Trying to See Jesus

I was reading a passage of Scripture a couple days ago and ran across a sentence that never really struck me before. It was the passage in the beginning of Luke 9 where Jesus sent out The Twelve on a mission trip of sorts. The Bible relates to us that the Good News was being preached and people were being healed.

All this was causing a bit of a stir in the region of Galilee, and the word spread like wildfire. When the news of these events reached the ears of Herod (the governor, not the dead king), he was a bit confused. You may recall that he was the one who had put John the Baptist to death. There was a rumor going around that John had been raised from the dead. Herod, of course, didn’t buy that little number and was curious about who was doing the great things of which he was hearing.

Herod tried to see Jesus.

Sooner or later, word came through to him that the one responsible for all the fuss was Jesus of Nazareth. Anyone causing this much of an uproar would be a magnetic phenomenon for anyone, particularly the governor. Verse 9 contains a sentence averring that Herod tried to see Jesus.

Allow me to supply a little background for all this. Previously, John the Baptist had been badmouthing Herod for his sexual indiscretions, so Herod had him rounded up and imprisoned. Despite the fact that John was preaching against him, Herod protected him and often enjoyed listening to him preach (Mark 6:20). Finally, Herod’s wife (who couldn’t stand John) tricked the governor into having the Baptist beheaded. Nice lady…

So when Jesus emerged in a public way, Herod was fascinated. John was gone, but the phenomenon lived on. In fact, it was now bigger and better than ever. Herod wanted to see this new holy man about whom everyone was talking.

“He never got around to it…”

I guess governors are too busy to be bothered with seeking out the religious peasantry. Herod, although he was trying to see Jesus, never seemed to catch up with him until it was time to put him to death. If someone as important as the governor really had it as a priority to see Jesus, I’m sure he could have easily arranged it. He never got around to it, however.

Like Herod, there are a lot of people who’d like to see Jesus. A Messiah who can purportedly save them attracts their attention. Still, there are a lot of distractions out there. There are a lot of things that have to be done—important things. Who’s got time to chase after some holy-man preacher? What if it’s merely a wild goose chase? So they take their chances. Instead of looking for him, they hope he’ll find them instead. After all, it’s his job, isn’t it?

If you’re one of those people (and you’re reading this), let me suggest the possibility that he just found you. Now it’s your turn. Time to respond to him.

[Dave Zuchelli is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and is currently the pastor of Smith Chapel, in Great Falls, VA.]

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