Wise Men Still Seek Him

Matthew 2:1-7

In the first two verses of chapter two, much has been written about these men; the Scriptures refer to as wise men.  “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.” (Matthew 2:1-2)  It would not surprise me if you have heard more than once around Christmas time the sermon titled, “Wise Men Still Seek Him.” 

Do we have examples of men seeking Christ, and the answer is yes, we have in Mark’s gospel, the account of Jesus preaching in Galilee; “And rising very early in the morning while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.” (Mark 1:35-39 ESV)

Do you recall the account of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector climbing a sycamore tree so that he could see Jesus, and do you recall that Jesus went home with Zacchaeus to have dinner?  Do you recall that the religious guys were more than a little upset that Jesus would hang-out with a sinner, and do you remember what Zacchaeus said to Jesus; “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.  And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

And what about the day Jesus feed the five thousand and Jesus perceiving they were about to take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus withdrew to the mountains by Himself.  You will find this account in John’s gospel chapter 6, but look at verse 24, “So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.” (John 6:24 ESV)  From the beginning of time men have been seeking someone worthy of worship, and often their motives have been wrong, such were these people who sought Jesus in John’s account.  These are the words of both the crowd and Jesus’ reply to them: “When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:25-29 ESV)

If you keep reading in John 6, it is clear that many did not do what Zacchaeus did by saying he wanted Jesus more than anything this world offers.  Ask this question of yourself, why am I seeking Jesus?  The answer for some may expose wrong motives, to go to heaven is a good answer, but if you only want heaven and do not allow Jesus to be your life, your authority, the way out of darkness into a life of dependence on Him.  Are you much different than the crowd in John chapter 6?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice