Advent: The Wise Men- A Journey from Afar: Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon: FCC Marianna 12-12-2021 The Wise Men: A Journey from Afar Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12 We continue our examination of the Advent season. It is the story of our search for the Savior, our journey toward obedience and surrender to God. But it is also the story of God's search for humanity- His awesome offer of intimacy and of His journey to rescue His beloved creation. Last week, we begin our examination of the Advent season with the account of the Shepherds and a look at why God purposefully chose to use Shepherds to be the first evangelists- to be the first to experience relationship with Him and to be the first to share the Good News of salvation. This week, we are going to examine the story of the Wise Men and their journey to find the Savior. There are a lot of details about the Wise Men that we simply cannot know, but we can be sure of their place in this search for the Savior. The journey of the Wise Men is one of obedience and surrender- in their journey we see a reflection of the journey of obedience that you must take in order to surrender your life to the Messiah, as well as an invitation to come, like these men did, to worship this worthy King. The story of the Wise Men is one of gentile scholars going out of their way to celebrate and honor the Messiah of a foreign religion and the Creator-God. We're going to examine their journey and what their journey of obedience can teach us about our own journeys today. Read Matthew 2:1-12: Pray here! -We do not know the number of wise men who came to visit the infant Jesus, or even exactly when they came. We do know that it was some time after the birth of Christ and the arrival of the shepherds. We know that Mary and Joseph, though still in Bethlehem, are now living in a house and not a stable. And the Bible very purposefully calls Jesus a child, an infant or toddler, rather than a baby at the arrival of the Wise Men. A lot of times, we see the Nativity scene with both Wise Men and shepherds, but that is incorrect. Shepherds first, then wise men later. Common tradition, of course, places the number of Wise Men at three because of the three separate types of gifts brought to Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh- the assumption being one gift, one giver. Early church tradition, however, held the number to be between nine and twelve, along with a caravan of gifts to celebrate the new King. I think the latter is closer to the truth, for two reasons: one, it seems unlikely that there would have been only three men wise and wealthy enough to be a part of the "Wise Man" club who were watching and waiting for the sign of the coming Messiah and then who were willing to make the trek to Israel; two, we know that Mary and Joseph were able to live off of the gifts given during their years of exile in Egypt- Joseph may have been able to find work, but nations generally frowned upon refugees taking their jobs, so refugees were generally beggars unless they were independently wealthy enough to not work. -Common tradition refers to the Wise Men as "Three Kings from the Orient," with the implication being that these men were from somewhere in the Far East: India or China. But when we begin to examine the New Testament Greek, we find that the description is more aptly translated: "Magi from the East." Maybe not a huge distinction, but an important one. Rather than kings from the Orient, these Magi were "learned men," part of a powerful caste of priests from Eastern Persia- or Modern-day Turkey, not the Far East. These sages were well educated in medicine, philosophy, religion, astronomy, as well as in the magics: divination, augury, and necromancy. The Persian Magi were credited with higher religious and intellectual attainments than other scholars of their day. The Magi would have been acquainted with Hebrew prophecy, including the expectation of a star foretelling the coming Messiah, because of the large Jewish populations of Babylon and Persia after the Jewish exile. These wise men were pagan, not Jewish; this is not a small detail to overlook. The fact that God brought gentile Magi to perform the same worship and adoration as Jewish shepherds is a big deal, right? Jewish shepherds we can understand- maybe a weird choice, but they are at least followers of the Most High. But Persian Magi? Gentile magicians? But as we examine God's fingerprints on this journey of obedience, we see a foreshadowing of the universal outreach of the Messiah and fulfillment of a Messianic prophecy from Isaiah 60:1-5- "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you. For look, darkness covers the earth and total darkness all its peoples; but the Lord will shine over you and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of Your radiance. Raise your eyes and look around: they all gather and come to You; your sons will come from far away and your daughters will be carried on the hip. