A Christmas Presence - Magi
Matthew 2:1-12
December 16, 2007
For 2 weeks now we have sought to be attentive to the group of people our heavenly Father invited to be present at the birth of his son Jesus in Bethlehem.
During these 2 weeks, we have identified from the scriptures, the people our God intentionally invited, called pursued to be present when Jesus the very Son of God was birthed into human flesh.
At the heart of God was a desire that specific people
Come and see.
Come and adore.
Come and lay their eyes on the Christ Child.
God the Father made the birth of his son known to a group of people because God desired to be in relationship with them. This was our God. This is our God.
A God who seeks us.
A God who desires us.
Each person we have talked about received a sign, a prompting, a signal, an invitation to go and see Jesus.
John’s invitation came through God’s Holy Spirit.
Mary received her invitation through the angel Gabriel.
Next week, when we talk about the shepherds, we’ll see that they were given the birth announcement through a multitude of angels.
And in a few moments we will see that a star was put in the sky to guide the Magi, the Wisemen to the baby Jesus.
Each of these was given a sign
To John -the Holy Spirit
To Mary -Gabriel
To the shepherds-a choir of angels.
To the Magi -a star
And to you and to me?
What has God placed in your life to guide you towards Him?
Have you recognized his sign for you?
What was it that you saw
Heard or
Experienced that got you going on this spiritual journey that you are currently on?
Have you identified what it was or who it was or when it was that got you in motion toward responding to our God who has been pursuing you since the day you were born?
Regardless of whether you can or cannot identify those sign posts along the way leading and guiding you toward our God - the Bible states that none of us seek God on our own. In Romans 3:11, Paul writes just that "no one seeks God." Because this is so by God’s grace he acts first, He initiates a relationship with you and me and bids us to respond to him.
Friends - if we are receptive
If our eyes are attentive
Our ears open.
Our hearts longing
The witness of Scripture tells us we will be led to our God - in fact God himself will lead you there -
Through your heart
Experience
People
Situations our God intertwines himself - leading us to him. The Christian faith isn’t so much us seeking God and us trying to figure God out - (for who could ever do that) instead it is a response to the promptings, signs, and truth from our God that enter our lives.
So often we tend to be inactive and unresponsive in our search for God because
We think we don’t know enough.
We have too questions.
Or we are too upset with a God who would allow ________ to happen.
We become immobilized by our excuses, questions - instead what I see as I read the Bible is the invitation to respond to God in faith based upon the limited signs that God does give us. And as we follow one breadcrumb after another, as we take one step at a time - as we walk by faith and not sit on the sidelines focusing and stewing on all our questions - we will be lead to our God and then be able to look back and see that he has been with us all along.
There were essentially 4 people or groups of people mentioned in the text we just read.
There was King Herod.
The people in Jerusalem.
The Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law.
And the Magi.
Each of them were made aware, were given a sign about the one born in Bethlehem - but each of them responded in a particular way. Each of then had opportunity to go and adore the Christ child, but for different reasons only the Magi went.
The text first tells us about King Herod. In verse 3, we are told that when the Magi/the Wise Men enter his presence asking about the one been born who is King of the Jews - verse 3 tells us "he was disturbed."
Other texts say troubled
Deeply perturbed.
Greatly perturbed.
He was perplexed.
Agitated.
Suspicious.
Why? Because he was King Herod.
He was ruler over the Jews.
He was the one in power
And he, Herod took it seriously, expecting, demanding and manipulating people into obedience.
Herod was ruthless-
Killing children.
Killing a wife.
Killing people who would rise up against him.
"What’s this I hear - a Kings been born?" he was greatly disturbed
This wasn’t good news - this was a threat.
Herod reacted with hostility.
And so did the people - the 2nd people group in our text. The end of verse 3 tells us that all Jerusalem (was disturbed) as well. The people feared Herod’s cruel response toward them. Would this news cause Herod to try to snuff out and destroy the people in his land? The people - this second grouping of people responded in fear - fear of Herod and when together they heard the news that a King had been born.
The third group of people in the text are the chief priests and teachers of the law. When Herod got this news from the Magi, he called together this group of advisors and asked them about this supposed King being born. Could this be true? He wondered.
Had this been predicted?
These were his questions to his priests and teachers. And their response was instantaneous.
There was no disagreement among them.
They didn’t have to say "we’ll get back with you. Let us go and study our books."
They knew the answer immediately. "In Bethlehem for the prophet Micah wrote about it."
And then chief Priests and teachers of the law quoted the prophet.
They knew of this prophet - not only that, they knew what the prophet had predicted. And they told Herod - "yes it is true. Our books speak of a King coming - One who will shepherd the people of Israel."
The priests and teachers respond to the news of a baby born in Bethlehem with their heads - yes it is true. It has been talked about. They respond mentally.
Each are given a sign.
Each are given information about Jesus.
Each are in the know about a baby being born.
And each respond for themselves as to what they do.
