In the story of Christ’s birth, wise men from the East traveled in search of the babe to be born King of the Jews. King Herod, envious and wishing to destroy this king, summoned the Jewish leaders to learn where the Christ child was to be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they responded as the prophets foretold.1 Relaying the message to the wise men Herod hoped they would return and tell him where Jesus was.
There are three responses I saw to the message of Christ within this story. One comes from Herod, the second from the Jewish leaders, and the third from the wise men.
The first: Herod wanted to know where to find Jesus. Yet he did not want to do any of the work. He wanted someone else to do it for him, the leaders and the wise men.
The second: The Jewish leaders knew where to look, but they were not willing to go. They had the information, they knew where to find Jesus, but they would not seek Him. They remained where they were.
The third: The wise men searched for Jesus. They went out of their way to locate Him. They asked others if they knew where to find Him. They brought Him gifts and saw Him as the King that He was. And they worshiped Him.
The message of the three responses is not just about the birth of Christ; it is also about our response to God’s call in our lives. What stops us from being like the wise men in our own lives?
Are we too comfortable to go seek Him for ourselves? Do we want someone to do it for us? Are we afraid of what others may think or say? Do we think we don’t need Him in every aspect of our lives?
The wise men did everything they could to find and serve Christ Jesus. Are we going to search for Him? Are we willing to serve Him? Are we wanting to worship Christ as our King?
In Christ,
Charisa
- Matthew 2:1-6 ↩︎