The Quest

The Quest

Matthew 2:1-12

            “Wise men still seek Him.”

            You may have seen this on a Christmas card, or on the cover of a church Christmas program, or some other place.  What lies behind the line is the concept that we should seek Jesus until we encounter him and develop a personal relationship with him.

            Quest stories are common in literature, both fiction and nonfiction.   Mitzi Minor describes the gospel of Mark as a “journey story.”  In these tales, someone sets out on a journey—a quest.  She may know what she is looking for, or just have a general idea of where she’s going without a specific end in mind.  Along the way she goes through a series of trials until she reaches her goal.  Eventually she returns home, successful in her quest, and somehow changed, becoming a new person through the journey.  We see this pattern in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Tales, J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories from Middle Earth, and, in a slightly different form, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.  In each case the hero successfully completes his quest, experiencing something along the way that changes him and affects the rest of his life.

            Such is the story of the wise men in Matthew’s gospel. By some means, in their home country far to the east of Judea, they become aware of a birth that will have a cataclysmic effect on the world.  Their scientific texts and holy books, combined with some disturbance in the normal celestial patterns lead them to believe something is happening they shouldn’t miss.  And so they set out on their quest. 

How many there were, where they came from, the route they took are a mystery to us.  We can speculate using what we learn from Matthew’s account and what we know about the times, but we cannot know for sure the answers to our questions.  All Matthew tells us is they showed up in Jerusalem asking for directions.  We know what happened next.  Herod knew so little Scripture that he had to call in the experts.  They provided some information, but could only point the Magi in the general direction. 

The Magi arrived at their destination, fulfilled their quest, and returned home by another way.  But it wasn’t only their travel route that was different.  They were changed—new people because of their journey.  We do not know what trials they went through on their quest.  We only know they completed it and found themselves back at the place where they started—but not the same as when they started.

We can be very suspicious of people on quests.  We’re much more comfortable with people who know who they are and what they know—people like the biblical experts in Jerusalem.  They had no need to go on a journey to find the new king.  They knew who their king was, where their loyalty lay, and what their role was.  No need to go anywhere.  No need to upset their lives.  Stay home and be content with who we are and what we know.

We have to admit, it’s an easier life.  Why go searching for something else?  Why not be content with what we have here?  Who knows what could happen to you out there, on the road?  Who knows what trials await, what dangers lurk, what disappointments we might find?

Ah!  But what they missed!  Their quest wouldn’t have been as long and arduous as that of the Magi, but they would have returned home changed people—new creations, with new knowledge and new understanding.

Wise men still seek Him, and in seeking find not only the completion of their quest, but a new life. 

Will we be wise?