January 19, 2003 Matthew 2:1-12
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
3 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 Christ 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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.’"
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 make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (NIV)
There’s an old Indian proverb that goes something like this: “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a hundred miles in his moccasins.” And I think there’s some wisdom in those words. It’s hard to know a person very well until you’ve lived in his shoes, under his roof, and experienced his lifestyle. That’s why a parent will sometimes bring his child along with him to work, so the child can get to know his father or mother better and understand what he or she does.
That’s what God does for us today. He puts sand in our shoes, gold in our sacks, muscles in our legs, and has us mentally walk hundreds of miles westward in search of the Christ child. He does this by giving us a blow by blow report of how the Magi from the East went in search of the Christ child. As we take this path today, we are going to see that our paths are very similar to that of the wise men. Not only are our paths the same, but so are our obstacles, and so is our purpose. The theme for today is ~
Walk the Way of the Wise Men
I. See the well lighted path
Matthew starts our Epiphany season; After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." This tells us two things about the people we are going to follow. First of all, they were Magi. This was a term given to the wise men, professors, and scholars of ancient Babylon. If you had a good knowledge of natural things - whether it be the land, animals, the weather, or the stars, you were known as a Magi. Back then it was a respectable term, like being called a professor. This is why the Magi are also called the Wise Men.
This text tells us something else about the Magi - they came from the east. If the Magi were fulfilling a prediction of Isaiah 60, they came from Sheba, which would have been over a thousand miles away. But some think they were from Babylon, which would have been about a 500 mile journey. It is thought that they came from Babylon because Daniel was a member of the Magi in Babylon about 500 years before. If the Magi came from Babylon, then Daniel may have been the one who originally told them about the star pointing to Christ. Numbers 24:17 says, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. Daniel may have been told by inspiration of the Holy Spirit that a star would appear in the East when the Christ child was to be born, and relayed this to the other Magi. This interpretation may have been carried on for 500 plus years. So the Magi may have come from Sheba, Babylon, or somewhere else in the east. Either way, we know that they came from a long ways away.
We didn’t come here to concentrate on the Magi, however. We came, as we always come, to concentrate on Christ. This text gives us a beautiful illustration of how God leads people to Christ - of how God opens the closed doors in Christ’s life, to enlighten us as to who this baby really is. That’s what Epiphany is all about ~ bringing light to who Christ is. How did God point the Magi to Christ? By a star, right? He had a special star appear in the sky. It probably stood out because it didn’t travel the same way as the stars. If you watch the stars at night you can see that they all move across the skyline in unison as the night progresses. But this star must have also changed positions among the stars, which made it stand out. This star was also probably lower than the rest of them, which was able to lead them directly to the Christ. This may be why the chief priests and teachers of the law didn’t know anything about it. It may have only been within sight of the Magi only. This however, is all speculation. We don’t know for sure. All we know is that God was able to use nature - a star - to serve this little baby, and lead the Magi to Christ.
God uses the same methods to draw us to Christ as well. In Isaiah 60:2 God looked at the world and said, See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples. The whole world lives in darkness - it is born with no clue who the Christ child is, or where He can be found. But God piques people’s interest, by showing them the wonders of nature. Psalm 19 says, The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Nature is God’s subliminal message. People hear it talk every day. Even though it doesn’t tell them anything about Christ, it gets them to wonder what else God has to say. It’s like when you leave a light on at home. If you come home to find a light on, you immediately go to that room to see if someone’s there. That’s what creation does. It makes us search. When people live through a massive flood or a terrible natural disaster, they start looking. When parents see their children be born, it makes them realize that there’s a creator. So they search for Him. Just as God used nature to lead the Magi to Christ, He does the same today.
But if you’ll notice, nature didn’t give all the answers. Once the Magi arrived in Jerusalem, it seems that the star disappeared for a while. So they had to inquire of the chief priests and teachers of the law to find out where the Christ child was to be born. This is where God took a huge spotlight and made the Christ as visible as possible for the Magi. In Micah 5 God had said, "`But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah; . . . out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’" Notice what God used to make the pathway to Christ as clear as could be. He used the Word of God.
