Religious Miss the King
Why is it that the most religious people miss the King? This last Sunday we looked at the passage about the Wise men in Matthew 2:1-12. In this passage, we saw 4 different responses to the birth of the Messiah and King Jesus. We saw King Herod violently against Jesus; we saw the people of Jerusalem complacent against Jesus; we saw the religious leaders religious against Jesus; and we witnessed the wise men passionate for Jesus. It is the 3rd response that I want to focus on here. Below is the passage that deals with the religious leaders. King Herod heard of the news of the wise men coming to Jerusalem to look for a newborn king and he was troubled. He was troubled for he knew that he didn’t meet the qualifications to be the king of the Jewish people and he didn’t want anything to interfere with his rule. So he wanted to find out the veracity of their claim and he calls in the religious leaders of the day (the theologians and high level priests). This is how they respond to Herod:
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
The Jewish religious leaders know the truth, they know Scripture but they use it to serve Herod and not their God. They have all the right answers, quote Scripture beautifully and yet they refuse to go and check out this newborn King. Jewish religious leaders had head knowledge but no heartfelt love for God and His word! Contrast their knowledge and response with the wise men. They were not in the religion business. They were advisors to rulers (much like a chief of staff to the President) in ancient Babylon or somewhere east of Palestine. They were Gentiles and had very little knowledge of the Bible but they heard the news about this newborn king and wanted to discover him. Once they did see him, they bowed down to worship him and gave them their best gifts—gifts fit for a true king.
Why do religious people like me miss the King! Why do we choose to ignore Him rather than to embrace Him? Why do we pursue being right more than pursuing Him? Why does the knowledge of Scripture puff us up and not draw us to devote our lives to Him? Why doesn’t the news of the newborn King amaze and impact us and thus bring us to be passionate for Him? Don’t miss the King: The Son of God left his glorious and awesome throne room in heaven enjoying an intimate relationship with His Father to come down to be born in a broken down stable to a poverty stricken couple and laid in an animal feeding trough. He humbly came down to experience the brokenness of the world and suffer ridicule from his people, rejection from his friends and family, physical and emotional pain and horrible and inhumane death by all for you and me. He sacrificially came down to provide us forgiveness, healing, reconciliation, freedom, rest, joy, and hope.
As he began his service as an adult, listen to some of his first words to the religious, those who were proud and arrogant, Jesus challenges them:
31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Lk 5:31, 32)
Let us not miss those words as well. Don’t miss the King for He doesn’t miss us. That is why He came down to save religious people like us. Even when we are not passionate for Him, Jesus and his work shows us that He is passionate for us. Even when we don’t embrace Him for we are busy being religious, He embraced us at the cross. Don’t miss the King this Christmas season for he didn’t miss us!
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
The Jewish religious leaders know the truth, they know Scripture but they use it to serve Herod and not their God. They have all the right answers, quote Scripture beautifully and yet they refuse to go and check out this newborn King. Jewish religious leaders had head knowledge but no heartfelt love for God and His word! Contrast their knowledge and response with the wise men. They were not in the religion business. They were advisors to rulers (much like a chief of staff to the President) in ancient Babylon or somewhere east of Palestine. They were Gentiles and had very little knowledge of the Bible but they heard the news about this newborn king and wanted to discover him. Once they did see him, they bowed down to worship him and gave them their best gifts—gifts fit for a true king.
Why do religious people like me miss the King! Why do we choose to ignore Him rather than to embrace Him? Why do we pursue being right more than pursuing Him? Why does the knowledge of Scripture puff us up and not draw us to devote our lives to Him? Why doesn’t the news of the newborn King amaze and impact us and thus bring us to be passionate for Him? Don’t miss the King: The Son of God left his glorious and awesome throne room in heaven enjoying an intimate relationship with His Father to come down to be born in a broken down stable to a poverty stricken couple and laid in an animal feeding trough. He humbly came down to experience the brokenness of the world and suffer ridicule from his people, rejection from his friends and family, physical and emotional pain and horrible and inhumane death by all for you and me. He sacrificially came down to provide us forgiveness, healing, reconciliation, freedom, rest, joy, and hope.
As he began his service as an adult, listen to some of his first words to the religious, those who were proud and arrogant, Jesus challenges them:
31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Lk 5:31, 32)
Let us not miss those words as well. Don’t miss the King for He doesn’t miss us. That is why He came down to save religious people like us. Even when we are not passionate for Him, Jesus and his work shows us that He is passionate for us. Even when we don’t embrace Him for we are busy being religious, He embraced us at the cross. Don’t miss the King this Christmas season for he didn’t miss us!
posted by City of Hope Church at 9:02 AM
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