Wise Men Worship the King
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Text: Matthew 2:1-12
Main Point/FCF:
Introduction: Last week, we talked about how Jesus fulfilled several OT prophecies, especially the prophecy of Immanuel. In the midst of their suffering, God promised to be with his people. The ultimate fulfillment of this truth is found in Jesus Christ, who is literally “God with us.”
What’s really interesting in this passage is the way in which people reacted to Jesus. And this is instructive for us today, because even still, people react to Jesus in one of three ways.
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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
The religious leaders reacted to Jesus with Apathy.
The religious leaders reacted to Jesus with Apathy.
The religious leaders leaders initially viewed Jesus as an irrelevant interruption.
The religious leaders leaders initially viewed Jesus as an irrelevant interruption.
They had “more important things” on their minds.
The religious leaders ignored all the signs.
The religious leaders ignored all the signs.
The religious leaders knew that the OT pointed towards a Messiah born in Bethlehem to the tribe of Judah.
The religious leaders knew that the OT pointed towards a Messiah born in Bethlehem to the tribe of Judah.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
This is a summary of a prophecy from Micah 5.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
The religious leaders apparently exerted no effort whatsoever to explore the possibility of the Messiah’s birth.
The religious leaders apparently exerted no effort whatsoever to explore the possibility of the Messiah’s birth.
Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem of Judea, about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Jerusalem, marks him as being from the tribe of Judah and from the city that produced the Davidic kings.
4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.”
12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.
They knew all this, but couldn’t be bothered to make a short trip to check it out. Nor did they bring him gifts, pledge their allegiance, or even give their worship. Nothing.
We see this today. For many people, Jesus just isn’t a factor in their lives. Even for many “Church people,” Jesus and their faith is little more than an add-on for Sunday morning. Does your faith in Jesus make a difference in your life outside of this hour on Sunday?
Jesus is not content to be the object of your indifference or your half-hearted commitment. Jesus is a king and he wants to be on the throne of your heart.
In Matthew 19, Jesus responds to a man like this, a man that isn’t all that dissimilar from many people that fill our pews today:
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
The rich young ruler wasn’t really interested in following a king. He viewed Jesus as his ticket to heaven—fire insurance. He was content to follow Jesus so long as Jesus didn’t mess up his plans too much. He liked Jesus, but the throne in his heart was already occupied and he didn’t want to give that up for following Jesus.
It’s easy to scoff at the chief priests and elders who couldn’t be bothered to make the six mile journey to meet the Messiah. But how far do you live from church? And I bet you don’t have to walk to get here. You get the opportunity to meet with the King every Sunday and Wednesday. But maybe you have too much going on in your life. Maybe you’re content to follow Jesus so long as he doesn’t demand too much from you. You’re content to give your spare change in the offering, but giving costly gifts like the wise men, that’s too much.
Herod reacted to Jesus with Animosity.
Herod reacted to Jesus with Animosity.
Herod saw the signs and responded with jealousy.
Herod saw the signs and responded with jealousy.
Instead of rejoicing, Herod saw a threat.
Herod was an Idumean, which is another word for an Edomite, from the nation of Edom (south/southeast of Israel)
15 And he took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
16 the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered:
17 I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom shall be dispossessed;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed.
Israel is doing valiantly.
19 And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion
and destroy the survivors of cities!”
Herod liked his throne and wasn’t in a hurry to give it up.
Instead of recognizing the legitimacy of Jesus’ rule and submitting to it, Herod responded out of the evil intentions of his heart and tried to exterminate Jesus.
Maybe today, you’re apathetic about Jesus, or maybe you’re a little put off by him. At the end of the day, either choice is basically the same. Jesus is a king, and he puts demands upon us. Indifference and apathy towards the King is no better than hostility; both are rebellion and insubordination.
When the religious leaders could ignore him no longer, apathy turned to animosity.
When the religious leaders could ignore him no longer, apathy turned to animosity.
1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
Apathy towards Jesus quickly turns hostile when it becomes clear that Jesus represents a threat to your way of living.
To those who see Jesus as a threat, he is a threat.
