Wednesday - Change It - The Night That Changed the Wise
Happy New Year!
We’ve been looking at the story of the Magi or wise men visiting Jesus, now we’ll contast them with the priests and scribes who were present at their meeting with Herod (see yesterday’s Bible reading).
The scribes and priests are also knowledgeable, learned like the Magi. They are called to advise Herod on this apparent threat to his rule – is a new king of the Jews, or the Messiah, really going to be born?
These experts on the scriptures end up helping him with his plan to have the wise men quietly scout things out for Herod, so he can swoop in and violently remove the threat.
But first, Herod needed to know where in Judea this “king” would be born. This was a question the priests/scribes could answer immediately – they knew the scriptures, the history and answer that it’s Bethlehem, the city of David.
The priests and scribes had all the information to know the messiah was coming, and coming imminently. But they did nothing but advise his enemy.
Perhaps in their view, the arrival of the Messiah represents a threat to their power and authority in their culture, and to peace with the Romans. So they go home…Herod will neutralize threat. They advise and move on.
Question: What intellectual risks are involved in following Jesus? How do you calculate those?
Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community – so check out today’s reading here.
Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today!
Read the Bible in Sync Today
Loading Content...
Share a Link to this Message
The link has been copied to your clipboard; paste it anywhere you would like to share it.
This week we’ve seen three reasons to engage in self-denial like fasting: prayer, self-discipline, give to poor.
Today we see, it's not just about food.
There is a lot in our lives that can distract us from prayer. Maybe we can give up some TV time, some web surfing. Spend that time on the train with Redeem the Commute, and pray after each session.
It's also easy for our bodies to drag us into sin. When we're not healthy, can be too exhausted. Place for physical self-discipline in following Jesus.
And there is lots of excess in our lives that could be shared with others. The friend I told you about a couple weeks ago (Generosity topic), saw her tax refund as a way to give to Redeem the Commute, so you and others could learn to follow Jesus.
Challenge: List one thing that distracts you from God. One unhealthy aspect of your life that keeps you from fully serving God. One area of your life where you have abundance, and could share with others. Pick one, and come up with an action plan.
