The difference between columns two and three are important. It is essential that we be able define the words that we find in the verse that we are studying. And sometimes the historical context of a scripture means a great deal. For example, it is obvious that these wise men traveled a great distance to find and worship Christ. In this case, something that my third column sheet might do is to remind me that there is a difference between a physical search and a spiritual search. When I was making that kind of study, years ago, I would ask the Lord to show me something above and beyond the ink on the page. “Lord, is there some application that I ought to see here?” Quite often in that slow, deliberate, plodding study, special things would be brought to my attention. And that sort of epiphany came to me last Wednesday as I was slowly re-reading this chapter.
Obviously, the wise men were seeking Christ. And when Herod became aware that there might be a rival to his throne, he sought for Christ as well. That is the historical context, and between the Magi and the king there was a very great difference. But somewhat hidden behind these men, there is another great difference – a spiritual and theological difference. And that is what I’d like to pursue here this morning.
In Adam and Eve, we have a perfect illustration of this. Remember that our first parents had not yet been introduced to the army of idol gods which man would soon develop. With the possible exception of Satan, and their growing self-worship, there was only one God – Jehovah. And what happened that evening after they chose sin over obedience, self-will over God’s will? When God came into the garden for fellowship with His creatures – they hid themselves. The listened for and looked for God, only so that they might hide from Him. The addition of sin to their hearts, stole from them their desire for the fellowship of Jehovah. Rather than seeking the Lord and running to greet Him, they fled from Him. And, despite appearances, man has been running from God ever since.
Israel may be an extreme illustration, but I think that is one of their important purposes – to illustrate us all. In Isaiah 9, the Lord exposes the heart of the people of His nation. The Syrians, the Philistines and soon the Babylonians would be tearing down their city walls, cutting down their trees; and bearing down on the defenseless Israelites with swords and spears. Yet, “for all this (God’s) anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. Yet, “the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts….” “Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly.” Isn’t this the very place where Paul found some of his language for Romans 3? “For all this (Jehovah’s) anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”
Someone said that the sinner doesn’t look for the Lord, in same way the criminal doesn’t look for the police. The sinner doesn’t seek Christ for the same reason that the murderer doesn’t look for the judge. And before the arrival of the wise men, Herod wasn’t looking for the Messiah. But soon both the king and these special foreigners were looking for the Lord, but in entirely different ways.
A favorite story of mine, and one of my favorite books on the subject relates to William Ramsey. Ramsey wrote a book called “Saint Paul, Traveler and Roman Citizen.” In order to research a different book, Ramsey went to Israel, Greece and Rome studying history and archeology. The book that he intended to write was going to destroy for ever the Christian faith, or so he thought. If not an actual atheist, Ramsey was a secularist who hated Christ and the Word of God. So he left home on a quest – but he was searching for a Christ who never existed – an idol, a false god, but with the Name that we adore. And like Paul himself, the man was thrown to the ground with the light of the Lord glaring down upon him. He was converted by the grace of God and became an ardent advocate for the truth. William Ramsey began much like Herod, but, praise the Lord for him, the end was more like the wise men.
In reading religious periodicals, I periodically hear about some Anglican who converted to Catholicism. Or I hear about an atheist who has become a liberal Episcopalian, or a Buddhist who became a Mormon. At the time of their conversion, they might have said that they were seeking for the true God. But in cases like these, they were confused about who that true God is, or they never would have become a part of a denomination of mariolaters, or theistic evolutionists, or other heretics.
We must take God at His word – the Bible doesn’t lie to us. “There is NONE that understandeth, there is NONE that seeketh after God.” When it appears that someone is seeking God, one of two things are true – Either they are seeking for something which they are calling God, but which is not the true God, or… the Lord has put into their hearts a desire for the Lord. That person will find the Lord simply because the Lord is “looking for” and “calling” him.
And that leads me to my next point.
