Back in November, Jeanie and I received a newsletter from an organization called SAT-7. SAT, I assume stands for satellite, because that is the means by which they broadcast the Gospel via television programs into Muslim dominated countries in the Middle East. SAT-7 is the largest provider of Christian television programs in places like Iran and Afghanistan, places where there are virtually no Christian Churches or Christian missionaries. It told of a revival going on among Muslims in Iran, and thousands coming to Christ both there and in neighboring nations such as Afghanistan.
It told one really exciting story. I quote from their newsletter; “A call came to the SAT-7 television counseling center from a young man in Afghanistan . . . The man told the telephone counselor that what he saw and heard on SAT-7 was disturbing. The Christians on his TV screen were not at all like had been taught. They spoke his language, weren’t evil and deceiving, but loving. And they had a joy and peace about them that he found strangely attractive.
“Like so many around him, he didn’t have a clue who Jesus is. But somehow he knew there must be something better than the obligations of his beliefs and the terror practices he witnessed of radicals. He told the counselor that he was stunned and wanted to learn more. The SAT-7 counselor well remembered the call: “He was so impressed by Jesus that he wanted to know where He lived, so this man might meet Jesus!” A few days later he called again, this time with a friend. He, too, was deeply moved.
“A week later, another call came from the same phone number. This time there were 25 young men crammed into the same tiny apartment. The men were seeking Truth and hope . . . asking questions, listening to the counselor’s answers and most importantly, hearing the Truth of God for the first time in their lives!
“They described the apartment as being jammed with people. Some were even sitting in the bathroom, in the kitchen, or on one another’s laps! They each listened intently to the Gospel, the amazing news that God loved them, and they could be forgiven of their sins. After the counselor answered all their questions, ALL 25 RECEIVED CHRIST, PRAYING OVER THE PHONE IN UNISON!”
“Then a week later, they called again. Now there were 50—all influenced by SAT-7, listening to the counselor. . . . How they all managed to fit into that confined apartment, I have no idea. But as before, the others who had joined them were questioning all that they had been taught, profoundly moved by the person and character of Christ.”
An amazing story of Muslims, living in darkness, with little clue as to whom Christ is, responding to the sliver of light that had been shown them, and receiving, of all things, the gift of Christmas, the eternal life and love that Jesus of Nazareth alone offers.
It’s reminiscent of the very story we have read in the Gospel of Matthew tonight. A few men from deep in the Middle East, pagans who had somehow heard of the Jewish Messiah, who came with what little light they had about Jesus, from hundreds of miles away, and found him in an amazing, even miraculous way.
Who were these magi, the wise men now of Christmas Card fame, who came seeking the King of the Jews 2,000 years ago? Well, they were Gentiles, they were pagans, probably from just about the same area that these young men in Afghanistan were from. Most scholars believe they were probably Persians, and the word magi identified them as wise men who were likely astronomers, those who studied many things, but especially the stars in the night sky.
But the question we ought to be asking about this story are these: How did these men, of all people from far away, know the Jewish Messiah had been born? And how is it that the Jews themselves did not know of this stupendous event that had occurred in their midst? And more than that, what lesson would God have us learn from both them, and the Jews that they encountered in Jerusalem about how to find the Savior and the forgiveness and eternal life He offers.
So how did the Magi know when the Jews didn’t? Well, first, let’s look at the reason that they cited. They said in verse 2 that they had seen the King’s star in the east. In other words, they are saying that a star appeared in the night sky that they interpreted as being a sign that the King of the Jews had been born. How could they have known?
Well, first of all, because most of the Jews had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon some 600 years earlier, the Jews had taken their Old Testament Scriptures with them. Among them would have been a prophecy uttered by one of their own, a Mesopotamian prophet by the name of Balaam which is found in Numbers 24:16-17. It simply said, “The oracle of him who hears the words of God, And knows the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered. 17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth.” In other words, Balaam had seen a mighty warrior of Israel who could be described as the Almighty, who would come at the time a star would come forth from Jacob (another name for Israel), as a scepter shall rise from Israel—a scepter being a ruler’s staff, indicating that this one who would be Almighty God would also be the king of Israel. These magi, who were always watching the skies, interpreted this as meaning that a star, special star, would arise over Israel at the time of this great king’s coming. And so they were always looking to their west, from their position directly to the east of Israel, from Babylon or Persia, modern-day Iraq or Iran, for a star that would suddenly appear, that was not typically there, that would the sign of the coming King of the Jews.
