Heartfelt Homage: Wise Men's Lessons on Surrendered Worship

Reading of the Word

Matthew 2:1–12 NASB 2020

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For from you will come forth a Ruler Who will Shepherd My people Israel.’ ” Then Herod secretly called for the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And after being warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Introduction

The story of the wise men is one we put with our nativity scene but we know that it happened not in a manger but in a home. A home that was poverty stricken but full of glory. A home that had nothing of this world but everything in the heavenly world. He was not a baby but under 2 years old. The wise men found Jesus and offered him gifts as a sign of worship. Like the wise men who worshiped Jesus, we must let our light shine by offering our lives as gifts to God.

Where is He?

The Magi are seeking Him

Who are the Magi?

A tremendous amount of legend has concentrated round these Magi: there is no reason to suppose that there were three of them, that they were kings, or that we know their names. For centuries the Magi had been a tribe of priests in Persia, but the name had also come to be applied to magicians and astrologers, such as Simon Magus and Elymas. Impressed by what they saw in the skies at night, some of these men journeyed west to Judea to find out what it meant. Is it not perfectly astonishing that men with so little to go on should venture so far, endure such hardships in travel, and face such uncertainties of finding the one the star betokened? What is more, they wanted to give him costly gifts and the worship of their hearts. They even recognized him as king of the Jews (2), a title that contrasts strikingly with Herod’s position, and which does not recur in Matthew’s Gospel until Jesus’ crucifixion.…

They are Gentiles. They notice that God had done something amazing. So amazing that they can’t sit there. The joy they feel takes them on a journey of faith until they find exactly what they were seeking. A new age had dawned and the glory of the heavens showed them this. Not an angel, or a prophet but a star. Something that seems so small to us but kept many seeking until something happened.

Let us never let our faith get stale. KEEP SEEKING GOD! He will reveal Himself to you in new and amazing ways. Ways that allow you to feel the same joy the wise men felt in seeing the star.

Seek Him in His Word

Seek Him in prayer

Seek Him through the church

Seek Him through everyday experiences

They are seeking Him with the purest of motives.

They are being led by God to reveal that the Messiah was upon the earth.

They are giving of themselves in time and treasure to worship the King.

They are doing this because they are seeking for something greater than themselves.

Herod is seeking Him

We have men seeking for something greater than them vs. a man self-seeking for personal gain.

The wise men show up in Jerusalem out of nowhere saying that the King of the Jews has been born. The excitement can be heard in their announcement that Jesus is the King.

Their excitement needs to be ours. We have seen Christ do amazing things and we need to proclaim Him as King just as the wise men did.

Historical sources reveal Herod to have been extremely paranoid. He had three of his own sons and one of his wives killed because he feared they were plotting to overthrow him. That all Jerusalem would have been upset with him is less understandable. One might have expected rejoicing at the news that Herod’s days were numbered. However, when a tyrant is upset, even his subjects who hate him have reason to be worried.The Scribes, Pharisees & Jews miss him totally

That Herod consulted with the chief priests and teachers of the law is also surprising, but the wily king was cunning, as verse 4 makes clear.

To go to this extent shows his fear and determination to make sure nothing overthrew his rule.

Herod died soon after the birth of Jesus but the family ruled on and did not take kindly to the idea of anyone else claiming to be the ‘king of the jews’.

This child would have taken over if he was an earthly king long after Herod was dead. But he wanted his family to have as much power and self glory as he did.

Just a little note:

Herod was thirty-three at his inauguration, and Jesus the same age when he died.

The worldly authority seeking him was a lifelong situation.

There is another way as well in which this story points ahead to the climax of the gospel. Jesus will finally come face to face with the representative of the world’s greatest king—Pilate, Caesar’s subordinate. Pilate will have rather different gifts to give him, though he, too, is warned by a dream not to do anything to him (27:19). His soldiers are the first Gentiles since the Magi to call Jesus ‘king of the Jews’ (27:29), but the crown they give him is made of thorns, and his throne is a cross. At that moment, instead of a bright star, there will be an unearthly darkness (27:45), out of which we shall hear a single Gentile voice: yes, he really was God’s son (27:54).

Listen to the whole story, Matthew is saying. Think about what it meant for Jesus to be the true king of the Jews. And then—come to him, by whatever route you can, and with the best gifts you can find.…Then there were the Jewish chief priests and scribes. Their attitude is almost as amazing as that of the Magi. They knew their Scriptures and had no problem in answering Herod when he wanted to know where the child would be born. Back came the answer, pointing Herod to Micah 5:2. He would be born in Bethlehem, of course. But did they go to greet him? Did they lift a sandal? Not at all. They knew it all, but they did nothing. That is a characteristic danger for clergy and scholars in any age. Their apathy hardened into outright opposition to Jesus as his ministry developed, and ended with frenzied lust for his blood—an awesome warning that knowledge is no substitute for obedience.Let us beware of a dead faith. A man may be persuaded of many truths, and yet may hate them, because they interfere with his ambition, or sinful indulgences. Such a belief will make him uneasy, and the more resolved to oppose the truth and the cause of God; and he may be foolish enough to hope for success therein.

