Three Kings & The KING

Open your Bibles with me, if you will to Matthew chapter 2.

While you are finding your place, let me wish you a Merry Christmas!

I know saying that today may seem like I’m a little late. After all…

Christmas day was this past Wednesday

Many families have already taken down and stored their decorations

But something that most people don’t realize is that Christmas was traditionally a two week celebration.

Christmas begins on Christmas Day, December 25th

It ends on January 7th, which is known as “King’s Day” or “Feast of the Wisemen”

As you might guess, King’s Day is a celebration of the Wise Men’s arrival and the blessings they carried to the New Born KING!

Many people around the world still celebrate King’s Day

In Spain, most Christmas presents are actually given on King’s Day, not Christmas Day.

They eat a special pastry called “Rascon de Reyes”

They have parades

Children look for the “magical kings” to come and bring them special gifts

And yet, it seems that most of the original meaning of this day is just as lost there as it is here, where most people don’t even know of the celebration.

King’s day was never supposed to be a celebration of the wise men; it was supposed to point us to the One they came to see.

This morning, that is our goal.

It might not be January 7th, but today we’re going to take a closer look at these wise men, as we consider how these visitors point us back to Jesus.

Let’s read together from Matthew, chapter 2, starting in verse 1, and as we do so I invite you to stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word:

Matthew 2:1–12 CSB

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.” After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

Pray (Invite people to sit).

As it turns out, there are a lot of traditions about these wise men that may or may not be accurate.

Many people say they were kings.

I’m calling them wise men, because Scripture calls them that, from the word “magi,” which means “wise man.”

We know that they were wealthy from their extravagant gifts, so they could have been kings

Tradition, and even this morning’s song, suggest that there were three of them.

We actually don’t know how many of them there were, but it is likely that there were more than three, especially given the distance they traveled

Most journeys of that type at this point in history were made in larger parties

Many think they were from different countries.

It would appear from the singular word “country” in verse 12 that they all came from the same place.

Some people have even named them

We don’t have any names given in Scripture

Most people include them in the manger scene, next to the shepherds

No one knows how long it took, but given that their most likely place of origin was Persia, it took somewhere between several months and a year for them to arrive in Bethlehem.

There are a lot of things that we don’t know about Jesus’ visitors from the east, but what we do know is far more important.

The wisemen came from far away to find the greatest treasure is Jesus.

This morning, you can find Jesus as your treasure.

You can find Him, even if you feel far from God.

He is closer than you think

And in our passage this morning, we’ll let the wisemen give us guiding principles that will help you.

Look at verses 1-3 with me

Matthew 2:1–3 CSB

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

The first principle we can glean from the wisemen for finding Jesus is that

To find Jesus, you have to be looking for Jesus.

Now, I know that this seems obvious, but the problem is we don’t do it.

Have you ever wondered how the wisemen knew to go looking for Jesus?

Our text tells us that they followed a star

Because of modern astronomy, we have a pretty good idea that the star was a conjuction event, where three planets aligned in such a way as to appear as one brilliant star.

It would have been the brightest star in the sky by a long shot, and it would have been something new in the sky any regular observer of the sky would have noticed

But how did they know that this star meant the King of Israel was born?

Many scholars and archaeologists have pointed to the culture of Persia, where most believe the wisemen came from.

It was a culture full of astrology that constantly looked to the heavens for signs

In Persia, new stars were often associated with the birth of kings

Further, they reason, the star appeared in the west of them, which is where Israel was

I think that these things certainly had influence in the wisemen seeking Jesus, but I think there is more to it.

In numbers 22-24 an enemy of Israel named Balak asks a prophet named Balaam to curse Israel. Three times he is taken to high places to curse them and three times he blesses them instead. In the middle of the third blessing is a prophecy. Listen to Numbers 24:17-19

Numbers 24:17–19 CSB

I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites. Edom will become a possession; Seir will become a possession of its enemies, but Israel will be triumphant. One who comes from Jacob will rule; he will destroy the city’s survivors.

Balaam speaks of a coming King of Israel

This king would come to crush the sinful rebellion

This king would rule the nations

THIS KING’s COMING WOULD BE MARKED BY A NEW STAR!

This prophecy doesn’t appear in some obscure, secret place

It appears in the text of Scripture

It’s place in Scripture was within the writings of Moses, in the book of the Law

But this prophecy wasn’t recognized by the Jewish priests, scribes, and scholars

It wasn’t seen by those who knew He was coming. It wasn’t seen by those content to go about their daily lives seeking after whatever else caught their interest.

Instead, it was recognized by pagan magi

It was seen by open hearts that were searching for God and His truth

In short

The wisemen saw the star because they were looking for Him!

They were searching the Scriptures

They were watching the heavens

And they had the audacity to expect Him to show up.

I wonder, this morning, if you are looking for Jesus with the same kind of fervor?

This morning, you can find Jesus just like the wisemen.

Jesus is here for those whose hearts are searching for Him.

