The ministry of Christ may seem common knowledge to many, but its significance and transformative power is only revealed to those who seek Him and believe in Him!
The religious leaders who lived in nearby communities, missed the historic birth of Jesus, but the wise men came a long distance from the East seeking the King of the Jews and worshiped Him! Is it possible that we may miss His work on the earth too?
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:1-11
The wise men came from the East seeking the King of the Jews. These men could have been Jewish people, nobles like Daniel, who resided in Persian or Babylonian territories. Or they could have been foreigners who were scholars in astronomy, science, or divination. The Bible does not give us a lot of information about them, but it does tell us that they were not just looking for any king but for the King of the Jews.
Ironically, the star led the wise men to Jerusalem where Herod resided, and he was not pleased with the news of a king’s birth. He conferred with the Jewish scribes and priests to see if there is any validity to the birth of a Jewish king born in Bethlehem, and they confirmed that the prophesies did indicate that he would be born in Bethlehem.
Sadly, the religious leaders knew the prophesies about the coming King, but it did not make them any more astute or excited about His birth. Why did the religious leaders miss the birth of the Messiah!? Why didn’t they become curious enough to seek Him after hearing about His birth!? Could it be that they were confident this significant event would not be missed by them!? Did they assume that if the King of the Jews were to come to the world, in their lifetime, they would be first to know about i!? They probably could not imagine hearing about the Messiah’s birth from a bunch of shepherds or some foreigners!
We are all in danger of becoming religious and being set in our ways. Some may have grown up in the church but still have not discovered the life-changing power of Jesus in their lives. They are content to show up to church and act religious in a church service, but Jesus does not have Lordship in their lives. Their confidence is on the number of years they have been a Christian or the fact that their parents or grandparents were church leaders.
Those who are in leadership are faced with a different danger. They could easily assume that God will speak to them first and that their church will be at the forefront of action. This may prevent them from paying attention to God’s message coming from an average titleless Christian, or hearing it from another church. We can develop religious pride and close ourselves off to what God is speaking among His people.
In contrast, the wise men had come a long way without much information but were intent on seeking the King of the Jews and finding Him. They were wise enough to know that their expertise or astronomical knowledge were only the means to an end. The miracle was not in the star guiding them, but it was in finding the one that the star was pointing to. They were so confident in finding the King of Jews that they even brought gifts with them. They realized the significance the birth of this King who required their worship.
Today, we still need wise men and wise women who are humble enough to seek Him in sincerity of faith. Those who recognize that their gifting, titles, abilities, or theological education is not sufficient to save them. They realize that their knowledge of Truth needs to be mixed with faith, and they seek Jesus for themselves first and worship Him. Then, the Lord blesses them with revelation and transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now they have a life-giving and anointed message they can share with others and see others transformed as well. Wise men and wise women still seek Him!
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