Like other culturally driven topics like the making of resolutions or the giving of thanks, focusing on Christ’s birth is relegated to one time of the year. In this, we remember the stories surrounding that birth like those recorded in Matthew 2, where we find the wise men following a brilliant star to Bethlehem. Surrounding this event is Herod’s plot to assassinate the Christ child and His family’s flight to Egypt.

Many questions remained unanswered about these individuals. How do the wise men know who they are seeking? Where do they come from? How many are there? What did they find, and what do we find when we seek Jesus?

The Wise Will Find…

• A manifestation of God’s plan. Jesus is the culmination of God’s plan to defeat Satan and bless the nations. He is the prophet likened unto Moses who would speak the words of God. He is the son of David who would establish Jehovah’s house forever, and He is the one to be born of a virgin. In Isaiah 7:10-16, the prophet challenges Ahaz to ask for a sign. He refuses, so God offers a sign regardless – a child born of a virgin called Immanuel. John 3:16 appropriately sums this up, and Romans 5:8 reinforces that Christ’s mission is one of personal mercy and love.
• A demonstration of unselfishness. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus states that His mission is to serve others and give His life for them. In verses 26-27, He encourages us to be humble and meek in our lives and the service we perform for others. Self should become secondary to the well-being and the needs of others. James 4:6-7 warns that God resists the proud, but He gives His grace to the humble.
• Hope for the lost. In Ephesians 2:11-13, Paul speaks of a former state isolated from God, having no hope, but Christ brings us closer. Christ gives us hope. I Thessalonians 4:13-14, Paul states that he wishes for his readers to have hope for resurrection and salvation, and Hebrews 6:17-20 speaks of a hope like an anchor that comes to us through Jesus.
• Immanuel, God With Us. Jesus is deity in the flesh as recorded in Matthew 1:22-23. John 1:1 speaks of the Word being God, and verse 14 reveals that the Word became flesh – that flesh being the being of Jesus. God walked among man when He came in the form of Jesus.

Following the Example

They first gave of themselves by seeking Him, and, in finding Him, they worshipped. Do we seek Jesus as diligently as these anonymous individuals? What do we do if we find Him. Seeking and finding is not enough. Once found, Jesus deserves our reverence, worship, and commitment. He is our hope, our mercy, and our salvation, and we should find ourselves humbled and awed in His presence.

lesson by Tim Smelser