Correcting the Christmas Story

We don’t know how many wise men came to see Jesus

There are three gifts, but the Bible doesn’t say that they were given by three different men. It could have been two, or it could have been a huge number. The caravan of the men from the east was large enough to cause an uproar and be noticed by those in Jerusalem.

The wisemen never visited Jesus in the stable

Joseph and Mary were in the stable because Bethlehem was overcrowded during a census. At the time the wise men arrive, Jesus is almost 2 years old, and Joseph and Mary are living in Bethlehem.

By correcting the Christmas story we gain what we didn’t know we had lost.

I know it messes up the manger set up, and it messes up the American way of celebrating Christmas… but we have let our consumer and self focused culture dictate what is important for the American church for far too long… you may think its over the top to correct the Christmas story. You may think it is getting to detailed or too specific… but you will have to take that up with the Lord… this is His story, and I for one think we should unfold His story the same way that He has…

We actually lose something when we put the wise men at the manger. We lose the unfolding plan of God for the whole world to be saved… The Messiah was born to the Jews, just as God promised. In fact it was so much the way God promised that all of the men in Herod’s spiritual and wise circle knew where He was going to be born… because God told us through the prophet Micah in Micah 5:2, that the Bread of life would be born in the house of bread… Bethlehem means “house of bread.” Thats right, 700 years before the birth of Christ, Micah 5:2 names Bethlehem as the place of the Messiah’s birth. The city of David, this small little town, was where the King would be born.

And, if we place the wisemen at the scene of Jesus’ birth, then we lose the truth that at the same time that God unfolded His promise to the Jews, He was drawing gentiles to Himself. Matthew 2 provides a phenomenal witness of God’s promise to save Gentiles through the birth of His Son Jesus.

It is true that the wise men were not present the night that Jesus was born, but they saw His star. Or in their words “we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.” The star they saw signified the keeping of a promise, a promise they were searching the sky to find. As Jewish shepherds gathered around the manger and worshipped, as Mary was pondering the reality of her new born son, these men in the East began packing up their bags! As the angels were heralding the announcement that the Savior was born, the heavens were declaring the Messiah had come to earth. Through the birth of Christ, God was drawing people from all nations to Himself.

But, it is easy to get caught up in correcting some common misunderstandings about the Christmas story, but there is more to know than that our manger scenes and Christmas pageants are wrong!

Three lessons we gain by correcting the Christmas story

1. Look past the star, the signs, and the wonders and see Jesus

The fascination with the star and the facts of the Christmas story reveal how easily we can be distracted from what is most important. I think it is reasonable to believe that the star the men from the east saw, was a star born for that moment, and that we will never see it again. God’s purpose for that star was fulfilled, and the other night when we saw Jupiter and Saturn so closely aligned in the sky… it was phenomenal to see! I mean it brings to bear the truth of Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.”

Why were these men looking to the sky for a sign anyway? What was the basis for their worship? Well, I believe that these men came from a line of wise men in the East who were influenced by Daniel.

Daniel was a young wealthy and educated Israelite who was taken with many others as a slave to Babylon. Through a series of events and interactions God used Daniel and others to influence the kingdom of Babylon for His glory. Daniel’s life was hard and difficult many times, but God preserved him and had a plan for him. Daniel was eventually elevated to the position of Chief Magi (See Daniel 5). I believe the result of His leadership and influence was found hundreds of years later in the gifts and worship that the magi from the East came to give to Jesus. (Dave Wiley, https://replicate.org/a-discipleship-secret-of-the-magi-that-may-change-your-life/)

In the OT Babylon and Persia are “East”

In Daniel 9, we find a pinpoint prophecy concerning the arrival of the Messiah. 70, 7’s which means 70 7 year periods… and this time frame would be the years passed between a decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah… which historically was about 483 years between the decree and the birth of Christ. So, you see, as time went on I think its clear that the influence of Daniel was present as men looked for the coming of the Messiah.

And Balaam, a prophet from Pethor, a town that became a part of the Persian and Babylonian empire is mentioned in Numbers 22-24. He was hired to curse Israel, but upon hearing from God, he is told to repeat what God says rather than request Israel be cursed. One of the prophecies God tells Ballaam to give is found in Numbers 24:17 (CSB), “17 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.”

Check that out! A diviner from the East, has an encounter with God, and ends up prophesying about a star from the town of Jacob and scepter or king who will be associated with that star. Then, hundreds of years later men from the same region, the region where Daniel had been the chief of the Magi in Babylon, and was also a prophet of God…

The point of the star is to point to the King, the one who made the star was born… and when the men from the East arrive, the toddler who held the gifts they brought, was the same who formed the earth and everything in the universe with those same hands.

Don’t focus on the signs and wonders, or even the miracles, focus on the one they reveal— Jesus.

