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esus was not a special baby to the owner of the
feed trough in which He was sleeping on the night
He was born. There was no room at the inn in Bethlehem.
When His parents came looking for a place to stay
where His mother could give birth, the owner did
not offer the use of his home. In fact, history says
that Jesus and His parents were allowed to stay in
a cave where the landlord's animals slept and ate.
A cave! Did Jesus notice the odors? Was it clean?
We do not know, but it was all that was offered.
These teenage parents did their best for Jesus. They
used the animals' feeding trough for His bed and
probably straw for His mattress. No! - the owner
was not thinking about Jesus or His parents as being
anyone special. They were just other travelers looking
for a place to sleep.
He did not know Jesus' parents had been
visited by the angel Gabriel (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke
1:26-56) or that the angel had told His parents to
name Him Jesus. Surely, the owner did not know Jesus'
name was to be Emmanuel - God with us (Matt. 1:23)!
This landlord would have wanted to know that Joseph
was not Jesus' actual father. Did he know they were
from Nazareth in Galilee or that His parents were
descendants of King David? He did not know that this
child's birth would be announced by angels and that
a star was going to appear when He was born. He did
not know that shepherds would come to visit the Savior
for whom he and so many had long waited. He did not
know that the real reason Jesus' parents had come
to Bethlehem was not just to register for Quirinius'
census but for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem as the
prophets had predicted.
AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER, WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.' (NASB) Matthew 2:6 The owner probably would not have believed that
He was born of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) or that
His mother was a virgin as predicted by the prophet
Isaiah.
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. (NASB) Isaiah 7:14 After the visit of the shepherds, did
the owner have a change of heart? History never mentions
his name, but history does mention the baby's name
- Jesus. The angel had said He was the "Savior,
who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
Wise Men Arrive. The
landlord did know there were some men, wise men or
magi, who knew about Jesus' birth. They would have
eagerly offered their royal rooms to Jesus and His
parents. They had seen His miracle star in the sky
- an unusual star that pointed to Jesus. They came
from the east to visit Him. The landlord could have
visited Jesus easily, but these magi had to travel
a great distance. Apparently the star could no longer
be seen when they finally arrived in Jerusalem, but
their question was not about the star.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him." And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. (NASB) Matthew 2:1-3 They came looking for "He who has been born King
of the Jews."
How did these men know the "King of
the Jews" was born? Why did they connect the star
with the birth of Jesus? The answer to these questions
is given by the fact that they came from the east,
a place where many Jews had gone into exile some
600 years earlier. They came from Persia or from
Babylon. Their names are of Iranian origin. These
men had come from a background of involvement in
astrology and the occult. They were priests by birth
and their forefathers had possessed great political
power in Babylon, Media, and Persia. Their fathers
knew of a Jew by the name of Daniel. He had served
the great Nebuchadnezzar and other kings in that
region. Daniel had predicted that Messiah the Prince
would die in 33 A.D., and if Messiah was to die,
he would need to be born first. If Daniel's predictions
were to come true, this was the period of time for
fulfillment. One hundred years earlier would have
been too early, and sometime after 33 A.D. would
be too late for fulfillment. No one else in history
could qualify as the Messiah. Messiah had to die
in 33 A.D. This was the time; and so when they saw
this unusual star, they responded as smart men who
must have known Daniel's prophecy. They concluded
Messiah the prince was to be born. So they came looking
for the "King of the Jews."
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| Christmas: Messiah -Prince of Peace | |||||
