“Wise Men Still Seek Him”
(Matthew 2:1-12)
Christmas
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Henderson, KY
(12-21-08) (AM)
- Take God’s Word and open to Matthew, chapter 2.
We have been preaching through 1Timtohy in our regular morning worship services, but this week we are “pushing the pause button” on 1Timothy and turning to Matthew’s Gospel to focus-in on a very special Christmas text that reminds us what this time of the year is all about.
I love Christmas, don’t you?! And I love everything that goes with Christmas, too. You know what I mean? I like the party atmosphere of it. I like all the “stuff.” I’ve shared with you before my love for all the stuff that accompanies Christmas. I like Santa Claus and Christmas gifts and Christmas trees and Christmas lights and fruit baskets, chestnuts, Chex mix, cheese, sausage, ham, turkey, cinnamon and spice, gum drops, candy canes, cookies, cheesecake, red velvet cake, pumpkin pie, oatmeal pie, divinity, fudge, gingerbread houses, gingerbread cookies, Hershey’s kisses, red & green M&Ms, chocolate-covered peanuts, chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate-covered cashews, chocolate-covered anything. I love all that stuff! Little wonder the average American gains a pound or two during December.
But, of course, Christmas means so much more than all of those wonderful things. Christmas is about worshiping Christ. Christmas is about worshiping the God who came to us in the little manger of Bethlehem. And we are reminded of that through this morning’s text. Listen for what it means to worship the Christ of Christmas as I read this text.
- Stand in honor of the reading of the Word.
1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “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.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And 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.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
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.’ ”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “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.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
- Pray.
Introduction:
The story of the wise men following the star is told in many Christmas pageants the world over. One pastor enlisted four children to help him preach a four-point Christmas sermon entitled, “The Star.” He had given each child one of the four letters to hold up so he could make a point on each letter of the word “Star—S-T-A-R.” What he didn’t realize was there was a mix-up and somehow the children and the letters got it backwards so that when they stood before the congregation they spelled-out the word, “RATS!” Not exactly the kind of lasting impression the pastor hoped to make upon his congregation.
It’s kind of ironic, you know, we sing this song about the three wise men everybody knows. How does it go? “We three kings of Orient are…” That’s wrong in so many ways. First, the Bible doesn’t tell us there are three. It mentions three gifts, but it doesn’t tell us how many wise men came. Then the song says, “We three kings,” but they weren’t kings. And then it says that they came from “Orient,” and we think of China today, but these guys had never been to China. Not a big deal. We can still sing the song. I just think it’s kind of funny that it’s all wrong!
I love the little plaques and signs that we see everywhere this time of the year, “Wise men still seek him.” I just think that’s great, because this text certainly teaches that the wise men—however many there were and from wherever they came—the text teaches that the wise men came looking for Jesus. And wise men and women today still seek him.
So whether there were three wise men, I want us to make our way back through the text and notice that the wise men did three wise things and it’s all about worship. Verse 2 tells us that the wise men came “to worship Him.” They came to worship Him. So they teach us this morning about worship. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with the wise himself becomes wise.” I want to be wise and I’ll be you do, too. So let’s learn from these wise men. How do the wise men teach us about worship? Here’s number one, the wise men teach us to:
I. Seek Him Eagerly (1-8)
These wise men display an enthusiasm, a passion, and a zeal for worshiping Christ. You note it when you read the text and consider some of the things Matthew tells us about them. Verse 1:
1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
The Bible says these wise men came “from the East” to Jerusalem. Now that doesn’t mean they came from the east side of the city. Rather they had come from a far eastern land. They were Magi, as the Greek has it. Magi were these wise star-gazers who had come from as far away as Bablyon or Persia. That’s like 900 miles. That’s like from Henderson, Kentucky to Pueblo, Colorado. And that’s on-foot. So their trip had taken them as long as a year to travel the distance from Persia to Jerusalem.
