The Wisdom of Christmas
Text: Matt. 2:1-12
Introduction
1. SUPPOSE IT HAD BEEN WISE WOMEN INSTEAD OF WISE MEN?
I read this humors account of the Wise Men (obviously written by a woman):
If it had been ‘Wise Women’ instead of ‘Wise Men’, they would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts from Baby’s-R-Us, including diapers, wipes, bibs and formula. But that’s an entirely different story…
2. At any rate, Christmas to me seems to be a great paradox.
a. There are a lot of people who celebrate Christmas, but want nothing to do with Christ.
b. There are a lot of people who would never darken the door of the church, but wouldn’t even think of not celebrating Christmas.
3. However, the truth of the matter is this:
a. The Wise Still Seek Him
b. The Unwise Still Try to Oppose Him
c. The Wise Still Worship Him
1. Read Matthew 2:1-12
Proposition: The wisdom of Christmas is following Christ.
Transition: The truth of Christmas is...
I. The Wise Seek Him (1-2)
A. Wise Men From the East
1. Matthew begins this narrative with "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea..."
a. The tiny town of Bethlehem is about five miles south of Jerusalem.
b. The prophet Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be born there, which Matthew quotes in verse 6 "’But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ "
c. To distinguish this Bethlehem from other towns with the same name, Matthew added in Judea.
2. Matthew adds that this happened "in the days of Herod the king..."
a. While many Herod’s are mentioned in the Bible, this was Herod the Great, who ruled from 37 to 4 B.C.
b. During the first part of his reign there were evidences of large-heartedness, of great possibilities in the man.
c. But the bitter experiences of his life, the endless whisperings and warnings of his court, the irreconcilable spirit of the Jews, as well as the consciousness of his own wrongdoing, changed him into a Jewish Nero: a tyrant, who bathed his own house and his own people in blood.
d. The demons of Herod’s life were jealousy of power, and suspicion, its necessary companion.—International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
3. Then Matthew tells us that "wise men from the East came to Jerusalem..."
a. Not much is known about these wise men. Also called Magi, they may have been from the priestly caste in Persia; they were not kings.
b. Tradition says they were men of high position from Parthia, near the site of ancient Babylon.
c. The traditional view that there were three wise men comes from the three gifts presented to Jesus, but the Bible does not say how many wise men came.
4. When they got to Jerusalem, they asked "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."
a. What was this star they saw?
b. Many suggest that it was a natural phenomenon that can be traced back to some known astronomical event.
c. Others suggest that the "star" was a supernatural astral phenomenon that God used to herald Jesus’ birth.
d. This is suggested in the text by the description of the star, which appears and reappears and moves and directs the Magi to the precise house that Jesus and his family occupied (Wilkins, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew, 96).
5. However, the key element in the text is that they came to worship "the King of the Jews."
a. Matthew made a significant point in highlighting the worship of these wise men, which stood in contrast to the Jewish religious leaders who knew the Holy Scriptures and did not need to travel far to find their Messiah.
b. The Jewish leaders directed the wise men to Bethlehem, but they did not go themselves (2:4-6).
c. As far as the Jews were concerned, these "wise men" were Godless heathens.
d. Yet they chose to worship Jesus, while the Jews chose to ignore Him. A theme that will continue.
B. The Wisdom of Following Christ
1. Illustration: “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” Charles H. Spurgeon
2. The great Anglican Bishop, J. C. Ryle, said of these first seekers of truth (the Magi), “We read of no greater faith than this in all the Bible. The wise men saw a newborn babe on the lap of a poor woman, and yet they worshipped him and confessed that he was the Christ.”
3. Rom. 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
4. There are many people today who think of themselves as wise, but by their rejection of Christ they show that they are only fools.
5. They reject the truth of God and believe a lie instead.
6. 1 Cor. 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
7. However, even worse, are those, who like the Jewish religious leaders, know the truth of the gospel and either reject or ignore it.
a. They choose to celebrate Christmas, yet they want to take Christ out of it.
b. They choose to celebrate Christmas, but the rest of the year they live like the devil.
c. How can they ignore such a great salvation.
8. The truly wise are those, who like the wise men of this account, seek Him, serve Him, and live for Him.
Transition: The wise still seek Him!
II. The Unwise Try to Oppose Him (3-8)
A. Herod The King
1. The wise men’s news deeply disturbed Herod because he knew that the Jewish people expected the Messiah to come soon.
2. Herod the Great was obviously disturbed for several reasons:
a. Herod was not the rightful heir to the throne of David; he reigned by appointment from Rome. If this baby really was a rightful heir to the throne, Herod could face trouble from the Jews.
b. Herod was ruthless, and because of his many enemies, he was suspicious that someone would try to overthrow him.
c. Herod didn’t want the Jews, a religious people, to unite around a religious figure.
3. However, Matthew tells us that Herod wasn’t the only one that was disturbed by this news. He says that "all of Jerusalem" was distrurbed with him.
a. In this "all Jerusalem" joins him, not because most of the people would have been sorry to see Herod replaced or because they were reluctant to see the coming of King Messiah, but because they well knew that any question like the Magi’s would result in more cruelty from the ailing Herod, whose paranoia had led him to murder his favorite wife and two sons. - Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:
b. You see, as he became older, he grew increasingly paranoid, and he had a number of his own family members imprisoned and executed — for example, his wife Miramne and later her two sons (Wilkins, 97).
