Today the message is entitled “Seeking The Savior!”
As we are coming to the end of Advent, we reach the part of the Christmas story where the Wisemen – Magi, follow a star to reach Jesus. They are seeking the Messiah, the King of the Jews, the Savior.
We listened as a wiseman told us about his memories of that time. We heard the Scripture Matthew 2: 1-12 read out loud to us. We remember all the Christmas pageants we watched and participated in as the wisemen. It is an old story that is there to show us God’s plan for all of us.
First, we look at who were the Wisemen?
Today’s Handbook of Bible Characters” by E.M. Blaiklock, states:
“Matthew tells briefly all we really know. They came, surely, from the Yemen, the land of their gifts, “Gold and frankincense and myrrh.” They enter the story and leave with mystery behind them.”
The NIV Study Bible, in its notes gives us more ideas to consider:
“Magi – Probably astrologers, perhaps from Persia or southern Arabia, both of which were east of Palestine.”
As I read more resources, I found that as time moved on, many people added their thoughts to who were the Magi. It is amazing what stories developed and how we have accepted the stories as truth.
We really have only this short description in
Matthew 2: 1-2 NIV
1 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 in the East and have come to worship him.”
They came all that distance to worship this new baby and then return home – why? More important then where they came from is the reason why they came at all. They came seeking the baby, the king of the Jews. They were following a bright star and thousands of years of prophecy that had been handed down by their forefathers.
Micah 5:2 NIV
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans[rulers] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
Jeremiah spoke much of the coming Messiah and God gave words for him to quote to his people about seeking.
Jeremiah 29: 13 NIV
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
In “Who’s Who in the New Testament” by Ronald Brownrigg, we read:
“The significance of the coming of the wise men, to the writer of Matthew’s Gospel, was that they were the vanguard of the Gentile worshippers of Jesus the Messiah.”
Matthew goes on later to stress how we need to seek God.
Matthew 6: 33 NIV
But seek first His (God) kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 7:7-8 NIV
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Hebrews 11: 6 NIV
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
The wisemen came seeking the Messiah, the King of the Jews, the Savior. They found the baby Jesus, believed and worshipped Him. Then they went home to tell the story of their encounter with God. This was a great precursor to why God came to earth as that baby.
Jesus came to renew the relationship between mankind and God. The bright star led the wisemen to Jesus so that Jesus could seek them out.
Luke 19: 10
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Jesus brought a new command for us, one that would impact the world forever.
John 13: 34-35
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
When we follow this commandment, people will seek us out to find God. Seek and you will find means just that.
If you know God personally, your love for others will show. If you do not know God personally, seek to find God – it is worth it!
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