Five Miles from Bethlehem

Emmanuel, it is an astonishing title for Christ. The Name means God with us. When Christ was born to the Virgin Mary in the City of David, Bethlehem, history itself would be divided between B.C. and A.D., marking the birth of our Lord. Among the amazing aspects of Christ’s birth, there is one primary that I want to highlight from Matthew 2. It is easy to overlook this obscure set of characters.

When the wise men came to Jerusalem from the east (most likely Persia, modern day Iran), they went to King Herod to find out where Christ was born. Matthew 2:4 says King Herod gathered the priests and scribes to interpret the scripture prophesying Christ’s birth. They accurately pinpointed Micah 5:2, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” In other words, they fully understood the Scriptures, yet they chose to ignore the Savior.

King Herod’s palace was only five miles from Bethlehem. It is unthinkable to me that these priests and scribes who were so familiar with God’s Word that they could understand and explain Micah 5:2, were unwilling to go with the wise men to see the Savior. Yet are people not the same today? So many are close to the things of God. They know the story, and may even respect the story, yet they choose to ignore Jesus. The wise men were seeking Him for one purpose and that was to worship Him (Matthew 2:2).

What is the purpose of your Christmas? You may sing the songs. You may be familiar with the story, but is your desire to worship Christ as the wise men did, or would you be similar to the priest and scribes who know all about Christ, but still choose to ignore Him? This Christmas season, sharpen your focus on worshiping Jesus.

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