IF
THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE SHOWED UP ON EARTH TONIGHT, would you be excited
to see Him?
Or not?
As we move forward in our Advent
peace study, I want to take you to the Gospel of Matthew, second chapter,
verses 1-4. It’s the chapter about the Wise Men coming from the east to worship
Jesus after His birth.
“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 have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’
When Herod the king heard this, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the
chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the
Christ was to be born.”
You can find a lot of commentaries
about this passage online, and I would encourage you to do more research, but
let me give you just a screen-shot background.
First and foremost, this event
actually occurs around two years after Jesus’s birth, so Jesus is probably two.
Second, King Herod is a Roman who
has been appointed by the Romans to rule over the Jews. So he’s not a Jew; but
evidently he knows something about Jewish law and prophecy.
Another thing to know about him is
that he’s evil. Pure evil. And power hungry. And probably mentally imbalanced.
He has three of his sons murdered, and his mother-in-law and his second wife.
This is a man who sounds paranoid and doesn’t trust others. And he certainly
seems to revel in his power.
He lives in Jerusalem. And that’s
where the wise men go to find him, to obtain information about the location of
the King of the Jews.
Notice how they title Jesus? As
“King of the Jews.” Inferring that Jesus is the real king, and they know and
acknowledge that? And maybe Herod isn’t?
How would you react?
First, I doubt that three plain old
wise men from the east riding into town, requesting an audience with King Herod,
would have gotten much notice, IF
they were just wise men, and IF just
the three of them came riding in like you or I would enter a city. As many authors have suggested, they could
have been kings themselves. But Scripture never says there were just three of
them; and they probably came into town with a resplendent entourage and a
stream of servants and horses or camels carrying baggage.
Be assured, they got everyone’s
attention.
Including the Jerusalem residents.
What gold nuggets are in
those verses?
In just four
lines in Scripture you learn that:
1. The wise men
know Jesus is to be worshipped. So that means he’s incredibly important, and
His birth is significant—to everyone.
2. Herod
evidently knew and believed in the prophecies, enough to realize that this
newborn king is the Christ, the anointed one of Israel. The Messiah. In verse 4, we see him gathering all the chief Jewish
priests and scribes together to tell him where the Christ is to be born.
3. The arrival
of the wise men and Herod’s reaction certainly got the attention of the
residents, because it’s clear that they hear about the wise men’s reason for
arrival and their request. Someone must have made a big deal about it and
spread the word. Quickly.
And we learn something else, in
verse 3, that surprised me. I’d never noticed it before. Let’s read it again:
“When Herod the king heard this, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (My emphasis.)
Now, I can understand old Herod
being troubled. Terrified, probably. With any possibility of someone else
grabbing his throne, Herod is reactive and proactive. He’s not about to let
that happen. But now here comes this baby who threatens his rule and very
existence. And he’s terrified.
Not what you’d expect—
But the people?! Why are they
troubled? (Historians estimate the population to be between 20,000 and 80,000,
with best guestimates at 40,000.) I can understand the Roman citizens being
nervous, but they didn’t believe in all of that Jewish prophecy anyway, so we
can probably discount them from the passage.
But shouldn’t the Jews be excited
that prophecy has been fulfilled and their long-awaited Christ has been born?
Their Savior, their King? After all, some historians say there were probably
6,000 Pharisees in Jerusalem. The Scripture-sleuths. The crème de la crème of
Jews.
But they’re not excited. They’re
troubled. Troubled.
Why? It doesn’t say they’re
ambivalent about Him, or disinterested. It says they were troubled. What
reasons do you think they might have for being troubled about Jesus’ birth?
I can think of several.
1. A new king would upset the apple
cart they’re used to. People usually don’t like change.
2. They automatically react to Herod’s
reaction, like mob mentality, without giving it much thought.
3. They know who this king must be, and
they believe in Him, but they’re a little nervous about what He’s going to
think of them. And maybe what He’s going to do to them.
And
then there’s the big reason—
They don’t know Him, and they’re
afraid.
Second Advent details
Scripture says that when He returns
again, those who don’t know Him are going to be frightened. Things are going to
get so bad that the unbelievers would rather have a boulder drop on them than
face the events.
My question for you is: How about
you? If He returned tonight, would you be troubled, or would you be oozing joy
and praising Heaven?
Would you be humbled, or anxious?
Would you be excited, or trying to
hide?
Or would you be like the wise men
who searched for Him, found Him, and worshiped Him?
Are you in King Herod’s camp, or the
Wise Men’s?
Where would you like to be?
Knowing
If you’re a wise person and have found
Him, amen! I’ll be worshiping right alongside you. I might be flat on my face
worshiping, but I will be worshiping.
If you’re unsure, I pray that you
take this Advent season to search and find. He will be found by you if you
search diligently and honestly for Him. With an open heart.
And when He has been found, worship!
You will have crossed over from Herod’s camp to Jesus’.
And you won’t be troubled about His
return.
Make it a great
week!
Blessings,
Andrea
May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul
prospers (3 John 2).
Photos courtesy of Google
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