A KING IS BORN: WORSHIPPING THE ROYAL SAVIOR

Introduction

-{Matthew 2}

-There are a lot of traditions that have developed around the story of Christmas that have ingrained themselves in the Christian Church that do not actually have biblical warrant. But because they have been so continuously pounded into our heads, we actually think that they are part of the story.

~For example, what animal did Mary ride on their trip to Bethlehem? Most people would say donkey because that is what is usually depicted in the pictures and movies. However, the Bible doesn’t actually say what she rode. It’s possible, but it could have been a camel maybe or another pack animal.

-But there has also been a lot of tradition that is not in the Bible surrounding the the magi that visited Jesus. For example, that there were three of them. That there would be three of them is connected to the three gifts that are mentioned, but the Bible doesn’t actually say that there were three of them. There could have been more.

-So, today we want to see what the Bible tells us about those magi from the East. But in reality they aren’t the center of the passage. They are the side characters that help us look rightly at the One who is at the center, and that is Jesus Christ. We know that the magi came looking for the One born King. And as we look through their eyes and look at their actions, we see ways that we ought to look for the One born King as well.

-What we see from the passage is that Jesus was born the long-awaited King of the Jews and that leads us to worship Him and honor Him. And I want to lead us today to find ways to worship and honor Jesus in every circumstance because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. So, let’s see what the Bible has to say about this story of the magi looking for the King.

Matthew 2:1–12 LSB

1 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, 2 “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.” 3 And when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he was inquiring of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Leader Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and carefully determined from them the time the star appeared. 8 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.” 9 Now after hearing the king, they went their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, was going on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi departed for their own country by another way.

-{pray}

-These men were foreigners from some nation East of Judea. We are not told where they came from or what nation they represented, but they were not Jews. So, it is interesting that already the wider world sees Jesus for who He really is. It foreshadows the meaning and reach of His ministry and death and resurrection—it is to bring the world into the Kingdom of God.

-They are described as magi. It does not refer to magic like we think of magic—someone doing a trick or illusion. The term probably refers to someone who works in the court of some king in an advisory capacity. You think of the story of Daniel and his friends, and when King Nebuchadnezzar had his dream he called for all sorts of different advisers that had all sorts of different titles, including Daniel and the others. We can think of the magi kind of in that light.

-Now, their work may have involved the study of astronomy—looking to the stars and planets, studying their patterns. It may have included trying to interpret life events that way, but they were not necessarily astrologers (as we would think of them)—like trying to come up with a horoscope interpretation of life.

-But they were also probably scribes and scholars. Although we aren’t told, it is possible that they had some exposure to Jewish writings. They may have interpreted the promises given to King David that he would have a descendant who would reign forever. Then, in their study of the stars they see something special, and somehow they make the connection between this astral event and the birth of a King from David’s line. We don’t know how they make that connection, but they do.

-So, they set out on the journey to follow this thing described as a star. A lot of scholars try to match it to some natural phenomenon like the alignment of planets or a supernova or something, but it also may have been a supernatural phenomenon. This star appears, it means something to these magi, and they set out to find the One to whom it points. They first go to Jerusalem because it would have been well known that is the city where Jewish kings reign. But then they are steered in the right direction and find the Child. The Child would have been probably in the 1 1/2 to 2 year old range. While the star may have appeared right at Jesus’ birth, it would have taken time for them to interpret the event and then travel.

-And finding the King they worship Him. So, what these magi see in Jesus and their reaction to Jesus gives us several lessons for our own lives when we see Jesus rightly and what that means for our lives. So, first, we notice their:

1. Recognition of the King (vv. 1-2)

-So, the magi come into Jerusalem, and it is quite possible that it was this big caravan of a thing that is noticed by the entire town. We’re not sure who they first approach, but they want to know WHERE IS HE WHO HAS BEEN BORN KING OF THE JEWS? They saw the star, they interpreted it as the King being born, and they want to find Him to worship Him.

-These magi recognized Jesus for Who He is. This was not just another Jewish baby. There is something special about this boy. He is a King and He is to treated as a King, and He is to be obeyed as a King. The magi wanted to demonstrate that they recognized Jesus for Who He is. Now, they probably didn’t have a full understanding of Jesus being Immanuel, God with Us. But they did know He was a King.

-Now, with time and with a fuller revelation from God, we have an even greater recognition of who Jesus is. He is the Savior. He is the Christ. He is God with Us. But we cannot ignore the fact that He is the King. King is not some title that is to be taken lightly. In pop culture the title of king is thrown around like it’s something ordinary. You have wrestlers like Jerry “The King” Lawler. You have singers like Elvis or Michael Jackson being called king. But truly being THE King means something deep and profound.

-A king is someone with authority and power. A king reigns as the sovereign who makes laws and enforces laws. A king is someone who is to be followed and obeyed. A king is not someone who is treated lightly. He is someone to be revered and respected.

-How would it look if I went to England and walked into Buckingham Palace and approached King Charles and said: HEY CHUCK, WHAT’S HAPPENING? And then try and give him a high five and all that. That’d be seen as bad form. It really is not recognizing him as a king at all.

-When you recognize someone as a king, you treat him like a king. But a king has a kingdom, and those who are in that kingdom are under the authority of that king and are expected to obey that king. In a sense the magi did this. Yes, Jesus was born King of the Jews, but for these foreign dignitaries to worship Him as such demonstrates a recognition that Jesus was much more than just King of the Jews. He would be the King of everyone and everything.

-And therein lies the issue of what the world is supposed to do with Jesus. Jesus, as God the Son, created everything and therefore everything and everybody is under His sovereign rule and reign. However, due to sin the world rebelled against His Kingship, and thereby is treated as hostile. However, this King loved His creation so much that He came down to earth and became a human to bring the rebels back under His rule and reign.

-And now the choice is given to all human beings to willingly recognize Jesus as King or not. There will come a time at the end of history (we are told by Paul) where every knee will bow to Jesus in recognition that He is King. There will be no denying it. But for some, it will have been too late.

-And so the King reaches out to rebellious humanity out of love telling them to return to Him and come into His Kingdom where you will find love and joy and peace and hope. And in the end, eternal life where you will enjoy the fruits of His Kingdom and Kingship forever. But you have to recognize Him as King, meaning you bring yourself under His authority.

-But we also have to consider the weight of this truth for us Christians. We say that we have believed in Jesus. We know that He died on the cross to pay for our sins and rose again, and so we cling to Him as Savior. He is our only means to heaven. But He is also so much more than Savior. He is King. And the question we have to ask ourselves is if our lifestyles and life choices reflect this recognition of Him as King?

-Do you treat Jesus as your ticket to heaven and then live your life and make your choices any old way that you please? Do you live for the world with your body and yet try to pay lip service to Jesus every once in a while? Is that recognizing Jesus as King? Jesus is King whether anyone recognizes it or not, but it is a call to people to recognize it so that they will place themselves under His authority. Then, in the second section of the passage, we see the:

2. Reaction to His Kingship (3-8)

-The magi come asking for the King of the Jews because they know Jesus is King and they want to worship Him. Word of this gets to Herod the Great who is the political king of that region at the time, under the authority of the Roman Empire. His authority extended from Idumaea in the south all the way to the north in parts of Syria. So, his territory included Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and the like. Later, after his death these regions would be split up under other kings and governors.

-But it says in v. 3 that Herod heard about the magi searching for the One born King and he was troubled. Why was he troubled? Because he saw this One born King as a political rival. You see, Herod knew about the stories of the Messiah, the Christ, and that this Christ would be the King. That is why he gathered together the chief priests and scribes, who were no friends of his, but he wanted to find out where this Christ was to be born. And we know the rest of the story that we’ll get into next week, but he wanted to destroy any threat to his throne.

-This was nothing new for Herod. He killed some of his own sons because of a perceived threat to his throne. And hearing that there is One who is born to be King of the Jews raised his anxiety to new heights. You see, Herod was not a Jew ethnically. He was Idumean (which means he had ancestry with Edom) but his ancestors were forcibly converted to the Jewish religion. His immediate ancestors were leaders of some sorts, but he had good relations with the Romans and so he was placed in this position of authority with the power of the Roman Empire available to him.