Herod is seeking Him with the worst motives possible:

The Messiah had come and he is only worried about himself.

He is taking from others so that he can satisfy his ego.

He sends others to seek for him and to report back so that he can destroy any threat to his power. He is doing all of this only for himself.

The Star

It is interesting that both nature—the stars—and Scripture combined to direct the Magi to Jesus

Everything was interconnected, and when something important was happening on earth you could expect to see it reflected in the heavens

God uses all things to point to where all of the attention should lay; in Jesus!

This star led them as they went along.

Led them to Jerusalem.

Where they got confirmation of where this King was to be born.

Scripture confirmed their reasoning for coming from so far away but they trusted God for the leading as they sought Him.

Led them to Bethlehem.

Led them to where He was at.

Today we are that star. He uses us to lead people to where Jesus is.

People see something different compared to what the world offers.

This is why it is so important to be genuine Christians.

The wise men saw so many stars throughout their years but this was a rare occurrence that made them act upon what they saw. We need to be the star that sticks out in the world.

It makes them seek because they saw something amazing.

When we seek for God, He will help fit everything else into place.

Matthew 6:33 NASB 2020

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

When they find us, we proclaim and point them to Jesus.

We want them to find that same Jesus that the wise men found in that home in Bethlehem.

They Found & Worshipped Him

Had their dignity been the kind of dignity which was boasted of in Jerusalem, they would no doubt have been offended by the poverty of the surroundings, the poor house with its scanty furniture and its humble inmates. But theirs was the dignity of mind and soul, so they were not offended by the poor surroundings; they recognised in the humble Child the object of their search; they bowed before Him, doing Him homage, and presented to Him gifts as a tribute from the East to the coming King of righteousness and love.

So these strangers from a long ways show up at Joseph’s and Mary’s door. As soon as they see this child, they fall to their knees and bow their heads to the ground in worship. Mary and Joseph just stand there is awe of what is happening in their presence. They are then given gifts that only a king is worthy of receiving. They gave even a greater gift of value to the child Jesus: their hearts.

They don’t come with empty handed. They bring him gifts worthy of a king.

“Bringing gifts was particularly important in the ancient East when approaching a superior (cf. Gen 43:11; 1 Sam 9:7–8; 1 Kings 10:2)...Frankincense is a glittering, odorous gum obtained by making incisions in the bark of several trees; myrrh exudes from a tree found in Arabia and a few other places and was a much-valued spice and perfume (Ps 45:8; Song of Songs 3:6) used in embalming (John 19:39). Commentators, ancient (Origen, Contra Celsum 1. 60) and modern (Hendriksen), have found symbolic value in the three gifts—gold suggesting royalty, incense divinity, and myrrh the Passion and burial. This interpretation demands too much insight from the Magi. The three gifts were simply expensive and not uncommon presents and may have helped finance the trip to Egypt” [D. A. Carson, "Matthew", in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke (ed. Frank E. Gaebelein; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 89].

His coming always divides people, as we shall see time and again in this Gospel. Here, at the very start of his life, we see two camps forming: one full of praise and welcome; the other full of hatred and opposition. Herod and the Magi stand out in strong contrast, a contrast that will deepen as the story of Jesus’ life unfolds towards the cross.

It also shows that even in the poor living of Mary and Joseph, God knows and cares about what we need and can provide for us, even from the ends of the earth.

I find their faith, their insight, their wholehearted search and adoring worship, utterly amazing. It is one of the many surprises in the Gospel. But then God is the God of surprises.

The visit of the wise-men gives us in miniature the paradox of Jesus’ ministry. The Jewish rulers did not care to go the short distance to Bethlehem to seek the Messiah. The earthly king of the Jews sought to kill the One who was “born King of the Jews.” At the same time Gentiles sought the Savior and worshiped Him.

Jesus, the King of the Jews, would have to give His life before He could govern His Kingdom.

His Kingdom was not of this world. He had more important things in mind than to save Israel from earthly kings.

How can we worship the King?

Many people say we come and we have nothing to give Him. This is not true. We can give Him our heart. We can give Him our life. We can give Him our will. Just as the wise men recognized, their seeking and finding to worship him with their hearts meant much more than any gift they could have brought him.

We love Him. We live for Him. We serve Him.

We tell others about Him.

To Sum it Up…

Wise Men Still Seek Him. In seeking Jesus, He will reveal Himself to you in new and fresh ways.

Conclusion

He grew up as any other child. He went out and played with his friends. He ate and drank to keep His strength. He experienced rejection from the beginning. But He still came for us. Never quit seeking God! Let this year be dedicated to seeking God in every way we possibly can. There is a million ways this can be done and if you need ideas, contact me. A prayer i am praying for you all this year is that you will draw closer to Jesus than ever before so that when you go out as stars in this dark world, others may seek for what you have already found and find Him in us! Praise God for this Christmas Season!

Benediction

Go now as a light to the nations. Honour the Lord; preach what you know of the risen Christ, and fulfil all righteousness. And may God strengthen you and bless you with peace; May Christ Jesus bring forth justice for you and among you; And may the Holy Spirit alight on you and affirm you as God’s beloved ones.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord, In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.