Did you miss Christmas? I am not referring to the season, or the day, or the activities we have at Christmas time.
• I am referring to the Person – the encounter with Jesus. Many today can have Christmas and not meet Christ.
• Christmas can come and go without any significant change.
Many did miss Christmas when Jesus was born 2000 years ago, and not because they do not know about it.
• They were so close, but yet ended up so far. They had the chance to see Jesus literally, and know Him, and experience a life change but nothing happened.
• The first one would be King Herod. The Magi came to him asking for directions and revealed the great news.
King Herod had the chance but he was driven by FEAR.
• Herod heard the news that a KING would be born. The word KING alone frightened him.
• The Word says he was disturbed. He was afraid. This FEAR did not come from Jesus; it was in him. He deceived himself into fear.
It was an unfounded fear. It was not rational. Jesus was only an infant, at most over a year old.
• It would take another 20-30 years before Jesus can even be a threat to his throne.
• And the truth is, Jesus’ rule has nothing to do with his throne. He was born the King of the Jews, according to OT prophecies it means the SHEPHERD of his people Israel.
• Anyway, Jesus did not come to establish an earthly kingdom. It was no threat at all!
A man was visiting a friend in a village. Saw sign “Beware of Dogs”. Walked a short distance and saw another one, and then a third one. He was anxious and afraid by the time he pressed the doorbell. It turned out to be a small puppy. The problem need not be real, it was in his mind.
FEAR gripped Herod’s heard. He was afraid of losing his kingship, his authority, his privileges and power. He was afraid of something that was not real.
• Fear need not have to make sense. It doesn’t, most of the time.
Many today are gripped with the same fear. They fear that if they put their trust in Jesus, He will RULE over them.
• They fear that Jesus will rob them of the freedom in life, their rights to do what they want, and their joy of enjoying the pleasures of life.
• They are afraid of losing their throne (like King Herod). They want to be in control.
The fear comes because we do not really know WHO Jesus really is, and we do not know WHAT He is capable of doing with our lives.
• We misread Jesus’ intention. We misunderstand God’s will. These untruths and half-truths breed fear.
Herod’s fear caused him to do a great wrong – he decided to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, 2 years old and under (Matt 2:16).
• Fears can cause you to do crazy things. This was completely unnecessary.
• Herod was given the chance to know the prophecy of God, the gift of eternal life in Jesus. He was close but he missed it.
• Jesus did not come to fight him, but to save him. John 3:17 says He did not come into this world to condemn the world but save it.
Are you driven by fear today? Don’t allow ignorance to breed it.
• Get back to the TRUTH of God’s Word. Read it, study it, remember it, and it will enlightens you and set you free.
• Jesus says only the truth can set us free. We do not need to believe everything we read in the papers, magazines or the internet, but we must believe every word we read in the Bible.
The passage also reveals a second group of people that has the chance to know Jesus but did not - chief priests and teachers of the law (2:4).
They were INDIFFERENT. They got the answer, but they simply BO CHAP.
Under the order of the King, they searched the Scriptures and found the record that Christ was to be born “in Bethlehem in Judea” (2:5).
• They even quoted Micah 5:2 to the King. It was a prophecy. It was accurate. It was right, because it was a revelation of God.
• As religious leaders and learned scholars, we can expect them to find the answer.
But the most remarkable thing is that none of them went to Bethlehem.
• They had the Scriptures in the hands and the answer in their heads.
• It wasn’t in their heart. They were not moved to do anything in response to what God had revealed.
• Bethlehem is less than 10km south of where they are (Jerusalem). None of them went to look for the Messiah.
In fact, Herod took it more seriously than the priests and scribes. The irreligious one showed more interest than the religious.
• In fact, he believed it so deeply that he was prepared to go for a massacre.
At first, I find this quite unbelievable – that the priests and scribes would ignore the truth. On reflection though, I see it happening when I look around.
• We don’t always show interest in what God has revealed. Not all the time, at least.
• We have the Bible in our hands, the Word only in our heads, but not in our hearts.
