Searching for Something

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 have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 

Matthew 2:1-3

Here in these verses of Scripture, we see that the wise men were looking for Jesus. The wise men were probably astrologists, or star gazers, who studied the sky for signs and wonders. In Jesus’ day, astrology was a respected science, as people believed that the stars had a story to tell, and they searched them to know more.

The Lord met these men where they were, doing their jobs, and He gave them the truth about the Christ. He showed them His star, which would lead them to Him. The Scriptures do not tell us much about the star, except that it led them directly to Christ. Clearly, the Lord was speaking to them in their language, meeting their need in the place where they were.

The wise men came to Herod, actively seeking what the stars had told them: That the King of the Jews had been born. Interestingly, in the next verse, we see that Herod and all of Jerusalem were troubled. We can infer from this verse that they, unlike the wise men, had not been searching the skies and that they were surprised by the news. 

In fact, Jerusalem should not have been surprised, or troubled. The Scriptures had given many prophecies that the Christ would come, and Israel was awaiting the coming Messiah, the Savior. Had Herod or these people been studying the Lord’s plans and looking up to Him, they too would have been met and shown the way to meet the Savior.

If we are honest with ourselves, are we, like the wise men, actively looking for Jesus?  Or, are we more like Herod and all of Jerusalem, so immersed in our daily activities that we forget to look up?  If we are not looking for Jesus, then we are wasting our energy and effort. Because He is the only thing worth searching for.

We also need to consider the following actions of Herod. At a time when he could have started to look up and follow the star of Jesus, he instead chose to keep looking for his own way. He secretly ordered the wise men to report back to him, so he too could meet the Baby. But here, in looking to man, He missed the point and missed the Christ.

May we constantly be looking up, searching the heavens for our Lord in everything we do. May we not be distracted by the cares of the world, but may we instead be focused on finding the Lord and His will in everything we do. And may we look longingly for the day when He will return to earth to take us to heaven. May we, like the wise men, be ready.