Wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:1, 2). They declared they were looking for him so that they could worship him.
Two thousand years later, that is still a good question for us to consider. “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” The one whom the wise men sought was Jesus, born to Mary and proclaimed by the angel Gabriel to be the one who will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
Unlike the wise men, we know how events unfolded. They sought a recently-born child, but one who was, in their understanding, destined to be king. We look to a resurrected Christ, who has ascended into heaven, and is now crowned in Glory. But we, like the wise men, look for Jesus that we might worship him as Lord.
The wise men were not Jews, they were Gentiles. Gentiles had an immediate interest in the new-born Saviour. He came to bear the sins of the world, to be the Saviour of the world; to be not only “the Glory of his people Israel,” but also “a Light to lighten the Gentiles.” They were the leaders of a long procession of Gentiles who, drawn by grace, have sought the Lord. How many millions have followed them? Not just from the East, but in multitudes from the West, from the North, and from the South! The arrival of the wise men so soon after Jesus’ birth was the start of the millions of people, who, down the centuries, would seek to worship him also.
Even as the wise men looked for Jesus, there were those who searched for him so they could destroy him. Herod the king was looking for Jesus because he did not want to lose his own power and authority, so he wanted to kill him and remove the threat. Many people in this day and age would like to see Jesus, and the very mention of God, completely destroyed.
But, take heart, If we lift up our eyes and look around this world, there are still multitudes asking the question, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”
Colin R. Vine