John 6 is one of the watersheds of the Word of God; it is a Biblical continental divide. Even among professing Christians it is either hated or loved; and I profess to delight in it. The chapter begins with the feeding of the five thousand, and many people were very, very impressed. So Christ Jesus sent his disciples toward Capernaum by way of their little fishing boat. Then that night He met them by walking across the waves, effectively leaving the five thousand behind. The next day they caught up with Him wanting more miracles, and particularly more free food. With that began an extended conversation. “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day…. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Please understand the import of that last verse (verse 44). Besides the fact that no man seeketh after Christ by nature, because of his sin and depravity… even if that wasn’t true and someone was seeking Christ for the wrong reasons, he can never find him, because that is a blessing which only God, the Father, can give. Did Herod seek for Christ? Yes, he did. Did he find Him? No, he didn’t. Why didn’t he find Him? Simply put, because it was not the will of God that he find Him. Herod wasn’t seeking to worship and glorify the King; his search was selfish and sinful.
Jesus’ conversation with the Jews went on. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life…. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever.” Of course this “eating” of Christ refers to putting our faith in Him, and has nothing to do with communion or the Lord Supper. “Many therefore of his disciples (note they claimed to be His disciples), when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”
Please note that it was the Lord Jesus who said, “No man can come to unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” The seeking and finding of Christ Jesus, the Saviour, is a gift from God. It is not something which the human heart conjures up of its own accord. The sinful, depraved heart NEVER wants the true and living God. It may desire a Christ of its own design – a fabrication – a false Christ, but not the King of kings and Lord of lords. Finding Christ, and even the seeking for Christ is a part of the grace of the Lord. “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Like the wise men, Peter and the other disciples had found Christ, the Son of the living God. They had repented before Him, and their faith was in this One who is the Son of the living God. Jesus was not merely their teacher, their rabbi, He was their Saviour, their King and their God. They had sought for Him and found Him.
But there is something else here – another very important ingredient. When you study how Peter and the others became Christians and disciples, you’ll see that they were sought by God even more than they were seeking Christ. They were successful in finding the Messiah, because the Messiah was seeking them. Christ told his disciples, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…” (John 15:16). Over and over again, Jesus spoke of His choice of those people. And later Paul and Peter spoke of the same thing when talking about you and me. And the word that both Christ and Paul used was “election.” The true Christian, the saint of God, is Biblically called “the elect of the Lord.” Only those who were “elect” by God before the foundation of the world seek after Christ. The saved are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” This will have to be a message for another day. But there is one other point for us this morning.
In my study, on a shelf just behind my computer monitor, there is a good sized flash-light. Every once in a while grand-daughter Sahalie sees it and declares that she needs to go searching for one thing or another. Sometimes it’s a “treasure” that she’s seeking. At other times it’s her mom. But that flashlight, even in the mid-afternoon, is essential for that search. And thus the batteries have been replaced several times since I last used it.
And in the case of these wise men, the Lord provided them with miraculous leadership – the star. I doubt that any Christian alive today, was brought to Christ through the ministration of a star. But there are likely a great many who have had semi-miraculous leadership in other ways. I’m sure that if we all shared our testimonies, we’d find some of these even right here. You, while still in your heathenism, met a Christian, and you followed him to the place where Jesus lay. Why did you go? You may say that it was love, curiosity, or even animosity, but it was, in fact, the Holy Spirit. Perhaps your family moved to a new community, and just down the street was a church that preached Christ, and out of curiosity you decided to visit, and the rest became history. Or you were bored one summer, and your parents suggested that you attend a Vacation Bible School. Or you heard a radio broadcast which caught your attention. The Lord has a million different stars which He can use at any time to bring His wise men to Himself.
But remember that Herod had just as many inducements and invitations, and yet he was not struck with the light of that star. Did he even see it? No one can say for sure. But it doesn’t really matter, because the Holy Spirit didn’t use it to break his wicked, stubborn heart. And within the following few months he died without a Saviour, and without a shred of hope. The man who built a temple for the Lord, died without that Lord.
Are you seeking Christ this morning? If you are, it’s because the Lord has put that desire in your heart. Alternatively, if you are not, it’s not because of God; it’s because of your sinful heart. Repent before God and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.