Monday

Last week's powerful exploration of Matthew's Gospel reveals Jesus not just as a promised Messiah, but as a reigning King whose arrival immediately disrupted earthly powers. We discover that the visit of the Magi wasn't the quaint nativity scene we've imagined—these were elite scholars and ambassadors whose presence in Jerusalem sent political shockwaves through the entire region. King Herod's paranoia and the disturbance felt throughout Jerusalem remind us that Jesus' kingship threatens any throne built on pride, control, or self-rule. The three gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—weren't random presents but prophetic declarations: gold for His royalty, frankincense for His deity, and myrrh foreshadowing His sacrificial death. Most striking is the Magi's response after encountering Jesus: they went home by another route, demonstrating the first act of repentance in the Christmas story. This challenges us profoundly: Where is Jesus asking us to go another way? What false thrones have we built in our lives that need to be disrupted? True worship isn't admiration or sentiment—it demands surrender. When we genuinely encounter the King, we cannot return the same way we came. This Christmas narrative calls us to examine whether Jesus truly reigns in every sphere of our lives or if we've compartmentalized our faith, keeping certain areas under our own control.