MUSINGS FROM TEXAS: A Post-Christmas Reflection

McAllen, TEXAS (MindaNews / 27 December) – Jesus is worshiped as savior of the world by many of his believers and recognized as a prophet of God by other faiths, affirming pronouncements way before his historicity was ever established. 

Ancient writings in the Jewish Torah and the Bible’s Old and New Testaments provided the prophetic basis about Jesus being born many centuries before it was fulfilled. 

The Jewish prophet Micah during the 8th BCE mentioned in his writings of a “ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2), referring to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem several centuries later.

(Israel was at that time a divided kingdom, where the northern part was first conquered and taken into captivity by the Assyrians between 722-721 BC. The southern kingdom was left untouched, and later conquered and taken into captivity by the Babylonians between 597-582 BC.

It was in that same town of Bethlehem where Mary gave birth to his son, Jesus, in a manger as narrated in the New Testament book of Luke 2:1-21. Later, wise men from the East came to Bethlehem in search of the newly-born king to worship and bring him gifts (Matthew 2:1-2).

Today, the way majority of peoples recognize Jesus and celebrate Christmas was further affirmation that Jesus’s greatness has indeed “reached to the ends of the earth” in fulfillment of Micah 5:4.

(Mindanawon Abroad is MindaNews’ effort to link up with Mindanawons overseas who would like to share their experiences in their adopted countries or their thoughts on what is happening in the country of their birth. Merpu Roa of Ozamiz City, one of the founding members of MindaNews, is presently based in Texas, USA and is president of the Philippine American Chamber Commerce of Texas, Rio Grande Valley)