2:1-23 | Herod vs. the Wise Men
Herod
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A despised king
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Puppet king of Rome
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Half Edomite
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A paranoid king
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Survived assassination attempts
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Always suspected plots against him from his own family
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Doubted his wife's fidelity
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Troubled by news of the King of the Jews
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A violent king
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Put many of his own family to death
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Did anything to remove perceived threats to his rule
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Eventually slaughters all baby boys in the Bethlehem region
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The Magi
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Wise men from the East
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Were likely Persian or Babylonian
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Believed in astrology
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Possibly influenced by Jews who remained after the captivity
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They were looking for the newborn king
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They had seen a star
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Jerusalem is the natural place to look for a king
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Where is he to be found?
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The Chief Priests and Scribes
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Consulted by Herod
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He's troubled
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He's ignorant of the scripture
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They're apathetic
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They have knowledge but no zeal to do anything
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The messiah has just been announced and they do nothing
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Three Ways People React to Jesus
Resist the King
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People want to live life as they see fit
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We like our independence
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William Wallace "Freedom!"
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Patrick Henry "Give me liberty, or give me death!"
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Shape the world as you see fit
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Jeremiah 2:20 | I won't serve!
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The authority of Jesus is a threat to their lifestyle | Gal. 2:20
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It's not my life anymore
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We owe him our life
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More than saying we'd die for him
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Every second goes to him
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I'm not going to be doing the things I want to anymore
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Herod tried to fight back
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Kills the male children in Bethlehem | 10-20 children
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But God is going to win | Psalm 2
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Why fight a losing battle?
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He's going to give us so much more than what we can get here
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Ignore the King
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The most surprising response
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These men were dedicated to the Lord
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Shouldn't they have gone with the Magi to worship Jesus?
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Instead they ignored the king
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To interested in their own affairs
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Couldn't see what was right in front of them | John 5:39-40
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Looking for my glasses on my own face
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This happens in a few commentaries I read
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They might not have believed
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We know better than these Gentiles from the East
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People will ignore Jesus for all sorts of reasons
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They don't see why he's important
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He makes them uncomfortable | John 3:19
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Always try to fit him in another day down the road
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They think they have an understanding with him
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They will miss out on everything
Worship the King
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These were among the first to worship Jesus
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Herod tried to fight against him
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The priests and scribes ignored him
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The Magi come and worship
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They recognized him as king
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They themselves were in prominent positions in life
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They had luxurious gifts
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They could expect an audience with Herod
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The gifts were only fit for a king
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No reason to believe in the traditional symbolism of these gifts
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How Will We React to Jesus?
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He's been announced to us
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We know of his kingly lineage
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We know God has established him on his throne
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Are we going to ignore him?
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Are we going to fight against him?
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Will we worship him as the king and savior that he is