"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." (MATTHEW 2:11 New International Version )
A group
of Persian caste regarded as astrologers or wise men came to know about a
special sign, a miraculous star that announced the birth of a king. This star
led them to Bethlehem. Their caravan arrived in Jerusalem and the whole city
was troubled by their news. These men sought the king born but King Herod the Great
wanted to destroy this king. It is no surprise since Herod alone wanted to bear
the title “King of the Jews” although he was an Idumean, a descendant of Esau. The
Magis arrived later than the shepherds and by then, Joseph, Mary and Jesus had
moved from the temporary dwelling where the Lord was born.
THOSE WHO FOUND JESUS
SOUGHT
HIM. (V2)
They
are not very different from you or me but one thing is sure: they are touched
by God to do a special purpose of discovering His begotten son. Being aware of
this would only come from them, and still less could they anticipate the
surprise. God wants to draw forth a noble testimony from those called about
their encounter with the Messiah. "For everyone who asks receives, and the
one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened" (MATTHEW
7:8). Those who took notice of Jesus in their lives are with an honest purpose.
READ
THE SCRIPTURES AND KEPT ITS PROMISES (V5)
When
we show our meekness before the Scriptures and admitting it as having been
given to us by the living God, it will lead us to salvation. Even though many
of us came to Christ by preaching about Him from another person, the way of
salvation is clearly revealed by simply reading the Bible (John 3:16; Rom.
10:9) and we are all saved by putting our trust in the truth of Scripture
whether we read it ourselves or are taught it by someone else (1 Peter 1:23). “Does
not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David's descendants and from
Bethlehem, the town where David lived?" (JOHN 7:42)
RECOGNIZED AND WORSHIPED HIM (V2)
The
Book of Hosea, in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), urges God's people
simply to acknowledge him, and that good things will follow if they do. To "acknowledge,” In its broader sense,
it involve implication of being open to the truth, of facing the facts. Each person has more choice about what he
acknowledges than about what we know. Acknowledging Jesus, in the sense of
facing the facts about him, can lead us to admire and stand in respect: the very thing the author of Hosea, says what
God is looking for. The same can be given to Jesus, being God's only begotten
son." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'you
shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" (MATTHEW
4:10)
THOSE
WHO DID NOT FOUND JESUS
Troubled along with company (v3)
When
Herod the king had heard of Jesus' birth, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him. It is understandable why Herod was troubled, considering that if the
baby was the Jewish Messiah he might over throw him. At that time the Jews
believed that the Messiah would overthrow the Romans. But why would all of
Jerusalem be troubled? In John 11:48, it says, "If we let him thus alone,
all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our
place and nation". One bible commentary places it as the Romans being
ruthless in quelling insurrection, besides anyone having anything to do with it
would be deposed. At that time, a Roman prefect was appointed--Pilate was one
in a succession of them. The Herodian Dynasty ruled, yet the 'procurator' could
summon the Roman legions, making any attempt to rule meaningless. If referring
the Jewish leadership, it makes perfect sense then that the whole city would be
troubled.
Curious but without faith (V7)
Curiosity
is a strong desire to learn about something. In Psalms, we see a strong desire
to understand God and His work and Creation. Naturally, curiosity can lead one
off track like the Prodigal Son. The young man tells his father to give him his
inheritance then immediately sets off to see what is in the world. He was soon
broke and stranded far from home with no one to help him. Curiosity led him to
sin against his father and to make poor life decisions. Curiosity can be a good
thing if one hears the Gospel and wants to know who Jesus is by faith. “And
without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to
God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
HEBREWS 11:6
EASILY
DECEIVED (V16)
Those
who do not know Jesus will almost believe any wild-eyed fanatic, Hollywood
movie depicting the end of the world, but will desist from listening that Jesus
Christ existed. One is warned: the fog of deception was so thick that this will
always and almost consume the unbeliever and they won’t recognize what’s upon
them! As Jesus said a long time ago, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” This warning
is for you and me that we must not be deceived about war, pestilence, famine
and other unconscionable calamities and be confused. For those who did not
found Jesus and believed in him, such idea of becoming aware of the Lord is an absurd
doctrine and ridiculous. “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is
the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and
false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if
possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.” (MATTHEW
24:23)
You
can tell a lot about a person who found Jesus in their lives. Those who have
found him have dedicated their lives to maintain their gain. Finding Jesus is
easy when you search for him for He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and
knock” (Rev. 3:20). Today, you can find Him at the door of your heart—the core
of your existence—waiting to come in. Jesus longs to be in the center of your
dreams, thought, and desires. He wants a real relationship with the real you. AMEN