You may have noticed the chalkboard signs that are scattered around the church building. Each has a different saying- “Be the Branch,” “Catch the Wind,” “Wreck the Roof,” “Grip the Plow,” and “Empty the Jar.” They come from a small group video Bible study our groups participated in a while back. We got the idea from Southeast Christian Church to dig deeper into the last mantra this Christmas. Originally, the idea of “Empty the Jar” comes from the story of the woman who anointed Jesus. It holds the idea of being generous as we worship. Being the Christmas season, we’re going to explore this concept by studying the events surrounding the wise men from the gospel of Matthew.
I actually find it intriguing that Matthew shares about the wise men. You see, one of the things that makes each of the gospel accounts unique is who appears to be their intended audience. Matthew targeted his gospel towards a Jewish audience. That’s why his book is heavy on Old Testament quotes. He begins the first chapter with the genealogy of Jesus, showing the lineage of the promised messiah. Continues by telling of the obedience of Joseph.
But then he takes a left turn and introduces the wise men, a group of gentiles who seem to better understand the good news that the messiah has come than the Jews who have been watching and waiting for their promised messiah. Why would he do this?
I believe he did this to bring the point home that Jesus is for ALL of mankind. The messiah wasn’t simply going to be a king who rides in on a white horse, rallies the troops, and conquers the world, bringing Israel to world domination. The messiah was coming to restore the opportunity of an eternal relationship with God for all of mankind. So we want to take some time today to get to know these wise men and learn from them how to be ready for the journey this Christmas.
One of my favorite traditions while we lived in St. Louis was to go to Harvester Christian Church and experience their Journey to Bethlehem. The church did a wonderful job of grouping visitors into families and guiding them along a trail where you’d encounter Roman soldiers, other families, shepherds, and the wise men. As their servants encouraged your family to warm up by the fire, the wise men would emerge from a tent and share how they had been watching for the signs of the messiah because of various Hebrew prophecies with which they were familiar. They shared how they had seen a special star and were hoping it would lead them to the child who had been born king of the Jews. They’d finish by pointing out the star through the woods and sending us on our way to Bethlehem.
As you know, Terri teaches language arts at the junior high. This year, she has been assigned a number of EL students- students who have come from other countries and are just learning English, so her job is to help them understand. One of the things that I learned in English class was that when telling a story, cover the 5 W’s- who, what, where, when, why. I think that’s a good way for us to get to know the wise men today.
Who are the wise men? The Bible doesn’t give many details- simply that they are wise men from the east. Various traditions have developed over the years, including different terms to describe them. They are magi, priests, advisors, prefects, astronomers, kings. Because there are three gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we often speak of the three wise men. In fact, tradition has given them names- Gaspar, Balthazar, and Melchior. I think the main thing that we should recognize about these men was that they were watching in readiness for the birth of the king.
Where are they from? The Bible only tells us from the east. As I was researching this, I came across several sources that surmise they came from Persia- about 8-900 miles away. How do they come to this conclusion? Many of them point to the book of Daniel. As you recall, Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were carried away into exile to Babylon, the capital of Persia. On multiple occasions, they stood for their faith and God rewarded them for it. The king threatened to kill all the wise men if they couldn’t tell him his dream and how to interpret it. After praying with his friends, Daniel provided the information the king desired and the king made Daniel the chief prefect in Babylon and gave his friends important positions as well.
They continued to live without compromise, very likely using their positions to teach the Persians their Jewish ways. The Persian wise men of their time likely learned about prophecies like Numbers 24:17 (read), in which Balaam declared a star shall come out of Jacob to rule. They also likely passed along the prophecy that Daniel wrote in Daniel 9:24-26 (read). An angel visited Daniel to answer his prayer of repentance. The angel gave him a prophecy about 70 weeks. A week, of course, is 7 days long and in prophecy is considered to represent 7 years. Therefore, a total of 490 years in this prophecy- the first 7 weeks points to the time Israel returned from exile, the next 62 weeks points to the time the messiah (or anointed) would arrive and be cut off from His people.
Having this information, we can surmise the answer to our next question. Why did they travel to Jerusalem? When they saw the star, they recognized the prophecy had been fulfilled. They knew it was time, so spotting the star got them going on their way. At some point, however, it seems they lost sight of the star. Because they knew they were seeking the one who was born king of the Jews, it only seems natural that they would head to the capital of Israel- Jerusalem. They may have even thought he’d be the son of the reigning king, so surely the king of Israel would know who the child is.
I think God had a bigger purpose- He was putting Israel on notice. Many had heard the shepherds declare that they had seen the messiah and were filled with wonder. But the reaction of King Herod seems to I indicate that he was caught off guard and there was no way he was going to relinquish the throne. When he hears the news, he gathers his wise men to point the wise men from the east in the right direction. They point to Micah 5:2 (read) and now they know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. As they continue their journey, they find the star again and are able to follow it to find Jesus.
When did they get there? I know that a lot of our nativity scenes include the wise men arriving at the stable and worshiping the newborn king. But the text indicates it was up to two years after Jesus was born before the wise men made their appearance. The first clue we have is that the text tells us that when they found Jesus they went into the house, not the stable, to worship Him.
