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How Far?

How far would you go to find the Messiah? If you knew He was on earth would you travel any distance to give Him your homage? Would any distance any obstacle seem small? Would any sacrifice be small enough for the King of kings?

Or what if the ones to announce His coming to you were mere shepherds? Would your pride be hurt because you weren't the one who was chosen to hail His advent?

We often hear how the wise men traveled a great distance to find Jesus- and when they found Him, they discovered a mere baby in the care of poor peasants! No mighty potentates were in attendance; no great men were before them worshipping the tiny King. But did they turn away? Did they reject Him because He didn't meet their expectations? No! They had read the Scriptures, they had the witness of the Holy Spirit, they had seen His star. Yes, He was the One they had come so far to find!

Often we hear, too, of the priests who did not welcome Jesus at His birth. They were offended because mere shepherds - uneducated men- announced the birth of the Messiah to them- the ones who possessed the sacred Scriptures. They turned away from their only hope of redemption, though He was yet only a baby. They would not travel to Bethlehem to see if the things they had heard were really so.

So what made the difference? Depending on where the wise men were from, it was between approx. 689- 1,230* miles (approx. 1110- 1980 km.), or a journey of over a week either way. And what the sacrifice! No doubt the journey was fraught with dangers- wild animals, robbers, adverse weather. But love for the Messiah drove them on. No sacrifice was too great for Him in whom their hope of salvation was centered!

The priests on the other hand... They wouldn't even hazard of journey of less then 15 miles to find out for themselves if this baby truly was the long-hoped for, the promised Messiah. Their pride made a short distance seem as if it where an unthinkable sacrifice. A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes didn't fit their criterion for the Messiah they were looking for.

So, will we pass by the lowly One of Nazareth because He isn't the way we want Him to be? Or will anything be considered a privilege, a joy to do or give for Him Who is our only hope? Or will it be too much?

*These distances are based off of supposing they were from Babylon or Persia. The distances are listed for Baghdad, Iraq and Tehran, Iran, respectively, to Jerusalem, Israel.


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