<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>The circumstances around the birth of Jesus bring to the
fore profound insights about the Christian journey. The story unfolds as common
place if we have gotten too familiar with the narrative sometimes to the extent
of missing new insights God wants to reveal to us. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>In comparison with the focus of other new testament writers,
Matthew's primary concern was to show and prove to the Jews that indeed Jesus
was their own according to the promises of the old testament.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Have a look at the following verses:</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will
call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among
the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over
Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise
up for David a righteous Branch’ ” (Jeremiah 23:5).</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Matthew's burden was to persuade Jews that Jesus was the
promised Messiah every Jew was expecting notwithstanding the fact that He did
not set up an earthly kingdom. We see this clearly in the manner in which unlike
John who traces the genealogy of Jesus all the way back to Adam to prove the universality
of Christ and the gospel, Matthew traces the genealogy of Jesus up to Abraham
to exalt the Hebrew-Jewish context. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Matthew 2 1-2</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the
days of Herod the King, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, 'Where is He that is born King of the Jews? We have seen His star in
the east, and are come to worship Him.'"</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Matthew's interest in the specific inquiry of the wise men
about "..the king of the Jews.." cannot be missed. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Faith is Substance </strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>There are many fascinating take-aways form this story but
what stick out for me are &nbsp;these three remarkable
levels of the radical faith of the wise men. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>1. Being non Jewish, the wise men believed and maintained
keen interest in the Promise of the Messiah they had never seen let alone
known. &nbsp;</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>2. The wise men believed in the promise against the unbelief
of the religious leaders in the chosen Jewish nation. The obliviousness of the
scribes did not cause them to doubt their convictions. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>3. The wise men believed in the universal kingship of baby
Jesus when they saw Him in His mother’s arms.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Friends, it is easy to believe a Jesus who sits on the throne
and reigns in glory. But it takes radical optimism to believe in a little
helpless infant clutching at the mother's grip as the creator &nbsp;and King of the Universe. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>It takes no effort at all to believe Christ reigns when He
works great miracles and answers our prayers. But it takes extra ordinary,
radical optimism to believe in His Kingship and Lordship when He is seemingly
silent and invisible in darkest valleys. It is easy to burst in song when He
has done great things. But true Faith is to keep a song in your heart when all
looks grim and gloomy. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>How much has Christianity Cost You </strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Lastly, let's look at the sacrifice of the Wise men. Their sojourn
is presented summarily within a verse or two and the extents of their
sacrifices could be easily taken for granted. But these men came from the east,
implying a country of significant remoteness to Jerusalem. They would have had
to endure taxing demands of a months-long journey. The journey ran into months and
they had to travel at night to follow the star. Most importantly, they did not
come empty handed. The gifts they offered for Jesus were of so much value that
they would suffice to sustain the family in their refugee status in Egypt. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Looking at the sacrifices of these wise men I cannot help
but pose these questions to myself and you… What has Christianity cost us? What
load have we given up since we became &nbsp;Christian? What load have we taken up? How
long has been our journey of self-denial? </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>How far are prepared to walk this journey? Are we satisfied
with the outcomes of the &nbsp;cost benefit
analysis for this enterprise? &nbsp;What have we
sacrificed For Christ? Has Christianity cost us not just our free time but any
of our precious time? What are we willing to put in with our abstract and
concrete resources? Are our priorities still the same, are the streams of our
conversations still the same? How much has Christianity cost us? Yes the yoke
is easy but it is still a yolk. Yes the burden is light, but it is still a
burden. How much has Christianity cost us? Remember this, if it costs you
nothing it is worth nothing. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->