The other clue comes from King Herod’s reaction when he realizes the wise men aren’t coming back. He issues an order that all male children in and around Bethlehem ages two and under are to be executed. I believe he chose this age because of the time frame the wise men had given him for when they first saw the star.
What was their purpose? As they tell Herod, they came to worship the one who was born King of the Jews. The wise men knew the significance of the child they were seeking. Their aim was to welcome and worship Him.
Again, I believe God had a greater purpose in sending the wise men and having Matthew include them in his gospel message. God was demonstrating that not only was Jesus the king of the Jews, He is the king of ALL. Jew, Greek, male, female, slave, free, young, old- all are invited into the kingdom of God because of Jesus, this baby who was born in Bethlehem.
So let’s look at today. I’ve been watching a lot of debate online about when it’s okay for stores to start selling Christmas items and when it’s appropriate to put up the decorations. Let’s resolve that now- if you haven’t already started decorating, it’s okay to do so now. In fact, come back at 4 pm today and help us decorate the church for the season.
But what about our hearts? How are we preparing for the King? Have we come this morning with our hearts and minds set on the things of God? Or are we checking off the to do list and pondering where to go for lunch once the service is over? Did we come to see what we’re going to get out of today’s service or are we looking for what we can contribute? Let’s look at those 5 w’s we already answered about the kings and apply them to our own lives.
Who are we? Just like the wise men, we use different terms- Christians, believers, followers, children of the king (my favorite). We should be a people who are watching and living in readiness for the return of Jesus, our King, our Lord, our Savior.
Where are we from? We come from many different walks of life. As we saw last week, we come from the four corners of the world. Some of us grew up in the church and have always been faithful. Some went through a time where they fell away but have returned. Some didn’t find Jesus until they were well into adulthood. Some have been hurt in very real ways and have been working through that in order to be here. We’ve all had a past, but we shouldn’t let that define us. Listen to these words from Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (read). Such were some of you- but now. That’s the part that matters- who you are now.
Why do we come here? Consider these words from Hebrews 10:19-25 (read). Because of the blood of Jesus, we’ve been given direct access to God. Coming together here is a good time to be reminded of the reason for our faith- the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. Gathering stirs us up to love and good works and encourage each other. Look around and always remember- we are not alone.
When did we get here? Well, there are different answers for each of us and that’s okay. Whether you are arriving to your faith as a youth or young-at-heart, we’re glad you’re here with us today and we look forward to growing in our faith together.
What is our purpose? To worship God with grateful hearts because of the sacrifice Jesus made. Paul writes in Romans 12:1 (read), present your bodies, your lives, as living sacrifices- this is your spiritual worship. This tells me it’s not just about the hour or two we gather together on Sunday, it’s about our daily lives. Whether it’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Our lives should reflect our faith so that people around us will recognize God in us and give Him the glory.
Empty the jar- it’s about holding nothing back from God as we worship Him. Whether it be our treasures, our time, or our talents, let’s give it all to Him. After all, if we belong to Him, it’s already His anyway. The wise men did it, traveling hundreds of miles to bring extravagant gifts as they worshiped the one who was born king of the Jews.
We’re going to give you an opportunity to apply this mantra over the Christmas season as well.
You did an amazing job this past month as we were able to help 15 families with their Thanksgiving meal with supplies left over that have been added to the pantry to continue helping people who are in need. Let me share the impact your efforts like this make. People hear about what this church is doing in the community. I hear them talking about it, sometimes even telling me not realizing they are telling me about the church I’m a part of. Some of them have even begun bringing clothes and other donations to me at McDonald’s because they know their donation will be used in a way to help people who are truly in need.
We’re calling this month’s effort The Manger Project. Wendy is coordinating this effort to help families and individuals who are struggling through this season. You’ll notice a station in the fellowship hall with information about items we’re collecting and even names of people you can choose to buy gifts for. We’re a bit behind on the list of names due to illness at the school, so if you’d like to have a name to shop for, sign up and let Wendy know and she’ll get a name to you as we receive them. If you prefer, she has a list of suggestions for things we can collect and add to the boxes or bags that we’ll be distributing. Our goal is to collect everything by December 11 so that we have time to package and deliver it all.
Just as the wise men brought gifts to the king, we’re helping these families with gifts. Remember, Jesus said when you do it for the least of these, you are doing it for Him. Empty the jar, be ready for the journey.
Let’s pray.
Some of my favorite lyrics to a Christmas song are these:
What can I give Him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I'd sure do my part. So what can I give Him? I'll give Him my heart.
What can you give Him? What can you bring? What can you offer That's fit for a King?
Bow before Jesus, That's where you start. What can you give Him? Give Him your heart.
How do you give Him your heart? You believe the baby the wise men sought to worship grew up to be the sacrifice that restores us to God. You repent, or turn away from your sins. You confess, or declare that Jesus is now in control. You get baptized in the water, immersed to join Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. You live your life for Him. If you are ready to begin your journey with Him, come forward as we stand and sing our song of invitation.
