WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM

By Mindi Kirklin, Cincinnati, OH

Matthew 2:11 (NIV)

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 and of incense and of myrrh.

It is written on a large wooden Christmas decoration that I put up every year....wise men still seek him.  It is a gentle reminder that seekers find, you don't get if you don't ask and well, sometimes, you have to knock on a door before it will open wide.  It is also a reminder of 3 men of old, 3 wise men, Magi, who traveled across the land to seek out a King born to a poor teenage girl and placed in a manger. 

Wise men....they just know things.  The wise men knew who Jesus really was.  They were not fooled by appearances. You see a baby, they see a King.  They had seen many a baby born who were born to rule.  They had watched babies become Kings and they knew who they were looking at when they saw Jesus. 

The gifts they brought were gifts for a King.  Their exact meaning has been debated, but a couple of things are certain:  they are valuable and used for anointing a king.  Isaiah mentioned the bringing of such gifts in Isaiah 60:6 and ancient inscriptions have been found listing these exact gifts as the gifts that an ancient King brought to his god.  These wise men saw the King that lay before them. 

What do you see?

Jesus spent a lot of time during his ministry helping his people redefine their needs.  They did not understand that the true slavery was slavery to sin, and the rescue we all need is grace and forgiveness. We have the hindsight benefit of all of that teaching, but we have our own blind spots. Our perspective of Jesus after all of these years, after living in our sin and feeling desperate for forgiveness is often incomplete as well.  Many of the people of Israel were not thinking of forgiveness when they awaited the Messiah....they were thinking of deliverance.  We see a meek, suffering, humble, loving friend, but they prayed for a King, a powerful, Roman-army-shaking King.  And on that day, the day that God became man, we got both.

How we see Jesus dictates how we live as Christians.  And this world right now, this 2020 depressing, sky-is-falling world could sure use a little bit of King Jesus! 

Often when we think of the wise men, we ask ourselves what gifts we bring.  And this is an important question, but for me, so much of whether I see the gifts I am giving to God as a sacrifice or as a pleasure is determined by how I see Jesus.  And I am pretty sure that when Jesus comes in the room, dressed in all of his royal splendor, not only will no one else be thinking about me, but I won't even be thinking about me!  We will all only be thinking about Him.... 

Revelation 19:11-16 (NIV)

¹¹  I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.

¹²  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.

¹³  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

¹⁴  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

¹⁵  Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

¹⁶  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Now how do I feel when THAT guy asks me to do something in his service?? My pleasure!! What an honor to be called on by a King!  I mean, let's face it, no matter how hard we try, we all get a little bit star-struck at times, or feel a bit in awe at those in power. What would it be like to be that powerful person's faithful friend?  Their trusted confidant?  The person they give the task to when they want it done right?  The person who is loyal no matter how bad the press gets? I want to be that person for Jesus! I want to serve at his pleasure, to be the most loyal member of his cabinet. I don't know why he chose me, but I am not going to spend too much time asking questions! 

This season we celebrate so much more than forgiveness.  We celebrate the conquering of death and the annihilation of hatred.  God almighty reigns. He no longer stands waiting for his time, but sits on his throne ruling his domain with absolute authority and commanding love. He is the one we have waited for, the one who sets things right. And when we see him again, he will come in all of his glory.  Every knee will bow on the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 

Right now we may be living amongst the profane and prideful,  but wise men, they still seek him.

Reflection:

1. How does the image of Jesus sitting on his throne comfort your heart? 
2. How important would you feel if you could call up the most powerful leader in your country and get advice and assistance? Would you relax if that person told you that they would take care of the situation?
3. How does it feel to serve at the pleasure of such a glorious King?

 For additional study:

John 17:5; Ephesians 1:20-21; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 5:12-13