Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
Do you see Herod’s instructions? They are the same for us. It reminds us of the importance of Jesus coming as a child. There are two sets of instructions in the nativity story. The first was to the shepherds. The angel told them where to find Jesus. He was in Bethlehem in a manger stall. Here the instruction is different but carries the same thought. This is from an opposite source with an opposite motive. The angels excitedly shared the news with the shepherds and had the authority of heaven backing them.
Eight miles north of Bethlehem was Jerusalem. The wise men arrived looking for the child who was born King of the Jews. Herod heard they were there, so he inquired about it. As far as he was concerned he was the only king of the Jews. He was put into a government position at the age of 15 and became king at an early age when his father passed away. He was a cruel man. If he didn’t like one of his wives he had her killed. When he suspected his own children of trying to take over the throne, he had them killed. He had great wealth and built the temple in Jerusalem, the very one Jesus walked through in his day. The people had a love- hate relationship with him.
He was a smart man in knowledge of the Old Testament, but his heart was wrong. He had no room for the King of the Jews. He didn’t think of the Messiah’s coming and what it meant. He, like so many today, thought only of his little time frame. He had his counselors search out where the Messiah was to be born and found it was down the road in Bethlehem. He tried to use the wise men to find him. He pretended to be excited. He knew it was true because he said go and WHEN, not IF, you find him, “bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.” He had no intention of worship; he only wanted to find him….and kill him. The instruction was to go and find. It was an instruction of uncertainty. He wanted the opportunity of stop God’s plan and destroy the Savior before he could even grow up.
Now, what can we learn?
There are plenty of “Herod’s” today who try to make us doubt the word of God, its truths and promises. They try to have a happy holiday with no mention of Christ. Jesus chose to come into the world right under Herod’s nose. No matter how many Herod’s there are, God is still here. In the midst of these frightening times, God still makes it possible for us to share the good news that there is a Savior for the world. Right under their noses we can find the child. Herod’s instruction was to go and let him know so he could worship also. This is pretty good advice. Look at it, never mind the source. Through all the craziness of this season, take time to go and find the child.
Jesus had the mind of an infant and grew into every stage of human existence. Right at his most vulnerable time of life, Jesus still commanded a star to shine, angels to sing, and put shepherds and wise men on the move. He had yet to humanly learn to speak and walk, yet this baby stirred up the deepest hate and a cruel plot to kill him, a plot that murdered hundreds of male children.
Herod concurred with Bethlehem being the place. If he had been honest and sincere, he could have gone with them to find Jesus and worship him. It is still a good instruction. Take time. Do whatever it takes. Change your course. Seek Jesus, and you will find him. Finding him as a child helps us understand the motive of his coming. It helps us to understand the adult Jesus was. We can see the agony of the death on the cross and the glory of the resurrection.
What a prayer for us to pray! “Help me go. Show me the route to take so I’ll find you.” Do as the wise men. True and genuine service is first recognizing the awesomeness of God and falling at his feet in worship. I want to be included in Herod’s statement “that I may come and worship him also.”
If we follow Herod’s instructions, we’ll find who the wise men found and who Herod missed.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 