The Search of the Magi
Matthew 2:1-12
Advent is the season we prepare for the birth of Jesus and as we look forward to His return and when He calls us by name and welcomes us home. Typically during this time, we look at the stories leading up to Christmas but this year, we looking at the stories after Christ was born. They start a month after Jesus was born and are working our way back. Last week, we looked at King Herod the Great who in his paranoia and fear decided to send his soldiers to kill all the children of Bethlehem in a desperate attempt to kill the Christ child to maintain his grip on the throne. We talked about God’s way is not to keep evil things from happening in this world because that would rob us of the gift of free will. We have the opportunity to do wonderful things by blessing others but we also have the freedom to do terrible things. That’s why it’s so important to know what God wants of us. God does not take the evil impulses out of us but instead seeks to guide us to do the right thing. And so today, we’re going to see through the magi one way that God works in this world.
Our Scripture today is intertwined with the story of Herod because the magi were led by a star to where the Christ child had been born. On the way, they went to Herod to ask where the Christ child was born thinking that surely as King of the province he would know. The wisemen are a part of our Christmas story as they hold a prominent place in our nativity scenes and crèches. We know the magi by other names like the wisemen or the Three Kings. The word that Matthew uses in his Gospel is magi. Nowhere is it mentioned they are kings but rather that was taken from the Old Testament in Isaiah 60 which says that when the light comes into the world, the kings of the earth will stream to Jerusalem and bring gifts of gold and frankincense. Many read Isaiah 60 and surmised that the magi must be kings. They weren’t kings but instead were philosophers, astrologers, astronomers and wise sages. Some were earnest in their pursuits and others were fakes looking to just make a buck.
The real magi were priests following a man named Zorrow Astor who was a prophet in Persia or Iran today. They focused on God and on truth and believed that free will explained the pain and suffering of the world. We don’t know there were three. People just guessed that there were because there were three gifts. The Eastern Orthodox Church believes that there were actually 12. They also came to have names: Melcior, Gaspar and Baltazar which came into being by those studying this in medieval times. We really don’t know their names. They were made up over a period of time.
What we do know is that they were people very interested in when a king would be born who would change the world. The magi knew something of the Jewish people, their faith and their hopes because the land of Parthea where they lived had actually controledl ] Judea before King Herod came to power. From this, they came to know that the Jews looked forward to the coming of a Messiah and he would be a shepherd and rule with righteousness and be a light unto the nations. And so these magi were looking, waiting and anticipating by watching the stars. Many have wondered what they saw in the heavens which led them to believe that the Messiah had been born. There have been different explanations of this. Some had said it was a comet but most people believe that it was a conjunction of two planets, Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC, which loomed like a star and happened every 20 years. We believe that Jesus was born in 6 BC (before Christ). There was a miscalculation when they formed the Roman calendar. When the magi saw this sign, they packed up their belongings and began the journey from modern day Iran to Judea.
The journey to Bethlehem was 1000 miles and probably took about 50 days. To travel this great distance over difficult terrain, they clearly had a great desire to see and worship the Messiah. They also brought with them the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh which were very valuable gifts. Why did the wise men give up the comfort of their homes to travel 50 days through desert and mountains and bringing gifts of great value to a baby? The answer may be found in what was happening in their homeland. Their land was ruled by an emperor named Phraates IV. Last week, we learned that Herod killed his wife’s uncle and brothers, his mother in law and even his own sons because he was paranoid someone was going to overthrow him. Phraates makes Herod look like Mr. Rogers. We know what he looked like because he put his image on all of the coins of his kingdom. Phraates came to power when he took the throne from his own father by killing him. His father was married to multiple people and he had 31 sons and so Phraates put all of them to death. He traded his own sons to Rome so they wouldn’t take the throne from him. One of his sons came back to lead a revolt which Phraates defeated and after that Phraates made sure his subjects felt his wrath. He was a cruel dictator and it must have been a terrible, dark place to live. And so the wisemen saw the star, you can understand why they would take such a journey. For them, this child represented hope and a better future. He represented life to them and hope that he would rule with justice. He would be a wise counselor and Isaiah says a Prince of Peace. They were yearning for this because maybe this King would be the answer to their prayers and not only change their nation but the rest of the world too.
