Where is Your King?

Scripture: Beau

Baby Dedication: Caroline Best

Intro: Christmas Twice

I don’t know about you but when I was a kid I couldn’t wait for Xmas

Between the JC Penny catalog, the school xmas parties, xmas eve service at church time just drug on

Every Xmas morning walking out into the living room was the best

Now as an Adult I’m not as excited for xmas but I do get a bonus that we didn’t have as kids

I get two Xmas’

Yes there is the regular Xmas morning where I open gifts that I already know about

That Xmas happened on Black Friday because everyone asked me what I wanted

The second Xmas happens when you open your front door and there are a bunch of boxes from Amazon

You’ve totally forgot what you ordered and each time you open the box it is a surprise

Christmas has been magical since the very first one

The Angels appeared in the sky to Shepherds

Something also happened

Wise men from the East saw a sign and made a pilgrimage to Israel

They were seeking the King of the Jews

In this brief text we see examples of the three basic responses that men made to Jesus when He was on earth, the same three responses that men throughout history have made to the Lord.

Some, like Herod, are hostile to Him; some, like the chief priests and scribes, are indifferent to Him; and some, like the magi, worship Him.

These travelers from the east had come to Palestine with but one purpose: to find the One born King of the Jews and worship Him.

The word worship is full of meaning, expressing the idea of falling down, prostrating oneself, and kissing the feet or the hem of the garment of the one honored.

Wise Men Seek Him vs. 1-2

Wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem asking everyone where their king was

No one knew because they weren’t looking

Wise men traveled 1500 miles over 4 months to come and worship Jesus

Wise men still seek him

They weren’t even following the Jewish God but they came to worship him

Bethlehem

The town came to be called Bethlehem after the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, its new name meaning “house of bread.”

Bethlehem was then a small town five or six miles south of Jerusalem, in the fertile hill country of Judea

Micah 5:2 ESV

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.

Magi/ Wise Men

Few biblical stories are as well known, yet so clouded by myth and tradition, as that of the magi, or wise men, mentioned by Matthew

We are not told their number, their names, their means of transportation to Palestine, or the specific country or countries from which they came

Many historians consider them to have been Semites, which if so, made them—with the Jews and Arabs—descendants of Noah’s son Shem

They were involved in various occult practices, including sorcery, and were especially noted for their ability to interpret dreams. It is from their name that our words magic and magician are derived.

Because of their combined knowledge of science, agriculture, mathematics, history, and the occult, their religious and political influence continued to grow until they became the most prominent and powerful group of advisors in the Medo-Persian and subsequently the Babylonian empire

Because of his great wisdom and because he had successfully pleaded for the lives of the wise men who had failed to interpret the king’s dream (Dan. 2:24), Daniel came to be highly regarded among the magi

Star

Since the Bible does not identify or explain the star, we cannot be dogmatic, but it may have been the glory of the Lord—the same glory that shone around the shepherds when Jesus’ birth was announced to them by the angel

Very early in the Old Testament the Messiah is spoken of as a “star [that] shall come forth from Jacob

Isaiah 60:3 ESV

And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Foolish Men Miss the Signs vs. 3-8

Foolish men miss the king because they are looking for other things

This section shows us that Education isn’t everything

Herod was the King of Judea, his wife was Jewish, he had full access to the chief Priest, scribes, & pharisees and all of them missed the coming of Jesus

They should’ve known better

In the four months since the birth of Jesus, stories and rumors had to make it six miles to Jerusalem about what the shepherds saw

No one was looking for Jesus

He clicked all of prophetic boxes and still no one checked it out

Herod

Because he was not Jewish, but Idumean (Edomite), Herod married Mariamne, heiress to the Jewish Hasmonean house, in order to make himself more acceptable to the Jews he now ruled. He was a clever and capable warrior, orator, and diplomat

in 19 b.c. he began the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. He revived Samaria and built the beautiful port city of Caesarea in honor of his benefactor Caesar Augustus

Herod was manaical about maintaining his kingdom

As he got older in life he had his wife and sons killed because he thought they were plotting against him

Jesus was the ultimate threat

He tried to play the role of concerned worshipper, but he couldn’t hide his troubled spirit when word got around about what the wise men were asking

Chief Priests

Herod assembles the Chief priests and the scribes

They quoted Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 ESV

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.

They knew all of the signs but weren’t interested in looking for them

They were more consumed with their rituals and holding people to the letter of the law

It is important that we don’t become people miss God in our lives

Wise Men Worship Him vs. 9-12

They leave Herod and Jerusalem and follow the star to Bethlehem

vs. 9-10 Rejoice

Psalm 100:4 ESV

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

vs. 11 Worship by Giving

2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

vs. 12 Follow the Leading of the Spirit