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and rejoice." Main Idea: God calling these Magi to meet the infant Jesus was not an accident- God brought them to meet Jesus for a purpose. -The journey that this men went on was not an easy one. The shepherds just had to travel a few miles. The Magi, on the other hand, had to respond to God's call with a purpose. Their journey would have taken weeks and crossed a distance of over 600 miles, all while following a star likely only visible at night. The amazing part of the story of the Magi is not that God used them; the amazing part is that the Magi listened and followed! These were not followers or servants of God; they were likely adherents to eastern mysticism, yet they responded when God called. The Magi's part in the Advent story is just as intriguing as last week's story: of the shepherds responding to God's call, leaving everything behind, and becoming the first to share the Good News of the Messiah. While the story of the Magi is also one of obedience and surrender, the Magi follow God's direction without any powerful inciting moment like the shepherds do- no angel appearing to give them a direct message from God. No, the Magi simply possessed an intellectual understanding of an ancient Hebrew prophecy. They have no command to "go find a baby." Instead, they had an basic knowledge of the obscure beliefs of their former slaves- beliefs that foretold the appearance of a Savior and King. They have no investment in the process; rather, there is a curiosity that causes them to watch for the signs from a God that is not their own for another people's Messiah. But God uses this willingness to honor and glorify His Son. The most intriguing part of the Magi's story is that we have a group of scholars who see supernatural signs matching up with some ancient prophecy that they know about, and even though it is from an obscure religion that they are not a part of, maybe that they had studied, they leave their lives behind and they begin searching for the Savior. These men saw the star, saw the sign of the Messiah, and knowing the prophecy of the coming Messiah out of Numbers 24:17 "A star will come from Jacob; a scholar will arise from Israel," they drop everything to follow. The star, however, is another aspect of the story that we can't be entirely sure about. We do have access to reverse-tracking astronomical charts, where scientists have pinpointed several astronomical phenomena that may have been the star the Wise Men followed: [Aside: there is some discrepancy in the early calendar, especially when it comes to dating the early years of Christ's life. There wasn't a situation where the years were counting down to 0 and then Jesus just happened to be born, then the calendar started going the other way. At some point, the Roman Empire decided to begin counting anew from the point of Christ's life. So, when I begin reading these dates, it is not an inconsistency, it is confusion with the early calendar.] -In early 6 BC, the planets Jupiter, the "King's Planet," Saturn, and Mars would have met each other in the Zodiac sign called the "Fish." The King's Planet under the Sign of the Fish would have signified that a divine, cosmic ruler was about to appear and create a significant culmination in human history. These three "stars" coming together would have presented a bright, semi-unified super star that would have been easy to see in the night sky and would have come into conjunction repeatedly on their journey. -Another possibility is a comet, specifically a blood-red comet so bright that it could be seen in the daytime. Such signs were considered heralds of important changes in state and governmental affairs, especially by the Romans and the Persians. -In 1871, astronomer John Williams published an authoritative list of comets derived from Chinese records: one of these, #52 on Williams' list, could fit the bill for the Christmas star. According to Williams, it would have appeared for roughly 70 days in early 5 BC and it would have been visible in the skies above Bethlehem; as each night went on, it would have appeared to travel westward across the southern sky. -Another possibility could be a supernova, an exploding star that produces a brilliant light. The Chinese listed supernovas as "comets without tails" and Williams lists a brilliant supernova in the sky about Israel in 4 BC. -Any of these, or even all of them collectively, could be the star that incited the wise men's journey to find the new King. Whatever the case, these men saw the sign from God and understood its meaning. Point 1: When God called the Magi, they, just like the shepherds, dropped everything and followed His calling. -God didn't have to call foreign, Gentile Magi to come to see Jesus. There were plenty of qualified priests and learned men in Israel to call, but He didn't. God specifically sets gentile Magi from the east on this journey to highlight the miracle of His Son being born- and in doing so, God highlighted once again to us that this Child, this King, who would one day willingly