He is ready to meet open hearts that are ready to receive Him

The first step to finding Jesus is that you have to be looking for Him. The second is this,

To find Jesus, you must let go of control and make Jesus your King

I once heard a group of Christians from a place full of persecution tell me that they didn’t think the wisemen were wise because…

The wisemen went to Herod looking for Jesus and…

No king thinks a new king being born is a good thing unless he’s the king’s son

Now, I think it is a reasonable expectation to find a king in the palace

They may have expected that He was born as a prince

They certainly expected others to be looking for Him, which will talk more about in a moment

But for now, I’d like to turn your attention to another group of people in the text. Look at verse 3 again

Matthew 2:3–8 CSB

When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”

Stay with me here for a moment, friends

On one side, we have the wisemen

Whether kings or noble dignitaries, they were rich important people from a foreign nation

A nation that saw a prophecy concerning the birth of a foreign king

A king that was to be greater than their king and who would rule over all kings

And their response is to come looking for Him to worship Him and give Him gifts

On the other side, we have Herod, The Jewish scholars, and the city of Jerusalem

Herod was more worried about his own status and what worshipping Jesus might cost Him than He was about God’s will. His reaction is a jealous, calculated plot to kill Jesus.

In fact, in verses 16-23 of our chapter, we find he kills every baby and small child in the region trying to get rid of Jesus

The Jewish scholars are troubled and indifferent!

At this point in their history, the Roman rulers were using Herod and the religious leaders to control the people

Rome had put Herod in his place

Rome had a large say in who was high priest

The religious leaders knew immediately where the Messiah was going to be born!

Yet not one of them is moved to go and worship Him.

Their allegiance was to their positions, not their God

They were more concerned with pleasing Herod than seeking the true King

Then there is the city of Jerusalem

A people that had gone more than 500 years without a word from the Lord

A people that were living under the occupation of Rome, who wrongly expected the Messiah to be a military conquerer

And yet, their response to the news of the birth of the Messiah is fear

They didn’t want to shake up the apple cart

They were too busy with their problems at hand to look up to an infant, born King of the universe

AND IN THESE THINGS, WE FIND THE TRUTH THIS MORNING:

Finding Jesus means giving Him control!

It’s already His anyway

Herod lost his life and his power that he was clinging to

Rome removed the power of the religious leaders after the Maccabean wars

The Jewish people were dispersed from their land again until God restored it to them

No one who was clinging to control got to keep it

and neither will you

Matthew 16:25 CSB

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.

Be like the wisemen. Let today be the day that you let Jesus take control

Surrender the One who will be a better King of your life than you could ever be

Let Jesus be the One who is calling the shots, making decisions, and directing your life.

To find Jesus, you have to let go of control and make Jesus your King.

Third,

To find Jesus, you must make Jesus your waypoint.

You know, the vision and the purpose of our church is plainly on display in this text. It is our desire that you would literally set Jesus as the point of your life.

Make Jesus what you are looking for and where you are headed.

We’re going to jump to 2 different points in our passage as we unpack what that means. First look at verse 2 once more

Matthew 2:2 CSB

saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”

Now, jump down to verse 9

Matthew 2:9–10 NASB95

After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Imagine me for a moment, that you got into the car today without a map, with no phone or gps system or directions of any type and set out on a trip to Argentina.

How would you get there? How would you know what direction you were traveling?

You wouldn’t approach traveling anywhere with this plan, so why would you approach life like this?

Many of us are on a journey through life. We want to get to Jesus; we just don’t want it bad enough to drop everything and follow Him.

Before cars, planes, and mass transportation, the wisemen made an urgent road trip

They saw the star they were watching for appear

They quickly made plans and they got on the road

And six months to A YEAR later, they arrived at their destination

The Wisemen saw the star, and they set it as their destination

They dropped everything else they were seeking and chased after the King

TO FIND JESUS, THE WISEMEN COMPLETELY RE-ORIENTED THEIR LIVES

That is what it looks like to follow Jesus

It means letting go of anything and everything that is in the way of you following Him

Hard things, yes

Sinful habits, yes

But also the pursuit of so many things this world teaches us to chase after.

You can’t set two waypoints for your life. If your destination is Jesus, your course is going to have to look like what brings you to Him.

It means fixing your eyes on Him and running after Him with all that you are

To find Jesus, you must make Jesus your waypoint. And, finally,

To find Jesus, you must bow your heart in worship

Look at verses 11-12 with me

Matthew 2:11–12 NASB95

After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Regardless of whether or not these men were kings, they were undoubtedly men who were held in honor

These were men that people held in high regard

Who probably got attention when they walked into the room

Depending on their position, others may have been required to bow

Yet, they left all of that behind with reckless abandon to find Jesus.

And when they found Him, their response was to worship Him

They bowed because He is worthy of honor

They gave gifts of immeasurable value,, the best they had to offer

gifts that also spoke prophecy of his life, death, and glory as King of the universe

They had already bowed their lives, traveling such a long distance to see Him because He is worthy

I wonder, friend, if this morning, you are ready to bow to King Jesus?

Are you looking for Him?

Are you letting go of control to make Him Your King?

Are you setting Him as the waypoint, the direction setter in your life?

Are you bowing to Him in worship with your time, your life, and your treasure?

Today, Jesus is calling you to Himself, and the only right response is surrender.

The worship team is going to come now, and lead us in a time of reflection

As they come, I’m going to lead us in a time of prayer.

It is an opportunity for us to look to Jesus and to start trusting Him as our King this very moment. Whether it is for the first time, or a moment when you’ve realized that you have snatched control from His hands, don’t wait another moment. Let’s turn to the King of the manger and find that He is the King we need long after Christmas is over.

Let’s pray together:

Pray