(Image Source: Gemini)
Looking at Easter from the beginning.
Death and opposition stalked Jesus from the moment of his birth. Despite being God, he endured hardship, attack, and opposition, more than any of us will face. Yet what strikes me most in Matthew 2 isn't the opposition itself. It's how differently people responded to his proximity.
It is interesting to note that proximity does not necessarily lead to a proper response.
I think it is easy for us to assume that by attending church, or being near Christians, or even as it was assumed for quite some time being born in the US, made us Christian. In fact, my littlest the other day asked for confirmation that since we attend church, we are Christian, right?
We discussed that while church is important for community and the Christian life, it doesn’t make us Christian by default. We must place our faith, hope, and trust in Jesus and accept him as our Lord and Savior to be a Christian.
This was a great opportunity to discuss the gospel with my son. It was also eye-opening when entering Matthew 2, to notice how various people responded to the proximity of Jesus.
They Knew the Answer
When Herod heard of Jesus' birth, he was immediately terrified. Not with reverent fear, but with the fear of losing his power. He summoned the chief priests and scribes and demanded answers (Matt 2:1-8).
They responded without hesitation. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, according to Scripture (Micah 5:2). They knew Scripture verbatim.
These were the biblical scholars of their day. They had the prophets committed to memory. They possessed the entire roadmap of Jesus' life, the prophecies, the genealogy we looked at in the last article, literally in their working memory. Consider what they would have known well:
Isaiah 7:14: The virgin birth, which Paul later connects to breaking the inheritance of sin through Adam (Romans 5:12-19)
Isaiah 9:6-7: Jesus, the child called Mighty God, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 11:1-10: pointing to the genealogy, that Jesus would be a Branch from Jesse's stump.
Isaiah 53: that Jesus would be the suffering servant.
Now contrast the Magi. They had also learned of Jesus' birth, but with significantly less information. No Torah memorized. No prophetic library at their fingertips. Yet they prepared gifts, traveled from Persia, and came to worship the King.
Six Miles and Twelve Inches
Herod is not ignorant. He knew who Jesus was. But, he reacted with fear. He was concerned about losing his worldly power.
Similarly, with scribes and chief priests. They immediately responded to Herod when he asked where the child would be born. They knew exactly where to find Jesus, roughly six miles away from Jerusalem, the Holy City, in Bethlehem.
They didn’t make the trip.
Don't miss this. The chief priests had all the information, all the head knowledge, all the prophecies memorized, yet their hearts were empty. They demonstrated complete indifference to the advent of the Messiah. They didn't take a few hours to walk down the road and check.
The distance between their heads and their hearts was twelve inches biologically. Spiritually, it was worlds apart.
Their indifference calls to mind Jesus' words to the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). He confronts them for being lukewarm. Neither hot nor cold. Indifference doesn't demand a response. Comfort doesn't produce action.
Meanwhile, the Magi, Gentiles and outsiders without all of Scripture memorized, made a journey of hundreds of miles through faith to worship the Messiah.
Notice God's immediate grace to the outsider. From the very beginning, he welcomes those the insiders overlooked.
Proximity doesn't guarantee a proper response. Judas walked with Jesus for three years, heard his teaching firsthand, and still chose betrayal. Herod sat six miles away with a roadmap to the Savior and chose murder. The scribes stood even closer to the truth, it was their profession, and chose nothing at all.
Sometimes nothing is the most damning response.
The Pattern that Never Stopped
From birth, murder, betrayal, and persecution were constant in Jesus' life. But God's love and protection persisted even more.
n the second half of Matthew 2 (vv. 12-23), God warns Joseph through dreams about Herod and instructs him to flee to Egypt. Matthew sees something profound here: Jesus is reliving Israel's story. Israel went down to Egypt, suffered under a tyrant, and was called out by God. Jesus walks the same path, but where Israel failed in the wilderness, Jesus succeeds (Matthew 4). He endures forty days of Satan's temptation, refutes every attempt with Scripture, and angels come to minister to him (Matt 4:11).
The pattern continued through his entire life. Lost, broken, sinful people trying to defeat the very mission meant to rescue and redeem them.
As we celebrate Easter, it is evident that even death could not claim victory. Jesus, once and for all, defeated Satan, sin, and death on the cross to welcome us back into God's family.
Our Journey
Is there a six mile journey you are failing to take?
We have more knowledge available to us today than at any point in history. Many of us have a few Bibles in our homes. We have resources, research, more documentation than we could possibly consume attesting to the facts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
I remember vividly, the beautiful day when laying on the balcony in St. Thomas, when God called me home. I was running, much like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32.) Side note: Tim Keller did my favorite teaching on this, check it out.
I was the Youngest Son, running. I'm not sure what I was running to or from. It certainly wasn't toward God. Looking back, I think I was searching, unconsciously, for something like the Garden of Eden. I think most of us are. There's an inherent desire in us to return to God's perfect creation, whether we acknowledge it or not.
Gratefully, God didn't wait for me to figure it out. Much like the Father in Jesus' parable, God, my good, good Father, came running to me, inviting me back into his family through the finished work of his Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.
Jesus stepped down from his rightful position in heaven, to come to our world. He lived the perfect, sinless life that I couldn’t possibly achieve. He was persecuted and crucified for my sins, taking my rightful place on the cross for me because of my Heavenly Father’s love for me. He completed his work by defeating the grave, rising on Easter morning to overcome Satan and his plans to steal God’s children. Now, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, interceding for us! (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25, Hebrews 9:24, 1 John 2:1, Hebrews 1:3)
The courtroom image of 1 John 2:1 isn't a nervous defendant hoping for a good lawyer. It's a case already decided, Jesus presents his own blood as evidence. The verdict is settled. His advocacy isn't "please forgive them" but "I have paid for them." - Tim Keller
Don't fail to take the twelve-inch journey. Let the knowledge that your Heavenly Father loves you, that Jesus Christ died to redeem you, travel from your brain and penetrate your heart. Come home to God. Let him embrace you like the Father of the Prodigal Son. He is not idly waiting. He is running toward you.
Happy Easter!
About the Author: Chad is a broken, sinful, ordinary dude who is loved by God, saved by Jesus who is trying to live a faithful, obedient life. A blessed husband and dad.