Those who refuse to submit their lives to the King’s rule make themselves enemies of the King. There may be three points in this sermon, but there’s really only two sides.
Wise men react to Jesus with Adoration.
Wise men react to Jesus with Adoration.
Who were the “wise men” (magi)?
Who were the “wise men” (magi)?
They were probably not kings, but probably were foreign dignitaries.
They were likely from Persia or Parthia (a kingdom spanning modern Iraq and Iran).
“Magi” applied to a wide range of people whose practices included astrology, dream interpretation, study of sacred writings, the pursuit of wisdom, and magic.
These magi may be descended from the Chaldeans of Babylon, who were contemporaries of Daniel.
It’s possible that they learned of the Jewish messianic prophecies through Daniel and interactions with other Jewish exiles.
Wise men respond to Jesus with dedication.
Wise men respond to Jesus with dedication.
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,
The magi’s journey was no casual undertaking.
The wise men likely traveled with a large number of attendants and guards for the long journey, which would have taken several weeks. For example, if they had come from Babylon by the main trade route of about 800 miles (1,288 km), averaging 20 miles (32 km) per day, the trip would have taken about 40 days.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1822.
This was an expensive, tiring, dangerous, time-consuming journey.
And if they were wrong, they would be jeopardizing their reputations.
Wise men approach the King with faith.
Wise men approach the King with faith.
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
The circumstances of Jesus’ birth left enough room for doubt.
How could a mighty king be born in such lowly conditions?
And yet, they trusted that the prophecies were true and they stepped out in faith when God led. Contrast this with the reactions of many of Jesus’ hometown friends and relatives:
55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”
Wise men see the signs and respond with joy.
Wise men see the signs and respond with joy.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (8.1. The Magi)
There was a “well-documented intense interest by ancient astrologers in Persia and elsewhere in the connection between astral phenomena and political events and the fact that in A.D. 66 the eastern astrologer Tiridates and other Magi visited Rome (cf. Dio Cassius 63.7; Suetonius, Nero 13). It was also widely believed during this era that stars heralded the birth of human beings destined for greatness (Brown, 1977), and in fact both Suetonius and Tacitus tell us that at the turn of the era there was an expectation of a world-ruler who would come from Judea (Suetonius, Vesp. 4; Tacitus, Ann. 5.13).”
These pagan magi didn’t know the extent of what was coming, but they knew that Jesus was important.
God called out these pagan magi, just like he called out pagan Abraham, just like he spoke through the pagan seer Balaam, and he drew them to worship
God is still drawing people from unlikely places today. What matters is not where you came from, but how you respond to Jesus.
Wise men approach the King with humility.
Wise men approach the King with humility.
Jesus was born to Jewish peasants who, no doubt, lived in a very unremarkable house in a pretty unremarkable town.
These magi were foreign dignitaries of a powerful empire. They were clearly wealthy, as evidenced by their gifts.
Jesus’ parents were “nobodies.” Jesus was a baby, maybe a toddler. I have to wonder if during their visit, maybe Mary had to change Jesus’ diaper or change her shirt after she burped him.
And yet, these men approached Jesus as the King he was, bowing before him.
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
They gave him costly gifts, the kinds of gifts you give a King. And as they did so, they fulfilled another prophecy of the coming Messiah:
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and exult,
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
they shall come up with acceptance on my altar,
and I will beautify my beautiful house.
8 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their windows?
9 For the coastlands shall hope for me,
the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he has made you beautiful.
10 Foreigners shall build up your walls,
and their kings shall minister to you;
for in my wrath I struck you,
but in my favor I have had mercy on you.
11 Your gates shall be open continually;
day and night they shall not be shut,
that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
with their kings led in procession.
12 For the nation and kingdom
that will not serve you shall perish;
those nations shall be utterly laid waste.
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
the cypress, the plane, and the pine,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary,
and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
14 The sons of those who afflicted you
shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the Lord,
the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one passing through,
I will make you majestic forever,
a joy from age to age.
16 You shall suck the milk of nations;
you shall nurse at the breast of kings;
and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
and instead of iron I will bring silver;
instead of wood, bronze,
instead of stones, iron.