Many today ignore the truth. It is not for a lack of evidence, but an issue of the heart.
• It is a choice we make. Unbelief is a choice. Indifference is a choice.
• It’s like a smoker buying a pack of cigarettes, knowing that it’s likely to lead to lung cancer, being reminded each time by the gruesome pictures on packs.
The chief priests and the scribes have chosen NOT to do anything with the truth they’ve found.
• They were apathetic. They did not bother. They refused to be concerned. Apathy destroys them. “
• C. S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters has this illustration – Devil teaching wormwood (little demons) how to tempt people. “Don’t get them to do evil. They are smarter than that. Get them to feel that it is not important. Nothing is so urgent. God’s work can wait. Don’t have to be too bothered.
But why did they choose to remain so? They did not know what they were missing out. They did not know the grave consequence of their indifference.
• Have you ever CHOSEN NOT to do something you know is right? I have. More than I would like to admit. This is not new to us.
God has something greater for us. Heed God’s call. Make your life count!
Finally, there is still one other group of people that had the chance to know Jesus but missed it - the inn-keepers. They were too PREOCCUPIED.
It’s not in this text but in Luke 2. Luke 2:7 Jesus was born “in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.”
• Emperor Caesar has issued a decree that a census be taken, so everyone was back in their own town.
• That was the reason that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. The inns were full and they had to settle in a manger.
The inn-keepers had the privilege of having the King of kings born in their own backyard. They were the ones closest to Jesus in that sense.
• But business was good, exceptionally good because of the census. The rooms were full, the cash registers were ringing away, and the people were coming in.
• They were too preoccupied, too busy to find out what was going on.
• They were so close and yet so far. They missed the greatest opportunity of a life change, because they were too preoccupied by the here and now.
Satan plays this card today. People are just too busy to care about Jesus.
Fear can cause you to misunderstand God’s good intention. Indifference can cause you to miss His blessings, and busyness can rob you of the greatest opportunity you have in knowing Him and experiencing the best of life there is.
Learn from the Magi. They were the ones that have least chance of seeing Jesus.
• They lived in another country (2:12) in the East. They were farthest away from Jesus. They had probably travelled for months to reach Bethlehem.
• But they came, SEEKING. They did not have the Scriptures in the hands or the information in the heads, but they have the right heart.
• The Lord says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you." (Jer 29:13-14)
Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matt 7:7-8)
• The problem is not many are asking. Not many are seeking. Not many knocking.
Gurmit Singh’s mom had stage 4 stomach cancer and doctor gave her 6 months to live. He was a new Christian then and stumbled upon this verse. Something lighted up in him and he immediately went to a corner, got down on his knees and prayed to God. He told God of this promise and asked him if He wouldn’t mind, to let his mother live a little bit longer.
He said to God, “…because I know that she is waiting for me to settle down and continue the name of the family since I am the only son and the eldest. My mother loves babies.” Although he was a fairly new Christian and didn’t really know how to pray, he spoke from his heart.
Subsequently, my mother had to go back to the clinic to do more x-rays to find out how much more the disease was spreading. At that time, the doctor sat them down and said to them, “I do not know what you are doing but whatever you are doing, please continue to do so because the cancer is gone! I’m sorry I cannot explain but we call this a miracle.”
His mother who was supposed to die in six months, lived for another sixteen years!
http://christianitymalaysia.com/wp/man-gurmit-singh
The Magi knew WHO they were seeking. They made that long and difficulty journey. They came with gifts, and heavy gifts at that – gold, frankincense and myrrh.
• God saw their heart. He put His star in the sky to guide them. And then, through a pagan king (Herod) provided the name of the town Bethlehem for them.
• Isn’t that amazing? That’s the promise: “I will be found by you, if you seek me with all your heart!” (cf. Jer 29:13-14). He will make sure you find Him!
We do not want any unfounded fears, passive indifference or the busyness of life robs us of the blessings of knowing Christ. Don’t let these stands between us and Jesus.
• Seek Him with all your heart, not just this Christmas but throughout the New Year.
