Synoptic Gospels 3: Shepherd and King (1)
Pray Psalm 72.12-15.
For He will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And precious shall be their blood in His sight.
And He shall live;
And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.
Sing Psalm 72.12-15.
(Martyrdom: Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed)
The LORD the needy rescues when he cries to Him for grace;
all they who suffer violence find mercy before His face.
Let Christ be praised and all the gold of Sheba be His right;
let blessings to His Name be told, and prayers made both day and night.
Read Matthew 2.1-6 and Luke 2.8-14; meditate on Matthew 2.1-6.
Preparation
1. What were the wise men from the east seeking?
2. How did Herod respond to this?
Meditation
If we say we believe in Jesus as our King, then we will fall before Him like those Magi, and give to Him all the best we have of our time, talents, and treasure. We will devote ourselves entirely to Him and His Kingdom (Matt. 6.10, 33), for we know that He expects nothing less of those who would follow Him in this world.
Meanwhile, the world wants to destroy Jesus. They do not want Jesus as their King. They prefer to be autonomous, laws by themselves and unto themselves. Make no mistake about it. If they could, the enemies of King Jesus in every walk of life would outlaw all teaching and worshiping and mentioning of the Name of Jesus Christ. And they would shame and silence anyone who even looked like he might be associated with the Lord.
For now, however, the Spirit and grace of God restrain the worst that the wrong-believing world might do against the Name of Jesus.
Restrain, but not eliminate. In this life, those who follow Jesus must understand that His way is fraught with challenge and danger. But as the Word of God protected Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in Matthew 2, so that Word protects all who go with Jesus to bring His Kingdom into the world. That doesn’t mean we won’t suffer, but it does mean that our eternal wellbeing, as followers of Jesus, is never in doubt. He was born a King, He lived and died as King, and now He is exalted as King of kings and Lord of lords. And we are citizens and ambassadors of this great King’s realm.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
As citizens and ambassadors in the Kingdom of the King, we must walk wisely and carefully.
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up…” (Matt. 10.16, 17).
Let’s consider for a moment the chief priests and scribes that Herod consulted. They knew the Scriptures well enough to inform him that this King was to be born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2.6; Mic. 5.2). So, they also knew the tragedy that followed—as they eagerly gave up the information. “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more” (Matt. 2.18; Jer. 31.15). They were the willing informants.
What were they thinking? Or kindly, were they just not thinking at all?
But harshly, were they already protecting their turf?
Were they ramping up for the day that this Baby would become a Man?
The Man Who would threaten their power base?
The Promised Messiah? King of kings and Lord of lords?
That Baby?
The same is true today. The same “destroyers” offer the same opposition to Jesus’ power and rule. The same aversion rages to following Him into His Kingdom work, bearing the same overwhelming fear that this work just might demand a life change. And with the life change a refocusing of our priorities. And as we refocus our priorities a new Leader emerges— “you shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image…For I, the LORD your God, AM a jealous God [judging] those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Ex. 20.3-6).
As we serve King Jesus, we will make sure never to harm another person, for any reason, like the chief priests and scribes did—either by sins of commission or omission.
In the venting of all their “knowledge” they managed to bring tragedy upon multitudes. It was nice that they knew the Scriptures, but they didn’t use them for the benefit of anyone.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3.16, 17). And certainly, the destruction of an entire generation of little boys was not a good work.
Our love for God and our love for others is summed up in Jesus’ words:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,
that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13.34, 35).
The love we learn from Jesus is never self-serving; but is mightily filled with His wisdom.
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Jms. 3.17, 18). A skill set lacking in the chief priests and scribes of Herod’s day.
Reflection
1. What are the implications of saying that Jesus is our King?
2. In what sense are we ambassadors of His Kingdom? What does this entail?
3. How does Jesus rule over us in line with His teaching about the Kingdom? What is our responsibility in this?
[I]f the sight of a star had so powerful an effect on the Magi, woe to our insensibility, who, now that Christ the King has been revealed to us, are so cold in our inquiries after him! John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Matthew 2.2
Pray Psalm 72.7-11.
Pray that God will increase your desire to know King Jesus and to seek His Kingdom and righteousness. Offer your day to Him as a day of serving His rule and doing His will.
Sing Psalm 72.7-11.
(Martyrdom: Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed)
Let righteousness abundant be where Jesus’ reign endures;
let peace increase from sea to sea ’til moonlight shall be no more.
And let the Righteous rule the earth, and let His foes bow low;
let nations praise His matchless worth, and all His bidding do.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast is concentrating on praying the psalms to seek revival—why we should and what we might expect. Our twice weekly column, Crosfigell, has just begun a new series on the life of Brendan the Navigator, one of the great saints of the 6th century. Our current ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, teaches us how to pray for the impact our church is making, beginning with being light to the world . And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
