“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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him”[Matthew 2:1-2]
At the beginning of our human story, when Adam and Eve were exiled from their beautiful garden, we are told that the Lord drove them out east of Eden. Leaving their home meant going east. In the ancient Jewish imagination, east represented the direction away from God’s presence. Israel’s enemies came from the east. The “East” was the land beyond the Jordan River. It was where the invading armies came from, it was where the Israelites were carried off into exile when they rebelled against God.
When Matthew wrote that wisemen came from the east, he was telling his readers a whole lot more than just the physical direction they traveled from. He was saying that these men came from foreign, enemy territory. They were outsiders. The crazy thing is that they came with insider information. They came knowing that the Messiah had been born, that He was King of the Jews, and that He was worthy of great sacrifice and worship. By revealing Himself to foreign men through the stars and calling them into the story of Jesus, the Lord was showing the watching world what Jesus had come to do. The Messiah wasn’t only coming for the Jews, He was coming to call the entire broken world back home to Himself. In a sense, as they came from the east and traveled west toward Jesus, the wisemen were coming back to their true home.
It was important for Matthew to tell us about the wisemen. They traveled far, at their own expense. They brought valuable gifts and came to worship Jesus. They represented another set of “outsiders” that Jesus was calling into His family. We spend a lot of time thinking about who showed up at Jesus’ birth. We have songs and legends, nativity scenes and children’s books that remind us over and over again about who came to honor Jesus’ birth—the angels, the shepherds, Mary and Joseph, the wisemen and the animals. But have you thought much about who wasn’t there? There were angels who came from another spiritual realm, members of the pheasant class of Israel and wealthy foreign stargazers who may have traveled more than a thousand miles.
But where were the Jewish religious leaders? Where were the priests and Levites, the scribes and the pharisees? Where were the men who knew the law inside and out, who had studied the prophecies about Jesus and lived their days steeped in the ancient scrolls of the Law and the Prophets? Supposedly, they had spent their lives scanning the horizon of history for the Messiah. Shouldn’t they have been the first ones on the scene? Jerusalem, the religious center, was only twelve miles away. Pay attention to what Matthew tells us in 2:4. When Herod, the jealous king, wanted to know where the Messiah was to be born, we are told that he brought together all the priests and scribes to ask them. They knew exactly where and answered Herod, “‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet.”
As frightening as Herod was, the lunatic baby-killing king who murdered his own wife and children, he may not be the scariest part of this story. It is terrifying to think that we could be so steeped in religion, so very close to the God of all Creation, and miss Him altogether. It’s both scary and heartbreaking to think that, like the Jewish religious leaders, we could know all kinds of information about Jesus and still not be able to recognize Him when we saw Him. It may be better to found among the outsiders who walk a thousand miles home than to be among those who live a few miles away and can’t be bothered to travel home.
Wherever you find yourself this Christmas season, whether you see yourself as a foreign outsider, part of the family or somewhere in-between, the greatest miracle is not that we can find Jesus. The greatest miracle is that He moved heaven and earth to come looking for His lost children, to find us and bring us home.
Scripture Reference:
“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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.”
Matthew 2:1-12 ESV
Assignment:
Journal Assignment:
Take a moment during Christmas break to identify with each of the characters in the Christmas story and try to determine who you identify with the most:
1. The outcasted shepherds that God brought into the center of Jesus’ Birth. Who didn’t earn it or deserve it still God put them right in the middle of the family of God. Do you feel unworthy to be apart of Gods’ family?
2. The Wisemen who were foreigners and traveled a thousand miles home to encounter the Lord and worship him. The longing in their hearts brought them home. Maybe you too feel far away.
3. The religious people who knew all the stuff yet didn’t come and worship. Maybe you have been a Christian a long time and just feel dry inside and need to find your way home.
4. Mary & Joseph who knew they had a calling from God but didn’t know what it would look like to walk it out in faith. Do you sense a call of God? Are you wondering what to do next?