The Wise Men

Matthew 2:1–12 NKJV

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 have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

After Jesus was Born:

We do not know how long after. Could have been as long as two years

They were not there when the shepherds were

The Wise Men came from the East

We do not know exactly from where they came

It has been suggested they came from Babylon or somewhere near

Some think they may have came from as far as India or even China

This would also explain why it took so long.

They Came To Worship Jesus

Wherever they Came from, and however long it took — They came to Worship Jesus

This is where wisdom begins

They put aside whatever else their interests were and set out to find Him

As soon as they knew He was in the world - as soon as they had reason to believe, they sought Him

They were not Jews.

These were pagan people

They were not Jewish, and had probably never seen a bible

They most likely had no priests in their country telling them of the Messiah

Yet, God had made Himself known to them

The same thing is happening today

God is still revealing Himself to people in far away places and nearby

through many means, and miracles

through people, and events and circumstances

They Recognized Their Need For Him

They came from another country and, most likely from another religion

we do not know exactly how they knew of Him

perhaps a prophet, some old prophecies they had known of, or an angel like the shepherds saw

we do know the star was a guide to them

Some people these days preach a “universalism” that says all roads lead to Jesus:

many would have you believe that Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Atheists all receive the same ends when they die

That everyone goes to heaven (at least if they are nice)

This simply is not true - if it were, the wise men would have had no need to come

Although Jesus does draw all men to Him — they must come to Him - That is wisdom

These men left their own ways and gods, and came to worship Him.

They could not receive Him while still in their own religion - while worshipping their false gods.

The recognized their need for this one true savoir, and came seeking Him - whatever the cost.

That is wise

And if you want to be wise, you must do the very same thing today. Seek Him.

Herod Was Troubled

Whoever these men were, their arrival was big deal

King Herod The Great was very troubled - and the whole city also -

whoever these men were, there was certainly more than three of them

probably had a great entourage - servants, soldiers, and their leaders

they were carrying great treasures — would not have been unprotected

People must have been speculating on why they were there

could they be planning an attack - a war against Rome

was there something else happening - a political treaty

The whole City was concerned

Herod was mostly concerned because they said they were seeking the king of the Jews -

They may not have understood the Messiah was coming, but Herod did

He knew that if the Messiah was really here, his dynasty was over

This troubled him a great deal indeed, and he wanted to stop it.

There are a good many people who are troubled in the same way today

nearly all of the so called atheists and scientists know that there is overwhelming evidence supporting the bible

they are “troubled”, not by the the evidence itself, but by what it means for them

If this is true, then there is a God - A Lord, who will hold us accountable for our sins

for our abuse of power

for our greed and selfishness

for our lust and greed

A God who sets a standard, and will judge accordingly.

And, like Herod, they move to suppress this truth.

Herod Called The Chief Priests and The Scribes Together

These were also considered “wise men” -

these were the wisest men that Herod knew of

He wanted to learn where Christ was supposed to be born

He wanted to know this, not to worship Him, but to kill Him

Herod was also seeking Jesus - but for the wrong reason

There are a great many people who seek God these days - but many of them are no better than Herod

So many people, especially here in our wealthy nation, are seeking God only for their temporal and carnal pleasures

In many places Christianity has been replaced with something I call Selfianity -

There were a lot of powerful and educated men “seeking” Him

Herod, The Scribes, The Chief Priests

But they were only seeking Him for their own gain — this is not worship

Jesus said if you are not willing to forsake all that you have - you cannot be a disciple

Those Who Should Have Been Wise Were Unwise

These men should have been the wisest in the world

They knew the prophecies

they knew where Jesus was to be born

they knew that He was expected -

They knew of the virgin birth, Isaiah 9:6, and so many more

They knew that God had promised - and expected a Messiah to come and rule

Yet, they became fools

Although they knew of Him- they tried to suppress Him- in favor of their own power

Not at all unlike what so many people do today.

So many people today have every reason to know Him

with so many churches in our country

so much christian heritage

so much evidence of Divine Providence in our history, and today

So many people who have proclaimed the gospel and offered His Word

Yet, so many people want to silence Him - even so called Christians

Those Who Came To Worship

It is such a shame that in today’s Selfian Churches, the gospel has been so distorted that many people will never know what it really is to Worship - Think of that word for a moment

To Worship God

setting yourself aside

involves offering to Him

sacrifice not a trade

giving, not a purchase

The object of your worship has been received when you have released your worship - that is the object

These men came to Worship Him - Not to get from Him

The opened their treasure to Him

Have you opened your treasure to Him?

We all have a treasure -

what is it that you value most?

What is it that you have?

What is it that you can offer?

Is it open to Him? Is it available?

Would you be delighted if He accepted it from you?

These Wise men came all this way, to open their treasures to Him

Their gifts also acknowledged their worship, and who He was

Gold - symbolic of His Royalty - His Sovereignty

The Frankincense - Symbolic of His Divinity

The Myrrh - Symbolic of His Sacrifice

Have you opened your treasure to Him?

Does your life acknowledge:

His Sovereignty?

His Divinity?

His Sacrifice?