Herod’s respond -hostility
The people’s -fear
The chief Priests and Teachers-mental affirmation.
These 3 responses-
Hostility.
Fear.
Or mental affirmation are 3 of the same reactions people have today toward
Jesus.
Mention Jesus to a tyrant. To a power hungry, controlling person. Mention Jesus to an abusive person and they react. They don’t like him. They feel threatened. To begin to listen to Jesus would take their power away. Their control away. Herod’s of the world don’t like Jesus.
Mention Jesus to a group of people. Bring the name or stories of Jesus into a school, to a job site, into a club. Seek to put up a nativity scene at school or in a community park. Seek to sing a Christmas Carol instead of a holiday tune and you’ll be attacked by some because Jesus disturbs many. Some would rather live a life of captivity to fear rather than live a life set free by God’s grace and love.
And mention Jesus to a group of teachers and to some priests and they’ll nod their heads and tell you what the books say about him. They’ll tell you who the historical Jesus was. In fact they’ll teach you more stuff about Jesus than any of us might know - but they won’t know him - just about him.
You see friends - in our journey to respond to the signs that are meant to lead us to our newborn King - we are confronted by hostile leaders.
By regular people.
And by teachers and even religious officials who get real uncomfortable with Jesus.
They become disturbed.
Threatened.
Perturbed
And fear filled.
And if we aren’t careful - their hostility
Their fear.
Their cognitive abilities can side track us from responding to our God.
We can cave to their mindsets and turn our backs on the One who is calling out to us.
Some of you have spouses.
Children
Bosses
Neighbors
The memory of a parent that haunts you and says to you "your foolish to follow or respond to God."
"It’s a waste of time to pursue God."
You will give no encouragement to follow Jesus. You will get no pat on the back saying, "Keep going." So we together must decide for ourselves. That we are going on.
God is guiding me.
Revealing himself to me.
Calling me.
If no one else around me is responding to him - I will.
I’m going.
And that leads us to the 4th group of people in our text. The Magi.
The Greek word for these men is Magas - referring to magician or sorcerer or one able to interpret stars and dreams. This Group of people formed in the 7th century BC and became a tribe of people skilled in astronomy - they were continually looking up in the dark sky.
While others focused on earthly matters - not them.
Their heads were heavenward.
While others slept at night = not them.
They gazed into the darkness
They were seekers.
Learners.
Willing to grow
To shift
To mature into the Truths written by the sky.
Though they knew much and were often called upon by others to give advice, they had a longing for what mattered.
And God chose them - gave them a birth announcement through a star. God invited these non-Jewish - non-chosen people. These Gentiles to come.
And so they traveled following a sign - a star.
Not knowing where they were being led.
Not knowing when the journey would stop.
Not knowing what was before them.
They simply went because they were open, available, willing to be led.
The star first led them to Herod. You would have thought that his hostility and sinister response toward their news would have detoured them. Would have caused them to do an about face. But it didn’t. They had a yearning, a need, a longing for something.
Someone greater.
The star led them before people who were to afraid to join them on their quest. And the star led them to stand among other wise men, teachers and prophets. And their response? Verse 9 says, "they went on their way," or "the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was."
And when these anonimous, unknown strangers knocked at the door of the house where Jesus was now staying they bowed down and worshiped him.
They opened their gifts and presented them to Jesus.
They adored him.
The Magi respond to Jesus by worshipping Him. God himself had led them to his Son.
And he will do the same for me and you.
When we follow.
When we allow ourselves to be led by the signs
The teachings of the Bible.
The truth of our experiences.
You and I will be led to a relationship with our God.
Some of you are thinking, I wish I had a star to follow or a group of angels appear to me. That would get me in motion.
And I say to you, don’t put God in a box, he is pursuing you and is guiding you, be open. He’s creative.
Think about some of the major names in the Bible. And think how they became that way: Did they - the person initiate things or did God?
Abraham - God sought out him.
Noah - God sought out him - yes Noah was blameless. But he never would have
Thought of building a boat.
The disciples - Guys were fishing, working as tax collectors going about their lives
When they got invited in.
The Bible gives us examples over and over again of God entering lives.
Leading people to himself.
He confirms his reality,
His presence and invites us to follow.
Moses had a bush.
Jonah had a whale.
Elijah had a voice.
David had a harp.
A man this week told me of a dream.
God’s creative - God speaks - he leads - are we willing to be led?
It is far easier isn’t it to act like Herod. I’m in charge. I’m in control. I’m not letting anyone else run my life.
It is far easier gaining facts about God and impressing people with how much you know.
But the gift the Wisemen bring - besides their Gold, Incense and Myrrh is themselves - people willing to be led on a journey.
They chose to overcome pessimistic people along the way.
They chose to journey over many miles.
They chose to invest their time in the One who was leading them with the result being they were led right to the Christ-child.
Our God will do the same with you and me. He will as to him as we follow one step at a time. Amen
