While Christmas has long passed, one story I always remember is that of the Three Wise Men. They are such a great representation of following God’s signs even without having solid faith. And through following God’s call and seeking Him out, they found what they had been looking for.
Those who seek God’s kingdom and righteousness…
In the Gospel of Luke (and also Matthew), the visit of the magi (wise men) is recorded.
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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”Luke 2:1-6
This story is amazing to read when you really look at it and understand its significance. It’s interesting to know that the magi weren’t Jews. They were gentiles, and yet they still looked for and came to the Christ. They knew the prophecies about the coming of the Christ, but God’s own people – the Israelites – didn’t.
We always think there were three of them because three gifts were mentioned, but were there really three wise men?
…are Rewarded by God
In the end, it doesn’t matter how many wise men there were. There could have been ten (there weren’t). But the point is that they saw the prophecy fulfilled. They saw the thing that was promised to happen, happen. God wants people to seek Him and know the one He sent. He doesn’t care where you’re physically from. Those who believed in Jesus at the first coming were able to become God’s sons.
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:11-13
And Jesus said himself,
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:16-17
Christians today already believe Jesus is the Messiah. Those Old Testament prophesies were meant for the Jews at that time to understand and believe in. We are living in the time of the New Testament, and we must know and believe in the prophecies in the New Testament – in the four Gospels and the book of Revelation.
Take a Lesson from the Magi
The magi sought out the Christ who was promised, even though they were not Jews. They still had that heart and desire to see him. God granted them their faith and rewarded them for it. For Christians today, is it Christ in the flesh that we look forward to? Let’s look at Scripture. In Luke 17, Jesus says that we will long to see the days of the Son of Man, but we won’t be able to. He also says that the days of the Son of Man will be like lightning that flashes in the sky from one end to another (Luke 17:22, 24). Jesus also promised to send the Helper, the Holy Spirit in John 14, 15, and 16. What does this mean?
When we understand how God works in the Bible, we see that spirits work together with a person. In Exodus 4, God speaks to Moses. God tells him that He will give him the words to speak, and he will give those words to the Israelites. In Amos 3:7 it says God doesn’t do anything without first giving His plan to His servants, the prophets. God coming to Moses is just one example of many we can see throughout the Bible.
When Jesus promised to come again, would he come back in the flesh? Many believers might think so, but when we read Revelation, we find Jesus returns in spirit. Revelation 1:12-18 describes Jesus’s appearance – eyes like flames of fire, legs like pillars of fire, hair whiter than snow, his face shining like the sun – does this sound like a human body? Even when Jesus was resurrected from the dead, did he have the same body as before? When we look more closely, we can say “no.” Jesus’s body was changed into a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15 tells us even more about this). At the time of the second coming, Jesus, who comes in spirit, chooses one person and gives him his words to preach to the people (much like Moses receiving the words to preach from God).
We need to seek the person Jesus promised and hear the testimony from him – just as the disciples (and others) came to Jesus and hear his testimony. The wise men sought Jesus because they desired to see if those words they read were true. We must have that same heart.
Let’s Seek God with All Our Heart
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
Proverbs 8:17
The magi diligently sought out for Jesus at his birth and believed he would be where they were told. Their hearts were seeking, and they found what they were looking for. Let us reflect on our own hearts. Let’s ask ourselves these questions:
Do I have the same heart and desire of the wise men?
Will I seek the truth and the one Jesus prophesied to come?
When he is here, will I believe as the wise men did?
If you want to reflect even further, I encourage you to watch this video titled, “Mission Church Christmas”. I pray you can have the heart to seek out Jesus and his messenger now, just as the wise men sought Jesus at his birth. I hope you can have the heart to study the Bible. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to begin a study. We’d love to help you!
Written By Kenny
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