(This sermon is prepared by Pastor Joe Balaan, my student in Central Bible College, as part of his course requirement in Bible Exposition)
Main Idea : Jesus reveals Himself to people who seek for Him earnestly.
Historical background
The Magi were men who were skilled in philosophy, medicine and natural science. They were soothsayers and interpreters of dreams. In later times the word Magus developed a much lower meaning, and came to mean little more than a fortune-teller, a sorcerer, a magician, and a charlatan. Such was Elymas, the sorcerer (Ac.13:6, 8), and Simon who is commonly called Simon Magus (Ac.8:9, 11). But at their best the Magi were good and holy men, who sought for truth.
King Herod was a descendant of the Edomite, who was commonly called Edomeans during Jesus’ days. Herod had ruled as governor of Galilee from 47 to 37 B.C. he was then promoted to rule as king over all Palestine from 37 to 4 B.C. he became famous for building cities, fortresses, and temples throughout the land but generally opposed by the people because of his Edomite ancestry.
In 40 B.C. Jewish rebels and Persians had joined together to push the Romans and Herod their puppet king out of Palestine. But in 37 B.C. Herod came back with the Romans and again took control of Jerusalem. Ever since the Jews had shown a continual desire to overthrow Herod.
There was a dark and cruel streak in Herod’s character that showed itself increasingly as he grew older. His mental instability, moreover, was fed by the intrigue and deception that went on within his own family. Despite his affection for Mariamne, he was prone to violent attacks of jealousy; his sister Salome (not to be confused with her great-niece, Herodias’ daughter Salome) made good use of his natural suspicions and poisoned his mind against his wife in order to wreck the union. In the end Herod murdered Mariamne, her two sons, her brother, her grandfather, and her mother, a woman of the vilest stamp who had often aided his sister Salome’s schemes. Besides Doris and Mariamne, Herod had eight other wives and had children by six of them. He had 14 children.
Introduction:
Every year the whole world celebrates the Christmas season, the day when the savior of the world became flesh. The first century Christians does not celebrate Christmas in fact it is not the exact time when Jesus Christ was born, December 25 was the birth of the pagan god “Mitra” according to tradition they incorporate the birth of Mitra to the birth of Jesus just to convert the pagans to Christianity, the birth of Mitra were celebrated with feasting and extravagant celebration. Since then Christmas has been celebrated in the month of December.
Christmas celebration has become common all throughout the world, but not every person on earth really celebrated Christmas the way they should; and not every one who celebrate Christmas had found the savior of the world. Like in the days when Jesus Christ was born, the teacher of the Law knows that the Messiah has to be born but they never saw it, the king wanted to see the Messiah but has failed to take a glance of the child.
Christmas was celebrated by everybody but the Christ does not reveal himself to everybody!
Now let us study this wonderful verse of the scripture and find out what kind of people does the Messiah reveal himself.
Content
I. The savior reveals Himself only to those who search for Him.(v1a)
The whole Israel were expecting the coming of the messiah for their salvation, the chief priest and the scribes knows exactly were the messiah has to be born but they miss his birth, but there are people from a far country that knows that the messiah was born, but before they could find Him they have to experience circumstances.
a) In spite of the distance “…Jesus was born in Bethlehem…”
The magi had to travel from a distant country before they could find the savior. During those times to travel has a lot of difficulties, they have to prepare them selves for a long journey; they have prepare for foods for a period of time; they have to prepare themselves to the dangers of encountering bandits on the road. But none of these circumstances hinders them to go.
In our lives some times we encounter difficulties like this; we have to sacrifice to travel far just to meet God in our place of worship; some times we have to encounter a period of difficulties in our lives for a long time but at the end the savior is waiting for us to give us an everlasting joy, a joy that not even a king like Herod has.
b) In spite of the conditions “…in the days of Herod the king…”
Before they could find the savior they will past to a king, Herod was one of the cruelest kings ever lived; some historian said that it is better to be Herod’s pig than Herod’s son. Herod had experience revolt from the people that surround him so to found out that there is a born King of the Jews would be a threat for him and to look for that King would be dangerous for the lives of the magi.
In our quest to find Jesus we also experience these difficulties in lives some times we have to pass-through earthly authorities just to look upon the savior. Authorities like our earthly bosses, who seem to have wrong interest with the savior.
c) In spite of the odds “…magi from the east…”
Upon traveling the magi has to experience many odds in life, they have to spend money for the long travel, they have to accept the fact that there would be a slim chance to find the savior, they have to commune with people with different traditions. In fact our text implies the Jesus Christ has been already born but not as a little baby; because when Herod had found out that he has deceived by the magi in Matthew 2:16 he commanded all children from ages two and below to be killed this means that when Herod inquired with the magi about the exact time that the star had appear more or less Jesus is at the age of not more that two years old. But this odd does not hinder the magi to continue from their quest, to know and worship the King of the Jews.