Now they also likely had given special attention to the writings of the Jewish prophet Daniel, who had lived among them about 600 years earlier. He had, after all, been made the head of the wise men in Babylon, their ancestors, by King Nebuchadnezzar, and had probably familiarized the wise men, the pagans of Babylon, and the astrologers and astronomers with his own prophecies of the coming Messiah, including the one in Daniel 9 that predicted the exact time of the Messiah’s coming. In Daniel 9:24-26, Daniel predicted that the Messiah, the King of Israel, would come to Israel exactly 483 years after the decree of a Persian King to rebuild and restore Jerusalem. Being Persians, these wise men, descendants of the wise men that Daniel had been in charge of, knew of this decree. It took place as predicted in 444-45 B.C. when Artaxerxes Longimanus, as found in Nehemiah 2:5, uttered the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. So, they no doubt surmised that in accord with prophecies found in Isaiah that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, that His name would be God with us, sometime about this time—about 450 years before He would be presented to Israel as it’s king. And so between these various prophecies, they were likely watching the night sky from the east looking to the west for the star that would appear that was out of its place. They had the night sky all mapped out for all days and all seasons, so if anything unusual appeared there, they would know. And so as they hoped, it took place. So they decided to make the trip, perhaps by camel, to Israel to see Israel’s newborn king. If by camel, it took them a few weeks, if by foot, perhaps a month. As this passage tells us, Jesus was still in Bethlehem, now in a house there, rather than a stable, as the magi eventually find Him.
So how did they know? They sought their wisdom from the Scriptures, from the Word of God, from the Jewish Scriptures which they as pagans possessed. They believed those Scriptures, so when the sign appeared as predicted by the Scriptures over Israel, they were ready. They were excited! For they knew that the king who would determine their eternal destiny had come. And they would go to great trouble to seek and find Him, in accord with the Scriptures, now that the great sign in the heavens had been given.
The lesson. Seek the wisdom of the Word of God, the Bible, to find your Savior, the Messiah.
Do you? Have you? If you do, their example shows us that you will find Him, and with Him the guarantee of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins found by these same Afghanis which we read about at the outset.
So the story tells us they come to the capital city of the Jews, Jerusalem. After all, this is where the King of the Jews would rule--a logical conclusion. No doubt they expected great fanfare, great celebrations and parties, parades, convocations, and honor for the newborn king. For surely the Jews, who were the custodians of the Scriptures, and for whom this great King had come, would know the time of their visitation. They would surely know that this great King, God in the flesh, had been born among them, and they would be celebrating.
But the strange thing about the first Christmas in Jerusalem, is that it was the Christmas that wasn’t. No one knew that the King had been born, strangely. The magi arrived, however many of them there were, only to find all the people of Jerusalem carrying on as though nothing had happened. These people had places to go, people to see, things to do. And so these magi, who would not be deterred after coming so long a way, began to inquire, “Where is He who was born King of the Jews?” However, these Jews, who had the Scriptures, were clueless. They were surprised to hear that the Messiah-King had come. But they were strangely disinterested. Actually, they were disturbed by the news. What had been great news to the magi was obviously greeted as bad news by the Jews for whom this great King and Savior had come. Eventually, the magi’s questions, and their news of the great King’s birth, got to the ears of Herod, the King of the Jews, and verse 3 tells us his response, the response of all the Jews in Jerusalem: “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”
What was great news to the pagan magi was bad news for the Jews, for whom the newborn King had come. All these people were busy with their own lives, doing their own things, and the thought that the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the King of Righteousness, had come was an interruption to their plans, a disruption to their lives. After all, they had people to see, places to go, things to do, and this great king wasn’t part of their plan. In fact, their response to this great king, as it turned out, was like their response to all the wise men and prophets that God had sent to them through the centuries. As Jesus would later testify against them, they regularly persecuted, stoned and killed those men. Now, as the Messiah was about to come to them, would it be any different? Nope, 33 years later when the adult Jesus would present Himself to the people and leaders of Jerusalem as their Messiah and King, guess what would happen. Within a week, they would crucify Him.
Their disinterest in the Messiah was epitomized by King Herod. As the Magi inquired of Herod, they had no idea that they were dealing with a snake in the grass. King Herod was not Jewish Himself, he was actually an Edomite, that is a descendant of Esau, the godless brother of Jacob, the forefather of the 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel. And he was a chip off the old block, as godless, and more so, than Esau. He did not value a relationship with God or the hope of Israel, but his own riches, power and authority as king. He had kissed up to the Roman Emperors and had received the Kingdom as a result. He was so jealous of any potential rival to his throne that he had murdered two of his sons and several of his wives whom he even suspected to be angling at taking him out. And so news that the King of the Jews had been born greatly troubled him; another rival for his throne had come, and he just had to be eliminated, like any other rival, no matter the cost to the nation or to anyone else.
