Christmas Message -- "Six Miles To See Jesus"

“SIX MILES TO SEE JESUS”
Matthew 2:1-6
December 25, 2011

I’ve calculated that Carol and I live about 3 miles from the church office or about 6 miles round trip. I’ve often thought about trying to walk that distance but that’s about as far as I’ve gotten with it – just a thought. For some folks, who are in good shape, that’s not too much of a walk.

The city of Jerusalem was about 6 miles from Bethlehem. Most of the key events in the Bible took place within 100 miles of Jerusalem and the mode of transportation was walking. In fact, the most important event in history took place just six miles from Jerusalem in Bethlehem. Against that backdrop we read Matthew’s account of the coming of the Magi in our text verses.


The teachers of the law knew a great deal about the coming Messiah. They knew He would be born of the Seed of the woman. Genesis 3:15.
He would be a descendant of Shem. Genesis 9:26.
He would be of the seed of Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3.
He would be a descendant of Isaac. Genesis 22:18.
He would be a descendant of Jacob. Genesis 28:14.
He would be of the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49:10.
He would be a “son of David." 2 Samuel 7:11,12,16.
He would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14.
He would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2.

If they knew the truth about all of this concerning the coming of the Messiah, then why didn’t they go with the Magi just 6 miles to Bethlehem? Let me offer three answers to that question. First of all:

THEY WERE INTELLECTUALLY LAZY -- The Jewish religious leaders had the truth about the Messiah. They were experts in the Law of Moses. In spite of that knowledge they weren’t interested in going 6 miles to check it out for themselves.

The truth is that there are many people who study long and hard; they read tons of books and consider so many different ideas and opinions about God but they never get around to making a commitment to Him. They have the opportunity to know the truth. They have the Word of God, they study the Word of God, they know the Word of God and they think about the Word of God. But with all of that, they won’t make a commitment to Jesus

Speaking of the condition of men in the last days, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:7 that men are “….always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Knowledge is good but at some point you’ve got to decide what you personally believe. What use is your great knowledge about Jesus if you never make a personal commitment to Jesus? The 2nd thing about these teachers of the law is that:

THEIR RELIGION MADE THEM SPIRITUALLY INDIFFERENT -- One Bible teacher said this: “Religion, even good religion, even Bible-based religion, can deaden the heart and mind. It’s easy to fall into the spiritual trap of saying, “I’m Baptist” or “I’m Catholic” or “I’m Lutheran” or “I’m Presbyterian” or “I’m Pentecostal” as if going to heaven is determined by church affiliation. It’s too easy for all of us to “play by the rules” of whatever church we attend and feel spiritually secure but still keep Christ at arm’s length. As long as Jesus is just a theory to us, He will be of no benefit to us personally. The 3rd thing about these teachers of the law is that:

THEIR BACKGROUND MADE THEM CULTURALLY ARROGANT -- Think about this for a moment. One day some strangers show up in your town, claiming to have seen a star in the east that led them in search of a baby born “king of the Jews.” What a bizarre story. And who are these guys anyway? They look different. They talk different. They dress strange. Everything about them screams, “We’re not from around here.” And what was this star? Why can’t we see it? Strange doings in Jerusalem for sure. It’s always easy to discount people who aren’t like us. (Biker in Paisley)

Charles Spurgeon put it this way about these Jewish leaders: “Those who should have been leaders were no leaders; they would not even be followers of that which is good, for they had no heart towards Christ.”

The heart is always the issue. If the heart is not right, no amount of religion or Bible knowledge can make up the difference.

Perhaps these teachers of the law feared Herod’s anger if they went with the Magi. But so what? Such fear shows how far the Jews had sunk in spiritual bondage. They were just six miles from Jesus and they wouldn’t go six miles to see Jesus.

Six miles from Jesus. Six miles from salvation. Six miles from forgiveness. Six miles from eternal life. They were too busy studying the Bible and accumulating head knowledge to go and see for themselves.

The Bible scholars knew that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but their knowledge condemned them all the more because they did nothing about the truth they knew. Let no one miss this solemn lesson: It is possible to know a great deal ABOUT Jesus and still miss the TRUTH about Jesus. These Jewish leaders, in spite of their head knowledge about the Messiah, wouldn’t commit to just 6 miles to find the Messiah. Many in our world today make the same mistake – they have a lot of head knowledge about Jesus, but the won’t commit to the 18” trip from the head to the heart to find Jesus.

At the end of life’s road you will find that Jesus stands there for all of us. There can be no middle ground. To ignore Jesus altogether means to live as if he doesn’t matter at all. But no one can ignore him forever. We all have an appointment with Christ sooner or later.

The ultimate question is not how someone else responds but how you respond to Jesus. That’s really the only thing that matters. Are you with Herod or with the Wise Men? Are you hostile to Jesus? Are you too busy to get involved? Are you coming to worship him as Savior and Lord?

One final story and we are done. Baptist pastor Jess Moody tells of meeting Rose Kennedy (mother of President John F. Kennedy) many years ago at a Bible study he was teaching. That night he challenged his hearers to make their hearts ready to meet the Lord because life is short for all of us, and no one knows what the future may hold. When the meeting was over, Rose Kennedy spoke to Jess Moody privately. “I’ve done what you were talking about tonight,” she said. She went on to say that as a young bride, she had been enamored by the power of money. She became selfish, living only for her own desires. Then she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who had been born with severe mental retardation and would have to be institutionalized for her entire life. She said that she and her husband were devastated by the news which eventually to enormous anger at God. “How could you have done this to us?” she asked the Lord.

One night a maid who worked for the family spoke to her. “Mrs. Kennedy, I’ve been watching you for the last few weeks and I’ve seen how angry you are. If you don’t do something, it’s going to ruin you. I think you should pray this prayer: “O Lord, make my heart a manger where the Christ child can be born.” Mrs. Kennedy was so angry that she fired the maid on the spot. But that night when she went to bed, she couldn’t get that simple prayer out of her mind. Finally, she knelt by her bed, and in an act of deep surrender she prayed, “O Lord, make my heart a manger where the Christ child can be born.”

In that moment, in the depth of the night, when she cried out in anguish, she opened her heart to Christ in a new way, and her heart did indeed become a manger where Christ could be born in her. Love replaced the anger that had gripped her soul.

CALL--- Is anger, worry, fear, doubt, and other inner distractions draining all the joy from your heart? If so this is the invitation from the Lord to you. Open your heart. Let go of your doubts and fears. Give up your anger and bitterness. Let go of the things that chain you to the past. Christ never turns away from any heart that is open to him. Those who seek him will find him every time. Will that be your experience during this Christmas season? Will you invite Jesus into your heart and make that commitment to follow Him from now on? Just raise your hand.

I pray that this Christmas will be a wonderful time for you and your families. Let the light of this Christmas season be a time when we renew our commitment to allow the Light of Christ shine in and through our lives. Let’s renew our commitment to lift up Jesus so that the lost will be drawn to Him.

Father, thank You for the Christmas season. As we celebrate with family and friends, help us to remember that You gave us the most wonderful gift that the human race has ever received – Your only Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name.