There are also odds in real life, odds that we encounter upon our search with the savior. We might also experience financial difficulties, may be difficulties in dealing with other people or our own church mate; we may experience a great emotional difficulties whether to continue to search for God or to just leave Christianity behind and excel in your own field or job.
II. The savior reveals Himself only to those who inquire for Him.(v2)
a) Inquire seriously “…Where is He who has been born King…”
The chief priest and the scribes knows their bible but they have not wholeheartedly seek for the Messiah, Herod search for the savior but he is searching with wrong intensions, the whole Israel waits for the savior but only few shepherds has seen Him comes.
To seek the savior we must seek for Him seriously, according to the bible we should “we shall find Him if we seek for Him with all our hearts” the religious leader of that time know that the Messiah has to be born in Bethlehem but not of them bother to go to that place neither one of the went along with the magi to look for the child. The reason is that they are not serious in their search for the savior.
Many of us live in the same manner we read the bible but only for the purpose of reading, many of us attend churches but we consider it a diversion in our lives; many of us join the ministry but only for the purpose of self edification.
b) Inquire wisely “...For we saw His star…”
The magi inquire wisely first they went to the king who might know the affairs of His kingdom, they go straight to were he should be born, they don’t look for the king of the Jews at Persia but rather they go to the place were he should be reigning.
As a person who searches Christ we should search wisely, we should ask directly those people who know Christ like the Pastor of a Church; we should also search the scripture who reveals His personality. To inquire is not the business of many Christians today they are contented to the little knowledge they know about Christ in fact many Christians today know Christ superficially because they failed to inquire wisely. Inquiry involves knowledge; it also practices humility and a deep purpose in life; to inquire means to search for the truth and for the best answer in life. To inquire is to grow maturely in your field of work as we grow deep in our spiritual life the more that we should inquire deeply.
c) Inquire persistently “…and have come to worship Him…”
The magi also inquire with great determination, they have lay down the urgency of their purpose they said “…and have come to worship Him…” a purpose that has a great degree of urgency they can say we are here to see him, or to greet his parent or some other reason, but their persistency overpower every reason and say “…and have come to worship Him…”
Many believers in our time do not have the persistency of a full blooded Christian; they don’t display a dire desire to explore more about their faith and about their God. For a person to inquire persistently it requires a steady faith, a persistent desire an urgency that pushes them to the limit. Only those who seek persistently found the truth.
III. The savior reveals Himself only to those who will worship Him. (v2b)
a) Despite of the status “they came into the house…”
The faith of the magi is great that even though they have not found the savior in castle but only a house they have not doubted but rather they enter the house and treat Him as a King. To “come into the house” has a deeper meaning of respect; the magi are rich men they were aide to the kings and to enter a house portrays a deeper sense of respect, they have not questioned or doubted to their ultimate purpose.
b) Despite of appearance “…and saw the Child…”
They saw a child, this word implies simplicity the has seen a plain simple looking child but this sight doesn’t seem to bother them in fact they have given them gift that is fitted to a King, they have never under estimated the child Jesus despite of His status and appearance. This gives us a deeper sense of faith upon the Lord and a life style to follow. Every one who seek for the savior should not be deceive by appearance we should look for the savior with our spiritual eyes and not with our physical eyes, because physical eyes seeks for pleasure but spiritual eyes seek for God.
Conclusion:
About five to seven years ago, I was residing at Quezon City; it was the night before the Christmas day, I don’t have enough money to buy any food to celebrate the season. As Filipinos we use to celebrate Christmas Eve with feastings but that night was very different from any other Christmas Eve that I’ve experience, my roommate could not stand the situation, our neighbor invited her in there home to celebrate with them, I stayed at the room shut the light off so the no body could notice that there is somebody inside the room and I contemplate about the things that have happened in my life I also felt the self-pity because I could not buy any food; but the most pitiful things that I have felt is that I felt that God has abandoned me and what I am experiencing is a curse from Him, as I seat on my bed and as I listening to the laughter and merriment of the neighborhood I burst into tear, I cried and cried for about half an hour, during those time I could not wish for food or money and all I could hope is that even for that night alone I wish that God would visit me in that lonely room after that wish I suddenly felt the presence of God, I felt peace inside me, I suddenly felt security and the assurance that God indeed loves me!
Every Christmas I felt different blessing from God but this Christmas that I vividly remembered was one of the best Christmas season that I’ve experience, a Christmas in the presence of God!
Every body celebrated Christmas but Christmas is not for everybody it is only for those people who has able to see for the unseen things of God. If we celebrate it with deep spiritual reflection seriously inquire for the truth, persistently push our selves to the limit and see with the eyes of faith the savior of the world is ready to reveal Himself to us. But if we approach the season with feasting, drinking and other worldly thing we might not be celebrating the season of Christ but rather we are celebrating the birth of Mitra.
Brethren this Christmas let us contemplate and inquire in our innermost being and ask ourselves, whose season are we celebrating the humble birth of the Lord Jesus Christ or the extravagant birth of the god Mitra?!
Merry Christmas!