I will make your overseers peace
and your taskmasters righteousness.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land,
devastation or destruction within your borders;
you shall call your walls Salvation,
and your gates Praise.
19 The sun shall be no more
your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
give you light;
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun shall no more go down,
nor your moon withdraw itself;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall be ended.
21 Your people shall all be righteous;
they shall possess the land forever,
the branch of my planting, the work of my hands,
that I might be glorified.
22 The least one shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the Lord;
in its time I will hasten it.
Conclusion: There’s always a lot of talk around this time of year about the “Christmas spirit.” Christmas movies are always about how grumpy, depressed, bitter parents get reminded about the joy and magic of Christmas. Of course, all of this Christmas spirit stems from nothing more than fairy tales and gift-buying. And somehow, these fairy tales and spending lots of money on gifts is supposed to fill us with awe and wonder. Every time I hear a commercial or see a movie telling me that somehow the month of December or the “holidays” or “Christmas” and stories of Santa Clause and reindeer is supposed to make me joyful I just roll my eyes.
I hate to break it to you, but fairy tales and materialism will never fill you with wonder and awe. If you ask a non-Christian what Christmas is all about, at best, what you’re going to get is something about spending time with family and some magical mumbo-jumbo.
Think about it for a moment—what is the ideal Christmas for a non-Christian? Well, it’s gotta snow, of course. There’s a well-decorated house and a Christmas tree with the best gifts under it. There’s a big meal with awesome food and everyone in the family is gathered around. But what happens when life doesn’t go according to the ideal?
Reality check—this is Arkansas, and I’m not sure I’ve ever had a white Christmas in my life. Chances are, this Christmas it won’t snow. And what happens when finances are tight and you can’t afford to go all out on the decorating? Or the gift buying? What happens when we couldn’t afford to buy expensive presents for each other? And what happens when someone is sick, or lives a long ways away, or has to work, or passes away—and you don’t have the whole family around the dinner table? Or the ham burns, or the casserole didn’t turn out right, or someone starts talking politics...
You know, the first Christmas didn’t live up to the hype either. Mary and Joseph didn’t get to celebrate in a warm, cozy, well decorated house. They were in a stable with the livestock. If it did snow, I doubt it made their experience more magical, it probably just made it more miserable. Chances are, they didn’t have the entire family with them, because they were on a journey away from home. (They probably had a few of Mary’s female relatives to help take care of her and deliver the baby, but probably not the entire extended family.) Mary spent the first Christmas in labor in a dirty stable. They probably didn’t have a fancy meal, and whatever food they ate was mingled with the smell of livestock. And the whole thing was shrouded under the suspicions of family and friends that Mary had been unfaithful to Joseph. And Amazon was running a bit late that year--The only gifts that were given were to Jesus, and that wasn’t even at Christmas because the wise men didn’t get there until Mary and Joseph were in a home, probably several months later. And yet, in all of that, the wise men found a reason to rejoice. Mary treasured all these things up in her heart.
Outside of the birth of Jesus Christ, all this season will fill you with is bitterness and debt. If you’re struggling to feel the wonder of Christmas, maybe you’re putting your focus and efforts on the wrong things. Christmas is about one thing—worshipping the King. If there’s magic and wonder to behold, it’s not because reindeer are going to land on your roof and a fat guy in a suit is going to come down your chimney, it’s because the God of the Universe came down and made his dwelling with man. And if you’ve lost loved ones, then Christmas can be a painful reminder of that loss, but it’s also a reminder that Christ came to die himself, so that by his death he could conquer death once and for all and give resurrection to those who believe in him.
Not feeling the “Christmas Spirit” this year? Jesus didn’t come to give you warm fuzzy feelings every December or impart some nebulous “Christmas Spirit,” whatever that is. What matters is not the “spirit of Christmas” but how you respond to Jesus. Jesus came to save your soul from Hell and restore your broken relationship with the Father. He came as a king to establish his Kingdom. Jesus came to redeem and restore whatever broken mess you find yourself in right now. And one day he will come again and make it all new. If you’re feeling broken, work out, and tired this Christmas, that’s precisely the reason for Christmas! So stop beating yourself up for not being in the Christmas spirit, and fall down and worship the King.
