to have all I want or to be convinced that I am able to gain all I desire with just a little more effort. To be enamored with material things, worldly comforts and pleasures, is a great distraction from the things that really matter. The Messiah? Who cares? Slaughter of the Innocents? Happens all the time. Just don't mess with my commute; I need to spend another day at work, make some more money, enjoy what I have of my own life. And just like that, God comes and God goes, and I'm completely oblivious. That's the real tragedy. The things of God matter most. Those are the things I need to be most concerned about knowing and understanding and putting into practice. They're not an add-on—if I have the time. They are the main thing, the priority. I need to care what God says and what He is doing and what He wants done more than making my days here more comfortable. I don't want to miss or be caught off guard or worse, not care when God shows up.