"After they had heard the king, they went on their way, & the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, & they bowed down & worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures & presented Him with gifts of gold & of incense & of myrrh."
~Matthew 2:7-11 [all emphasis mine]
LESSON LEARNED: I have a nativity set. My family has had it since I was about 4 years old (so it's OLD :-)) & my parents gave it to me for our 1st CHRISTmas as a married couple in 1984. It's faded, more than a little cheap looking, chipped & cracked here & there, but I love it. It came with the obligatory Baby Jesus, Mary & Joseph (why does Joseph always look like an old man?), a couple of angles & a couple of sheep ~ all to fit into the little wooden stable.
It also came with "Wise Men" a.k.a. "Magi." And there-in lies one of my biggest pet peeves: the Magi were NOT at the manger!!!! Shepherds, yes ~ Magi, NO!!!! So . . . ever since I have had possession of the cheap little nativity set, the Magi remain in the box. I have seriously considered taking them out & putting them in some upstairs room ~ far, far away from the manger, as if beginning their search ~ but I elected to just keep them in the box.
As Scripture indicates, Jesus was around 2 years old when the Magi found him. The above verses clearly tell us that Jesus was a "Child" & that they came to "the house." Not "the Infant" or "Baby" (as in Luke 2:16) ~ but the "Child." Not "in a stable, lying in a manger" (again, as in Luke 2:16) ~ but in "the house." Matt. 2:16 leaves not doubt as it reads: "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, & he gave orders to kill all the boys in Behtlehem & its vicinity who were 2 years old & under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."
Two (2, II, deux, dos, etc . . . ) years old.
So . . . out of respect for the Scripture this & any other Nativity set I may acquire will only include Jesus, His family, barn animals & maybe a shepherd or 2 . . . Oh, yes, the shepherds WERE at the manger (Luke 2:8-18 ~ specifically vs. 16) . . . & all Magi will remain in the box.
CHRISTmas blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
Great! Mine doesn't even have the Wise Men or Magi. So I don't miss them! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI have a family now antique manger as well, now all raggedy...it was not expensive back in the day. It is special to me also...and yes there were Magi in mine also.
ReplyDeleteFaith Crochet by the Sea
Merry Christmas...
Last Sunday at church was the first time I became aware of the fact that the magi (we assume 3 b/c of the 3 gifts, but there may have been more) arrived at the house, not the manger, 2 years later. With your post, I wondered if the Holy Spirit was at work, revealing this to us now (even though you've apparently known it all along)? Remarkable, isn't it, to hear the story multiple times and not catch these observations? I need more of the Holy Spirit's enlightenment, so into the Word I go! Thx for sharing, Kim! ~Lori Cripe
ReplyDeleteThe Magi were not at the manger this is true. But wise men still seek Him. So mine are out. When we read the story to our grand children with finger puppets the wise men come from far away in search of the child. Maybe you could put your wise men across the room where their travels began?? Whatever you decide to do I wish you a blessed and beautiful Christmas.
ReplyDeleteRobin from the Roost
Love your Blog, love your passion Kim. <)))>< Have a wonderful Christmas!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!! Yes, the Magi were not at the manger. I guess they were added in tradition to make things more interesting. And yes, I think that Joseph was younger than he is portrayed in nativity sets. My nativity set was ceramic I painted the year before I went to nurses training back in '83. The angel has lost part of her wing but it still looks okay. Have a blessed Christmas.
ReplyDelete