January 16, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” (Matthew 2.11-12)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

I closed yesterday’s reflection with the following thought: Imagine… being someone who had only heard Luke’s gospel recollection, in this case the birth narrative, and then suddenly was confronted with Matthew’s.

So, let me open today’s reflection continuing with the dualistic contrast of a similar theme between Matthew and Luke. The theme is recognition. For those who still practice the celebration of Christ being born into the world which has been called “Christmas,” the scene is incomplete without the three “kings,” or magi. Travelling from a distant land, or lands, these ambassadors come to recognize the one born King of the Jews. Upon arrival in Jerusalem, the capital city of world renown, and with their inquiry, they realize that there is no such recognition. Herod was not born to be King of the Jews. He was a man of Arab descent who was a practicing Jews. Religiously, he was not suitable for holding the position he held. Politically, he was a servant king to the Roman empire granted the right to serve as king because of his leadership against the Parthians. While he was a great builder who instituted a great number of projects including the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, he was a moral and familial destroyer. Consumed by fear and envy, his passion for making a name for himself politically and architecturally became a blood lust leading him into a state of insanity. We know of his edict upon hearing that the “one born to be King of the Jews” was born already in Bethlehem. Seeking to protect his already endangered position, he declared that all male children two years and younger be murdered. Before this happened, both the magi and Joseph’s family fled the city. They were spared but a great number of children were not. We do not hear of Joseph and his family returning to Bethlehem. I am sure that if they had, someone would have recognized them and the boy Jesus. Putting two and two together, Herod’s blood lust leading to the murder of innocent children and the apparent age of the boy, Jesus might have been recognized but not as King of the Jews. Rather, He would have more likely been cursed, chased out of town and threatened with death because no good thing had come from in Bethlehem. It would be a familiar theme from a different perspective when Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, came to Nazareth and preached the message of Jubilee. He declared it as the gift He would bestow on all Israel according to the prophecy of Isaiah.

Without such works elsewhere, Jesus would not have been recognized during His ministry as Messiah. We hear stories of even the demons recognizing Him as “King of the Jews,” “Son of David” and “Son of God.” But, in Jerusalem? Pilate had no qualms with the wandering preacher regardless of His title. Jesus posed no threat to Rome. They had seen many such messiahs and prophets. Even Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptizer, was no threat to Rome. The onus fell on the Jewish leadership in the Temple to handle their internal matter. Of course, the true problem with the Jewish leadership was an internal matter. It was an internal matter which was not of political origin according to the Law. It was a spiritual matter which drew attention to the hardness of their hearts and the coldness of their souls. They were truly hypocrites as the religious leaders of Israel. They perverted and contorted the Law to serve their own purposes. They were not servant leaders of Israel. They were leaders who demanded service from the people as Israel as if they were gods worthy of tribute. So, in Luke, Jesus is recognized by the true spiritualists, Simeon and Anna. They were true prophets who waited in the Temple all their lives to hail the true King and Messiah. In typical Lukan fashion, they were the only ones who did just as only certain shepherds saw the angels in Heaven in the moment when Jesus was born. And from Matthew, we know it was only the Magi who did. No one is town seemed moved by the knowledge of the Messiah. They knew of Jesus’ birth but not His mission, purpose and benefit as the Lamb of God who came to take away the sting of sin from the world.

Yes, mighty ones of God, two stories in contrast between shepherds and kings, the lineage of Joseph against that of Mary, a normal life as any Jew completing the rites and expectations of the Law before returning home versus a life on the run for a very unique Jew and the responses of adoration or elimination at every turn. Two distinct presentations of the gospel birth narrative for two different people- one Jew and one Gentile. They were different but yet the same because of Jesus the Christ. Matthew did not preach the gospel to Jews but to Jewish Christians who recognized Jesus as Messiah and Savior. Similarly, Luke did not preach the gospel to Gentiles but Gentiles who recognized Jesus as Lord and Savior. Yet, they both preach Christ and Him crucified; He who was born to die regardless of which road He had taken. His road was to Calvary to set the captives free and put at liberty those who were oppressed by the unrighteousness of worldly people. It is the gospel of truth shared with us down the ages and through us for ages yet to come. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He does not change. He invites us to change and become woven into the fabric of salvation and the inclusion in the family of God forever.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.