As a reminder, before the wise men came to Bethlehem, they arrived in Jerusalem asking, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship him” (Mt. 2:1-2). As you remember, King Herod was greatly disturbed by this and asked the priests and teachers to search the Scriptures to try and find a prophecy that would tell him where the Messiah was to be born. And, they found that Scripture in Micah 5:2 which identified the town as Bethlehem, “…for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.”

Herod immediately called the wise men into his court and then sent them off to Bethlehem saying, “Go and make careful search for the child, and as soon as you find him, report to me so that I can come and worship him too” (Mt. 2:8). As you remember, the wise men found Jesus and worshipped Him, presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And then came the dream as God warned them to not return to Herod, and so they took another route back to their home. 

Returning to Herod required that they return to Jerusalem. It was in Jerusalem where the Temple was located, along with the officially designated Priesthood and the required daily sacrifices. It was also the city where Jesus said that it’s leadership, along with the rebellious people, “…kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her” (Mt. 23:37). It was also the seat of the Law, and it was their single-minded passionate attempt to keep the Law that caused them to become prideful and prejudiced, and that ultimately kept them from Christ. 

In an amazing allegory in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul referred to Jerusalem as a “slave city.” He reminded his readers that Abraham was the father of two sons: Ishmael was born from Hagar (the Egyptian slave woman); and Isaac was born from Sarah (the free woman who had been his wife from the beginning). Paul says that Hagar, the slave women, is like Mount Sinai, as that was where the Law was given, and because the Law keeps us in bondage to sin, those children who proceed from Mt. Sinai are slaves. This provided Paul with a perfect analogy regarding Jerusalem, a city filled with very “religious” people but who are “slaves to the Law” of Moses, and because of that, they are held in bondage to sin and death. (Gal. 4:21-28).

On the other hand, it’s Christ who sets us free from the “law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2), and those whom Christ has set free are called “children of the free woman,” or “children of the promise” because of the promised salvation in Christ. 

So, what’s the point? The wise men decided to not return to Jerusalem as they did not want Herod to know that they had found the Christ-child in Bethlehem. They returned another way home. If you find yourself in bondage to sin because of your dependence on the Law, thinking that it will set you free, I pray that God’s Spirit will convince you that it just won’t work.  

If you have been depending on “religion” and “good works” for freedom, I encourage you to not return to Jerusalem, the city, which by allegory, is filled with children who are “slaves” because they are dependent on the Law for their salvation. Go home by another route. Chart a course to your new home that is not a place, but a Person. Jesus told His disciples, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one came come to the Father but by me” (Jn. 14:6). I encourage you to make 2019 different from other years – Don’t go back to “Jerusalem” and to the Law that has kept you in bondage, but go to your true home by turning to Christ, the only One who can set you free from the bondage of sin and death. 

I wish you all a happy New Year.