4. Next, Matthew tells us, "when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born."
a. Herod needed some advice from the experts, so he called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law.
b. The leading priests were mostly Sadducees, while the scribes were mostly Pharisees.
c. These two groups did not get along because of vast differences in their beliefs about the law.
d. Imagine the scene: two groups who didn’t agree and didn’t like each other, and both groups were afraid of the guy in power. Sounds like Washington!
e. Among these men Herod hoped to find someone who could explain where the Messiah would be born.
5. So they told him "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet..."
a. The prophet Micah had given the exact location of the Messiah’s birth seven centuries earlier (Micah 5:2).
b. The Jewish religious leaders understood that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judah.
c. This fact was well known to all Jews (John 7:41-42).
d. Ironically, when Jesus was born, these same religious leaders became his greatest enemies.
e. When the Messiah for whom they had been waiting finally came, they wouldn’t recognize him.
6. Therefore, Herod developed a plan. First, he asked the wise men when they first saw the star. Then he told them "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."
a. Herod deduced that if he knew the exact time when they first saw the star, he would know the child’s age. Since the star had appeared two years earlier, Herod soon ordered the killing of all boys two years old and under.
b. Notice that he did this in secrecy.
c. The need for secrecy may have been to keep the Jews who were hoping for the arrival of Messiah from warning the Magi of Herod’s treachery ( Wilkins, 98).
d. So he goes about his plans secretly so that he can be rid of the threat to his throne without the people knowing of it.
B. Opposing Christ
1. Illustration: In John Gibson’s book “The War on Christmas” he shares several case studies of places where Christmas is under fire. It talks about a school in Georgia that had a suit declared from the ACLU changing Christmas vacation to Holiday break.
2. What the atheists and the ACLU are fighting is not Christmas. Their not fighting the church. Their not fighting Christianity. What they are fighting is God!
3. Just like everyone in the past that has fought against Christ they will lose!
a. Herod tried it and lost.
b. The Pilate tried it and lost.
c. Hitler tried it and lost.
d. The Communists tried it and lost.
4. Matt. 16:18 on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
5. They can take away Christ out of Christmas. They can take away the Manger. They can take away the crosses. But they are never going to be able to take away the one whom they stand for
Transition: Like all the others before them they will come to nothing!
III. The Wise Worship Him (9-12)
A. Worshiped Him
1. Having been told that the child was to be born in Bethlehem, the wise men went their way.
2. Once again the star appeared to them as they traveled toward Bethlehem. Then, the star stopped over the place where the child was.
a. Matthew does not tell us what the star looked like, how it moved, or how the wise men found the child from the movement and stopping of the star.
b. Since the Magi have already been informed that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, the star doesn’t so much guide them to the town but to the place in the town where the child and family are now located (Wilkins, 99).
c. But Matthew made his point that God had purposely sent this star to guide these men to his Son.
3. Matthew says that "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy."
a. Listen to how emphatic that is "they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy."
b. It’s like when my children think something is exceptionally cool they say it was "really, really, really cool!"
c. Joy: An inner gladness; a deep-seated pleasure. It is a depth of assurance and confidence that ignites a cheerful and rejoicing heart. It is a cheerful heart that leads to cheerful and rejoicing behavior.—Practical Word Studies in the New Testament
d. When was the last time you came to church like that?
4. When they came to house where Jesus, Mary and Joseph were, Matthew says they "fell down and worshiped Him."
a. The word used to describe the Magi’s "worship" is one normally reserved for the veneration of deity.
b. It is a clear principle in Scripture that God alone is to receive worship, never an intermediary, not even an angel (Wilkins, 100).
5. After they had worshiped Him they presented Him with gifts.
a. They didn’t bring Him junk either!
b. "Gold" is the most-often mentioned valued metal in Scripture; as in modern times, it was prized throughout the ancient world as a medium of exchange as well as for making jewelry, ornaments, and dining instruments for royalty.
c. Frankincense was used for secular purposes as a perfume, but in Israel it was used ceremonially as part of a recipe for the only incense permitted on the altar.
d. Myrrh, a valued spice and perfume, also came from trees and was used in embalming; thus, it was a gift for a person who was going to die.
e. Do we bring our best when we come to worship?
B. Worshiping the King
1. Illustration: A.W. Tozer said, "We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God." God is worthy of our worship. One of the ways that you can be reasonably assured of your salvation is your desire to worship. Knowing the true God, and recognizing idols that would take His rightful place are marks of a true Christian.
2. What many people fail to realize is that Christmas is about worship.
a. The wise men worshiped Him.
b. The Angels worshiped Him.
c. The Shepherds worshiped Him.
d. The animals worshiped Him.
3. What do we do?
a. We’re worried that they might sing my favorite song.
b. We’re concerned how we going to pay of the Visa card after the holidays for all the presents we bought.
c. We’re thinking about that ugly tie that aunt Martha gave me.
d. We want to know if those new jeans we got for Christmas is going to make out bottom look fat.
4. When we sing Christmas carols, are we singing or are we worshiping?
5. When we sing, "Oh come let us adore Him," are we?
Transition: Let’s make Christmas about worship again!
Conclusion
1. The wisdom of Christmas is that:
a. The wise still seek Him
b. The unwise still oppose Him
c. The wise still worship Him
2. How about you?
a. Do you seek Jesus everyday with all your heart?
b. Do you truly worship Jesus with all your heart?
c. Do you show by your actions that you oppose Jesus?
d. Will you be counted among the wise this Christmas?
