Lesson from Matthew Chapter 2

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Although I had previously read Matthew chapter 2, I approached it from a new perspective this time. I wondered what would have happened if Jesus had been born in the modern era. I imagined that his mother, Mary, had had a baby shower because her friends all had one or they organised one for her. Maybe it would have been lovely. She probably would have had friends who would pray for and with her, encourage, advise her and present gifts. You know, as per being surrounded by godly friends. They probably would also have taken some pictures and honoured her (especially if she was an African woman) by keeping the photos hidden till she delivered a baby.

I predicted that as soon as her baby arrived, her friends in excitement and delight uploaded her baby shower pictures on their social media statuses saying: “Our baby is here.” I thought of Mary also taking pictures of her baby and posting them to say: “Finally, our king has arrived.” After which she proceeded to provide a daily update on the baby’s well-being and development. That would not have seemed strange, right? It’s just normal to do those things. Everyone is doing it. It is trending!

Do not forget that some people noticed a star as soon as Jesus was born. This star caused a stir. As much as some were overjoyed, one was outraged. King Herod felt threatened by the birth of the new baby and set out to murder him. He had heard that Jesus, king of the Jews, had been born. Despite conducting extensive research, he could not pinpoint the star’s exact location. He then required the witness report.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”–Matthew 2:8 (NIV)

I considered if Mary had simply played into his hands by revealing her baby’s whereabouts. Surprisingly, to fulfil the prophecy that had been given, God preferred that the star go into hiding. In this case, exposing the baby on various social media platforms when he should have been hidden may have been disastrous. God, being a gracious Father, would have likely still made a way of escape but would that have been God’s original plan? Sometimes, people end up fighting battles that could have been avoided.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

You do not have to follow what everyone else is doing. You’ve got your race to run. You are you. Stay true to that and don’t feel compelled to join the trend. It might not be for you, and that’s okay. Though people might not understand your decision, it’s fine. They do not understand it because it is not their race. Mary and Joseph were the only ones who were aware of the peculiarity of their baby.

Sometimes people join a trend because they don’t have their word and want to copy others. They believe they must do what everyone else is doing. Some have had prophecies over them go unfulfilled because they failed to stick to their word. Instead, they revealed themselves too soon. Just because something is popular does not mean you have to participate in it. It might not be bad, it might not just be for you. Don’t feel pressured. There was also a set time for Jesus to be in the spotlight, and going into hiding then would not have been right.

The key here is to have your own word, to understand your specific assignment, and to stay in your lane.