SERMON OUTLINE:
The wise men's question (vs 1-2)
The foolish man's reaction (vs 3-8)
The journeymen's adoration (vs 9-12)
SERMON BODY:
Bible Reading: Matthew chapter 2 verses 1-12
Ill:
• In December 1903, after many attempts,
• Wilber & Orville Wright were at last successful,
• In getting their "flying machine" off the ground.
• •Wilber & Orville tossed a coin to see who would fly,
• And Orville won and so he was the pilot.
• Triva: The wingspan of a Jumbo 747 is longer than their first flight!
• Thrilled by what they had achieved, they telegraphed a message to their sister Katherine:
• "We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas."
• Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message.
• He glanced at it and said, "How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas."
• He totally missed the big news and the story of the decade!
• Man had flown at last.
• TRANSITION: How many people every Christian,
• Miss not just the story of the decade but of the millennium!
Ill:
• Another bit of useless information,
• When in 1969 Neil Armstrong took that historic first "step for mankind"
• Onto the dusty, desolate surface of the moon,
• Inside his spacesuit pocket was a piece of muslin fabric,
• That came from the left wing of the original 1903 Wright Flyer plane,
• Along with a piece of wood from the airplane’s left propeller.
• TRANSITION: Man overcoming the laws of gravity and being able to fly is impressive,
• To be able to leave planet earth and its atmosphere, even more impressive!
• But I like the quote by Apollo 15 astronaut James Irwin,
• Irwin was the eighth man to walk on the moon and the first to ride in the Lunar Rover.
• Some 238,000 miles from earth, Irwin’s life forever – he fully trusted in Jesus Christ!
"The greatest moment in history was not when man walked on the moon, but when God walked on the earth.”
Ill:
• Now, Christmas would not be Christmas without a Nativity scene.
• Here are a few of the good, the bad and the ugly!
• (photos available in the PowerPoint).
• Hoover Nativity scene.
• Ducks Nativity scene.
• Nativity scene.
• Balloons Nativity scene.
• Cupcakes Nativity scene.
• Dogs Nativity scene.
• Coke cans Nativity scene.
• Jenga Nativity scene.
• Hipster Nativity scene.
• TRANSITION: When it comes to the Christmas Nativity,
• Most people in the UK get their knowledge from Christmas Cards, Nativity plays,
• Or a Nativity scene like in the photographs.
• Sadly, many today are clueless when it comes to the Biblical record.
• And so, these events are discarded as myth or fairy story.
• TRANSITION: I can almost guarantee in every Nativity scene.
• The Magi (Wise Men) will be there alongside the shepherds,
• But as we will see from the passage, that is not necessarily so!
• We will divide today’s passage under three main headings,
• Starting with…
(1). The wise men's question (vs1-2)
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.””
Question: What is the very first thing you learn in this verse?
Answer:
• We are told that The Magi or Wise Men - whoever they are,
• Show up in Jerusalem AFTER the birth of Jesus.
• Now that runs contrary to every nativity play, nativity scene. or card you have ever seen!
• That one verse knocks on the head the notion,
• That the shepherds and the Wise Men arrive in Bethlehem at the same time.
• Not so. The shepherds were there the night Jesus was born.
• The Wise Men appear sometime later.
Question: How much later?
Answer:
• No one knows, it may have been a few months,
• Although many scholars think it could have been a year, many opt for two years later.
• A couple of hints we get from verses 10&11 is,
• The Wise Men find Jesus he is with his mother in a house in Bethlehem, not in a stable.
• And he is twice referred to as a child and not a baby.
Question: Who were these men?
Answer: All we know about them is found in these verses.
(a). Wise Men, Magi or kings - which is right?
• From the Greek word translated in English as “wise men” or “Magi”,
• We get our English word “magician”.
• But these ‘Magi’ are not magicians as we would think of today,
• They were not experts at sleight of hand, and they pulled no rabbit out of their hats.
• The word “Magi” in Bible times.
• Referred to those who were experts in philosophy, medicine, and natural science.
Ill:
• In the Chinese Bible the word used for “magi”, or “wise men” is PHDs.
• This reflects the idea that they were the highly learned of society.
• They were very well educated.
• They were, according to history, skilled in philosophy, skilled in science,
• Regarded as wise.
• And because of their knowledge and their wisdom,
• They were employed by kings and governments.
• A similar group of people is mentioned in the book of Daniel.
