Even if you haven’t gotten a chance to start reading Killing Jesus, this question from our first week’s discussion guide will still likely give you some great food for thought. Just to get a refresher on the details of the story, check out the first few chapters of Luke and Matthew, especially the parts about the wise men.
Now, what do you think it would have been like to be one of the wise men from the East, being “learned” and “studious” and then traipsing through a foreign land to worship a foreign infant king? Would you have gone? What barriers would you have encountered to following the star by faith then? What barriers do you encounter in following Jesus by faith now?
Think about it. What were these wise guys doing when the star popped up? Having tea? Checking out the heavens in an ancient telescope? Taking a bath? Who knows. Anyway, do you think they heard a voice from the clouds with specific directives or did they dream it in a dream or did the letters in their alphabet soup spell it out–how did they know they were supposed to follow the star and how did they know it was God telling them to do it? I’m trying to put myself in their shoes. If I heard a voice telling me to follow a rainbow all the way to Mexico to worship the 2-year-old child of a tortilla maker who would one day become president of the world, I might have second thoughts. I would probably start with denying it: I probably just made that up. That’s what I get for eating too many pickles last night. What did they start putting in this tea? If my faith took me past the denial stage, my second attempt out would be justifying why I’m not the one for the job: That message was probably meant for someone closer to Mexico, someone who actually speaks Spanish. That will take up all my vacation funds. I can’t be expected to take serious treasures that far on my person; I’ll probably get mugged!
If these wise guys had any similar thoughts, history doesn’t tell us. We just know that they went. Despite distance, despite danger, despite comforts and language and costs and questions, they went. They believed God and obeyed and because of it, they got to play a role in the greatest story ever told. What an example to follow.
Your turn! How would you answer the questions above?