I believe that you've heard about the typical Christmas story we Christians hear every year during the season of Christmas. It's about Jesus being born in a manger, and the wise men bringing gifts for the newborn baby. So, I will not say that story again today because everyone knows the storyline.

Today, I want to offer a different perspective to dig into the Christmas story behind the scenes and get more details. How many of you noticed the Christmas nativity set in front of our Church building as you passed by? I believe that Jim set it up there. As you observe the nativity scene, you can see Jesus in the manger, accompanied by Mary and Joseph around the baby Jesus.

And also, there are shepherds standing with their sheep, and, you'll notice three wise men from Persia, which is modern-day Iran, standing with their gifts. Many people believe that these were the people present when Jesus was born.

In the biblical accounts, there's no biblical data to suggest that the wise men from Persia and the shepherds were there together at the manger during Jesus's birth. The shepherds, according to the Gospel of Luke, heard the angelic announcement and went directly to find the newborn Jesus in the manger.

On the other hand, the Wise Men, described in the Gospel of Matthew, followed a star and arrived later to honor and present gifts to the child Jesus. They first arrived in Jerusalem and met King Herod to ask 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?' because they anticipated this great king would be from a royal family residing in the capital city.

Persia is over 1000 miles away from Jerusalem. When they saw the Star of Bethlehem, their journey likely took at least a couple of months using ancient roads and mountain passes. In the traditional nativity scenes, these characters are shown together; however, biblically, these visits were separate events that happened at different times.

Who the wisemen are and how they knew the Star of Bethlehem?

In Historical perspective, I want to share with you who the wisemen were, and how they knew the Star of Bethlehem. They were likely part of a group of astrologers who studied Persian religion under the influence of the prophetic book of Daniel and possibly other Jewish texts like the books of Isaiah and Micah. They have spent their entire lives scanning the skies, anticipating the fulfillment of the prophecy of Messiah, dedicating their entire lives to witnessing it. Eventually, they saw the Star.

Two weeks ago, Lisa, and I went to Black Friday shopping, while I driving home from twelve oaks mall, Julie called to Lisa and said, “See the sky under the moon, you can see a big and bright star that is Jupiter. It is so bright.” Lisa saw it and said, “I can see that is a bright and noticeable star.”

The three wise men saw the brightest star they had ever seen. As soon as they caught sight of the brightest star, they knew it was the one they had spent their entire lives searching for. Without hesitation, they packed their bags and set off on camels over 1,000 miles. Finally, they were the first Gentiles to meet baby Jesus, encountering the Messiah, the prince of peace! It was the fulfillment of their lifelong desire to worship the Son of God.

This baby Jesus brought us peace.

The meaning of Shalom

I will talk about the meaning of peace, its spiritual value, and how it actually affects our everyday Christians spiritual lives.

The meaning of peace, which is Shalom, is translated as doing all things good and completely restoring from all kinds of brokenness, including broken relationships with others and even financial brokenness. The Hebrew meaning of shalom is to make something whole and a sense of fullness and completeness in mind, body, and possessions. The peace of God brings us well-being.

Jesus Christ is Our Shalom

Ephesians 2:14-16 say “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” 

Problem with People

Jesus is our peace, standing between individuals and others when they face problems. In John 8:1-11, when a lady broke a moral law, people brought her in the public square and tried to stone her. Jesus Christ came in between them and said “if one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus came in between them and changed their hearts from a focus on the regulation to a heart filled with compassion.

Financial problem

In Matthew 17:27, when Peter troubled with temple tax, Jesus said to Peter “go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

Free from the Power of Satan

Finally, Jesus is our peace and came to Christians to set us free from the power of sin and death and protect us from devil's power and its influence. Before Jesus Christ came, Satan was roaming everywhere without boundary and limitation, seeking to devour people, much like a crazy unleashed dog in the town.

When I was a young, I was a rascal and naughty boy. I did not fear anything but a crazy watch dog in my neighbor’s house. If I wanted to see friends living on another side of the town, I needed to pass the house. When I tried to pass the house, the dog rushed and bared its teeth and growled aggressively. My solution was to hold a stone at my hand when I needed to pass the house. The stone was my secret weapon chasing the dog away of my way. If I did pretend to throw the stone, the dog just ran into her home. In my experience, the stone was the best weapon that made the crazy dog out of my way.

One day, I complained to my father about how bad the dog was. My father asked the dog's owner to leash him on the post, so the owner kept the dog on a leash and tied it up to a post around his house. After that, the dog could not try to attack people again unless people tried to go into its territory. And I can enjoy my life as king of my village with peace.

In the same principle, when Jesus Christ came to us, He leashed Satan and tied him on the post just as the dog owner did. If we are in Christ, we can enjoy our Christian freedom from all kind of evil.

Conclusion

There are three words in the Bible that speak about finding the peace of God in our Christians heart and lives. That are Ask, Seek, and Knock (Matthew 7:7-8). He will give you peace!

@ 12.03.2023 Pastor Cloud Poy