• They are the group of advisers to the kings of Babylon and Persia.
• The king calls upon them to solve difficult mysteries, riddles, or dreams.
• Daniel himself belonged to this group.
• And he was admitted only after he studied for three years in their university.
Note:
• i.e. We don’t know how many Wise Men were there?
• Matthew’s account simply states, ‘some men’; we don’t get an exact number.
• Tradition says three because they presented three gifts to Jesus,
• Their names were not Gaspar, Melchior and Balshasar.
• Origen in c. 250 was the first to give them these names.
• They were not kings,
• That idea came from the expensive gifts they brought with them.
• Nothing in the text or in the word suggests king – we can rule that idea out!
(b). These individuals are experts in the sky,
• They’re described as ‘men who studied the stars’ (vs 2).
• Someone has suggested that the Magi existed today.
• They would be called “astronomers”:
• Note: astronomers not astrologers!
• There is of course a big difference!
• Astrologers are those who claim to read the future by looking at the stars.
• e.g. horoscopes, zodiac signs, astrologers believe the stars guide & influence us in life.
• Note: The stars did not influence or affect this baby,
• In fact, the opposite is true, this baby influenced the star!
(c). These men aren’t local to the area in which Jesus was born,
• They’re said to have travelled ‘from the east’ (vs .2).
• The East at the time of Christ’s birth meant Media, Persia, Assyria and Babylonia,
• Countries now embodied by Iran and Iraq.
Ill:
• Some experts focus on the Wise Men’s knowledge of the night sky,
• Suggesting that the Magi were from Babylon, Iraq,
• Which is considered the birthplace of astrology.
• To head for Jerusalem,
• The Magi would have to simply follow one of the other great trade routes,
• e.g. Royal Road / Silk Road.
• And then travel to Damascus and ultimately Jerusalem via the King’s Highway.
(d). These men are believed to be Gentiles (‘of the nations’)
• This point is very significant because Matthew’s Gospel is very Jewish,
• And primarily written to a Jewish audience.
• But right at the start of it he introduces to us these Gentile worshipers.
• And if you know how his book ends, it concludes with the great commission,
• “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” (Chapter 28 verse 19).
• So it starts and finishes with an opportunity for Gentiles to worship this Jewish king.
Note:
• There is a real contrast in the narrative that is meant to jump out and strike you!
• These Gentiles, need to follow a star to find Jesus.
• The Jewish chief priests and scribes, who know and studied the scriptures,
• Fail to recognize and worship their Messiah!
• The one of whom those scriptures speak about and announce!
• There is a sad contrast in these verses:
• Five miles (eight km.) away in Bethlehem (vs 5) is the Jewish Messiah,
• Ignored by the so-called people of God,
• But sought after by Gentile pagans.
(2). The foolish man's reaction (vs3-8)
“When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.””
Question: Who was Herod?
Answer:
• Herod the Great is one of the central figures in the Christmas story.
• He was allowed by Rome to take a very important title to himself,
• He was called, ‘The King of the Jews.’
• Herod and his sons ruled Judea during Jesus’ life and ministry.
• And we also encounter his family in the book of Acts.
Herod was a strange mix of a clever and efficient ruler and a cruel tyrant.
• On the positive side he was the protector of the Jews,
• And he was also a great builder, this earnt him the title “the Great.”
• His greatest project was the rebuilding and beautification of the temple in Jerusalem,
• On the negative positive side, he constantly feared conspiracy.
• He executed his wife Mariamne when he suspected she was plotting against him.
• He murdered his mother in law Alexandra,
• And also his eldest son Antipater,
• And he would go on to murder another two of his sons, Alexander and Aristobulus.
Ill:
• Emperor Augustus reportedly quipped, “It is better to be Herod’s pig than son” (Macrobius, Saturnalia, 2:4:11).
• The joke being that, since Herod was a Jew, he didn’t eat pork and his pig would be safe.
Ill:
• In fact, when Herod was toward the end of his life, and his health was failing,
• He was very, very sick and he knew he was going to die soon,
• He ordered that all the prominent citizens of Jerusalem be arrested and imprisoned.
• When I die, I want all of them killed.
• The instructions were carried out,
• And Herod explained why he acted this way.
• He said he knew that when he died, nobody would shed a tear.
• But now Jerusalem would be full of the sound of weeping and mourning.
• That, my friends is how insane he was.
Notice: Herod’s reaction to the news of the Magi (vs 3).
