Wise men come to Jesus.
Checking my records I see that I last preached about the three wise me back in Christmas 2013.
At that time it was a two part sermon because there was so much to say about them and I like to put things in context for you.
Suffice it to say that they came from the East, probably the land of Persia, which is modern day Iran. The story goes that they studied ancient texts and discovered the prophecy of the star that was to signify the birth of The Saviour Of The World, it’s greatest king. They presented their findings to their own king and he ordered them to journey to the West, following the star, to present his homage to the new born king.
I would like to believe that the story is just as simple as that but last Sunday we considered the reactions of king Herod when confronted with the appearance of the three Magi, in his royal court, seeking the king Jesus and I would expect that the king of Persia would be equally duplicitous, or else why didn’t he go himself.
The Magi are ambassadors on behalf of their country and their king but they are also spy’s, they are charged with gathering intelligence even if they don’t consider themselves as such. When they reach Herod's royal court he charges them to gather intelligence for him too. He jumps on the band wagon.
It would appear that the reign of Jesus is precarious from the very beginning, but appearances aren’t always what they seem.
Consider if you can the prophecy from Hosea 11:1, ‘‘When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.’ The Prophet Hosea lived in the northern kingdom of Israel about 721 BC. That’s 721 years or so before the events he prophesied actually happened.
I can’t explain God’s plan that was to cause Joseph and Mary and the infant Jesus to have to flee into Egypt, but He does, and the later, when Herod is dead He sends an angel to call them back, “Out of Egypt I called my son”.
And the angel that He sent to speak to the wise men and tell them to avoid Herod's Royal Court on their return journey, and the one He sends to speak into Josephs Dream that it is safe to return to Nazareth, are all part of The Plan, the amazing Masters Master Plan.
I liken this Masters Master Plan to a very complicated jigsaw puzzle, perhaps the most complex jigsaw you can ever imagine, except that you can’t really imagine it, and only God can see the big picture on the lid of the box. Only God knows where the corners are, and the limitations of the edges, because He is both designer and creator.
I suspect that one day, in eternity, we will see just how perfect the Masters Master Plan is. We will see it in all its complexity and depth, and the prophet Hosea will finally see, and understand, the significance of his 2921 year old prophecy.
Last Sunday we spoke about the Great Expectations and Great Joy of the heavenly hosts who’s joy overflowed, to the awe and amazement of the shepherds on the hills outside Bethlehem, on the night that He, Jesus, was born.
This week we look at another aspect of The Great Love of God and that is what we should do in return. How we should respond. The three wise men are an example we should follow.
Firstly we should Pay Homage and secondly we should Give Gifts.
The three wise men did both.
Even though the circumstances in which they found the new born king in where humble they still paid homage. They did not let the evidence of their eyes change their understanding of who it was they were visiting and paying homage to, and why.
I watched a program about a Benedictine Monastery in Korea the other day and I was struck by the way the monks, in their various degrees, approached God. I have seen such homage before. They literally prostrated themselves before the cross.
I’m not suggesting that we should all come to church and prostrate ourselves but with their physical prostration also came a mental prostration.
Theirs is a simple monastic life given over to prayer, meditation, hard physical labour and homage.
It seems to me that they see God in the correct perspective. The wise men saw it too. God is God. He is supreme. He is the creator of all things and if our scripture is believed He created us so that we might glorify Him.
Revelations 4:11 says, ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’
Homage can be defined as ‘To Publicly express special honour, respect and allegiance to a King or Lord’.
In this 21st Century such practices seem out of fashion in our society, but should they be out of fashion with our God? I don’t think so!
Secondly this morning we should deal with the subject of the giving of gifts.
The wise men bought with them special gifts that, in their day, were associated with kingship. We can now say that the gifts they bought with them from Persia were probably given to them by the Persian king.
The popular fairy tail version of the three wise men is that they were actually three kings, indeed thats what the Christmas Carol, ‘We three kings’ suggests, but biblically speaking they were astrologers from the days when astrology, giving meaning to the placement and movement of the stars, was a science.
In their time they would have been important men, high up in their society, and kings, leaders and business men would not have made any important decision without first consulting them to ensure that the times were favourable.
If you were a king you would have a long standing relationship with your astrologer or astrologers, because you would certainly have more than one of them, they would be trusted members of your royal court, and who better to represent you as an ambassador to a foreign king or nation. Who else could you trust with expensive gifts that you send to the foreign king?
The bible tells us that the three wise men bought with them three gifts and our nativity scene depicts each one carrying a different gift.
The reality for such a high ranking embassy would more likely have servants attending the ambassadors and the servants would have carried the gifts.
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
In that Christmas Service in 2013 I actually bought examples of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh for the children to see and handle.
All thee gifts were symbolic and all three were traditional gifts given by foreign kings in the middle east to new born kings in other lands.
The first recorded history of such gifts being given to a new king was in 288 BC when the Syrian King Sel-eu-cus 1 offered Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh at the temple of Apollo.
So if you wanted to present a gift, one king to another, and you didn’t know what to give, you could do no better than that which had been traditionally given for nearly three hundred years.
Gold, as a symbol of kingship, Frankincense, to be used as incense, a pleasing aroma, and Myrrh, an extremely expensive and rare ointment that was also used for anointing.
It’s believed that the gold, given by the wise men, financed the period that Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were refugees in Egypt.
We come to Jesus when we are saved and baptised, so are we required to bring Him such expensive gifts?
Well, the wise men didn’t understand the nature of the king to whom they paid homage and gave gifts, but we do.
Jesus would never require us to give such expensive gifts, because if He did there would be no place in His kingdom for the poor and the meek and the lowly.
Jesus just wants our hearts. He wants our devotion and He wants our faith.
Thats not to say that the church that He built doesn’t need your gifts because it does, but the King at the centre of it all just needs you.
In 1 Corinthians 6:20 the Apostle Paul tells us, ‘You were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.’
Thats the way! This is the day!
In Jesus name, amen.