When we think about it, we are like the wisemen. We have a need and a longing for hope, to know that the future can be better and brighter than today. That in the midst of all of the killing, there will come peace. We need to know that we are never really alone and that there is light in the midst of the darkness. We need to know that there will be someone who will rule with righteousness and justice and in the end He will bring something beautiful out of all of the pain and darkness of this life. We need that. Christmas can’t be abou just gettting the next iPhone or latest TV or fashions in clothing. We need hope because these are times when we are living in the midst of the darkness. What people need today is not the latest and greatest gift but to know that what Jesus said is true: that “I am the way, the truth and the life” and that there is actual forgiveness available for all of the times when we have used and abused God’s gift of free will by choosing to do what we want and doing some not so good things. We need to know that indeed there is forgiveness available. Isn’t that the reason Jesus was born? That’s what we really need in Christmas. Too often we can only see the darkness that’s in front of us and we can’t see beyond that. That’s why we need the light of the world breaking forth in the birth of the Christ child. We need to know there is hope, there is a Redeemer and a Savior, there is light for us and forgiveness and grace. And so like the wisemen, we journey in the darkness to the manger to remember the light that came into the world.
Second, we have to choose to believe. Becoming a Christian is a decision. God’s prevenient grace has been working in your life even before you knew or acknowledged him. His only hope is that you would respond but it is a choice. You have to make the decison that what you hear in the Gospel is true and choose to trust that God actually cares enough about us to walk among us. I choose to believe that His words are Truth. I choose to believe that in His presence I see God. I choose to believe that He went to the cross and in His death, he has paid the price for our sins and we receive forgiveness. I choose to believe that on the third day, the tomb was empty and he rose from the dead and that the worst thing is not the last thing. We choose to believe that and when we do, we begin to find what the wisemen found as the text describes that their hearts were filled with joy. That’s what we begin to see in Christ when we trust in Him.
Sometimes, we are the magi who are the in the darkness and need to find the light and other times, we are the star to lead people to Bethlehem. We become the light that shines in the darkness that helps other people find Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden, so let your light so shine before others that they might see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Sometimes it’s a simple act of blessing someone. Other times it may be an invite, “We’ve got this incredible band and worship leader with music that speaks to the heart of any New Orleanean, why don’t you come and check it out?” Our task to is be praying for, sharing the Good News to and inviting our oikos, that 8-15 people that has placed in your life for your to connect them to a lifestyle devoted to Jesus and to be able to say to them, “Why don’t you come to our Candlelight Christmas Eve service?” Or to share your own story with Christ and what you have found in Him. This is what it means to be followers of Jesus. We are here to connect diverse communities to Jesus and to let them know there’s a different, better, more joy filled way to live. When life is really hard, we are the magi and other times we are meant to be the star, leading others to the Christ child.
Fourth, we are filled with joy when we worship Him. When the wisemen arrived in Bethlehem, they were overwhelmed with joy and bowed down and paid him homage, which is what we do when we gather every week and sing God’s praises.
And then they opened their treasure chests and gave to Him gifts of gold, frankincence and myhrr. This is where the tradition of giving Christmas gifts comes from. But I want you to notice what didn’t happen. Gaspar didn’t turn to Baltazar and say, “Hey Baltazar, what do you want for Christmas this year?” Why? Because they were there to make their offering of gifts to the Christ child. It wasn’t their birthday. Pastor Mike Slaughter has written a book entitled, “Christmas is Not Your Birthday.” In it, he says that we grew up thinking we have two birthdays: our birthday and then Christmas. And we add to it when we get kids to write out their letter to Santa and everyone is asking them, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ And somewhere along the way, we begin to think that Christmas is our day when it’s really about Jesus. I’m not saying that it’s wrong to buy gifts for one another. Even old St. Nicolas started gave gifts to the children who didn’t have anything. But when we remember that Christmas is not our birthday, we remember that Christmas is about something more than getting gifts. And then maybe we realize that our gift giving really shouldn’t be for ourselves but instead to the Christ child and to the poor who can’t really afford anything. What if instead of spending all of that time and money on ourselves, we choose instead to spend it on Jesus and the poor who really do have needs. Maybe that would really capture the true meaning of Christmas.
Fifth, the coming of the Christ child prompts a response and we give to him rather than ourselves, we suddenly become more like the wisemen. The wisemen came and brought their gifts to Jesus. That very night that they left, Joseph was awakened by a dream in the middle of the night and in that dream he heard God warn him that Herod was coming to kill the child and they needed to flee. In the middle of the night, they packed what little they had, took their baby and set out for Egypt. How do you thnk they paid for food on the journey? How do you think they got a place to live when they arrived? The wisemen felt prompted to give gold, frankincense and myhrr at Christmas. God doesn’t send angels but rather sends people like you and me. God doesn’t keep bad or terrible things from happening to us but rather promises that he will be with us and he sends people to come along side us to help us. And when we say, “Lord, here am I, send me”, use me to change the world around me, we have discovered the real meaning of Christmas.