Once again, we must take time to appreciate the fact that God has taken us along the same pathway as the Magi. Nature only takes us so close to God - but then it’s power disappears - leaving us short of knowing who Christ is. I can remember back in college looking for a friend of mine’s house. I knew the general vicinity - it was on a lake. But once I got in the general vicinity, I couldn’t remember where exactly his house was. We drove around for 45 minutes and finally had to give up our search. Imagine how frustrating it would be for us to know there is a God out there - but to have no information about where exactly to find him or who He is.
God doesn’t leave us in the dark. Just as the Wise Men were led to Christ through the Scriptures, so we have also been led to Christ through the Scriptures. God has not left us with a vague idea about our Savior. Jesus isn’t, as Luke Skywalker would say, just some vague “force.” God has given us a clear pathway to salvation through the Gospel of Christ. As John 20:31 says, these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. So as we walk the way of the wise men, we can appreciate the effort God has made to light the way to Christ. He’s made it as clear as can be.
II. Watch out for the obstacles
Even though God gave the Magi a clearly lit path to the Christ child, it wasn’t like there weren’t any potholes along the way. Remember, how far the Magi had to go. They most likely had to travel hundreds of miles on foot to see this baby.
If God was leading them to see this baby from hundreds of miles away, they probably thought they were going to encounter a big party in Jerusalem over the birth of this King. But what happened once they got there? Instead of being excited, Matthew says, When King Herod heard this he was disturbed. The Magi had no clue what kind of a king Herod was. This was the same king who had some of his own children put to death so they couldn’t take over his kingdom. He had to work 30 years to finally stop the Jews from rebelling over his headship. This was the first king that the Jews had who was not a Jew. Instead of being excited at this newborn King, Herod was disturbed. This was another obstacle for the Magi.
Herod wasn’t the only one disturbed. Matthew said that all of Jerusalem was disturbed with him. The Israelites knew that Herod would start shedding some blood once again. So instead of being eager to follow the Magi, all of the Jews stayed home in fear of Herod. They pointed the Magi to the exact spot where Christ was to be born, but they didn’t even go. Think of how depressing this would have been for the Magi. Instead of having the people rejoice over the birth of their prophecied King, they were disturbed. Then they didn’t even come along. But God had the star appear once again and lead them on. So by the grace of God, the Magi went to see the Christ child anyway.
Don’t we have the same kind of obstacles as we approach the King today? We are very influenced by the way others act around us. On Candid Camera they put one student in with a bunch of actors ~ they were all supposed to give basic answers as to how long a line was when compared with other lines. When the actors all gave the wrong answer, the one student went along with them, even though he knew better. In other words, he gave into the pressure of the others. This works the same way within the church. A new prospect expects to see people on fire for the Lord. He comes to church eager to listen to another sermon. He comes eager to grow. And he expects the members to have that same eagerness. But then he gets there, and nobody seems as thrilled as he is. Nobody asks any questions. Hardly anyone sings very loud. Some of the members even seem to have really negative feelings toward their congregation and pastor. You would expect those who have grown up in the Word to be the most excited to come to worship the King every Sunday. You would expect them to be the leaders in coming to Bible class and worship. But those who have the most opportunity, with the fewest obstacles, end up being a stumbling block to the new prospects. When they see those who should be strong - acting weak, it makes them take a step back.
The Magi had hundreds of miles to travel. They didn’t have the heritage and upbringing of the Jews in the Word of God. But they were the ones who went to see the King even when Herod and the people were disturbed over the whole situation. It’s so easy for us to follow in the footsteps of the Jews. Just because you grew up in the Bible, and just because you don’t have far to travel, don’t fall at the same obstacles. Even though everyone else in church may not take the opportunities to find out more about Christ, don’t let them slow you down. Even though nobody else may get excited about worship, don’t let that hinder you. The light of Christ is shining within the Word of God right in your house. Open it up! The Light of Christ is waiting to strengthen your faith when you take of the body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. Come and take it! Watch out for the obstacles. Even if everyone else is just sitting around - don’t let them slow you down. Don’t let them get in the way.
