So Close Yet So Far
Losing the Olympic gold medal by one inch, one second, one point. To miss the bull’s eye by one centimeter is still a complete miss. So close yet so far!
How sad to miss eternity by one wrong choice. As Jesus said to one man. “You are not far from the kingdom” (Mark 12:34). But not far means not there.
A person in good physical shape can easily walk six miles in two hours. In Bible times, when most people walked everywhere, that was just a short jaunt. Most of the key events in Jesus’ life occurred within 100 miles of Jerusalem.
One of the most significant events in Israel’s history and world history occurred six miles from Jerusalem. Two thousand years ago, Bethlehem was a stopover where travelers stayed on their way to the big city of Jerusalem. It was Jerusalem’s bedroom. Although well known as the birthplace of King David, the town itself had perhaps 200 permanent residents.
Matthew tells the story of the Wisemen’s arrival like this;
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:” ’But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel’” (Matthew 2:1-6).
So many questions come to mind when we read this account; however, here is the key question that, upon reading the gospels for the first time, puzzled me greatly.
Why didn’t the Jewish leaders just go to Bethlehem and check everything out? Wasn’t this the most momentous moment in Israel’s history? Bethlehem was only six miles, two hours away. You would think the religious leaders would have dropped everything and, with the greatest hate, hurried straight to Bethlehem and checked it out.
The Magi (Wise Men) traveled for months to verify whether what they read was true. What they knew about the Jewish Messiah, they gleaned from the Hebrew Scriptures they possessed since the time of the Babylonian Captivity.
He would be born of the Seed of the woman. That’s in Genesis 3:15.
He would be a descendant of Shem. That’s in Genesis 9:26.
He would be of the seed of Abraham. That’s in Genesis 12:1-3.
He would be a descendant of Isaac. That’s in Genesis 22:18.
He would be a descendant of Jacob. That’s in Genesis 28:14.
He would be of the tribe of Judah. That’s in Genesis 49:10.
He would be a “son of David.” That’s in 2 Samuel 7:11,12,16.
He would be born of a virgin. That’s in Isaiah 7:14.
He would be born in Bethlehem. That’s in Micah 5:2.
When King Herod heard about their arrival in Jerusalem, he consulted with the religious leaders. They were the learned Doctor of Theology. They studied the Old Testament like lawyers and could recite it by the yard
Thus, the puzzling question: why didn’t the religious leaders immediately rush to Bethlehem?
When Herod asked where the Christ was to be born, immediately the religious leaders knew the answer: in Bethlehem of Judea, because that’s what the prophet Micah had foretold some 700 years earlier. They knew from memory. They didn’t have to look it up.
Here is my best answer
They were indifferent. They never personally committed themselves to the Coming Christ. The Apostle Paul talks about “Ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth” (II Timothy 3:7). The scribes and pharisees were the academia. Academia is fine. We need it. We have more of it than ever before, but too many are no more than nominal Christians in name only and not made of the same cloth as those willing to face martyrdom. They became culturally arrogant, sluggish. They lost their love for God. The whole religious structure just became a matter of Religion and not a relationship with God.
They were too spiritually lazy to check out whether what he wisemen said was a rumor or not,
Six miles; so close, so far because of Indifference.
What is so striking about Matthew 2 is that everyone involved had the same basic information. They all knew a baby was born in Bethlehem and knew who the baby was. Herod knew and tried to kill him; the scribes knew and ignored him; the Wise Men knew and worshipped him. It all came down to attitude.
Today, millions feel the same way; they are too busy to join the search for Jesus.
There is no middle ground. Ignoring him is the same as hating him because either way, you end up without him. Ignoring Jesus entirely means living as if he doesn’t matter at all. But no one can ignore him forever. We all have an appointment with Christ sooner or later.
The ultimate question is not how someone else responds but how I respond to Jesus. That’s really the only thing that matters. Are we with Herod or with the scribes or with the Wise Men?
This Christmas, let us determine, like the Wise Men, that no matter what the cost, we will worship Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and soon-coming King.
A blessed Christmas to you, your family, and your loved ones.
In His Great Love,
Dr. Robert Bryant