Alba 12-22-2024
GOOD NEWS FOR THE WISE MEN
Matthew 2:1-12
J. Curtis Goforth became a Methodist minister. He told about something that happened when he was still a boy. He said his home church always put on a Christmas play with the children of the church. And one evening, he was being especially disruptive downstairs as some of the younger children were getting ready for their parts in the play.
The minister came downstairs to try and bring them under some sort of control. Curtis said he was playing one of the wise men that night. He had borrowed his father’s robe and had a crown on his head. So rather than yelling at the boys, the minister saw a teaching moment in the midst of the chaos of the Christmas program. He found an ingenious way to get the wise men to settle down. He told them that the first one to find the place in the Bible where it spoke of the three wise men would get the $100 bill he flashed before them out of his wallet.
Curtis quickly ran around the church looking for a Bible. He knew the story was in the New Testament, but wasn't sure where. He said, luckily he turned to Matthew 2:1-12 and saw the heading printed on the page that read, “The Visit of the Wise Men” and knew that he had found it. Proud that the other wise men weren't as wise as he, he exclaimed that he had found it first, and would happily accept the $100 dollar prize.
But, he said, his minister wasn't so dim-witted as to put $100 of his own money on the line knowing that he might lose it to some smart-alecky kid who got lucky in finding a passage of scripture. He reminded Curtis of the terms of his challenge. The minister said that he had to find the section in the Bible where it spoke of the THREE wise men.
Once again, Curtis pointed to that section of scripture and said, “Give me my money!” The minister asked him to read it out loud. And so he did. And you know what he discovered? He discovered that the Bible never mentions that there were three wise men. It only says that there were wise men from the east and doesn’t include the number of wise men that were there. All that is said is that there was more than just one. He says, “I had been had!”
Still, he said that what his minister taught him that night has stuck with him ever since. He learned that it is of supreme importance that we read what the Bible actually says, and not just what we think it might say.
But whether there were three, two or ten wise men, the story is the same. Good news came to them, and they made it their purpose to see the new king. It started with a star, then a search and ended with worship. It actually is all wrapped up in Matthew 2:2 which says that they ask, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
1. They Saw His Star
Perhaps the best known symbol of this season is the star of Bethlehem. It is common for Christmas trees to be crowned with a star on the top, and with lights which shine as the stars in the sky under the special star of Bethlehem.
If you saw a “new star” appear in the sky, what would you do? You might say, “Isn’t that nice!” But if you were an astronomer, you’d say, “What is that? Am I the only one seeing this? Where’d this come from all-of-a-sudden?”
Well, these Wise Men, also known as Magi, were astronomers. Did you know that the wise men of Babylon were considered to be the scientists and philosophers of their day, men of education, men of letters. They were not the kings themselves, but they were often the power behind the throne. Maybe a decent comparison today would be the relationship of a President to his cabinet. They were not dummies. They were smart, and their advice was often heeded by Kings.
Who were these men exactly? A number of ideas have been offered. Some think that they were pagans. But I like the thought that they may have been Jews taken in the captivity and remained in the foreign country just like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel is especially shown as a wise man who was an advisor to several kings in that foreign land.
The Wise Men here in chapter two of the gospel of Matthew specifically say, “We have seen His star”. How did they know that a star would announce the coming of someone very special in Israel? Well if these men had any connection to Jewish heritage and or to Jewish writings, there is a place in the Old Testament that answers that question.
In Numbers 15:15-17 it tells of Balak, King of the Moabites who wanted a man named Balaam to bring a curse on the Israelites. But it didn't happen. Instead, on the fourth try, Balaam said this: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, And the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened; The utterance of him who hears the words of God, And has the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:
“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel.”
Balaam had already prophesied a conquering king in Israel when attempting to do what Balak was asking him to do. So if the Wise Men were aware of this reference, and it really appears that they were, when they saw this unusual star, they came to the conclusion that this was “His star”.
This star was a source of incredible joy to the wise men from the east. This star, this specially placed star, pointed them to Jesus. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.”
God caused them to look to His creation. God used the creation to reveal Himself to them. The star of Bethlehem pointed people to Jesus. And today God uses Christians to point to Jesus, draw attention to Jesus, and to help people to come to Jesus. Today, we are in the same role as the star of Bethlehem. In Matthew 5:14 Jesus declared that we, His followers, are the light of the world, to be set up high. Why are we to be set high? What is our purpose? Our task is to draw the focus to Jesus.
Once the Wise Men saw the star, they were willing to rearrange their lives to check out the evidence that God was doing something special in their world. When the star marking the birth of Jesus appeared, the magi followed it. So..
2. They Made a Search
How much time have you spent recently looking for something important? Have you invested hours looking for the right gift to give for that special person in your life hoping to find the right gift at the right price? The Wise Men were the ultimate seekers. They were seeking Jesus. They left their businesses, their families, their reputations, and risked their lives to honor the Christ-child. When they saw the star, they embarked on a journey to find Him.
Most people do not realize that by the time the Magi found what they were looking for, they had been searching for months. Some historians believe that the search took up to two years.
The Wise Men didn’t come from the east because they needed a vacation. They didn’t come because they didn’t have anything better to do. They wanted to see the King. They overcame the distance of many miles to search for him. They had to pay a tremendous price just to see the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. What price do we pay?