The miraculous always points us to Christ

And yet, we can be like the crowds who saw and heard Jesus and still want more signs. They cried out for more bread, when the bread of life was in front of them! We can be the same way and ask for God to more for our temporary quality of life, when He has done everything for us to have eternal life through Jesus Christ.

You can be in awe of creation, but if you don’t worship the one who made Creation you are missing the entire point of His handiwork! He didn’t give you a sunset so you can have a warm feeling in your heart at the end of the day. God gave you the sunset so that you would seek His Son, the maker of the sun, moon, stars, and earth.

And as Francis Schaeffer wrote, God is here, and He is not silent!

God has done more than reveal His glory through signs and wonders, He has spoken to us so that we can know His Son Jesus.

And, Jesus did more than show us signs and wonders, He spoke to us concerning the the truth of who He is, and it was His claim that He was the Son of God, the Messiah that led to His death.

Jesus was not crucified because he fed 5,000 people, healed the blind and lame, or because He walked on water. Jesus was crucified because the purpose behind his miracles was to reveal that He was the promised Christ, the King of the Jews.

Jesus claimed that He was the one Micah prophesied about.

Jesus claimed He was the one Balaam spoke of.

Jesus claimed He was the one Daniel taught the Magi of Babylon to look for.

If you don’t look past the signs, to see the Savior then you miss the whole point… The wisemen didn’t come to see the star, they came to see Jesus.

Jesus is the King of Kings

Don’t look past this… Herod and all who served Him did. The King God had promised was just a few miles away from the palace in Jerusalem, and they never went to see Him. They heard the stories, they knew the whispers that ran through the nation of Israel that a virgin had given birth to a child. They were 5 miles from where this amazing moment in history happened. 5 miles from the place where the Shepherds went all through town praising God and telling everyone who would listen the story of the angels and the baby they found in swaddling cloths.

Looking past the truth that Jesus is the King of Kings is to miss the salvation that He came to bring.

Failure to acknowledge Christ as King is a failure of faith. For if you don’t see Him as King then you don’t see Him for who He truly is. He was willing to die over this. All He had to do is renounce the claim before Pilate, but he didn’t. In fact, Jesus leaned into the claim and embraced the cross.

John 18:33–38 (CSB)

33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about me?” 35 “I’m not a Jew, am I?” Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked. “You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 “What is truth?” said Pilate.”

Jesus is The King of Jews, not just a King of the Jews. He is the one promised, and He delivered on the promise to save.

Jesus is the messiah whom God promised. He is the King of all Kings. These wise men from the East journeyed close to 2 years to bow the knee and worship this young king of the Universe. They came came to surrender and to submit to the one they had been waiting for… This is what it looks like when Jesus is your King.

Jesus is the King of all Kings, this means that every leader in the world is under His rule. This means every country is subject to His kingdom. And it means that there is no ruler, leader, or official who holds sway over your heart, mind, and soul other than Jesus.

The Kingship of Christ unites all Christians…

all over the world and all throughout history as one kingdom under one God who live and reign with Him for all eternity.

The kingship of Christ has been lost by so many, and we have found a lesser unity through our politics, preferences, and even countries. But, we are more united with Christians in other countries than we are with our unbelieving neighbors here in Tupelo…

Does this mean that we don’t care about our country, our state, or our county? No, in fact it provides our whole understanding of what type of citizen we should be in our country. Just look at Daniel and his friends. They were slaves in a foreign land, and yet they stayed faithful to God and His Word, and the Lord used them. He used them in such a way that men came searching from that same region where he was a slave to find the true King of the Jews!

The goal of your local citizenship should be the faith of your neighbors so that they will receive a heavenly citizenship through Christ the King.

It comes down to this… If Jesus is your King, then you are His servant, surrendered to doing His will by following His Word with your life.

3. Salvation is for all who believe

These men were not Jews… and that is especially significant for each one of us. Why? Because we aren’t Jews either.

The wise men were not raised in the Synagogue to look forward to the signs and times of the Messiah. But, here they are. Wealthy men from the East who were looking for the sign of the birth of the Messiah…

Salvation is for you… as the Angels told the Shepherds in Luke 2:9–10 (CSB), “9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Remember…

While Mary was pondering this miracle in her heart, the wisemen were packing their bags to come and worship this new born King!

Salvation is not just for some people, it is for you.

Look past the signs and wonders… look past the trinkets and knock-offs that the world offers and see Jesus.

Surrender to Jesus as the Lord and King of your life by faith…

Faith is in the unseen, but it is not unsure.

The witness of the Wise men is that Jesus Christ is the messiah God promised to send to earth. When you trust God and believe in Jesus, you are not rolling the dice… you are setting the cornerstone for your life. You are laying the foundation of faith that God is who He says He is, and that He will do tall that He promised, and that Jesus Christ is the only way to be right with God and know true joy.