One of the greatest advances of the last century has
been in the whole area of transport. Aero-planes, helicopters, Highways, buses,
cars, electric railways, and the like were all invented or improved in the past
100 years. As it is written in Matthew
they came from the east. From the Scriptures
we know the wise men made the long journey and finally arrived in
Jerusalem about 6 miles from Bethlehem. They had seen the star. They were
looking for a king. They were determined to find him. It is ironic that, of
all the people gathered there at Herod’s palace, it was these Gentiles who
decided to travel the (now) short distance to greet Jesus. After all, the chief
priests and the teachers of the law had the Scriptures. They too were looking
for the coming king, but when they heard news that he had been born it was they
who decided their journey wasn't absolutely essential, even though it would have
cost them very little effort. They were comfortable where they were, enjoying
the favor of the king. As these foreigners, who had only recently learnt of the
new-born king, hurried on they did nothing to investigate the possibility that
the Messiah they had been seeking for hundreds of years might have
arrived.
After their secret conference with Herod the wise men set out. When they again saw the star, they were overjoyed. In fact, if we want to be accurate, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. Here was not only the destination to their journey, but the answer to all their searching and all their study. In this house was the one true king who was unlike any other king they had ever met. He was not a royal child pampered in luxury, to be brought up to carry on a cruel and violent dynasty. Rather, he was an ordinary child living as part of an ordinary family and yet with such a holy presence they could do no other than bow down, and worship, and present their gifts.
They worshipped Jesus. They offered Him the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Best of all, they offered the fourth gift, their praise and worship. They were warned in dream not to go back to Herod so they took a different route to journey back home. It is interesting that they no longer used the stars, or their local knowledge, to choose the route. Instead they relied on a warning they had received in a dream. I believe this shows that the journey that the wise men made was far more than just a physical one. It was also a spiritual journey which led them to understand who Jesus is. Having discovered Jesus, they also learned to discern and obey the voice of the Lord calling to them.
It
is written in Matthew that, in the visit of the wise men, Isaiah’s prophecy was
fulfilled in which all from Sheba would come, bearing gold and incense and
proclaiming the praise of the LORD. In fact one of the central themes of
Matthew’s gospel is that in spite of its Jewish origins the good news of Jesus
really is for all people. In many ways the visit of the wise men points forward
to the great commission at the end of Matthew where the eleven apostles are
commanded to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19). The coming of
the wise men, so to speak, anticipated the going out and the proclamation of the
gospel to every tongue and race and nation.
People who live around us are also, on the whole, looking for meaning and purpose in their lives. That’s why they too are looking at the stars, or New Age therapies, or pursuing other idols such as money or simply having a good time. For all of them, Jesus is the answer to questions they aren’t yet asking, but we can pray and ask the Lord to open the eyes of some so that, like the wise men, they decide to start looking in the right direction. They need someone to actually lead and direct them towards their final destination. As far as we can tell, the teachers of the law didn’t sit the wise men down and give them the whole history of the Jewish people and the development of the Messianic hope in the Old Testament. They gave them just one verse - the right verse - because if they had one thing going for them it was that they knew their Scripture and were able to give the wise men the information they needed at the time they needed it.
Unlike the teachers of the law we then need to journey with our friends to the point where they decide to worship Jesus for themselves. We too have to be ready to move out of our comfort zones, to be prepared to invest time and effort to listen to their stories, to answer their questions, and above all to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit prompting and leading us in how best we help them move towards a decision for Christ. 1 Peter 3:15 puts it always ... prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
People are looking in all kinds of places for spiritual answers and most have never really considered Jesus, so we need to pray for the Lord to call some to look in our direction and discover more of the Gospel . We must not simply give people information about the Christian faith but to walk alongside them and share in their lives. It is our calling to train and disciple those who come to faith so that they too learn to walk in the Lord’s ways.
If God can work in the lives of a group of pagan astrologers and if God can use the words of the chief priests who had no intention of doing His will, then we can be confident that no matter how well we manage to walk in His ways He can nonetheless take and use us for His glory. Our calling is not to worry, to fret about how we can achieve our goals, but to focus on Him and to respond with joy to those words: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you". As we look forward to the New Year let us have the courage to step forward and do whatever the Lord asks of us, knowing that He can and will use even us for His purposes and His glory.
People who live around us are also, on the whole, looking for meaning and purpose in their lives. That’s why they too are looking at the stars, or New Age therapies, or pursuing other idols such as money or simply having a good time. For all of them, Jesus is the answer to questions they aren’t yet asking, but we can pray and ask the Lord to open the eyes of some so that, like the wise men, they decide to start looking in the right direction. They need someone to actually lead and direct them towards their final destination. As far as we can tell, the teachers of the law didn’t sit the wise men down and give them the whole history of the Jewish people and the development of the Messianic hope in the Old Testament. They gave them just one verse - the right verse - because if they had one thing going for them it was that they knew their Scripture and were able to give the wise men the information they needed at the time they needed it.
Unlike the teachers of the law we then need to journey with our friends to the point where they decide to worship Jesus for themselves. We too have to be ready to move out of our comfort zones, to be prepared to invest time and effort to listen to their stories, to answer their questions, and above all to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit prompting and leading us in how best we help them move towards a decision for Christ. 1 Peter 3:15 puts it always ... prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
People are looking in all kinds of places for spiritual answers and most have never really considered Jesus, so we need to pray for the Lord to call some to look in our direction and discover more of the Gospel . We must not simply give people information about the Christian faith but to walk alongside them and share in their lives. It is our calling to train and disciple those who come to faith so that they too learn to walk in the Lord’s ways.
If God can work in the lives of a group of pagan astrologers and if God can use the words of the chief priests who had no intention of doing His will, then we can be confident that no matter how well we manage to walk in His ways He can nonetheless take and use us for His glory. Our calling is not to worry, to fret about how we can achieve our goals, but to focus on Him and to respond with joy to those words: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you". As we look forward to the New Year let us have the courage to step forward and do whatever the Lord asks of us, knowing that He can and will use even us for His purposes and His glory.
In
Christ,
Brown
