Wise Men Still Seek Him.

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Matthew 2:1-12

This morning our text is Matthew 2:1-12, the passage of scripture that describes the

wise men’s search for the Messiah so they could worship Him and give Him gifts.

Before I read the scripture, I want to ask you how your shopping is going? How

many of you are completely done? Raise your hands. How many of you are at least

half way through? Let me see your hands. OK, now, how many of you haven’t

started? That’s what I thought.

Christmas shopping, though fun, can be difficult. Did you hear about the guy that

bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas? A friend of his said, "I

thought she wanted one of those sporty 4-Wheel drive vehicles." "She did," he

replied. "But where am I gonna find a fake Jeep?" (Fresh

Illustrations--http://www.freshministry.org/illustrations.html)

I hope your shopping is more sincere than the man’s in my joke. I hope it is as

sincere as the wise men’s in our text:

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,

behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, [2] ’Where is He who has

been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to

worship Him.’ [3] And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all

Jerusalem with him. [4] And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the

people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. [5] And they

said to him, ’In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, [6]

And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of

Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler, Who will SHEPHERD My people

Israel.’

[7] Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star

appeared. [8] And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, ’Go and make careful

search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may

come and worship Him.’ [9] And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo,

the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and

stood over where the Child was. [10] And when they saw the star, they rejoiced

exceedingly with great joy. [11] And they came into the house and saw the Child

with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their

treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. [12] And

having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for

their own country by another way."

When I read this text, the first question that comes to my mind is, "How did these

wise men know to seek Jesus?" In a minute, we will explore that question together,

but before we do, I want us to ponder another question: "Why did God warn the

wise men not to accept Herod’s invitation to return?" The obvious answer lies in

what Herod did after Jesus was born, Look at Matthew 2:16: "Then when Herod

saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and

slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its environs, from two

years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi."

What kind of man was Herod? Was the slaughter of innocent children we just read

about his only act of atrocity, or were there others?

By and large, Herod was an evil man, but he did have his moments of kindness.

During the famine of 25 B.C., Herod melted down a gold plate he owned to use to

purchase corn to feed the starving people. (Barclay, p. 19)

Good for him. Unfortunately, that just goes to prove that even an evil man can rise

to an occasion and do the right thing.

Something he wasn’t known for. Remember it was Herod who killed John the

Baptist at the request of his niece. Why did his niece want John killed? Because her

mother, who was the wife of Herod’s brother, was involved in a scandalous affair

with King Herod, asked her to make the request of the king. Why would the King

honor such a dark request? He was cornered. After she danced for him, he pledged

to do whatever she wanted because she pleased him. (Matthew 14: 1-12)

These killings weren’t isolated incidents. The Roman Emperor, Augustus, said it was

safer to be Herod’s pig than his son. Herod had killed 3 sons, his wife and his