Luke 2:15, 16
15. When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherd said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
16. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger.
*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 429
Found: to find out; I find by seeking out
From the Greek word 'aneuriskó' (pronounced an-yoo-ris'-ko)
SEEKING JESUS
Before we can find Jesus, we have to want to find Him.
The cry of the heart is, "Show me Jesus!" It is a gut-wrenching cry, a pitiful sound that God hears and then sends someone to show the Way, to be the Light that shines into the darkness and leads that person crying out for Jesus to see Jesus.
Matthew 2:1, 2
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.
Wise men. Wise men came from a far distance seeking the newborn King. Are we wise men? We have come from a far distance, too. After all, Jesus came a long way to meet us: all the way from heaven, a place so vast and distant we cannot comprehend its entirety in our own human understanding.
Darkness is separated from Light. The distance there is a chasm so deep and wide that one can only cross it by believing on the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
To cross this chasm one must first see clearly the cross where Jesus died for us; and second, walk through the blood that it may be applied to us and go beyond the cross, to position one's self behind it. "Hide me behind the cross, Lord." And He does.
LONGING FOR GOD'S PRESENCE
Our journey here is short, though our days may appear to be long, years quickly fly by. Yet in these days we yearn for the eternal presence of God. Our hearts, now filled with His Word, but not replete, hunger with an even greater hunger for God: to be near Him, to see Him.
Isaiah 26:9
My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
Psalm 63:1
A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
Luke 10:23, 24
23. Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
24. For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
NOT FOUND
Not Found By The Unbeliever
Not everyone who seeks for, looks for, will find Jesus. Because their hearts are not in the right place when they go looking for Him. Only they who seek Jesus with a desire to know Him fully will find Him. But people who seek Jesus to destroy Jesus will never find Him; for their hearts are not sincere in seeking Him out.
Luke 2:3-18 describes the secret intent of King Herod, who wanted to kill the new baby King.
The people who do not believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation will never find Him.
John 7:34
"You will seek Me and will not find Me; and where I am, you are not able to come."
Not Found By The Believer
And when Jesus spoke on this subject with His disciples, He reiterated what He had said to the Jews earlier.
John 13:33
Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’Where Jesus went in His death, the believer cannot go in their death. For in death Jesus Christ conquered death and the grave. There is now no more death and grave for the believer in Christ. Death is swallowed up in Victory (1 Corinthians 15:54; Isaiah 25:8). Therefore, the believer cannot go to death and the grave!
So, we must ask ourselves and search our hearts: Why are we seeking Jesus? What is our motive? On which side of the coin are we hoping to find Him?