III. Have the same purpose
Finally we want to look at why the Magi were so determined to go and see the King. They didn’t make any qualms about it. They told Herod, We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." So once they found the King, they did what they came for. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Here they were, grown and educated men. They didn’t come to learn more about the movement of this special star. They didn’t come to explore the culture of the Jews. They came for one purpose. They came to bow down in worship to the Lord. They weren’t too proud. They actually kneeled down before this Baby, and praised Him. Not only did they open their hearts, but they also opened their material blessings to bless the King. That’s what they came to do.
Compare this to Herod’s purpose. He may have sounded very genuine when he spoke to the Magi. He said, Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. He thought that he could trick these “wise men” into revealing where this Christ child was so he could murder Him. But God knew what was in his heart. All he wanted to do was snuff out his competition. The amazing thing is that he believed there was a King born. If he didn’t believe it, he wouldn’t have had all of the children under two years old murdered in Bethlehem. Instead of bowing to this King, he immediately plotted to murder Jesus.
You see these two responses to the King today. Some people come to church every Sunday. They sound very pious. They look like very good members. And they even believe that Jesus actually existed. Some believe that He really died for our sins. But then their pride steps in, just like it did for Herod. They feel threatened when they find out that Jesus came to earn salvation for them. They don’t like the idea that they can’t do anything to save themselves. They want to be their own King and master of their destiny. Since salvation through faith takes the power away from them, they attempt to murder Christ. They tell us that they want to worship Jesus, but they tell us that we have to do something to earn salvation. They tell us that Jesus is their Savior, but then they tell us that He didn’t do everything to save us from our sins. We have to do more. Since the true Jesus of the Scriptures threatens their self righteousness, they try to murder Jesus. They may sound real pious. But they just want him put to death.
Instead of doing this, we want to come with the same purpose as the Magi. We want to come to Jesus so that we can worship him. Why? Epiphany will reveal to us a God who became man. As we see him perform mighty miracles - like walking on water, turning water into wine, raising the dead, and telling the future - we will want to praise God! But more importantly - it will give us a greater appreciation for the sacrifice that Jesus made as true God. As Philippians 2 says, Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! God became man to take our place on the cross - to die for us! Therefore, we will want to give our offerings in the offering plate, following in the footsteps of the Magi. We will want to get up and come to church, walking in the way of the wise men. The more we see of Jesus’ light, the more it makes us kneel before His majesty and worship him.
Just recently we made a trip to Norton and back - a journey of about 500 miles round trip. Even though we have heat and cruise control and padded seats - it still wasn’t very fun. The van began to have strange odors floating around. The children began to start being very protective of their space, proclaiming to one another, “quit touching me!” And a familiar cry started from the rear of the car, “are we there yet?” It isn’t a trip I would recommend anyone to make if they didn’t have to.
Today we took a much more difficult 500 mile trip with the wise men. It was a dirty trip - as they crossed a desert. It was a bumpy trip, as they rode on camels. It was filled with obstacles and challenges. Yet in the end, through nature and God’s Word - they were led to their Savior, and they worshiped him. To them, it was worth it to get sand in their shoes - wind in their faces - and sore saddles.
In order to hear about this trip of the Wise Men, you got up this morning, put on make up, dressed up, and came to church - to hear about this journey - and to find Christ in his Word and sacrament. You didn’t have to make this trip, but you decided to. Even though you haven’t traveled as long or experienced the obstacles of the Wise Men, you’ve found the same reward - a Savior - who lights up the world with his love and forgiveness. Was it worth it to you? I hope so. Amen.
