We all know the story of the wise men. They came from the East, following a star, to worship at the feet of the newborn king of the Jews. Along the way to Bethlehem, they stopped by Jerusalem for directions. Interestingly the people who told them to go to Bethlehem to find the baby knew that the Messiah would be born there. If that was the case, though, why weren’t they already there themselves watching and waiting for His arrival? That’s the question we are exploring today as we continue our Advent series, When Heaven Met Earth. Let’s dive in together.
Taking Him at His Word
There is a difference between taking something seriously and taking it literally. Now, sometimes there’s not much of a difference. If I were to give you an instruction like, “Stand up and walk up here on stage,” you could take me both seriously and literally by getting up and joining me up here on stage. On the other hand, if I were to tell you that I want you to do something for me, and to have it done for me yesterday, taking me literally would be impossible. Unless you happen to have a time machine handy, doing something that I asked you for today, yesterday is physically—not to mention temporally—impossible. But you could take me very seriously, understanding me to indicate that I want you to do it for me as quickly as you possibly can. That’s what I was really expressing anyway. I never meant to be taken literally when I said it. That would have been silly.
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The Nexus 