The Four Wise Men (In The Gospel Of John)

The Gospel of John, chapter 1:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The FIRST part of chapter one tells us who Jesus is:

Jesus is the Word, Jesus is the Creator. He is life. He is Light. Verse 14 tells us, "The Word became flesh" (God became flesh, The Incarnation).

Jesus is God.

The SECOND part of chapter one tells us how to respond to The Incarnation.

Verses 10-12 tells us, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Many did not recognize Him. Many did not receive Him. But to those who did, to those who believe, he has given the right to become children of God. How awesome is that?

The Christmas Story in the Gospel of John is far different than the account in Matthew and Luke. There is no baby, no Mary and Joseph, no angels, no shepherds. But there were four wise men.

FOUR WISE MEN

1. JOHN THE BAPTIST

John 1:6-9 "There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world."

In John 1:27, John the Baptist says about Jesus, "He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

And then in verses 36, John the Baptist says, "Behold, the Lamb of God!”

JOHN THE BAPTIST'S RESPONSE: BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD (That's a pretty profound response!)

Think about how significant the lamb was in Jewish culture.

a. It started with the Passover: When God brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. He instructed the Israelites to take a lamb, slaughter it, and smear the blood on their door post. Then the angel of death would "pass over" their homes and spare their lives. The Jewish people have been celebrating Passover ever since.

b) Temple worship: God commanded each family bring a lamb to the Temple each year on the Day of Atonement. The father of the family would bring a lamb to sacrifice. He would lay his hand on the head of the lamb and confess the family’s sins. The symbolism was obvious: The father was identifying with the lamb. The lamb was dying in his place. The sins of the family were being covered by the blood of the lamb.

John the Baptist looks at Jesus and says, “This Person, this man, is the Lamb of God.” (That’s not what they had been expecting. They had never thought of the lamb as a person). But John said, “It’s always been about him. Everything written in the Old Testament about a lamb has been pointing to him.”

He was saying, “The Lamb and Messiah are the same person.” That would have blown their minds.

John says, “Behold him!” (“Look at Him! Recognize Him! Pay attention to Him!”)

The admonition is still relevant today: You cannot appreciate the good news until you understand the bad news. You have sinned. You deserve the wrath of God. But God sent Jesus as a lamb to die for your sins, so His wrath would pass over you.

Jesus is the Lamb sent for you. Behold him! Consider what his coming means about you.

2. ANDREW (one of John the Baptist's disciples)

John 1:40-42 "Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.

The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus."

ANDREW'S RESPONSE: “We have found the Messiah." ("Found" - EUREKA! (The Greek is literally "Eureka! The Messiah!")

To anyone new to Christianity, let me explain. "Messiah" is Hebrew (The Old Testament was written in Hebrew). In Greek, it is "Christ" (the New Testament is written in Greek). "Christ" is NOT Jesus' last name (The Bible says "Jesus Christ" 134 times. It says Christ Jesus 86 times). It's NOT His last name. It's His title. Christ means "Anointed One" in English.