"The Wisdom Of The Wisemen" Series

THE WISDOM OF THE WISEMEN

Text: Matthew 2:1-3; 7-12

Introduction-

I would like to speak today on the subject-

"The Wisdom of the Wisemen." They were wise,

very wise, indeed! Will we be wise this Christ-

mas? We will, if we do what the wise men did.

First, let’s consider some background information.

Just who were the wise men? The Bible states sim-

ply that they were from the East.

-it does not tell us how many there were

early traditions say 12-14

Later, the number was limited to 3 to correspond

to the 3 gifts they gave the Christ child

-it does not tell us where they were from

Some say they were from Chaldea, or Arabia, or

Babylonia. The view which gained the most accep-

tance was that they were from Persia.

-it does not tell us their occupation

were they astrologers and magicians?

were they priests or kings?(song-We 3 Kings)

We simply do not know for certain. What we do

know about them was that they were wise. What

evidences do we have that they were wise?

I. FIRST OF ALL, THEY WERE WISE BECAUSE THEY

FOLLOWED THE LEADERSHIP OF THE LORD GOD.

Somehow, God spoke to them in their language, and

revealed to them that a Great One was being born.

Historians tell us that there was a hunger and

expectation in that day and time for a Messiah,

and that it was commonly held that this coming

King, or kings, would originate in the Holy Land

of Israel.

God wanted them to be involved in this great event.

They were captivated and challenged by the appear-

ance of a supernatural, heavenly star, that shone

with splendor and majesty. They determined to

seek this coming one.

Later, when they arrived in Jerusalem and appeared

before Herod the Great, they followed the direction

of the Lord as revealed in His Holy Word, and sought

out the Savior in Bethlehem of Judea, as predicted

by the prophet Micah.(5:2)

Matthew 2:9-"...the star, which they saw in the

east, went before them, till it came and stood over

where the young child was."

There was something special about that star. It

re-appeared to them, and led them to the very spot

where the Christ was to be found.

Will we be wise, and let God lead us to Jesus this

Christmas? Without God’s help, none of us could

ever find Him. He must point the way. He will,

because He loves us, and wants us to be saved.

Notice also that when they arrived it says that

they found the young child and his mother. Jesus

may have been up to 2 yrs. old at the time. The

picture of the wise men at the manger probably

just isn’t correct. That’s why Herod had all the

children 2 and under slain. It had been calculated

what His approximate age was. Because of an error

in the calenders of that day and the one we present-

ly use, some 5-7 years may be missing. That’s

why we say Jesus was probably born sometime between

5-7 B.C..

The star was of God’s making. It may have been

through some natural occurance, such as the con-

junction of two planets, or a comet, or falling

star, or, a unique creation of God for this spec-

ial occasion. Whatever happened, God did it.

II. THE WISE MEN WERE ALSO WISE BECAUSE THEY SOUGHT

JESUS FOR THE RIGHT REASON.

They were not seeking Him to benefit themselves

financially, or to earn fame. They wanted to

worship Him, and adore Him as King of the World

and Universe.

Friends, are you seeking Jesus for the right reason,

or do you seek Him for your own benefit?

We miss the meaning of Christmas if we seek Him

wrongly. Like Herod, who really did not desire to

worship him, but really wanted to murder him, we

condemn ourselves if we follow Him for the wrong

reasons.

III. Thirdly, THE WISE MEN WERE WISE BECAUSE THEY

GAVE JESUS THE VERY BEST THAT THEY HAD.

Matthew 2:11-"And when they were come into the

house...And when they had opened their treasurers,

they presented unto him gifts: gold, and frankin-

cense, and myrrh."

It is important to note that they first gave them-

selves before they gave their gifts. They had come

from far, because they earnestly desired Him.

Conclusion-Will we be wise this Christmas? We

will if we will follow the leadership of the Lord

and His Word, if we seek Him for the right reasons,

and if we give Him the best we have to give.

*Note for ministers-

See William Barclay’s Daily Bible Study series for

some excellent background material, such as the

names of the 3 wise men, according to tradition,

etc. He also has some very interesting material