SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR AWAY

          Matthew’s incarnation account (Mt.2:1-6) of the arrival of the wise men from the east is a rather striking story.  Who were these Magi?  From where exactly did they come?  How far had they traveled?  What star guided them and precisely how did it do so?  How did they know the meaning of the star?  Had they received a special revelation from Jehovah God?  And why did they journey so far to worship a child born king of the Jews?

          Perhaps even more perplexing is the question, “Why did this news prove troubling to King Herod and all Jerusalem with him?” (Mt.2:3).  As to the king, one might be inclined to write off his disturbance as part of Herod’s overall paranoia, but how can one explain the response of the priests and scribes?  These were learned men who knew the sacred writings; they loved The Word; they revered it, debated it and studied it assiduously.  Many, if not all, had memorized verbatim the Torah (the five books of Moses) and all of the psalms.  When Herod quizzed them as to where The Christ was to be born, it was a soft-ball question, easily answered:  In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written… (Mt.2:4-5).  So why were they so troubled?  I suspect that while they were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Messiah, they were taken aback to consider that this profound and awe- some announcement would be first made privy to someone other than themselves.  They were very likely skeptical of and prejudiced against the Magi.  As the caretakers of the Holy Scriptures, did these Jewish leaders deeply resent these “outsiders” knowing something they didn’t?

          Still more baffling is, “Why didn’t these Jewish leaders investigate for themselves?”.  Bethlehem was ONLY FIVE MILES AWAY.  The Magi knew so little, but came such a great distance to worship a king unknown to them.  The Jewish teachers of the Law knew so much and were so very close, but did nothing.  IS IT NOT TRULY ASTONISHING THAT THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES DID NOT SHOW MORE INTEREST?!  They were not lazy men.

And it’s hard to fathom that they could have become spiritually indifferent.  Maybe they had become jaded.  They had been awaiting the arrival of their Messiah for ages.  Or maybe they feared repercussions from King Herod.  As we see in Mt.2:16f, he was a powder keg waiting to explode. 

          Could it be that they were arrogant in thinking, “What right did these magi from the east have in telling us anything about our King?”.  Yet to not investigate Bethlehem first-hand was inexcusable.  It was an easy walk of just five miles (a hour and a half away).  We can speculate about why they failed to explore this matter and we can even condemn them for their apathy, but what about us?  Some people travel the world trying to find a reason for being.  Some search here, there and everywhere in seeking to the answer to the question, “Why am I here?”.  If you are not a disciple of Jesus, isn’t it time for you to take “a trip to Bethlehem”?  Was there really a baby named Jesus?  And was this Jesus of Nazareth truly the only be-gotten Son of God who came to save sinners like us?  And is this Jesus worthy to be The Lord of your life?  ‘Tis the season to check things out!!

                                                                                                                                                           Terry Siverd / Cortland Church of Christ