So they’re in Persia and they look out to the west and they see this star, apparently an unusually bright star and they associate it with the promise of the Messiah’s coming. Now I don’t know how they knew that. Matthew’s point in telling this story is not to give us all the historical details. He is not a historian first. He is an evangelist first. So while his history is accurate, it’s not his point to give a thorough historical account here. His main point is to share the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus. So he tells us that these Magi, these star-gazers, people who were considered the intelligentsia of Persia, make their way westward to Jerusalem. And apparently they get as far as Jerusalem before they need some more details about locating this newborn King. They’re asking a question here in verse 2:
2 saying, “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.”
That question was asked more than once. The word “saying” there at the beginning of verse 2, “saying” or “asking,” is a participle which denotes a continuous action. It’s like these wise men were eagerly asking anyone who would listen, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? Where is He? Do you know? Do you?” Well, there was one guy who heard the question and he wasn’t too pleased. Verse 3:
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Herod isn’t pleased because he is king. For nearly 40 years Herod had been called “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate. Herod was king, yet here are these wise men asking over and over again, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews, where is He who has been born King of the Jews,” and Herod’s like, “If you use that word ‘King’ one more time–!” So Herod was troubled “and all Jerusalem with him.” That’s like the plaque that used to hang in my mother’s kitchen: “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” When Herod wasn’t happy, no one was
happy. So what does Herod do? Verse 4:
4 And 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.
Okay, note that: who is Herod gathering together? The “chief priests” and “scribes of the people.” These are the religious people. These are the religious leaders. And Herod asks them the question he had heard the wise men ask, “Where is this so-called king to be born, where is the ‘Christ,’ the Messiah to be born?” They answer in verse 5:
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
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.’ ”
So these chief priests and scribes of the people share with Herod a quote from the Old Testament book of Micah, a prophecy which foretells the coming of Messiah in Bethlehem 700 years before the event happens. Remarkable prophecy! That’s my favorite Christmas verse: Micah 5:2. Read the full verse later in Micah. So these religious leaders tell Herod where the promised Messiah, the promised King, the promised Savior will be born. Verse 7:
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “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.”
Herod had no intention of worshiping Christ. That’s why he called for the wise men “secretly.” There is deception in his heart. He wants to kill this newborn King. So he sends these wise men off to Bethlehem with the instruction to return and give him the exact location so that he may “come and worship Him also.” He had no interest in worshiping Christ.
But he wasn’t alone in this apathy. I’ve always been struck by the fact that those who knew the precise location of the Messiah’s birth—religious leaders, at that—had no interest in making the trip to Bethlehem with the wise men. I mean Bethlehem is only like 5 miles south of Jerusalem, but the chief priests and the scribes remain in Jerusalem. It’s absolutely astonishing. That’s why you never see chief priests and scribes in a nativity set. They knew where to go to find the Messiah, but they didn’t go. This unbelievable inaction on their part caused St. Augustine to say that these religious leaders were “like mile-markers, pointing others to the way, but (themselves remaining) stolid and indifferent.” What a contrast! On the one hand you have the eagerness of the wise men and on the other hand the indifference of the religious leaders.
May God help us this week to not become cold, dull, and emotionless during Christmas. Take time this week to be as wise as the wise men and seek Christ Jesus with great eagerness. And not just during Christmas, but throughout the year. Fall in love with the Lord Jesus Christ! Worship Him as these wise men, people who were willing to make a 900 mile journey to be with Jesus. They overcame a number of barriers to be with Jesus, to worship Jesus.
I don’t know what barriers you need to overcome to make the worship of Jesus Christ a priority, but let’s remember what motivates us. The Bible says in 1 John 4:10 that God “loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” That means that Jesus came into this world at Christmas to die for us. Jesus died to take care of our sin problem and when He died on the cross, He fully exhausted God’s wrath which was directed towards us because of our sin. So if we receive Christ as Lord, our sins are forgiven because Jesus Christ’s death for us fully satisfied God’s righteous demands. This isn’t automatic. We must personally receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Seek Him eagerly. Be wise and seek Him eagerly. Secondly:
II. Seek Him Joyfully (9-10)
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
Sometimes we focus so much on the star that we miss an interesting point in the narrative. I mean if I asked you, “What specifically led the wise men to Jesus” you might respond, “Well, the star.” But we may say that it wasn’t really the star that led the wise men to Christ. I mean they had seen the star while they were 900 miles away and they made the trip to Jerusalem in order to worship the Messiah, the one born King of the Jews. But it’s when they finally get to Jerusalem that they need a little more revelation. And so they eagerly ask the question, “Where is He who is born King of the Jews?” And where do they get the answer? From Scripture. Someone opens the Old Testament scroll of Micah and reads that verse, “This ruler will come from Bethlehem” and then off the wise men go to Bethlehem.
