Christ has come and Christ will come again - Day 4
Matthew 2:1-12
2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
This passage offers a contrast in how human beings respond to the challenge to follow God.
The wise men (magi) were prepared to drop everything to take the lengthy journey to Jerusalem to find the newborn king. Their journey from Iraq to Jerusalem would have taken a minimum of 2-3 weeks each way. To be away for 6-8 weeks took planning and preparation and being away form work. There was a major investment on their part to follow the call of the Star – the call of God in their lives.
Herod and his advisors knew where the newborn king was supposed to be born. The distance from the palace to Bethlehem was about 7 miles (11.5 kms). But they were not willing to make the trip – they were not will to stop for even a day to investigate the report of the newborn king.
It is not enough to know the content of the Bible, it is not enough to know the right things, we are called to live out what we know, live out what we have been called to. The magi saw the call and responded – Herod and the advisors read the call and did not. While we can spend time wondering why Herod and the advisors did not follow, the challenge of magi is the one worth pondering. How willing are we to follow God’s lead? Do we follow even when following is costly and difficult? Following God is sometimes very inconvenient and disruptive – do we follow even then?
PRAYER:
Lord God, you call is to follow your Son, Jesus Christ. We have seen and read your call in our lives – move us that we would be like the Magi and follow even when the path of difficult. In Jesus’ name. Amen.