go to the cross to suffer and die for us, that He was meant for everyone, not just the Jews. -The Shepherds showed us that Jesus was not just for the religious elites. The Magi showed us that Jesus would be the Savior for both Jews and Gentiles. The promise of salvation was for everyone. The promise that everyone can surrender to God and then be used by Him is for everyone. -God will specifically call you to follow the shepherds and Magi on this journey of surrender and with a specific purpose. When you set out following the sign that He gives to guide you, will you have the faith to see it through? Quote: [William Cary was a shoemaker in London when one day he heard of the millions of people in India who had not heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. He believed the Great Commission to "Go unto all the world and make disciples." He believed the verse was speaking directly to him, so he volunteered to go to India but was told "Young man, sit down. When God wants to convert the heathens, He will do it without your help." Cary went anyway- supporting himself. For seven years, he worked without a single convert- but by the end of his life, he saw hundreds of churches and thousands of converts. He was a man of faith; today, he is known as the "Father of Modern Missions."] -William Cary followed the star that God had placed before him. He set out on the journey of surrender and was faithful in it to the end. God offers you the opportunity to walk in obedience and surrender. And whether His plan is for a short journey like the shepherds or a long one like the Wise Men, He has something where He wants you to follow, some place where He wants to use you! Will you be faithful in the journey? It'll be tough. [Share: story about going to Mexico, stopping at the rest stop in Texas and being bombarded by attacks trying to get me to turn around and go back to Kansas.] -This journey is not for those who are not surrendered, who are not willing to set out and walk the journey that Christ has for them to travel. The journey of surrender is not one for the faint of heart! Are you prepared for it? -1 Peter 3:15 - "Always be prepared to make a defense for the hope that is in you." -Matthew 24:44 - "You must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you don't expect." -Be ready for the journey that He has for you to walk! Point 2: The Wise Men brought gifts for a King; they offered themselves and their wealth in worship to this new King. -What gifts are you bringing to celebrate this King? What do you have to give? Are you bringing your life and laying it at His feet? Or your leftovers? -How are you worshiping the King? Does your worship fall flat as you give your leftovers? Or does it glorify Him as you surrender the very bests that you have to offer? -Gifts from the Magi: -Frankincense: a fragrant gum resin which was burned as incense - a foreshadowing of Jesus' place as High Priest on our behalf. -Gold: a royal gift - signified Jesus' Kingship. -Myrrh: an expensive and much-esteemed, aromatic, orange-colored resin used in perfumes, anointing oils, medicines and embalming - a foreshadowing of His death on our behalf. 2 Chronicles 9:1, 9 - "The Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, so she came to test Solomon with difficult questions at Jerusalem with a very large entourage, with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and spoke with him about everything that was on her mind; Then she gave the king four and a half tons of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were never such spices as those the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon." -Worship involves sacrifice. Are you giving the best parts of your life to this King? Are you sacrificing, giving of yourself - to the point where someone could say "There were never such gifts as ________ gave to Jesus!" I want my life to culminate with people able to say, like they say about Mother Theresa or William Cary: 'There was never such a life lived for Jesus like this one!' Quote: "Jesus came into the world to live for men, and, in the end, to die for men. He came to give for men His life and His death. Gold for a King, frankincense for a priest, myrrh for one who was to die- these were the gifts of the Wise Men, and, even at the cradle of Christ, they foretold that He was to be the true King, the perfect High Priest, and in the end the supreme Savior of men." (William Barclay) This Advent season, God is calling out to you. He calls, "Do you have room for me in your life? Will you surrender your life to me? Will you follow where I lead you? Will you give me the best parts of your life?" Jesus has given everything for you; will you return to Him your best? Closing: Our King calls out for you to do two things today: to surrender your life to Him, both to His grace in salvation and to His plan, to turn the driver's seat over to Him, and then for you to spend the rest of your life, however long He allows to stay here on this earth, pouring yourself out in worship to Him!