Sermon Tone Analysis

The Star Of Bethlehem

Shaun LePage, January 1, 2006

 

I.

Introduction

A.   The stage was set!

Some children were presenting the Christmas play complete with costumes, props and lights.

To show the radiance of the new­born Savior a light bulb was hidden in the manger.

At just the right time, all the stage lights were to be turned off so that only the illumination from the manger could be seen.

On cue, the Angel, Joseph, Mary, the shepherds and the sheep had positioned themselves next to the manger exactly as they had rehearsed.

The time had finally come for the boy who controlled the lights to bring down the stage lights and bring up the manger light.

But, alas he got confused—he hit the wrong switches and all the lights went out!

It was a tense moment, broken only when one of the shepherds said in a loud stage whisper, “Hey, You switched off Jesus!”

B.    Now that we’ve passed through another Christmas season—along with Frosty the Snowman, candy canes, and Santa Claus; and considering the fact that it may soon be a misdemeanor to wish someone a “Merry Christmas”—no doubt some of us feel that somewhere, somehow, somebody switched off Jesus.

C.   But, as unfortunate as it is that Christmas has been commercialized and secularized let there be no doubt: Jesus Christ is the Star of Christmas; the Star of Bethlehem.

D.   In fact, it is interesting to me that Jesus continues to be the cover story of the best-selling magazines of our time.

True, they attack Him and try to minimize Him, but every once in a while, the truth comes out.

1.

In 1999, Newsweek magazine acknowledged that Jesus Christ was the most influential Person in the history of Western civilization.

Listen to this quote from that article: “For Christians, Jesus is the hinge on which the door of history swings, the point at which eternity intersects with time, the Savior who redeems time by drawing all things to himself.

As the second millennium draws to a close, nearly a third of the world’s population claims to be his followers…But by any secular standard Jesus is also the dominant figure of Western culture.

What we now think of as Western ideas, inventions, and values finds its source or inspiration in the religion that worships God in his name.

Art and science, the self and society, politics and economics, marriage and the family, right and wrong, body and soul—all have been touched and often radically transformed by Christian influence.”

(/Newsweek/, March 29, 1999, p.54)

2.     Jesus Christ cannot and will not be “switched off”!

E.    CPS: Jesus Christ will be received; He will be honored; He will be worshiped!

F.    Matthew wrote his version of the story of Jesus to answer the question, “Who is this Jesus?”

In Matthew’s day and in our time, people have heard the name of Jesus, but they are often confused and misinformed about His true identity.

It is our task to introduce some to Jesus and reintroduce Him to others.

G.   The stage was set for the true Star of Bethlehem in Matthew chapter 1.

For the believing Jew, and those familiar with the Old Testament, this was incredibly exciting!

Matthew uses some very powerful words to describe Jesus:

1.     “Christ”—The Greek translation of “Messiah”; “Anointed One”

2.     “Son of David”—Jesus fulfills the Davidic covenant

3.     “Son of Abraham”—Jesus fulfills the Abrahamic covenant

4.     “Judah”—Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah

5.     “Immanuel” —“God with us”; Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14

H.

The stage was set!

Then, in chapter 2, Matthew shares the strange and beautiful story of the visitors from the East—the Magi.

What we discover is that from the very beginning, there were those who tried to “switch off Jesus”.

But there were also those who recognized Jesus for Who He really is—and they responded correctly.

II.

Matthew 2:1-2 (Read entire story then come back to verse by verse)

A.   *1-2 **Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, 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.”*

1.     “*Bethlehem of Judea*”

a)    All Jews knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

b)    Matthew knew that one of the charges leveled against Jesus was that He was from Nazareth.

He could not be the Messiah, some must have been saying, because He was not from Bethlehem.

Matthew explains—in this chapter—how Jesus was born in Bethlehem and then moved to Nazareth.

2.     “*Herod*”

a)    This man was called “Herod the Great” because he was the first in a long line of “Herods”.

“Herod” became a title after this one died—much like “Caesar” became the title for the Roman Emperor.

b)    “*Herod*” just one of many in a long line of history’s brutal and cruel dictators.

Herod, Hitler, Hussein—they’ve come and done their damage and gone.

c)    He was not a true Jew.

He was an Idumean (Edomite) who convinced the Roman emperor to declare him “king of the Jews.”

He was feared and hated by the Jews.

3.     “*Magi*”

a)    “*Magi*” is a transliteration of the Greek word used here (/magoi /or /magos/).

It is a plural and masculine word.

The King James Version translates—rather than transliterates—the word calling them “wise men.”

b)    It is almost frustrating to read this story, because Matthew gives us very little information about these men.

c)    Scholar Marvin Vincent has written: “Many absurd traditions and guesses respecting these visitors to our Lord’s cradle have found their way into popular belief and into Christian art.

They were said to be kings, and three in number; they were said to be representatives of the three families of Shem, Ham and Japhet, and therefore one of them is pictured as an Ethiopian; their names are given as Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior, and their three skulls—said to have been discovered in the twelfth century by Bishop Reginald of Cologne—are exhibited in a priceless casket in the great cathedral of that city.”

d)    No one knows how far they traveled.

It must have been some distance.

If they came from Persia they would have traveled anywhere from 500 to 1500 miles.

Two hints in Matthew’s story indicate that they might have arrived several months or even a couple years after Jesus’ birth.

(1) They found Mary and Jesus in a “house,” not in the place where Mary had laid Jesus in a manger.

(2) Herod ordered the slaughter of all boys two years old and younger.

The Magi—not knowing Herod’s intent—had told Herod when they first saw the star, and based on this information Herod chose the age of two years and younger.

(3) This is not definitive, though.

Joseph and Mary may have found a “house” the next day and Herod was so cruel he may have chosen “two years” randomly just to make sure he got the right boy.

e)    How did they know this “star” they saw in the east announced the birth of the Messiah?

This is a question that has been pondered and studied and debated for quite some time.

(1) It is possible these “wise men” were descendents of exiled Jews.

The prophet Daniel was promoted to a position of great influence during the Exile.

He was called “Chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners” (Daniel 5:11).

Many believe these titles were synonymous with Magi.

Perhaps these Magi were Jews who studied and believed the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.

(2) They were probably Gentiles, though, who had been taught or influenced by exiled Jews—like Daniel—to read and study the Old Testament prophecies.

(3) What prophecies might have led them to believe this “star” announced the birth of the Messiah?

Perhaps passages like these—along with the star—led them to the conclusion that the Messiah had been born:

(a)  Numbers 24:17: “*I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel*…”

(b) Is 60:1-6: “*Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. 3 Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you.

Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms.

5 “Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you.

6 A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, And will bear good news of the praises of the LORD*.”

(c)  ©Isaiah 9:2: “*The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them*.”

(d) Psalm 72:10-15: “*Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.

11 And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.

12 For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper.

13 He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save.

14 He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight; \\ 15 So may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him; And let them pray for him continually; Let them bless him all day long*.”

(4)  I believe these passages—and others like them—figured into the equation, but my personal belief is that these men received a direct revelation from God.

Along with the “*star*” they were given something like the dream they had later (v.12) that sent them on this long journey.

I believe this will make more sense after we identify the nature of the “*star*,” which we’ll do in a moment.

B.    *3 **When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

*

1.

Because Herod was not a true Jew, he had married the sister of the Jewish high priest to make himself more acceptable to the Jews.