WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM (MATTHEW 2:1-18)
The media and the malls like nothing more than freezing Christ out of Christmas. It is a culture war, a liberal bias and a left-wing agenda no one likes to admit.
How did the magi or wise men celebrate Christmas? What do the wise today need to know about the Christ past and present? What did Christ bring at His coming and what did the wise men offer in return?
1. Wisdom is in the Going, not in the Guessing (Matt 2:1-2)
The wise men who paid homage to Christ at his birth were missionaries, evangelists, scholars, philosophers, sages, dreamers and seekers. The men were wise because they made the move, acted in faith and sought the child. The idea of making the trip was so inconceivable and inconvenient for most people but the wise men decided that this was the adventure and the opportunity of a lifetime, so they crossed deserts, braved storms and suffer winds to see the sight. The star did not act like a tour guide until after they arrived in Jerusalem, in verse 9.
The foreigners knew something the locals did not – the birth of the King of the Jews. Jesus was not any mere King; he was King of the Jews (v 2). He was “born” King of the Jews (v 2), not appointed or voted king of the Jews. David was the past king (Matt 1:6) and Herod the present king (v 3), but Jesus was the permanent king because He was the One born King. He is King of a people – the Jews, not a state or government.
2. Wisdom is in the Greeting, not in the Gazing. (Matt 2:9-10)
The magi’s response was not just joy or great joy, but the Greek version “exceeding great joy,” or “overjoyed” (v 10). The wise men were more than merely excited and enthusiastic; they were ecstatic, euphoric and exhilarated, rubbing their eyes at the star that dramatically applied the brakes, pinching themselves to see if it was real and prancing around pretty much like kids. They could not believe their eyes and the sight, the light at the end of the tunnel and the treasure at the end of the rainbow.
The book of Matthew is the gospel of worship. The other gospels each recorded only one instance Jesus was worshipped (Mark 5:6, Luke 24:52, John 9:38), but in Matthew’s gospel the people worshipped Jesus nine times (Matt 2:2, 11, 8:2, 9:18, 14:33, 15:25, 20:20, 28:9, 17). The magi were not there to cuddle the baby, hold a party or become the news. The only thing missing so far at Jesus’ birth was worship, which the magi were happy to supply or provide.
3. Wisdom is in the Giving, not in the Getting (Matt 2:11)
The magi brought to Jesus and his family timely gifts, quantity and quality wise.
In contrast to the poor shepherds, the wise men brought gold with them, overcoming the fear of thieves, bandits or thugs along the way. In those days, people took with them cash and not personal check, credit card or cashier’s check. A heavily accented foreigner with gold on him or her was an easy prey too good to be true. A small group of foreigners was no security at all.
Gold was the most prized and costly material possession at that time, and probably even now too. Frankincense, on the other hand, is integral to worship and offerings. It is holy to the Lord (Ex 30:34-37), an aroma pleasing to the LORD when used as grain offering (Lev 2:1-2, 6:15). Myrrh is more associated with beauty and love (Est. 2:12, Prov 7:17), specifically in the Song of Solomon, where myrrh is essential to lovers (Song 1:13, 4:6-7, 4:13-14, 5:1, 5:5, 5:13).
Conclusion: Jesus is worthy of our worship. He is God became man; He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor (2 Cor 8:9), exchanging His majesty and magnificence for meekness and mortality, His supremacy and sovereignty for scorn and sufferings, His divinity and dominion for danger and death. Won’t you worship Him on bended knees and welcome Him into your heart right now?
