John 1:9-11

9 This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him.

In the beginning, God said, Let there be Light, and the world came into existence. The word God used was the spiritual name of Jesus. The world only belongs to Jesus for a short time spiritually. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s word, Satan gained spiritual dominion over the world. God had a small group of people He called His chosen. He gave them His word to teach them how to be children of His light. He told His bondservant, Moses, to write His word so that the written word would remind people that God made the world, and everything in it is His. Even with miracle after miracle, the people who called themselves God’s chosen didn’t listen to His word, so they remained spiritually lost. From the Old Testament books, Genesis to Zechariah, the God of Creation promises to send His word, and His name would be Immanuel (God with us.) Many believe that the Son of God was coming to be just King of the Jews and make Israel a great empire. But travelers from far away came, trusting prophecy from ancient words. To worship the birth of the King of Kings. The word of God doesn’t say they were Jewish, only magi. That means they studied ancient scrolls and were stargazers. They took the newborn, gifts pointing to His royalty. It must have taken some time because they began their journey when the star appeared the night Jesus was born in a manger. Jesus was close to two years old when they arrived, and His family lived in a house. 

Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

King Herod was the physical King of the Jews when Christ was born. Wise men from a far-away nation came to Jerusalem, seeking the new King of the Jews. Herod was troubled by this news; he did not want to lose his kingdom. Herod tried with his physical power to kill the spiritual new King of the Jews. When Herod ordered every boy under 2 in Bethlehem killed, Jesus and His family were long gone.

Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Matthew 2:16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent men and killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.

 Denomination in religion is not new and not only in Christianity. When Jesus was born and became the living word of God in the flesh, Judaism had several sects; Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. They all believe in the same Yahweh, God but have different beliefs about what God’s word says. They still rejected His word when Jesus preached and taught with such authority as no other priest could. When Jesus performed God-like miracles, the Jews refused to accept Him as the Messiah.  When Jesus said with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” just like God cried out, “Let there be light,” something dead came to life. Many saw a living man come out of his tomb with His Jesus, who gave life, but many did not believe that Jesus is not the Light of God’s word that gives truth and life where there was none before. God bless you all. Jesus loves you, and so do I. The Lord’s humble bondservant, Samuel Jerry Head.

John 11:43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 Out came the man who had died, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council meeting, and they were saying, “What are we doing in regard to the fact that this man is performing many signs? 48 If we let Him go on like this, all the people will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take over both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,