What Wise Men Do

2022 SBBC

Matthew 2:1-12

Wise Men Find Christ

Verse 1 – Now after Jesus was born…( stop) We sometimes get our theology and information from other sources other than the Bible, that has formed ideas and pictures in our minds concerning the things of God and in this moment… the scene of Jesus’ birth.

The wise men and the shepherds do not show up at the same time. They do not all come together at once and they do not all sing “silent night” into the late hours of the night at a barn, beside a stable. Matter of fact, we now see in verse 11 that they are in a house at this point. They had moved up…

So, we can see that this event occurs after the birth of Jesus, after the shepherd’s arrival, after Jesus is presented in the temple, after His circumcision, and after Simeon and Anna affirm the Good News of Christ being who He is and proclaims what He will do (Luke 2:21-38).

And there is a reason that Herod would order the killing of all male children who were up to 2 years of age and younger in Bethlehem… because he understood that the Messiah could have been that old. He took no chances...

So… here we are… sometime after Jesus’ birth… before going to Egypt… we have these magi from the east who are arriving in Jerusalem looking for the King of the Jews.

Who are the magi? Not “Maggy,” but magi… The magi, not kings, can be traced to ancient religious and well-educated tribes of people. The word “magi” came to be known as only astrologers or magicians… as we see in the Old Testament and during Daniel’s day in the Babylonian Captivity.

How could have they known about the Messiah being born? Well, going back to the Babylonian Captivity… Jews were brought into Babylon and intermarried with the people there, and they brought their books and Scriptures with them. Prophets would prophesy during this time.

During this time, Daniel and his friends would be captured and taken into captivity… and do you remember what they ended up becoming in Babylon?

They ended up as wise guys, Daniel being made the chief of the wise men (Dan. 5:11). They were well educated in all wisdom, and God gave them intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom, and Daniel could even understand visions and dreams.

Daniel never left Babylon, and I believe his impact on that area never left either. Many Jews stayed and intermarried. I believe that he taught other wise men. I believe that Daniel taught others about his God and shared revelation with them that was passed down over the years.

That is what wise people do: Proverbs 11:30 – The wise win souls. The wise will shine as bright as the sky… these will lead many to righteousness (Daniel 12:3).

I believe wise men were converted and believed the promises of God through Daniel’s testimony and example.

That is one reasonable explanation… and they are following the signs of times and the revelation they had received from God.

These guys were believers of God, and believers of God’s Word. How do we know they are not half-hearted fans of Jewish prophecy?

They are convinced before they made their journey. If they traveled from the Babylonian area, they would have traveled about 800 miles. Their minds were made before they started the trip.

They weren’t exactly sure where He would be… But they knew, they believed that He was there, that Christ had come into the world… and they were willing to count the cost and deem Him worthy to travel for hundreds if not a thousand mile to worship Him.

Church family, you will have to make up your minds before you start following His light as well. Before you start this journey, as you walk this pilgrimage… if you are going to see Jesus face to face… You must have your hearts set and your minds made up… This is Who you are walking for… This is Who you are walking to… and He is worth the trip.

Sometimes when I am in the Zaxby’s drive-through-line…I ask the question: “Is it worth it?” When I am at the doctor’s office… and I have been waiting an hour… I ask the question: “Do I really need to be here?”

We just got back from Atlanta… 200 miles… 3.5 hours if you are blessed. And I do not want to make the trip again...

But, why did we go? Because we believed that a doctor there could help our son… Maybe help him to speak.

We will go into traffic, storms, and wars… if we know that the end result is worth it. We will go the distance if the prize is worth it. Is the prize worth it?

Now… we know there are only 3 wise men, right? No. The Bible never says that there are three. There could have been 3, 30, or 300 wise men. You think about it… They show up and they start asking questions “Where is the King of the Jews.” And when they ask the question, Herod and all of Jerusalem are greatly troubled. But if three people are asking the question… Herod should had been very quick to answer, “I am!”

Why? This was the title given to Herod, and he didn’t yell “I am!” to these wise men? No, he didn’t. Why? Because he was intimidated and afraid of this multitude of wise men, or of the warriors who accompanied them.

Herod and all of Jerusalem was troubled by this group. I know that this destroys our “We Three Kings” song idea… but this may be a more accurate picture...

And they are asking the question, “Where is He?” As if these people should have known. But no one could give them an answer. These Gentile people knew, but God’s own people, the experts, have forgotten the promises and the prophecy.

