Christmas Sunday 2019 – Who Are the Wise Men?
Please stand as we read our newest memory Scripture together …
Jude 1:24-25
“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy –
“To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
And our memory refresher verse(s) for today is(are) …
Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Please open your Bibles to Matthew 2:1-12
The season of Advent is a time of waiting to celebrate the birth of Jesus; the moment in history when the Son of God became the God-Man. As it says in John 1:14, “And the Word (the Second Person of the Trinity) became flesh and made His dwelling among us …”
But today we are going to kind of skip right over that and take a look that occurred after Jesus’ birth; the arrival of the Wise Men.
So, how did we get to the point where the Wise Men came to see Jesus?
(Tell briefly in own words the following)
Gabriel and Mary
An angel and Joseph
Caesar’s census and the trip to Bethlehem
Jesus presented at the temple
Now we come to the point where the Wise Men enter the picture
Read: Matthew 2:1-12
(Prayer for help)
Now, let’s go through this passage again with a little more of a careful examination …
Matthew 1:1
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem …”
Magi is a Greek word for those with advanced knowledge of astronomy, astrology, and various types of sciences and philosophies.
Who are these Wise Men or the Magi as they are called in some translations of the Bible?
No one really knows for sure but what we do know is …
Babylon …
We know that when Judah was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians, they took the gold and silver furnishings of the Temple and they took the sacred writings as well as some of the Jewish scholars.
The Babylonians kind of “collected” religions as they conquered nations.
Great respect was given to the God of Israel by Nebuchadnezzar because of the great acts He did through His faithful servants Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Many of the Wise Men in those times were also astrologers who often believed that stars would signal the birth of a great person or ruler.
Now, we see in the Old Testament just such a prophecy, a prophecy that the Wise Men of the east might have known about.
The prophecy says, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”
Who wrote that prophecy?
Was it Daniel? Was it Isaiah or Jeremiah? Was it King David? Was it Moses the Law Giver? Was it Abraham, Isaac or Jacob the patriarchs of Israel? Was it Noah the builder of the Ark? No, it was none of these …
It was been Balaam, a wicked prophet. But even though he was wicked the God of Israel chose to speak through him when he was called on to curse the armies of Israel by Balak.
OK. Based on the evidence we have we can safely assume:
- Some wise men saw a star that was so dramatically different that they were driven to find a reason for the star
- The wise men had access to Jewish Scripture
- They found the prophecy of Balaam
- They were so driven by this amazing star and the prophecy that they went in search of an answer to the question that was burning in their hearts.
- And … what was that question?
“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.” (Matthew 2:2)
This is NOT a question Herod wanted to hear!
What? Someone has been born King of the Jews?
There has been a star? Did anyone here see a star?
You’re going to do what? You’re going to worship Him?
I am King Herod and no one worships me! Sometimes they grovel. Sometimes they whine and whimper but no one actually worships me!
Matthew 2:3
“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”
You bet Herod was troubled! He would murder his own sons if he thought they were a threat to his position!
And, if Herod is troubled, everyone is troubled, because you never would know what he might do to keep his throne!
Matthew 2:4
“Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.”
This group of chief priests were the upper level of the Jewish priesthood and it was out of this pool that the High Priest would be chosen.
The scribes were experts in the Jewish law and Scriptures.
And Herod wants to know where the Messiah was to be born!
The Chief Priests and Scribes must have known about the Magi and their mission since all of Jerusalem was upset about their arrival.
Now, you’ll notice that the Wise Men are not in this meeting with the Chief Priests and Scribes.
This Herod is quite sneaky …
Matthew 2:5-6
“[The Chief Priests and Scribes] said to [Herod], ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.”’”
Bethlehem! Hey that’s not far!
So, now Herod sends the Chief Priests back to wherever they were and he calls in the Wise Men to find out when the star had first appeared!
Matthew 2:7
“Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.”
When he finds out he sends the Wise Men to Bethlehem with a mission …
Matthew 2:8
“Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”
Well, the Wise Men didn’t have to do much searching …
Matthew 2:9 says,
“After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.”
This star is a mystery!
- When did it rise? Inquiring minds want to know!
o When Jesus was born?
o A few months before Jesus was born?
o A couple of years before Jesus’ birth so the Wise Men could search for the prophecy and prepare for the trip?