The story is a reminder that while the beauty of creation indicates the presence of a divine Designer, such information, and such general revelation, in and of itself is insufficient in accomplishing our salvation. We need more information, more than general revelation. We need special revelation. We need the Scriptures. This is the teaching of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 1. Unaided reason is insufficient in getting us saved. It is not enough to look at the majestic landscape or to gaze upon the beauty of a star in the sky and say, “Surely there must be a god.” That is true, but that God has made himself known to us in both general revelation—like the beauty of nature—and in special revelation—the Scriptures, the Bible that tells us about Jesus and how we can be saved. This is why evangelism and missions is so critical. It is not enough to look at nature and acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being. No, we need more information, more revelation, and God has revealed Himself to us more completely in the Bible. Only by hearing the Gospel through the Scriptures may we come to know God in a personal saving way through Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Bible says here in verses 9 and 10 that after they got more information from the Scriptures they made their way off to Bethlehem. And they saw that star again, going before them till it came and stood over where the young Child was. Now watch this in verse 10:
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced.” Is that what it says? “When they saw the star they rejoiced with joy.” Is that what it says? “When they saw the star they rejoiced with great joy?” Is that what it says?! It says, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” That’s “Joy x 4.” That’s quadruple joy! I think Matthew’s trying to make a point, don’t you?
I love Jesus, don’t you? When I think about who He is, I rejoice. When I think about what He’s done for me, I rejoice with joy. When I think about what he’ll do for others, I rejoice with great joy. And when I think about Him throughout the day I rejoice with exceedingly great joy. Do those kind of feelings well up in you when you think of Jesus? They should. I do not understand how a person who professes to know Christ can never speak of Him to others. I don’t understand how a person can keep from singing. I don’t understand how a person who claims to know Jesus can fail to worship Him joyfully. Seek Him eagerly, seek Him joyfully and, thirdly:
III. Seek Him Selflessly (11-12)
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
So God made sure Herod didn’t get the message about Christ’s precise location. And look again at verse 11 as it tells us yet another thing these wise men did in their worship of Chrit:
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
See here the selfless nature of worship. The wise men fell down. That was a way of saying, “I am low. You are high.” Then they “worshiped Him.” The word worship means, “to ascribe worth.” The Old English word literally means, “worth ship,” to ascribe worth.” To worship Christ is to ascribe to Him the worth, dignity, reverence, awe, and respect of which He alone is worthy.
And then the Bible says that these wise men made and offering to Christ. There’s been a lot of conjecturing about the symbolism of these gifts, but Matthew’s point seems to be that the gifts were costly. Yet the wise men did not give these gifts to Jesus because they thought He needed them. God doesn’t need our gifts. Giving is a means of worshiping God. It means that we think more of God than we do our money.
And we do not give because we expect something in return. That is not worship! Listen to this quote of John Piper:
“When you give a gift to Christ like this, it’s a way of saying, ‘The joy that I pursue is not the hope of getting rich with things from you. I have not come to you for your things, but for yourself. And this desire I now intensify and demonstrate by giving up things, in the hope of enjoying you more, not things. By giving to you what you do not need, and what I might enjoy, I am saying more earnestly and more authentically, ‘You are my treasure, not these things.’”
That’s what it means to worship wisely this Christmastime! That each of us would say, “Lord Jesus, You are my treasure. You alone are my treasure and nothing else.”
O, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
- Stand for prayer.
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