“When Herod heard the news, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”
• The word “disturbed” really means to “shake violently.”
• It was Elvis Presley who sang, “I’m all shook up,”
• And if you don’t know who Elvis was think of a washing machine on full spin.
• Elvis had the song, but Herod beat him to the experience.
• Herod and Jerusalem were all shook up.
• Herod was constantly on guard against threats to his rule,
• So, him being troubled is completely in step with his character.
What disturbed him was what the Magi said, “Where is he BORN to be king.”
• Herod was an Edomite and appointed king of Judaea by the Romans.
• He had no right to the throne,
• Now he hears about one ‘born’ to be king, one who has the right to the throne!
• And he is terrified.
Jerusalem was also troubled:
• The people of Jerusalem rightly feared the repercussions from Herod’s paranoia.
• They feared what actions Herod might take to make sure his throne was secure.
• And they were right to fear because he would soon order the death of many babies.
• What is called ‘The Massacre of the Innocents.’ (vs 16-18).
Notice: Herod’s instruction to his scribes (vs 4-5).
• Herod turns to the scribes and priests for advice. He has only one question:
• Where was this child to be born?
• Notice that the scribes don’t have to look it up.
• They already know the answer.
• Because 700 years earlier the prophet Micah had prophesied,
• He predicted the Messiah’s birthplace would be in Bethlehem.
• That was common knowledge in Israel.
• Little children learned that in Sabbath School before they were six years old.
• It’s hard to believe that Herod didn’t know it.
• Once again we have this sad contrast:
• The Wise Men knew nothing and did something,
• Sadly, the scribes knew something and did nothing.
• That is why they are foolish men in the story!
(3). The journeymen's adoration (vs 9-12)
Ill:
We all know the nursey rhyme.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
If you add science, it comes out slightly different:
Scintillate, scintillate, globule vivific.
Fain, would I fathom thy nature specific.
Loftily poised in the ether capacious
Strongly resembling a gem carbonaceous!
• TRANSITION: Obviously poetry and science don’t mis well.
• And science would suggest that stars do not behave like the star in the narrative.
Question: Is the star in this story fact or fiction?
Answer:
• One answer is: by Alfred Edersheim, the Hebrew scholar, he thinks it was,
• A conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn and the constellation of Pisces.
• If you want to know more read his book or Google for it.
• Another answer is: It was a supernova.
• That's a star that explodes and burns out instead of fading,
• It will continue to emit light for weeks and even months.
• Another answer is: it was a comet in the earth's rotation.
• Another answer is: Others say a low-hanging luminous meteor.
TRANSITION: It could be any of those or none of them!
• Notice the words of the Magi (vs 2): “We saw his star in the east”.
• It is called in verse 2 ‘His star’.
• The Greek word for ‘Star’ means ‘radiance’ or ‘brilliance’ or ‘bright light’.
• I don’t want to rob you of the imagery of the traditional story,
• But I don’t think it was a literal astronomical star as our Christmas cards suggest.
• It may well have been what the Bible calls the ‘Glory of God’ – a radiant glowing light!
• That appeared and disappeared whenever God chose.
• To me that idea fits the story best.
Note: The Magi came to adore and to worship (vs 11).
• Verse 2b:
• “We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
• Verse 11a:
• “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.”
If I was one of those Magi, I think I might have been a bit disappointed.
• From the splendor of Herod’s palace,
• They arrive to see a very ordinary working-class house in Bethlehem.
• His home did not look like a castle.
• They left Herod a man wearing a crown,
• And found a child wearing ‘run of the mill’ ordinary and nothing special clothes.
• He wasn’t dressed like a king.
• They left Herod a man sitting on a throne.
• And they found a child playing on the floor.
• They left the tyrant Herod,
• And found a child that could not walk or talk.
• To the outward eye, there was nothing to make you think he was a king,
• He was nothing but a peasant child born in poverty.
• But the Magi knew in their hearts and minds that this was the promised king.
• This child possessed more dignity & propriety in his home,
• Then Herod possessed in his fine palace.
• The Magi saw a child, the proper heir to the throne, the genuine ‘King of the Jews.’
• And they were not ashamed to fall on their faces before him.
Two things worth noting:
FIRST: Jesus is always mentioned before Mary in Matthew’s gospel.
• She may be a special woman in the Bible, but she is just that – a human being.
• Only one person takes center stage and is worthy of worship.