You know, when call my phone experts… and I desire to find solutions to my phone issues… I don’t expect to hear pages turning in the background… and I don’t expect to get no answers… But this is what I get sometimes...

Sometimes, the ones we call experts have forgotten or have never read the manual/the book…

Herod, the Edomite, was not versed in the Scriptures… so he summons his scribes and chief priests and demands from them answers: “Where should He be born?” And the experts of God’s Word tell him the answer, the verse, and the promise of (Micah 5:2).

Even though the experts know where to find the answers… But they themselves never practiced or lived out of the answers… They were readers/hearers and not doers.

It was not a reality in their hearts. They had the verse memorized without any passion or excitement in their hearts. They knew the facts, but it did not lead to faith… and they were without hope making a living on their profession without the possession of eternal life inside of them.

Like many in church houses today. Like many preachers and seminary professors today. They would rather master a book than be mastered by God. They want to be right, but they themselves do not want to do the right thing, and worship Christ.

“Ryan, how can you be so judgmental?” Judge for yourselves. If you believe that Christ was born and that He was in their land… Would you have stayed there where you were?

No. You would have went with the wise men.

Do you see the scribes, chief priests and Herod running off behind them, hitching a ride… no... because they really did not believe this to be true.

Faith moves. Hope and passion moves us forward, towards Christ.

Don’t you know He is here? Don’t you know He is coming? Don’t you know what He is going to do? You should know. Why don’t you know and why don’t you believe?

Why won’t you move?

Are you sleeping or dead in your disbelief?

Getting back to the star: I don’t know what is was. Numbers 24:17 tells us that a star shall come from Jacob… Some have said that this is a conjunction of planets aligning (Mars, Jupitar and Saturn) and this happened in 7-6 BC. Some have said that it was a comet in 5 BC. I don’t know.

The light/star moved… stood still. I believe that this was a supernatural light from God that moved, and it came to a stop over the place where Jesus was. And I will stop with what the Bible says.

So, the star stops. The wise men get really giddy, excited and joyful… More excited than a child on Christmas morning...

And they come into the house. They see the Child with Mary, His mother… They fall down and worship Jesus and Mary, right? No. They fall down and worship Jesus only.

They know and understand this: No human being deserves worship, only God, only this Baby Who is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:7).

They recognized the One and only One who is worthy of our bent knee. When we bend our knee to Jesus, we can stand before anyone and everyone else. Men and women, Mary and all the Christian saints of this world can never get the same adoration as our… Immanuel.

Wise men know this and practice this. Wise men fear the Lord and worship Him only.

And… lastly… wise men do not come before their King empty handed. They had traveled so far… wasn’t that enough? Not for the wise men. Jesus was worth the sacrifice and Jesus was worth the gifts for kings. Wise men give kings gifts when they come into their presence.

So… What will we give our King? What have you given your King Jesus up until this point? Have you given Him your heart and mind? Have you begun the journey>

Have you recognized His rightful place as the Lord, King and Savior over your life? Have you laid down your life and have you said, “This life is yours.”

It starts there. And in the end, as you sacrifice and endure great distances, trials and opposition… after you have worked for your Lord… There will be treasures and crowns waiting for you in heaven… and once again… I believe we will have another opportunity to throw even these at His feet.

May none of us come before the King empty handed. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He deserves our best. He has given us His best, His life… Give Him your life and your best,

Verse 12 illustrates our journey before Christ and after Christ. When we come to Him… we will have come from a far away place, filled with sin and shame. We will come from afar, to escape a fire, and destruction… and when we meet our Immanuel… we will go out another way.

And here we see the picture of repentance and faith.

Fools do not seek God. Fools run away from God and go their own way. Fools are destroyed in the end.

Wise men study and know God’s Word.

Wise men will win souls.

Wise men will seek their King.

Wise men see the signs of the times and respond accordingly.

Wise men will go the distance.

Wise men will press on through trials and desert places.

Wise men will worship their King and not men.

Wise men will not come before their King empty handed.

Wise men’s direction will change when they meet their King.

For those who want to be and become wise:

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom.

Knowing God is eternal life.

It is the beginning of eternal joy.

Have you begun your journey today with Christ?

Are you seeking after Christ today or not?

Are you searching the Scriptures to learn about Him, looking for His light?

Have you come so far, and now you desire to turn back?

Christ is here. Christ is waiting. Christ is coming.

Where are you?

Are you being wise or foolish?