THE WORSHIP STYLE OF THE MAGI OF THE EAST

Matthew 2:1–12 NKJV

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

INTRO

Ahh! Christmas time again!! What a beautiful season, filled with hope, joy and light!!

We are before one of the most beautiful stories that surround Jesus’ birth: the visit of the magi of the East. Only registered in the Gospel according to Matthew, once his Gospel has the focus on presenting Jesus as the King of the Jews.

But who were the magi? Where did they come from?

Magi were astrologers, who played a prominent part in court life in many eastern states, sometimes even functioning as advisers to kings, with scientifical credentials;

They were from the East (maybe Arabia, Mesopotamia, Babylon or Persia), examiners of Astrology, which was a very well respected science at that time, and they knew about Jewish prophecy because of those Jews who never left after the exile. It’s inaccurate to say that their names were Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior; the Bible does not say their names.

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible A. The Birth and Childhood of Jesus (1:1–2:23)

Christian tradition would call them “kings” (cf. Ps. 72:10–11; Isa. 60:3). The tradition of three kings arose from the number of gifts they presented (2:11); however, the exact number of the Magi is unknown

We must be careful with traditions. Ex.: the beautiful Christmas song “Silent night...” - was it silent? The census going on in Bethlehem, the birth of a child, the angels singing, that was NOT a silent night...

The magi probably traveled from 400 to 700 miles, guided by a star (possibly the Shekinah of God?)

Note:

Though not all scholars agree on the timing of the arrival of the Magi from the East, they apparently came some time AFTER the birth of Jesus. Jesus and Mary and Joseph, though still in Bethlehem, were now in a house (v. 11), and Jesus was called a Child (paidion, vv. 9, 11) rather than a newborn Infant (brephos, Luke 2:12)

So, let’s dig into their story today.

Our theme will be:

THE WORSHIP STYLE OF THE MAGI OF THE EAST

How can we learn from them?

We see at least 4 theological truths in this narrative:

1. EVERY INITIATIVE OF MANKIND SEEKING GOD, STARTS WITH GOD HIMSELF

The magi followed the star, which was sent by God Himself, variously identified as a comet, a supernova, a planetary conjunction, or a unique supernatural phenomenon.

God has the intention of a relationship with His creation since the Garden of Eden - (before & after the fall) - we see that throughout the whole Bible;

This story is one more of these “reaching out for men” stories, and it is what I consider to be the first “Mission Trip” ever, like a “Reversed Transcultural Mission Trip”, where Jesus Himself was the missionary Who took the good news to the Gentile world through the magi;

God seeks mankind as a generous Father Who is always ready to embrace His sons and daughters with love, forgiveness and endless mercy. He is always, relentlessly the one after us!

John 15:16 NKJV

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

We learn with the magi that their own efforts to find and worship Jesus would be fruitless without the miraculous guidance and providence of God.

2. WORSHIP IS THE GREATEST NEED OF MANKIND

The fact that the magi traveled such a long distance is probably because they knew the prophecy of Balaam:

Numbers 24:17 NKJV

17 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.

The visit of the Gentile Magi - who most likely awaited f the fulfillment of prophecy of Messiah - was a sign and lesson to the disobedient Nation of Israel. Their visit is an anticipation of what the established Kingdom of God will be.

There is no peace in the human heart, unless God is enthroned and worshiped.

3. THERE IS NO SUCH A THING AS “EMPTY HANDS WORSHIP”

The wise men brought offerings to Jesus.

Let’s examine this verse:

Deuteronomy 16:16 NKJV

16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.

We need to understand this concept (worship with empty hands), which definitely IS NOT A MATERIAL OR FINANCIAL ONE;

The Publican, the widow of Zarephath, the widow of the NT, all of these are examples that resources ARE NOT what God is after, He wants our hearts!

“Abel AND his offering”

Genesis 4:4 NKJV

4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,

The Bible is clear that our “offer” or “service” has to be willingly and voluntary:

Romans 12:1 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

2 Corinthians 8:5 NKJV

5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.

Like the Macedonians in the text above, the magi worshiped first! They gave their heart, before they gave their gifts!

Their gifts:

The three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death.

This dates back to Origen in Contra Celsum: "gold, as to a king; myrrh, as to one who was mortal; and incense, as to a God."

God does not NEED our worship, He is interested in relationship! He wants a family! Worship is just the way we approach God. When we worship, WE GIVE IT ALL!!

What you worship, that’s your God!

4. A LIFE OF WORSHIP IS A SHIELD OF PROTECTION

Herod the Great was a ruthless murderer who assassinated his own wife Mariamne, her two sons, her brother, her grandfather, and her mother; he could definitely kill the magi out of jealousy and anger;

Jesus was in danger by the wrath of Herod as was Moses by Pharaoh; as Moses is saved for his appointed task, so is Jesus. As Egypt once provided relief from famine for Jacob and his sons, she now offers protection to Jesus and his parents (2:13–23). Hosea 11:1 (quoted in Matt. 2:15) is realized in two stages (as was Isa. 7:14). Israel’s deliverance from Egypt anticipates the greater saving work of Jesus (Matt. 1:21). Moreover, Jesus is God’s “son” in a deeper sense than were the Israelites.

The recognition of Jesus as the Messiah and their ATTITUDE towards this fact - that is, their worship, most likely saved the lives of the Eastern worshipers;

Like He spared Sadrakh, Mesakh and Abednego in the furnace of fire in Babylon; and as He did with Paul and Silas while they were singing inside the prison, God will always protect us while we worship Him.

FINAL APPLICATIONS

What a beautiful scene must have been when the magi prostrated themselves and worshipped!

2. They didn’t make any efforts to go to Jerusalem to see Herod, they didn’t look for Caesar in Rome, they went to see THE KING OF KINGS!

3. And so it will happen again!!

Matthew 8:11 NKJV

11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.