The Coming Kingdom: Matthew 2.1-23 (7)
Pray Psalm 66.13-16.
I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows,
Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
Sing Psalm 66.13-16.
(Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
To Your house we come with off’rings, what we vowed, LORD, help us do.
O, receive our praise and homage as we give ourselves to You.
Come and listen, all who fear Him: hear what this great God can do!
Read Matthew 2.1-23; meditate on verse 21.
Seeking Jesus: What does it mean for you to seek Jesus?
Prepare.
1. Who was seeking Jesus in this chapter?
2. What were the intentions of each?
Meditate.
When it comes to Jesus, Matthew suggests, there is no middle ground. Either you seek and worship Him or you seek to rid Him from your life. This plotline will continue to unfold throughout the remainder of Matthew’s gospel. We’ll see it in the book of Acts, hear it testified of in all the epistles, and learn the broad scope of its unfolding in the book of Revelation. This trajectory continues into our own time.
Following Jesus is a hard road. No matter how long, dangerous, or inconvenient the journey, they who love Him will make it, every day of their lives, worshiping as they do.
If we say we believe Jesus, then we fall before Him like those Magi, and give to Him all the best we have of our time, talents, and treasure. We devote ourselves entirely to Him, and we shall see, throughout the rest of Matthew’s narrative, that He expects nothing less of those who would follow Him in this world.
Meanwhile, the world seeks to destroy Jesus. Make no mistake about it. If they could, unbelievers in every walk of life would outlaw all teaching and worship and mention of His Name. And they would shame and silence anyone who even looked like he might be associated with the Lord. For now, however, the Spirit and grace of God restrain the worst that the wrong-believing world might do against the Name of Jesus.
Restrain, but not eliminate. In this life, those who follow Jesus must understand that His way is fraught with challenge and danger. But as the Word of God protected Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in Matthew 2, so that Word protects all who go with Jesus to bring His Light to the world.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The Magi sought Jesus to worship Him.
Herod sought Jesus to kill Him.
And the shepherds sought Him Whom the angels proclaimed.
“I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior,
Who is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2.10, 11).
So, the shepherds set out to see Him.
“Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass,
which the Lord has made known to us” (Lk. 2.15).
The shepherds’ seeking, then seeing this swaddled Baby, provoked the very first witness of the Good News:
“Now when they had seen Him, they made know the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (Lk. 2.17, 18).
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, toward men of goodwill” (Lk. 2.14).
God reached into every echelon of society for seekers to see His newborn Son.
And each one had a specific role to play in the story of Jesus.
And thus it is today.
Each one of us, right where we are, and who we are, have sought to see Him.
And see Him we have!
“But we see Jesus,
Who was made a little lower than the angels,
for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor,
that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2.9).
“…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and
has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12.2).
And this is why He came to earth;
to live, to die, to rise again, so that
those who seek Him for salvation will find Him.
Starting out in a manger, to be sought by all of humanity.
It is what we do with Him, when we find Him, that makes all the difference.
Reflect.
1. How would you explain to a new believer what it means to seek Jesus?
2. What is the effect on your daily life of finding and seeing Jesus?
3. Whom will you encourage to seek Jesus in the week ahead?
Let us beware of a dead faith. A man may be persuaded of many truths, and yet may hate them, because they interfere with his ambition, or sinful indulgences. Such a belief will make him uneasy, and the more resolved to oppose the truth and the cause of God; and he may be foolish enough to hope for success therein. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Matthew 2.1-6
Pray Psalm 66.1-12.
Seek to see the greatness of Jesus as you pray these verses, to see Him exalted in glory and to see Him more clearly. Call on Him to prepare you for the trials this day may bring and to use you for His peace and glory.
Sing Psalm 66.1-12.
(Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
Shout for joy to God, all people, sing the glory of His Name!
Give Him glorious praise and say, “How great Your pow’r and great Your fame!
All the earth shall worship gladly as they praise Your glorious Name!”
Great and awesome is our Savior in the works which He has done.
He the sea and river dried to let His people cross as one.
Then our joy was great to worship Him our mighty, sovereign One.
He the nations watches ever—all you rebels, humbled be.
Bless our God, all men and nations, praise His Name eternally!
He preserves our souls, and He will keep His paths beneath our feet.
You have tried us, LORD, as silver, and have brought us into nets,
made us carry heavy burdens, let men trample o’er our heads.
But through all Your grace sustained us and has brought us through to rest.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are considering how we to grow that divine administration of grace. Our Read Moore podcast begins excerpts from our booklet, If Men Will Pray. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are examining the life and work of Coemgen of Glendalough. And in our Scriptorium column we focus on Matthew 3. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
