Matthew 2:1-12 - WORSHIP OR WAR?

A few minutes ago we read the story of the visit of the wise men from Matthew 2. Even though this part of the Christmas story takes place several weeks (or even months) after the night of Jesus’ birth in the manger, it is a very fitting passage for us to consider on a Christmas Eve Candlelight service, because it perfectly captures two very different ways that people approach Christmas itself.

In verse 1, we are introduced to the people involved in this event:

Matthew 2:1–2 ESV

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, 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.”

Herod was known as Herod the Great, and he was actually appointed by the Roman Empire in 37 B.C. as the governor of the province of Judea (where Jerusalem was located.) Herod was not Jewish; he was an Idumean by birth—descended from Jacob’s brother Esau in the Old Testament (Esau was the one who sold his birthright to Jacob for a pot of stew in Genesis 25). About three years after Herod was appointed governor, the Roman senate voted to bestow on him the title “King of the Jews”—a title that he decided to take very seriously, building himself a palace, gathering a royal court and raising a standing army (even though his actual administrative power was limited to the Roman governorship).

Herod wasn’t a member of the Jewish nation by birth, but he made a big show of being a faithful member of the Covenant—he scrupulously adhered to the Jewish ceremonial laws and poured untold riches and resources into a massive Temple in Jerusalem (part of which still stands today.) He didn’t want anyone to question his legitimacy as “King of the Jews”, so he bolstered his image wherever he could.

So you can understand his being “troubled” (v. 3)—more like abject panic—when foreign dignitaries showed up in Jerusalem looking for “the one who was born the King of the Jews”! Herod had been invested with the title of king, but if there was someone out there who was born to it (not to mention his birth being written in the stars!), his kingdom and everything he had built was in jeopardy!

For all his pious outward appearance and careful playing the part of a faithful son of the Covenant of Abraham, Herod hated the thought that Someone Else belonged on his throne! Historians tell us that by this time in his reign, Herod had had several people executed for perceived threats to his throne—including two of his sons and one of his wives! So when the wise men came looking for the new King, Herod knew what he had to do. In verse 8, we read:

Matthew 2:8 ESV

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.”

Herod put up a front of wanting to worship Jesus, but in reality he wanted to make war on Him.

The wise men, on the other hand, really did come to worship Jesus (v. 2). We sang the song earlier “We Three Kings”, but the passage itself does not call them kings (nor does it tell us how many there were!) The word in the Greek here in verse 1 is Magi, and it refers to a court magician or astrologer who acted as a close counselor to a king. (The Old Testament prophet Daniel was most likely a Magi in the court of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius).

So these men weren’t kings, but they were immensely important dignitaries—but they were not coming to receive honor; they were coming to give honor to Jesus! (It’s instructive to us to note that the only words they speak in this passage is to ask where Jesus was and to declare their intent to worship.) Unlike Herod’s empty promise for worship (and his malicious heart ready to murder Jesus), the wise men’s hearts “rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (v. 10) when they saw the star drawing them to Jesus’ dwelling.

And when they came into the house and saw Mary and Jesus, they did not act very much like foreign dignitaries, did they? They “fell down and worshipped” Jesus! Now, think about this for a moment—remember some years ago when President Obama was roundly criticized for bowing before the King of Saudi Arabia? Heads of State do not bow! Because when the head of state bows, it represents the whole country bowing! So when these Magi, these high court advisors who were official representatives of the Babylonian/Persian Empires, bowed before this baby (Jesus would have been anywhere from a few months to even a year old at this point)—their whole empire was bowing with them!

They offered Him their obedience, and they offered Him their gold—their wealth. They offered Him frankincense (incense represented prayer and worship) and myrrh (a perfume used in burial rituals). They came before Jesus and said, “You have my obedience, you have my wealth, you have my worship, you have even my dying breath!” All of it belongs to you! Herod wanted to bring war to Jesus, but the wise men brought their worship!

What did you come here tonight to bring to Jesus? Did you come here to make a good showing of being a faithful son, a faithful daughter? Did you come here tonight because it makes you look good to sing Christmas carols, read Scripture and bow your head to pray on Christmas Eve? Like Herod, going through all the motions to look like a faithful and religious individual, but deep down you hate the thought that Jesus belongs on the throne of your heart instead of you? That He demands your obedience, your wealth, your worship and your life? You’ll “play nice” a couple times a year, but when you leave here tonight you won’t give the Kingship of Jesus Christ another thought until next Christmas Eve.

You do know, don’t you, that someday you will be called to account for your refusal to worship? That no matter how many “good deeds” you have done, no matter how personally upright and moral you have been, no matter how many Christmas and Easter services you have sat through, none of it will save you on that Day? If you insist on clinging to your own self-determination, if you spend the rest of your life refusing to surrender to Jesus Christ that petty kingship you have declared over your life and continuing to deny that you are a rebel and a usurper, the Day will come when He will simply take that throne from you at the Last Judgment. And your knee will bow, and your tongue will confess that He is Lord—but by then it will be too late for you, and you will spend all eternity under the burning wrath of God in Hell. Stop masking your war on Christ with superficial worship.

Have you come here tonight with genuine worship in your heart? You know that Jesus belongs on the throne of your life, you know He deserves your obedience, your wealth, your worship—everything down to your dying breath—but you don’t know if He will receive you? You know what you have been, you know what you have done, you know just how dark and twisted and sinful you are deep down, and you can’t see how Jesus could ever accept your worship tonight?

There is one more thing about the wise men that we need to understand—they were, as I said, most likely from the old Babylonian/ Medo-Persian empires. They were members of the empires that had destroyed Jerusalem five hundred years earlier! They were members of the same government that had sacked the city and carried off the people of Judah into captivity—they were descendents of the ancient enemies of the Jews. They had no reason whatsoever to believe that the King of the Jews would accept them—but they came anyway because they wanted to worship!

Friend, if that’s you tonight—even if you have been an enemy of God all your life, even if you have hated and rebelled and kicked at Him for years—if you come to Him in repentance tonight He will accept you! Because Jesus was born on a night like this so that He could save you from a darkness like this! We are going to read a Scripture passage in a few moments from the Gospel of John, and I want you to listen very carefully when we get to John 1:12-13

John 1:12–13 ESV

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

When you receive Him—when you come to Him in repentance and lay your whole life before Him, turning from your self and your sin and trusting in Him alone for your forgiveness—He gives you the right to become a child of God! Jesus Christ suffered the penalty of your rebellion on the Cross so that you could be freed from your guilt and shame before Him. Won’t you make this the night when you drop the act? Stop putting up the front of being a good, religious person while your heart seethes in rage against Jesus’ claim on your life! Have done with your rebellion against Him, stop running from His call, stop ignoring what you know you need to do. He has brought you here tonight so that you can finally come to Him, bow before Him, give Him your wealth, your worship, your dying breath—He has promised to receive you and give you the right to be called a Child of God! So come—and welcome!—to Jesus Christ!