• That is Jesus the Christ, the Saviour, thew Lord!!
SECOND: They came with gifts.
• It was customary, especially in antiquity, that if you approach a king,
• You must always bear a gift.
• These Magi bring the most famous gifts in history,
• Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Ill:
• The carol, “We three kings” is one I avoided singing for a long time.
• I don’t preach bad theology so why should I sing it?
• But as the saying goes, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!”
• This Carol has its weaknesses, but it also has its strengths.
• When it comes to the three gifts it is bang on in explaining their symbolism.
• Gold pointing to his majesty … for he is king.
• Frankincense pointing to his deity … for he is God.
• Myrrh pointing to his humanity … for he is destined to suffer and die.
• Question: Did the Magi understand all this symbolism.
• Answer: Probably not
• But God arranged it so that their gifts to the Holy Child,
• Would point us to who he is and why he came.
TRANSITION:
Gift #1: Gold for a king
“Born a King on Bethlehem's plain.
Gold, I bring to crown Him again.
King forever, ceasing never.
Over us all to reign.”
King is a title found at his birth and also his death.
• His birth, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”
• (Matthew chapter 2 verse 2)
• “Are you the King of the Jews?” to which He replies, “I am.”
• (Matthew chapter 27 verse 11)
• As He hung on the cross a sign was put over His head that read,
• “This Is Jesus, The King of The Jews.”
• (Matthew chapter 27 verse 37)
Gift #2: Frankincense for a priest.
“Frankincense and moor to offer, have I?
Incense owns a Deity nigh:
Prayer and praising voices raising.
Worshiping God on high.”
Ill:
• Frankincense is the sap of a tree that was dried and hardened.
• And used as incense in the temple as part of their worship of God.
• As incense rises so do our prayers.
• The job of a priest was to offer sacrifices for sin.
• If a priest did not do his job people could noy approach God or find forgiveness.
• Jesus is our great high priest because he made atonement for our sins.
• The Book of Hebrews refers to Jesus as our high priest multiple times.
• In the Bible, a priest served as a mediator between God and people.
• Jesus is the one mediator between God and men.
• (1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 5)
Gift #3: Myrrh for a saviour.
“Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume.
Breathes a life of gathering gloom.
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying.
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.”
Ill:
• Myrrh is a fragrant perfume that was used to anoint and embalm the dead.
• In John chapter 19 verses 39-40 we read).
“Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.”
• TRANSITION:
• Once again Jesus is pictured as being unique.
• We were born to live, but he was born to die!
In Conclusion:
There is more to worship than just the gifts they bought.
• Their journey was a journey of sacrifice – time & effort.
• Their journey was a journey of faith – they believed the promises of God.
• Their journey was a journey of worship – they gave their hearts and their gifts.
• Their journey was a journey of obedience – they obeyed the command in verse 12.
• True worship always involves SACRIFICE.
• True worship always involves a great cost!
THREE TRUTHS To REMEMBER:
(1). If the Wise Men can find Jesus, then so can you.
• Think of how many barriers they had to cross to get to Jesus.
• There was a culture barrier, a distance barrier, a language barrier,
• A racial barrier, a religious barrier,
• There was a hostile king and indifferent religious leaders.
• It wasn’t easy for them to find Jesus, but they did.
• If they found him, then so can you.
(2). If God can use a star to reach these Magi, then he can use anything to reach anybody.
• Experience has taught me God uses many ways to bring people to him.
• Some come to faith by reading the Bible.
• Some come to faith by hearing a testimony.
• Some come to faith by having a dream (many Moslems dream of Jesus).
• Some come to faith by a Christians lifestyle, their witness.
Quote:
“There are many ways to Jesus, but there is only one way to God the Father!
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life.”
• Our God is infinitely creative in the things he can use to break through to people,
• Who seems to be so far from him.
• He can use a star, a book, a tract, a television show, a song,
• A chance invitation or comment, or anything he desires.
(3). If the Wise Men offered Jesus gifts fit for a king, then so should we.
Ill:
• In the Christmas carol by Christina Rossetti.
• ‘In bleak midwinter’ the final verse finishes with these words.
“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 would do my part.
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.”
• TRANSITION: Good poetry but let’s take it a step further.
• In Romans chapter 12 verses 1-3 Paul gives us a theological response.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=DJBFRagQE69qlq6b98EzRD7xcWTI8fPs
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/xHdqdggEoQQ?si=nc63vsPNd81f6wZz