- How does any star, or even something as close as a planet, go “before them” and come and stand over the place where the child was?
How is that even possible?
According to this Biblical account this star had unusual characteristics
- It rose in the east but it apparently had never been seen before
- It was so unusual that astronomers/astrologers were provoked into seeking a reason for its appearance
- Imagine seeing a modern airliner flying at 35,000 feet as they commonly do today. You would be able to tell what direction they were going but if it were moving at the pace of a fast walk you would not be able to follow it unless it was on the horizon. There would be no sense of direction.
- In order for the Wise Men to be able to follow it, it could not have been much higher than a few hundred feet. (Imagine a drone with a bright light on it.)
- And, even more specific than being able to follow the star it pointed to a specific location where Jesus was to be found when it “stood over the place where the Child was.”
I don’t believe that anything like this was ever seen before or after.
Matthew 2:10
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
This verse almost implies that there was a time when they did not see the star!
We don’t know if this was some kind of intermittent star but when they saw it they were not pleased, they were not happy, they were not glad; instead they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy; they were overwhelmed with joy; they were thrilled with ecstatic joy, they were overjoyed beyond measure!
Suppose they headed out from their home following a star and when they got near Jerusalem it kind of disappeared so they went to the palace to see if the one who was born King of the Jews was there but He was not.
And then, suppose when they got through with Herod and the star was there again! I don’t know if that is what happened but either way, “they rejoiced with exceeding great joy!”
I can just imagine these dignified Wise Men jumping up and down, clapping their hands and shouting because of seeing the star again!
Matthew 2:11 says,
“After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Everyone seems to get distracted by the gold, frankincense and myrrh when the real treasure is found in the phrase, “they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.”
What a great account of a miraculous event!
Do you know that we are all in that story?
(Herod)
Some of us are like Herod saying, “I have my kingship. I have my life. I am the ruler of my life and no one is going to interfere with my life! If you try to interfere with my life then your life is in great danger!”
Even worse than that Herod was saying, “I don’t care if He IS God in the flesh, I want Him dead!”
Many in today’s world are like that, in essence saying, “I don’t care if Jesus is God, I don’t want Him in my life.”
(Chief Priests and Scribes)
Others today are like the Chief Priests and Scribes. They know the Scriptures but they are too involved with life to go a few miles to find the Messiah!
Many of these are adult children of parents who took them to church where they were taught about Jesus and the truth found in the Bible but just don’t have the time for Jesus.
“No Time for Jesus” by the Downings
There are many who are living a life of shame and sin
And there are those who won’t listen to the Voice that speaks within
They’re too busy for salvation, “Some other time I’ll let Him”
And though these words, in earnest spoken,
they never find the time for Him.
No time for Jesus, the world’s overcharged with foolish gain
No room for happiness, in a soul that’s lost without Him.
(the Wise Men)
Finally, there are those most fortunate of all, those who seek the Messiah!
The Magi were not followers of the God of Creation but they saw a star.
Many in our world do not know Jesus but there may be something that triggers the search for Him.
The Holy Spirit reaches out to those who are lost in sin.
The Holy Spirit says that there is a path of life that is true life, not just here on earth but in eternity.
Jesus is that path.
In John 14:6 Jesus Himself says,
“I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Here is the path of life.
It is not found in the gold, frankincense and myrrh that was given to Jesus. The path of life is found in the kneeling before Jesus.
The path of life is found in the worship of Jesus.
The path of life is found in surrendering your life and living your life in community with Jesus.
The path of life is not found in, “I did it my way”. That is the way of spiritual and eternal death.
Finally, Matthew 2:12 says,
“And [the Magi] having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
The Holy Spirit warns us in God’s Word not to return to the ways of the world but to follow the leading of Jesus the rest of our lives.
Where do you see yourself in this narrative?
Are you a “Herod” telling Jesus to get out of your life?
Are you a Chief Priest or Scribe; someone who knows about Jesus but you feel no urgency to find Him?
Are you a wise person who is seeking Jesus; not the Jesus in the manger but the Jesus who lived a sinless life and who died on the cross for your sin and for mine?
Even a Herod can become a wise person who seeks Jesus.
Even someone who knows about the truths found in the Bible but is too busy to take time for Jesus can become someone who is seeking Jesus.
Here is a promise for those who seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:13 says,
“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Final thoughts and closing prayer.
