“Wise Men Still Seek Him”
December 18, 2016
Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
Have you ever thought what it was like for the Wisemen (or Magi) to follow that star? The Wisemen intrigue me; they ignite my interest. There is a little we know about them but there is so much more we don’t know. We have to speculate. We have to guess. Most of the males in this room have played a wise man in a Christmas play at one time or other. We usually were dressed in fancy flowing robes and a crown of some kind or other. We think they were not only wise but rich as well. Some believe they were kings. We sing “We Three Kings”. Scholars says that probably came from Psalm 72:11, which says,
“May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.”
And we know they were from the East. The Bible tells us that. We know they came bearing gifts for the Christ Child and we know what three of them were - gold, frankincense and myrrh. Many sermons have been preached on those gifts. They could represent so many things. What piqued my interest, tho, is the Wisemen themselves. What would cause three or more Wisemen, be they kings, rich men or scholars, to leave their homes, jobs, and families, to follow a star? Certainly I am not going to be able to answer that question this morning. God hasn’t given me any divine knowledge to be able to know the answer. But that in itself is a clue. 1. The Wisemen had divine knowledge.
It doesn’t matter if they were a kings, chemists, or astronomers – they had to have had divine knowledge to follow that star. More than that – we can conclude that they had a relationship with God - not only because God revealed this information to them but because they had a desire to know. They had a thirst for this information. They had a hunger to know the things of God.
That says something about them. It tells me that they were, indeed, Wisemen, but it also tells me that they were seekers of God long before this incident. I can imagine them pouring over the scrolls and ancient information that came their way. I can see them all exciting and enthused when they discovered that God was going to send His Son to be born King of kings. And when they discovered that a star would lead them to the Christ-child they must have been ecstatic with excitement. Can’t you see them planning the trip; deciding what gifts to bring; who was going and so on?
But here is something to think about. There must have been many Wisemen; many astronomers; many Biblical scholars in their day. Why were they chosen to find the Christ? It has more to do with just being wise; it has more to do than being magi; it has more to do with being king or being rich. The answer is that they were ‘seekers’.
Would it be corny if I said, “Wise men still seek Him?” It is so true. The rest of the world is doing their thing; going their way; busy with life. Wise men still seek Him. And Wise men still find Him.
Many of us here have been on a quest to find Jesus; to know Him; to become intimate with Him. And many of us have. I remember when Julie and I were young that we belonged to a Bible Study group we called “Seekers”. I loved that class. I loved seeking God. I loved studying the Word of God. I loved discovering His will and striving to please Him as I walked in the new light that was revealed to me.
I want to urge you to be more of a seeker. You can only find if you seek. Remember Jesus’ words? He said,
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
Some of the newer versions translate it as “Ask and keep on asking; Seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking” The Scripture has the connotation of being persistent. That could explain why some of the other magi were not on that trip to the west following the star.
I’m afraid half-hearted seeking won’t do it for us either. Going to church on Sunday is not enough. Many Christians are what we pastors call C and E Christians. They only come on Christmas and Easter. That won’t get it. Some only pick up the Bible when the mood strikes them and the mood doesn’t usually strike very often. We need to make seeking Christ a priority – not just a priority but the TOP priority. What is the Great Command?
“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Matthew 22:37-38
Do you think that if you truly love God with all your heart that maybe you will seek Him? I do. The level of which we seek God is a measure of the love we have for Him. Jesus said,
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
You need divine knowledge. Seek God for it. Who knows what will be revealed to you. And what the world is seeking for – you will be given that as well. Make it your number one priority in life to be a seeker of Christ.
Another thing you need to know about seeking the Christ is 2. Seeking takes Sacrifice.
I probably don’t need to tell you that. You have surely experienced that in life. There are myriads of stories that point that out. Scientists, like Edison, who got so enthralled with his work that he didn’t sleep except in snatches. There are many stories of love where someone gives us everything in quest for love. We always sacrifice something when we seek. Many who seek after gold or some unworthy goal sacrifice family, home, jobs or whatever. There is a sacrifice the seeker must be willing to make. I don’t know what the Magi sacrificed but comfort was probably one thing. Time was certain sacrificed in their quest. Won’t it be interesting one day to learn the stories behind the stories? That is one of the appeals of heaven for me. I’m sure the Magi had some interesting personal stories of sacrifice. I’m excited to learn them.
I say all of that to remind that you will have to make sacrifices if you are to be a seeker of Christ. Time, sleep, comfort, fun things, other things you would enjoy doing. There will be sacrifice. Be a wise man or women. Seek anyway.
It takes effort to seek for Christ. Listen to the Scripture.
“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”
Psalm 119:10
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13
Do you see that we need to seek for our Lord with ALL of our hearts? Maybe we have not found Him in the way we would like to because we haven’t wholeheartedly sought Him.
A third thing we can learn is that 3. It Takes Faith to Seek.
When I pastored in the middle of Nevada, many years ago, I was asked by a Nazarene lady if I would do some assessment work for her. I was glad to do it. The property was near Goldfield, Nevada. It was a fascinating place to me. As we talked about the Ladies brother who had passed away and left her the mining claims and property, she told me how consumed her brother was with finding gold. He had an underground mine and she said he would tell her the gold was just one more foot farther or one more foot to the right or to the left. You see, he had faith that it was there. And maybe it was – but he never found it. He died first.
We need to have faith that seeking the Christ-child will result in our finding something of value. If we don’t have faith – we won’t seek. And that is why so many are not seeking Him today. The problem is not one of seeking – it is one of faith. The wise men had so much faith in the revealed information that they made the sacrifice to find the Baby in the manger.
One last thought, Fourthly, the Result will be worth it.
Can you imagine the Wise men’s joy when they found Jesus? The Scripture says, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Matthew 2:10
They were OVER joyed. They weren’t just ‘happy’ – they weren’t just joyful – they were OVER joyed. They were ecstatic with joy! They were thrilled!
Do you think if you asked them if it was worth it they might say ABSOLUTELY!
Their joy will be minor compared to your joy when you see Jesus face to face. I remember the joy I experienced when I came to Jesus. I have watched many people receive Christ into their hearts and some were so overcome with emotion that they wept. Some laughed. Some couldn’t wipe the grin off their faces. All of that will be nothing compared to the joy of us meeting Jesus. We will say “It was worth it!” Whatever sacrifice necessary; whatever pain; whatever trial we have to go through – it will be worth it. Wise men still seek Him. Be wise. Seek Jesus with all your heart.
1. The Wisemen had divine knowledge; 2.Seeking takes sacrifice; 3. Seeking Takes Faith; 4. The Result will be worth it
