Advent Day 15

Have you ever looked at someone and thought something was not right with this person?  Maybe it was a bad feeling you had or something that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. When we read John 2:24, it is clear that Jesus was not naïve. He knew what was in the heart of all humans. It was not just a feeling He got; it saw through their words and into their hearts.

While Jesus welcomed everyone, He knew the evil in everyone. As we mature in Christ, we also begin to have spiritual discernment. This discernment, a gift from God, empowers us to understand words' meaning and their underlying intentions. If you evangelize long enough, you will meet evil. It will stand before you and blaspheme the gospel to your face. In the case of the Magi, they lacked this discernment. They were pagans and did not know the Spirit. Having been summoned by Herod, they truly believed he would have the answers to their questions. Maybe they saw the temple Herod had built and were overwhelmed by a deceptive apparent devotion to religious worship.

We knew the end of the story, but they did not. We learned of Herod’s treachery; they missed the telltale signs. He had successfully deceived them. So, the Magi left Bethlehem, believing every word Herod spoke. The Magi may have connected some of the dots, but they did not know Micah’s prophecy of the ancient one yet to come, the one of Genesis 3:15. The one who would have His heel bruised as He completed His victory. Matthew knew, and he wrote of the cost of the victory of Christ. He knew Christ said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18 ESV), even though hell would try. Our traveling Magi stumbled into spiritual warfare, A warfare that still exists today, a battle we must be prepared for at all times. Thankfully, God protected them. Jesus told the disciples who had told us about this spiritual warfare. Peter did not understand and was crushed when Christ said, “Get behind me, Satan.” Peter had put the desires of man before the desires of God. Much as we still do today.

In this festive time of the year, it is easy to be lulled into the belief that all is rosy and bright; sentimentality and warmth cause us to lower our guard. Abraham Kyper, a Dutch theologian, wrote, “If once the curtain were pulled back, and the spiritual world behind it came to view, it would expose our spiritual vision a struggle so intense, so convulsive, sweeping everything within its range, that the fiercest battle ever fought on earth would seem, by comparison, a mere game. [1]  We must remember that our King has genuine enemies that work against Him and all Christians today. A well-tested and frequently used weapon is the deception of Christians. Enjoy this holiday season, the birth of our Savior, our family, and friends, but also be cautious as we always should be, because as God told Cain, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7 ESV).

Grace and Peace!

Sinclair Ferguson, The Dawn of Redeeming Grace”, The Goodbook Company, 2021, 24-28.

[1] Cited by G. C. Berkouwer, A Half Century of Theology, translated and edited by Lewis B. Smedes (Eerdmans, 1977), 196.