Advent, Day 11: Meh...

Good morning!

Today's passages of scripture are Malachi 3:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-6.

Let's briefly survey the first passage.  Here it is (Holman Christian Standard Version):

1“See, I am going to send My messenger,a and he will clear the way before Me.b Then the Lord you seekc will suddenly come to His temple,d the Messenger of the covenant you desire — see, He is coming,” says the LORD of •Hosts. 2But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will be able to stand when He appears?e For He will be like a refiner’s firef and like cleansing lye.g 3He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.h Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. 4And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD as in days of oldi and years gone by.

5“I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely;against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner.j They do not •fear Me,”k says the LORD of Hosts. 6“Because I, •Yahweh, have not changed,l you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.m

The first phrase hearkens back to the end of the previous chapter, which closes with the question, "Where is this god of judgment you keep referring to?"  At the beginning of chapter 3 is God's answer, through Malachi.  Interestingly, before affirming that Messiah is coming, God gives us a prophecy that was fulfilled through the ministry of John the Baptist, whom Jesus called "the greatest " (Matt. 11:11; Luke 7:28).  Isaiah, an earlier Old Testament book, also prophesies about John (Isaiah 40:3).  "Then" (after this - - - the ministry of John), the Messiah will come.  God goes on to say that Messiah will refine and purify the Levites, the priestly family of the Jews.  What is that all about?

Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament.  By the time Messiah is born, 400 years have passed. The Levites have gotten extremely "fat", lazy, complacent.  Now, let's look at Matthew 2:1-6  - - -

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem 2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are in no way least among the rulers of Judah,
for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

I find it astounding that the chief priests and Torah experts had such a lackadaisical attitude toward the arrival of the Magi.  Why didn't they go with them to find Baby Jesus?!  This is the first look we have had at New Testament Jewish religious leaders, and, of all people, the reprobate King Herod was leading the charge!  The response of the Jewish leaders seems to be "Meh.."  One has to wonder - - -did they really believe the Scriptures?  Did they think that they no longer needed a Messiah, so much so that they had stopped looking for one?  It is Herod who goes "on the hunt" to find this Baby Messiah.  Obviously, these Levites needed a "refiner's fire"!

John Piper, in his book, We Have Come to Worship Him, points out that Herod's and the chief priests' reactions to the Magi typifies the two kinds of people who choose not to worship Jesus.  The first type of reaction is "Meh...":  complete disinterest.  The second type is strong opposition, as illustrated by Herod.  These people are deeply disturbed by Jesus and the claims He makes.  They want no part of Anyone who would throw them off of the throne of their lives.  The Magi, of course, typify the third group: those who meet and then choose to worship Jesus.  All people who have heard the gospel fall into one of these three categories.  In which one are you?

Even those who have decided to follow Jesus sometimes have one of those first two, inappropriate attitudes.  Those are certainly to be avoided, whether here in Advent, or at any other time.  Jesus came, not only to purify "the sons of Levi", but also us, His disciples, as we follow Him in the resplendent walk!

Dear God, let us who claim Your name not have a "Meh" attitude toward the coming of Your Son. His birth is the reason for all the seasonal celebration that surrounds us.  So often, though, it gets buried amid the fal-de-ral.  Like those Levites, I need Your "refiner's fire" in my life, to purify my heart and attitude, as intense heat purifies gold and silver.  Then, I will be able to see You clearly, to worship You dearly, this Advent and Christmas season.  In Jesus' name, amen.