The Divine Paradox of A Baby King

The Divine Paradox of The Baby King

                                       

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If there is one thought we learn from the Bible it is that in coming to God's ways, we find that God's ways are not our inborn ways.  We are born into selfishness coming into this world crying, desiring and even demanding to be served.   What some call 'the will to survive' often grows into nothing but selfishness.  But, Jesus teaches us the Joy, the Paradox of loving, caring, and the Faith in the Paradox of calling Him Lord of our Lives.

But, from His birth to His death, Jesus showed us how to truly live life.  His birth was totally backward from what was expected by most people of the day, even though it was absolutely predicted, which is also a Paradox.

Even with all the Old Testament prophecy that Jesus fulfilled, at least 48 prophecies, the Jews of Jesus' time expected a King to come in and push out the Romans, instead, they got a baby and did not recognize Him, for most people, even to His death.

It is a Inspired Paradox that-

The King of Kings came as a helpless baby and the only visitors that day were some smelly, scruffy shepherds and their animals.

The King of Kings came to a woman, a young poor woman and only engaged.  Just imagine the embarrassment, there must have been lots of horrible rumors and talk about her.  Her husband was going to be kind and quietly put her away, but He obeyed God and Obediently help raise the King of Kings.

The King of Kings came at the worst of times for His mother.  Pregnant, she rides eight to ten days, about 80 miles (120km) from Nazareth to Bethlehem because of a government decree, a government to eventually fall into ruin, but the reign continues of the King of Kings.

The King of Kings arrives in a small, out of the way town, with no notice, no advance preparation, no parades, no band, and no place to stay but with lowly animals in a stable, family, and a manger, a wooden feed box for the King of Kings.

The King of Kings are protected by strangers, Wisemen from the East.  Even poor, at a time when His family needs to flee to Egypt, men with great gifts provides the money for the King of Kings.

The King of Kings arrives as a baby, a helpless baby but as just baby.  Except in the final moments Jesus deems right, no earthly king can destroy the baby, the man, the Savior- The King of Kings.

It is only in selfishness and as proven long ago, it is only to their self-destruction that people deny the King of Kings.

Life for the baby Jesus was a paradox,
    just as are His teaching are a Paradox for us- 
           until we Learn that His way and that 
                     His Love is what is truly Best for us in our lives.  
   Then and only then, out of Jesus' love for us, 
             can we feel the real Joy in our Lives He alone brings us.
  

But the real Paradox, the Divine Paradox,
  We would not know of Mary and Joseph,
      Nobody would care about Ceaser Augustus and a census,
          A tale of Wisemen from the East would be pointless,
            There would be no announcement of a Baby King,
               no record of a baby in Bethlehem,
                  no account of the shepherds,
                      no Herod killing children in fear of the throne,
                         no Joy of living in the Grace of God,
If it were not for the Obedience to the  Cross of Jesus and
    His Resurrection by God.

The tragic paradox is the people 
               who reject The Divine Paradox,
     the same Divine Paradox that
               still inspires and changes people yet today.

Without the Cross 
                     there would be no Christmas.

Thanks Be To God for Sending us Jesus

For more on combating our selfishness and 
                  on the Paradox of the Baby King click-

    Finding The Upright Life in a World Turned Upside Down

© lonnie coggins

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© Lonnie Coggins
ldcoggins@gmail.com

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Please email me if you find any broken links in this message.

lonnie

Publication  0191

intro
It seemed strange to the people of Jesus' day that the King of Kings would come as a baby. To most people still today, it is no different. But in the Paradox of His birth we find the Paradox of our life and come to realize He is the King of Kings. Click the link for more and share as you are lead to do. Merry Christmas

http://lonnieadailythought.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-paradox-of-baby-king.html

Great Expectation of the Magi

 The Magi and                                        Return To

Great Expectations                                Main Menu

Matthew 2:10 

NIV:     When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

NKJV:  When they saw the star,

                    they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

NRSV:  When they saw the star had stopped, 

                    they were overwhelmed with joy.

Matthew 2:1-12 tells us of the 800+ mile, 40+ day journey of the Magi.  It is no small event of the Christmas story as it shows careful preparations based on hope, faith, irony, joy, and expectations.

There is irony in the very fact that rich, Gentile, foreign priests of high honor desired to seek the baby Jesus.  In the days of Jesus, travel was precarious in its danger and was usually done with great preparation and often accomplished in caravans.  Just as Mary and Joseph probably went to Bethlehem with a caravan so to the Magi.  It required preparation for the Magi.  They had to plan provisions, how far to travel each day, determine how many days it would require, how many people/servants to take with them, and on and on and on.  This was no small task.  All this would be done just to find the baby King of the Jews.  The question is why would they care?