-But having a background in the Jewish religion He knew the prophecies and promises given to David—that there would rise one of David’s descendants who would take the throne of the Jews and rule and reign forever. And hearing that this might be happening in his lifetime troubled him greatly. And so, he was going to do everything in his power to prevent the prophecies from coming true, he was so power hungry and paranoid.

-But what is interesting is that it says that all of Jerusalem was troubled with him. You would have thought that news that the Christ may have been born would have excited them. God has finally sent His Messiah, let us rejoice. But everybody but the magi were troubled.

-While the birth of the King caused the magi to seek Him and worship Him, the birth of the King caused others to be troubled. And not much has changed in 2000 years. The fact that Jesus is King will either cause you to seek Him or cause you to reject Him. You will worship Him or you will seek to destroy any sort of evidence of His authority over your life.

-There are some who pay Jesus lip service, but in reality want to snuff out any sort of influence that He might have in their life. We see in v. 8 Herod saying: SURE, PLEASE FIND THE CHILD AND LET ME KNOW WHERE HE IS SO I CAN WORSHIP HIM TOO, when in reality Herod wanted to find and destroy Jesus. There are many who call themselves Christians, and organizations that call themselves churches, but do not want Jesus to actually rule and reign in their lives. In a sense, they want to rule and reign over Him—telling Him what they should believe and how they should act. Jesus isn’t their King, they want to be His king.

-But that leads to you and your reaction? How do you react to Jesus being King? Does it cause you to seek and worship? Or does it trouble you and cause you to want to get out from under His authority? But when you recognize Jesus as King and you react by seeking Him for who He is, this leads to the third point, where the passage demonstrates, and that is:

3. Reverence and Worship (9-12)

-After receiving the information about the birthplace of Messiah, the magi continue their journey. It seems that the star that they had been following at first just sent them to the general area of Judea. But now the star appeared and stood right over the house where Joseph and Mary and Jesus were living.

-It says that they rejoiced greatly. It was a joyous thing to finally find the King. And it really is. There is nothing better than finding King Jesus. They enter the house and find the family. So that means that the magi were not present at His birth. But that does not mean that you need to throw away your magi from your nativity scenes. But just know that Jesus was a toddler by this time.

-And what does it say they do. They fell to the ground and worshipped Him. Falling to the ground is a recognition of a person’s position and showing that person the reverence that is due them. And they worshipped Him, meaning they demonstrated a recognition of His ultimate worth. That is our posture with King Jesus.

-Part of their worship included giving Him gifts. But not just any gifts—they gave Him treasures. Valuables. They presented gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. There are some who see significance in the gifts themselves: the gold represented His sovereign dominion, the frankincense His sinless deity, and the myrrh His sacrificial death. It is possible. But from the perspective of the magi, they recognized His Kingship, they sought Him, and they wanted to give gifts the demonstrated His worth and their reverence. And through these gifts, the family would be able to flee to Egypt and sustain their lives.

-And it ought to make us think about how we can revere Jesus, submit to His authority, and demonstrate to Him that we know of what value and worth He truly is. We give Him the gift of ourselves. We are living sacrifices. Our entire life (all that we are, all that we have) we give as a treasure worthy of a King.

-In the early 20th century there was a man by the name of William Borden. He inherited a fortune and was what we would call filthy rich. But instead of basking in his wealth and comfort, he felt a call to serve God as a missionary in China. Borden turned down so many lucrative opportunities that would have made him even more money, and instead he gave the treasure of his life as an offering to Christ, knowing that there was nothing more important and profound than giving your life in worship to the King. Ultimately, Borden died in this service to others. But he left behind a legacy that the King is worthy of worship.

Conclusion

-If you are a Christian, let me ask you: have you recognized Jesus as your King? Sure, He’s your Savior and your ticket to heaven, but is He your King, your sovereign, your ruler? If so, how have you revered Him and recognized His worth? Come to the altar today and give your life as a living sacrifice.

-But if you have never believed in Jesus Christ, you may not recognize Him as King but He is the King of all. And you can bow in reverence and worship Him today, or you will bow the knee to Him anyway when it is too late. Recognize Him as your King and give Him the treasure of your life...