Matthew revisited

Anyone who knows me very well is aware of my love for all things Christmas.  I love everything about the Christmas story, especially music inspired by it.  Yesterday, my youngest daughter was walking around the house singing Christmas music.  (Yes, it appears she may have inherited her mother's passion for Christmas.)  Her songs inspired me to read the accounts of Jesus' birth this week and infuse a little Christmas into August.

I decided to start with Matthew's account.  I'll admit, I've gotten very used to skimming over the first part of chapter one, the genealogy of Jesus.  But today, I decided to read it more carefully.  It's interesting what can happen when we truly open ourselves up to God's Word.  Even though you may have read a passage hundreds of times, the living, active Word of God can reveal something new to you.

Such was the case today.  As I worked my way through the list of names, I came to this: "and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." (Matthew 1:16)  Wait a minute, I thought, this is the lineage of Joseph, not Mary.  How interesting we are given the family history of Jesus' father, who was not his biological father.  I'm sure there are Bible scholars out there who can shed light on that for me, but for now, I am just enjoying the revelation of something new.  

I went on to chapter 2, in which the Magi make their appearance.  Again, a question was raised in my mind by a passage I've read a thousand times.  "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written:  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Hmmmm, this made me wonder, if the people knew the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, why weren't people constantly camped out there, checking out every baby that was born?  Was it because they weren't convinced about the prophecy?  Was it because too much time had gone by and people had forgotten?

This makes me think about the prophecies still to be fulfilled, in particular, when Jesus returns.  Why aren't we watching for Him?  Has it been too long and we've forgotten?  Are we convinced He's really coming back?

Things to ponder and pray about today.