Eyewitness



Prayer: Holy God, You are wonderful and marvelous. It is my joy and honor to worship and praise You. Thank You for being willing to love me and care for me, even as I am a sinner and unworthy of your      attention. Thank You for sending Jesus to rectify my worst problem - sin. Thank You for this Word that tells me both of my need for a Savior and of Your gracious response to my need. Please be with me as I read and meditation upon Your Word. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen. 

Read: 2 Peter 1:16–21

Think about It: Throughout the story of our salvation, God has allowed human eyewitnesses. With the exception of the creation, we have always been there to see God moving in the lives of His people. (There are those who believe that God actually showed the creation to Moses so that He could write the story down when He showed Moses His "back parts" up on the mountain. See Exodus 33:18-23). While there were no eyewitnesses to the conception of Christ, we know that Mary was told ahead of time that it would happen. God has allowed us to see Him.

The arrival of the Savior was no different. The actual birth was quite possibly attended by a midwife and Joseph. But after Jesus was here, the angels announce the birth to the shepherds and the wise men of the East had been waiting possibly for generations for the star announcing His birth. Quite naturally, both the shepherd and the wise men had to travel to Bethlehem to see for themselves what had taken place. Back in the time of the Bible, inside of the Jewish tradition, it took two eyewitnesses to corroborate a story. Without 2 witnesses, there was no crime. But, the voice of 2 witnesses was also enough to declare a person guilty without further proof!

God sends witnesses to see the Baby Jesus. There are several shepherds and several wise men. We don't know how many wise men showed up (we only know there were 3 gifts that they brought) but  between the shepherds and the wise men, we find the Savior coming to both Jew and Gentile. The Savior comes to all. Just imagine the stories that both the wise men and shepherds had to tell their families, friends, and government officials in the case of the wise men. We are eyewitness to miracles every single day. Sometimes we actually notice them and sometimes they happen without our knowledge or recognition. Perhaps we could be more intentional about looking for those miracles in our own lives.

Prayer: Dear Lord, it is so interesting that You would make the birth of Your Son a public event! You allowed both Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, to be eyewitnesses to the miracle of our salvation that You began in Jesus’ birth. I am grateful that the Savior came for all of us and that we don't have to earn our way into Your kingdom. What an awesome God You are! Because of the New Born King I pray. Amen.

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