Ever become preoccupied with a quest? For me it has been a simple definition of the kingdom of God. For the past thirty or so years, since I was confronted with what used to be called the “Kingdom Now” movement, I have sought to understand and live in what is the kingdom. It is a life search, a passion.
All of us at one time or another become intrigued with something for a while, and go to extraordinary lengths to discover it. It may be a cause, a hobby, or a profession. This time of year the quest leads some of us to the woods to get the big buck. Others will use a pretty day to head to the golf course or drag the boat to the lake.
But a quest is different. A quest is a life pursuit, prompted by a curiosity or a question or a desire that, ultimately discovered, will change one’s life. The journey or process brings change, but the eventual discovery of that which was pursued also brings lasting change.
We call that an epiphany, a profound life changing discovery. The early church gave us a season called Epiphany to challenge the life-changing pursuit of Jesus the king of the Jews. We are encouraged to seek out the one born king of the Jews and allow him to change our lives.
That challenge begins with a quest of the magoi, the “wise men” from the east who sought the one born king of the Jews. While modern lore has reduced them to images on a Christmas card and cliches like “wise men still seek him,” the reality is that these were real men with a real passion to discover the object of ancient prophesies now declared before them in the night sky.
We don’t know much about them from Scripture, other than they came from “the east,” inquired of Herod the whereabouts of the newborn king, and brought three prophetic gifts.
We can, however, from the tradition of the church and what we know from about magoi of the day, piece together enough to know they were on a real quest of major significance. The tradition identifies three men based on three gifts, named Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar. They were probably based in what is now Kurdistan in Iraq and were somehow connected to the remnant Hebrew community that had at one time years before been held captive there. They are familiar with the prophecies of Daniel the seer, who had served as a magoi. They were not kings, but worked for kings as astrologers and fortune tellers.
Because they scanned the night sky for indications of major events, they became aware of something going on in the constellation they associated with Israel. A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn moving among the fixed stars captured their attention. They made charts, dug out old prophecies, and made calculations. They may have spoken to rabbis of remaining expatriated Jews in their area. They came to the conclusion that the king of the Jews, the Messiah long awaited, had arrived, and they had to seek him out. It was a quest.
But that’s not all. There was preparation for a lengthy journey with a large entourage to serve the proud, showy astrologers. Gathering supplies, mapping out a route, making preparations.
Then there was a long journey of over a thousand miles through desert and wilderness. A caravan of camels would make that journey in several months. It was not a quick trip.
A venture like this is more than a hobby or diversion. It is a quest. An obsession. A passion. They had to go at whatever cost to seek out the one born king of the Jews and to worship him. When they did they were forever changed.
This is the kind of passion we need to seek out Jesus for our own lives. This is the obsession, zeal, and determination we need. These men set aside everything and researched to the smallest of details and then made a huge effort to find the object of their search. It was a major quest.
I am afraid that too often we graft in a little of Jesus into our lives and call it good. We call upon him when we are having a hard time and ask him to bless us. We let the culture shape us, and make our life with Jesus convenient and relevant to the life we really want to live.
The Epiphany of the wise men shows us the opposite. The nations were attracted to Jesus, went to great effort to seek him out.
Just before he was crucified, Jesus was sought out by some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for Passover. When he heard about that he said, “If I am lifted up [crucified] I will draw all people to me.”
When we truly seek out Jesus, and come to him, we come to him on his terms, not ours. We don’t somehow blend him into our lives, but we change anything and everything in our lives that does not fully accommodate him. That is called repentance.
This Epiphany season I challenge you to go on a quest. Passionately, obsessively, seek out the king and let him change your life.
O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP)Matthew 2:1-12 (Epiphany ABC)
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