The Magi prepared with the hope and faith that they would find the 'King of the Jews' and it is not difficult to understand why they cared in finding a baby that would be King.  Archaeology and in secular writings of the time reveal that among the vast array of Arabs in 'the east' where the Magi originated there were cells of Jewish people that knew their rich Jewish history.  These people were the descendants of the Jews of Israel and Judah that were conquered, taken, and pushed out of Palestine beginning in 721 BC.  From Israel  (northern kingdom) Jews were dispersed to the west in Mesopotamia, some were taken east to Persia/Media (present day Iran), and from Judah in 586, many were taken to Babylon, possibly up to 50,000 of the Judean population of about 120,000 (*1).  But the significance, is perhaps only as few as 10% possibly up to 50% percent returned from Babylon beginning around 520 BC and the ensuing 100+ years (*2).  

For over 500 years stories of Jewish expectations of a Savior were passed down in these Jewish communities of the East.   At the same time in many segments of the Persian and Babylon Jewish communities, the  mixing of the different faiths was common in those 500 years leading up to Jesus' birth.  Within this, Savior expectation stories could have easily been passed to the eastern Magi.  In Matthew's Magi passage, he shows us a few caring Magi, caring because they listened, and in their understanding they found a ring of truth in the Jewish hopes and faith that were stored in those Jewish expectations.

So, these Magi that traveled so very far were likely fully confident in their task, were wealthy and important Eastern priests that set out on their Journey in hope and faith with great expectations.   How ironic it is that they travel seeking the Savior Christ child who is born in their belief "King of the Jews".  How ironic that Arab priests go to the center of power of the Jewish nation asking "Where is the one born king of the Jews?" when a Jewish related King Herod of Palestine sits on the throne in Jerusalem.   How ironic that this King Herod is so shaken he does not think to send spies to find the destination of the Magi.  How ironic Gentile priests seek to submit themselves in worship to a baby Jew and the Jewish priests are overwhelmingly troubled, disturbed, and frightened in their taking no time to find the baby. 

And, in their finding the baby Jesus, it is recorded the Magi are filled with Joy.  Note, it is not recorded that they are happy, rather, that they are overwhelmed with joy, exceedingly!  They come in Joy, falling down, kneeling, and with bowed heads submitting themselves in worship to their new found King, the baby Jesus.  In their gifts, they show not their worth, rather, they demonstrate this child is worthy of their worship.  In their meeting and leaving the baby Jesus, they return home not only a different route, but most notably they return home as different men.

This story connects with us in the 21st Century.  First, there is no information published at the time of Jesus that would in anyway cause us to question the truth of this event or any other of the events recorded about Jesus.   But, well beyond that fact is our connection to the Magi is the same yearning in our hearts as the Magi had in their hearts, to have faith in someone greater than ourselves.  Someone we can believe in, someone who will never fail us in our needful times, someone who will always be there for us.  When we come face to face with that 'someone' and understand what Jesus brings to us in Salvation, as it was with the Magi, we too are changed people.

What are your expectations as you prepare for the Christmas season?  Seek to find your Overwhelming Joy as the Magi did by submitting yourselves to Jesus. The Magi knew with Joy they found the One Savior!  But, we know Jesus is the One Savior not just because of a Star over Bethlehem but, because of the Joy of eye witnesses to an Easter empty tomb.    

In preparation, we celebrate Christmas around the birth of the Christ,  born king of the Jews but destined for sacrifice as our redeeming Savior. In our celebration we show we care and we live in the Joy of Overwhelming Expectations and in the Christian knowledge of a Risen Lord.  In a manner similar to the Magi, we too in Joy understand the 'The Ring of Truth' found in Christ,  and in that 'Ring of Truth' feel compelled to fall down, kneel, and with bowed heads submit ourselves in humble worship to our Savior King and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ. 

How Magnificent is our God,

Thanks be to God.

 "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus- There is Something about that Name"

lonnie (c)

================*1 http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4012-captivity...
*2 https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0006_0_06183.html
.
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The number of Jews that returned to Judah is not really known.  The Judean Jews were in exile about 60 to 70 years and multiplied while in Babylon perhaps doubling their population.  Having settled in Babylon, flourishing in business it is safe to say quite a significant number of Jews and Jewish communities remained behind, perhaps as many as 50,000+.  It is well known from records and archaeology that those returning to Judah had very difficult times.  For many Jews, it was a question of returning to the difficulties of a homeland that many did not know, or continuing their business enterprises in Babylon that were flourishing.

© lonnie coggins

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Sharing these messages

You are welcome to share these messages.  You can send the links to your friends,  copy and insert the link on FB or Christian.com or you can print the message and share it with your friends.

You can print the message including this sharing message only for your friends and for non-profit.  You will have to copy and paste the message to a word processing document.   After you copy and paste add the following at the end of the message:

© Lonnie Coggins

ldcoggins@gmail.com

If you desire to use any of these messages in a For-Profit manner you must contact me (email) for permission.  Typically, I will most likely give permission.

Please email me if you find any broken links in this message.

lonnie 

Publication 0083