“The Visit of the Magi”
December 19, 2010
Matthew Chapter Two
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
The Christmas story is a fascinating story. Angels, Magi, Shepherds, a virgin girl pregnant with the Son of God – it just doesn’t get any better than this real life story. Woven into the story of Christmas is so much heavenly information. There is prophecy fulfilled and prophecy yet to be fulfilled. There are spiritual principles and spiritual truths. Wise men and women continue to study this event as God’s revelation to man. This morning I want to take another look at the event of the Magi visiting the Christ child.
First, let me get you up to speed on the Magi. The Magi were wise men who came from the East follow a star. It was a supernatural event. The Magi, also referred to as the Wise Men, Kings, or Kings from the East, are a group of distinguished foreigners, probably from Persia, who visited Jesus after his birth. They had gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense. That’s how we get three wise men. Some assumed ‘three gifts – three magi’ – but we don’t really know how many there actually were.
Magi is a term derived from Greek, meaning a priest of Zoroaster.
The Gospel of Matthew is the only one of the four Gospels to mention the Magi, and states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". Their identification as kings is linked to Old Testament prophesies such as that in Isaiah 60:3, which describe the Messiah being worshipped by kings. So they may have been godly priests from Persia that converted to Judaism and were familiar with the Scriptures, or they may have been godly kings.
The first thing that pops out at me in this story is this truth. 1. God always lead His people to a worship experience. The Magi came to Herod and said,
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
The true believer is a true worshipper. How can you come into the presence of God and not worship. Our love and awe of God forces us to worship Him. Worship is derived from the Old English word ‘worthscipe’, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give worth to something. When we worship God we are valuing Him in our life. We are acknowledging that He is great and powerful and worthy.
The Magi are described as "falling down", "kneeling" or "bowing" in the worship of Jesus. This was indicative of great respect, and mostly used when a person came into the presence of a king. Kneeling and prostration were adopted by the early Church and probably inspired by these verses. Prostration means to lie face down. Prostration is now rarely practiced in the West, but, it is still relatively common in the Eastern Churches, especially during Lent. Kneeling still remains an important element of Christian worship to this day. There is something about lying face down or bowing in worship and prayer that adds a special element of sincerity and humility to the worship experience. When I kneel when I pray it just seems to add something to the prayer. The times I have prostrated myself before God have been times of intense prayer.
But I think true worship begins in the heart. True worship makes Jesus King of your life. Sometimes we get so hung up on doctrine, when are we saved, can we fall from salvation, and so on. The real point is “Do you love Jesus.” If you do then you will make Him the Lord of your life. You will walk in obedience – not disobedience. You will worship Him – not ignore Him. Paul wrote,
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1
True love and true worship is to sacrifice our desires for His. It is to live a life that is holy and is pleasing to God. May we be wise men this Christmas and come to worship the King.
When we do that – get ready! The forces of darkness are disturbed when people worship. When we truly worship in spirit and in truth – we shake the devil up. The Bible declares,
“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” 2 Timothy 3:12
The wise men came to worship God and the Devil went into a killing frenzy. I want you to get this. The Devil leads to death and destruction. God leads to Joy and life. Verse 10 says, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” That means “MORE that joy”. Jesus said,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
We need to learn and remember this fact when Satan comes as a angel of light to tempt us. The pain of sin will always outweigh the pleasure of sin – always! Sin leads to death. Obedience to Christ leads to joy.
A second thing I want you to see in this story is 2. God leads His people to give. Can you love without giving? Can you not be generous with the ones you love? Christmas is all about giving. God gave His son for us. The Wise men gave gifts. We give gifts to those we love and care about.
The wise men brought three gifts to Jesus. We need to bring three gifts to Him as well. We need to give Him, 1. the gift of our love. We need to love Jesus with ALL our heart – not just a portion of it. God must not just be an after thought or when convienent. He deserves all our love.
The second gift we need to give Jesus is what we value so highly – our finances. Jesus said you can’t serve God AND money. Only one can be Lord. If Jesus is Lord – you will give a minimum of a tithe (or ten percent of your income) and an abundance of love offerings.
The third gift is the gift of your will. Jesus prayed – “Not MY will – but YOURS be done.” We have to have that same spirit. Wise men are generous men.
The last thing I want to point out in this Scripture is 3. that God Protects His People. The enemy is great and awful. Death and destruction follow in his wake. But God is so much greater. He protects His Beloved. An angel came to warn Joseph and Mary. They were able to run to a safe place. David said,
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
As I study the book of Revelation and the end of the world as we know it, I see terrible things - Plagues and mass destruction. But I also see God protecting His own. He brings us to a place of safety and shelter. He puts a mark on us so we won’t be harmed.
I don’t know what the future holds for us. Many people predict dark and gloomy things ahead. Crash of the economy; change of our life style; one world government. I don’t know if it will happen in my lifetime or not. I don’t know what’s ahead. But I know who holds the future – and I know who holds me. What have we to fear when we are walking with Jesus? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
So this Christmas, learn from the Magi; learn from the Wiseman – 1. God leads his people to worship; 2. God leads His people to give, and 3. God leads His people to safety.
The conclusion of the story is this: Herod died. God won. God’s plan was fulfilled. This Christmas – keep Christ in YOUR Christmas and give Him the gift He truly desires – the gift of yourself. Merry Christmas everyone!
“Silent Night”