So he feigned interest in worshiping the newborn king. Herod inquired of the chief priests and the scribes of the Jewish people to find the answer to the Magi’s question, and sure enough, they knew the answer from the book of Micah, chapter 5, verse 2—as quoted in verse 6—the King of Jews, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. And so having his answer, Herod concealed his murderous plans from the magi, told them where the Messiah would be born, and then asked them to return to him with the news of where he could be found, so he, too, might come and worship him. Of course, the real plan was to eliminate another rival—he would seek to murder the Messiah, in accord with Jerusalem’s traditions—a plot that would fail here but would be fulfilled by the Jewish leaders some 33 years later.
What we see hear is a mistake that people blessed with the Scriptures and every opportunity to know of and find the Savior often make. They’re disinterested, even disturbed at the news that there may be a Savior. They don’t search the Scriptures, the Bible to find Him, because they don’t want to find him. Though there are churches and Bibles and Christian TV and radio programs galore in our nation, just like with the Jews 2,000 years ago, the reason we don’t know about all that the Savior offers is that we really aren’t interested. After all, we’re busy with our lives, living how we want to live, we’ve got places to go, people to see, things to do, and Jesus and the eternal life He offers just aren’t on our agendas. The interesting thing to note here is that though the Jews in Jerusalem now know that their King, their Messiah, has been born, and they know where He has been born, not a single Jew from Jerusalem makes the five-mile trip down the road to Bethlehem in the interest of finding this incredible newborn babe who promised to save them from their sins, and all their miseries.
The lesson here is don’t be among them. Don’t be among those privilege with the Scriptures, having Bible and churches and all kinds of light about the good news, but with no interest in it. Don’t ignore or despise the One who has come as your Savior. Rather seek Him as these wise men did, and find His blessing of eternal life!
So the wise men, pleased now to know where the Messiah King had been born, begin their five-mile journey to Bethlehem. Apparently, it’s at night as they begin their journey—they can’t wait. And guess what, the very star that they had seen as a sign from the east reappears above them and begins to guide them on their way, finally, supernaturally, settling right over the very house where Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus could be found. And as we see, they worshipped with gifts fitting for a child who was both God and Israel’s king.
Now, there’s a lesson here as well. When you seek the Savior with all your heart, you’ll find Him. God will see to it that you do, as well as the blessing that He offers, including the free gift of the forgiveness of sins, heaven and eternal life, as well as a right relationship with Almighty God which He offers.
They sought God’s Savior and King, and they found Him, because God desires that we find Him. He knows that we cannot save ourselves--that none of us can be good enough for God. That all of have sinned, and because of our sins we are worthy of death, and the hell that comes with it. But being a gracious and compassionate God He sent His Son not only to be our King, but to be our Savior. He used the sins of the Jews in Jerusalem to crucify His own Son, and in that very act, He, Jesus, the God-man, paid for our sins so we wouldn’t have to—He took Hell on the cross so you wouldn’t have to—if only you would seek Him, and come to Him in the same kind of repentant faith that these wise me came to him with.
You see the real gift of Christmas is Jesus Christ, and the gift of eternal life that He offers.
The only problem is that there are two vastly different responses to the gift that Jesus offers.
First, there’s the response that is often the response of those of us who are so privileged as we are in America—we are sated with so many opportunities to receive the gift that we don’t appreciate it. Often, we ignore it, or we refuse it. After all we have our own agendas, and Jesus isn’t part of them.
But then, there are those, who like the wise men, the magi of old, who receive even a sliver of light and a sense of what Jesus can mean to them, who seek Him with all their heart, even as those Afghanis did which we read about at the beginning, they receive Him as their Savior from sin and as the guarantee of eternal life.
Romans 6:23 expresses a vital truth that each and every one of us here needs to consider and respond to. It says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
My question for each of you this evening is this: Have you sought, have you received the gift of Christmas yet? His name is Jesus Christ. And He offers the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
If not, why not tonight? Why not put your repentant faith in Jesus alone, begin to seek and to follow Him? For as John 1:12 puts it: “He came to His own, but they did not receive Him. But to as many as received Him, he gave them power to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name.”
Why not receive the gift of Christmas by putting your trust in Him alone for heaven? You can’t save yourself. All of us have sinned. But Jesus can and will save you if you turn to Him, and receive Him, and Him alone, as your way to heaven and eternal life. If you will, you can receive the true gift of Christmas tonight in prayer.
This prayer only counts if you mean it. Pray it with me if you do: “Dear Heavenly Father, I know I’m a sinner, and I can’t save myself. I need a Savior. I now recognize that Savior is Jesus of Nazareth, and that when He died on the cross, he died to pay for my sins. And when He rose again, He guaranteed my eternal life. Now help me not only to seek, but to follow Him now that I’ve found Him. Help me to do what He says and become like Him. I pray these things in Jesus’ name, thanking Him for the forgiveness of my sins and eternal life as I repentantly follow Him.”
Congratulations. Now the celebration for you really begins. Behold, Christmas!
