December 16, 2015
Matthew 2:1, 2
(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)
Christmas is only nine days away! So I am going to blog for this and the next four blogs on Christmas themes. This one is called How Did He Get Over There?
A little girl was listening to the Christmas story involving the wise men from Matthew 2:1 through 12. Here are verses 1 and 2:
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod
the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen
His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.”
She asked her mom “Where is Bethlehem? ” So mom explained it was a long way off on the other side of the world. The little girl thought about that for a bit. And then she asked, “How did He get over there? ”
I love this story and the little girl’s second query, because it suggests that she knew without a doubt that Jesus was with her here! So how could He be over there? Which leads to a question that has very much to do with Christmas: “Do you know, Christian, that Jesus is with you here and now? ”
This also involves some other facts concerning our faith:
• Jesus Christ came for all of us! There are some who say He only came, lived, died and rose again for the elect – those who become saved. – and it is called Limited Atonement. But I will point to a couple of verses that I believe prove otherwise. The first is from I Timothy 4:10: “…we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” Consider also II Corinthians 5:14 and 15 (Contemporary English Version): “We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died. And Christ did die for all of us.” So He came for those over there in Bethlehem as well as those in Pittsburgh – and every other place!
• Our Lord is alive! We are told in Romans 6:9 and 10:
…Christ having been raised from the dead dies no more. Death no longer
has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once
for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
By the way, did you catch the phrase in verse 10? “…He died to sin once for all…” – more proof of Unlimited Atonement!
But back to Our Lord is alive! Hebrews 7:25 plainly states, “…He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.”
• Through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (see John 14:17; Romans 8:11; I Corinthians 3:16), He is present in everyone! More than that, one of God’s attributes is being Omnipresent – everywhere at once – including with us! It is best described in Psalm 139:7 through 12:
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your pre-
sence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell,
behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in
the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and
Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall
on me,” even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness
shall not hide from You, but the darkness shines as the day; the dark-
ness and the light are both alike to You.
But consider again the little girl’s question – How Did He Get Over There? It implies that His presence was so real to her right where she was, so how can Jesus be anywhere else – especially way over in Bethlehem on the other side of the world?
Is His presence that real to you?
I practice touch – especially when I make a visit to someone who is experiencing sickness and trouble. I often hold their hand as we talk. I was talking to a woman in the hospital who was going to have a serious operation the next day. I asked her, “Are you frightened? ” She responded, “Yes.” So I said, “If it was Jesus sitting here holding your hand instead of me, would you be scared? ” She quickly answered, “No, I wouldn’t.” So I asked, “Do you remember what the Lord said – Hebrews 13:5 and Matthew 28:20? – ‘ I will never leave you or forsake you….I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Why are you scared? ”
Is Jesus’ presence so real to you that it seems He could not be anywhere else? Think about it!