Once in Jerusalem, the Magi would have made their wifes proud, they asked for directions. They ask, “Where is the One...” They consulted the authorities, but the king they found in Jerusalem was not the King of Kings, but King Herod the puppet of the Roman government. King Herod’s character can be summed up in three words; clever, crafty and cruel. And instead of hearing the birth of Jesus as good news, Herod and Jerusalem were "troubled" at the announcement of the birth of this child.
Consulting the experts, the Magi learned that this particular newborn king was to be found, not in the obvious place, Jerusalem, but in a most unlikely place, the little town of Bethlehem. So, they changed their travel plans.
Wise people ask questions. How do wise people get wise? By asking questions. So here's a thought. Are you the kind of person who has all the answers? Or are you the kind of person who is open to seeking the answers? The challenge for us in light of this idea of seeking is to search our own hearts and reflect on the issue of Jesus in our own lives. Is the person of Jesus making our hearts seek after new things these days? Or are we satisfied in what we think we understand?
The beauty of the Christian life is that we are “transformed... from glory to glory” (II Corinthians 3:18). When we’re talking about an infinite God we’re talking about an infinite amount of knowledge! And right now we are just scratching the surface of knowing Him, so we need to keep searching.
That’s why you can read the Bible over and over again and never get tired of it, never run out of things to learn. I want you to notice something here. When the wise men ask where is he to be born that is King of the Jews, the doctors of the law, students of the Bible, priests of the temple told them what the Scripture says. The Magi listened to God’s Word.
God calls us to a similar path. He asks us to step out in faith, to believe in Him, to trust in Him and His Word. And in the end we will find what we are looking for. Deuteronomy 4:29 explains to us, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
A person who wants to worship the King of Kings will seek out what it says in God's Word. The Wise Men wanted to see the King! The one who is The King of Kings! The Lord of Lords! And when they find Him, it becomes clear that...
3. They Came to Worship
Psalm 66:4 “All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.”
It was a long trip from the land of Babylon to the city of Bethlehem. The Magi didn’t arrive Christmas Day like the shepherds did. They didn’t find Jesus in the stable where he was born, they found him in a house. Nevertheless, the star brought them to the person of Jesus.
Matthew 2:11 tells us, “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” After seeing the star brightly shining, the Wise Men knew the importance of this birth, and they brought only their finest. They did not give gifts to each other. They did not have a Christmas tree at home with tons of presents for their family and friends. The gift giving that went on during the birth of Jesus was to Jesus.
We are blessed when we give. A lady was sitting in traffic. A man was standing nearby holding a sign asking for money. She rolled down her window and said, “Sir, I’m going to give you this dollar, not because you deserve it, but because it makes me happy.” He said, “Mam, if that’s the case, why don’t you give me $20 and thoroughly enjoy yourself?”
Well, the Wise Men didn't hold back anything in their gift giving. They offered gold which was a sign of royalty. They offered frankincense which was an incense that signified worship and adoration. They offered myrrh which was like an anointing oil. Perhaps this was like the gift of perfume or scented oils. Or perhaps, because Myrrh was also an embalming spice, in some forward-looking way it was a prophetic sign that this baby would eventually grow up to be the suffering servant.
It is possible to look at these gifts as being very specific for everything about Jesus. Gold for His royalty. Frankincense for His Lordship. And Myrrh for His coming death foretelling what was planned for this baby boy.
When Jesus was about 33 years old, He willingly went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends”. We have forgiveness from God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
Love is giving. It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving. God so loved... He gave. The Wise Men came with gifts for Jesus. So we should ask ourselves, what gift does Jesus want from us today? His Word tells us that He wants a committed life that is seeking first His kingdom, and doing His will on this earth until He comes again.
Why is it that some people worship Jesus (like the Wise Men) and some don’t (like Herod)?
The difference between those who worship Jesus and those who do not is the state of their heart. Herod did not want Jesus to be worshiped. He wanted no rival to his position and power. The Wise Men on the other hand were anxious to worship the newborn king.
The Wise Men ultimately found what they were looking for when they found Jesus. Their first response to the Messiah came naturally; they bowed down and worshiped. When a person "sees" the Messiah for who He is, they naturally surrender to Him. One day, we all will bow down before Him. Romans 14:11 says, “For it is written: 'As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.'”
Here is the twist. Even though the Magi brought their finest gifts, they really gave themselves. They followed the star, they searched for Jesus, and when they found Him, they knelt down and offered themselves in worship. And it changed everything. An intimate encounter with Jesus has a way of doing that to people. It was good news for the Wise Men. And it is good news for us today.
CLOSE:
Here are some letters children wrote to Santa that I thought you might enjoy. One of them said, "Dear Santa, you didn’t bring me anything good last year. In fact, you didn’t bring me anything good the year before that either. This is your last chance. Signed Albert."
And here is another one. "Dear Santa, there are three little boys who live at our house. There’s Jeffrey, who's two, and David, who's four, and there’s Norman who's seven. Jeffery is good some of the time, David is good most of the time, and Norman is good all of the time. I am Norman."
The truth of the matter is that none of us are good all the time. In fact, the Bible says that’s why we have Christmas. That is why Jesus came. Because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
In Matthew 1:21 Joseph was told to call the baby to be born Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins. Every one of us is in need of His salvation. We all need to see the light, seek Jesus and bow before Him.
Once you bow down to Christ, your life is changed. You will never be the same. And just like the Wise Men, you will go home on a different path.
