A Thrill of Hope - Week 2: Day 5

Availability
 
Availability is one of the greatest challenges that we are faced with. We have created a world filled with technology and better tools in order to make better use of our time but seldom creating more time for the Lord.

As we walk through the Scriptures, piecing together the passages regarding the Christmas story, we are brought to Matthew 2:1-2. Matthew takes a different approach and adds different insight to the account of the birth of Christ, primarily    because of the audience he is writing too. Matthew is directing his letter to the Jews. Israel. So, there is something additional that he wants to make sure is communicated. His message is not only that the Messiah has come to fulfill prophecy as he indicates in the opening genealogy of the letter, but it is to make sure that his Jewish audience knows that the Messiah has also come for the gentiles, or the nations. This is the fulfillment of passages like Isaiah 60:3!  We are gentiles. So, for that reason these passages are very important to me, and they should be to you as well.

One major insight into this passage that astonishes me is that the Magi, or wise men, were very busy individuals and high in demand. Kings and rulers counted on them to make decisions. For that reason, they held a great deal of influence, but they held it at a pretty high cost. For if they counseled a King in the wrong direction, it would likely cost them their life, whether by death or imprisonment.

Notice two things in this passage. First, the Magi were available to King Herod (evil) to meet the King that they would later protect (Jesus). They were aware of the prophecy, and anxious to see if it was true. Of course, they may have been going for the wrong reason, but God turned it for good. Sometimes we do things for the wrong reason also. And even when we do, our mighty God can and often will use it for good. For His good. Mistakes that turn out for the best. That’s what they are. And they happen more often than I would like to admit.

There is something else quite interesting though, that Matthew highlights. While the Jewish people he was writing to were convinced that the Messiah had come only for them, Matthew introduces the Magi, or gentiles on the scene. Though a fulfillment of prophecy as we well know, that would not have been the case in Matthew’s day, as he was connecting the dots for the people to see. The thing that really stands out to me is that we see the gentiles (nations) at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, and we again see him emphasize the importance of the nations at the end of the gospels in the last words of Christ known as the Great Commission. In other words, what Matthew emphasized is that the Messiah that had come, is available to all! Christ is available, to the magi, to the Israelites and Jews, and to me and you. Today, now, and until His return when He calls us into His presence, He is available. The question is, how available are you? Maybe you need to meet Him in the manger, by accepting the reality of the virgin birth and our need for it. Maybe you need to make yourself available to meet Him at the cross. Are there are some things in your life that you have held onto never really surrendered your life? Is an unmet need, or answers that have been undiscovered? The important thing is that we are available. Reflect on the lines below and identify the things in your life that are making you unavailable. We are not called to do everything all the time, but we are called to be available to him all the time.