Matthew 2:1-12
If the music didn’t give it away and the Scripture reading didn’t give it away, I’ll have you turn to Matthew chapter 2, because that’s the text we’re going to cover tonight, in just a few moments of reflection on the worship of the wise men, the worship of the Magi. We ended this morning taking note of those whom God had favored when he chose to reveal the birth of Jesus Christ. We talked about Zechariah, the old priest and his wife Elizabeth, whom God gave a child in their old age, Joseph and Mary, the young couple, parents of Jesus, and then the shepherds of Bethlehem, who were the first to have the privilege of visiting the newborn king shortly after his birth.
All of those couples, all those people were near, geographically speaking, to the place of Jesus birth in Bethlehem, ethnically as well, all of them were Jews, all religiously, culturally, sons of Abraham, daughters of Abraham, all of them looking to the promise. But the Gospel writer Matthew, in Matthew chapter 2:1 to 12, introduces us to those who were far, far away. Geographically they were from the East. Ethnically they were not Jews, but they were Gentiles, which means they were foreigners. From a Jewish perspective, they were at a religious and cultural distance from Israel. Strangers to the promises of scripture and yet, though they were not close, but had come from a far, far distance away, these wise men were chosen by God for the distinct privilege of worshipping the Christ Child, King of Kings and Lord of Lords and they are set in vivid and stark contrast to many, many people who were near.
So as I always do, try to prepare a few points just to hang your thoughts on, so we kind of organize this in a fashion, but I’m going to give you a first point, first in these wise men. If you’re looking at Matthew 2, we’re going to go back through that again, Matthew 2:1 to 12, but first point is the preparation for Christmas worship. The preparation for Christmas worship. As I said, the text was just read, but let’s turn to that again and starting in Matthew 2:1, it says “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem.” He’s setting the time and place for us.
Matthew sets the time in the days of Herod the Great toward the end of Herod’s reign, when the Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem and they said in Matthew chapter 2, verse 2, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him.” They’re coming, well after the birth of Jesus. He’s no longer an infant lying in a manger. So those manger scenes where the Magi are there, incorrect. I understand it’s sentimental and traditional to put them there. It’s cool, go ahead and do that, but just understand we have the inside story. These wise men, these Magi came probably as much as a year or maybe even two years later. The family is now in a home, no longer in a manger in a stall. So the Magi, they have come, from, into Jerusalem, arriving from the east. They’re riding on animals, maybe camels, maybe even Arabian horses coming from that part of the world. Lots of baggage, a large retinue of servants following them. They were speaking Persian, maybe Greek, but suffice it to say, this large entourage entering into Jerusalem from the east, these men were noticed. They didn’t come stealthily into town. They were seen.
Matthew tells us a little bit about them, but just want to again emphasize, contrary to the Christmas song we just sang, it’s not “We three kings of Orient are,” it’s we three wise men. Wise men, not kings. They’re Magi. Very specific term in scripture. Magi belong to a high priestly cast of religious scholars from ancient Persia and Babylon. They were the scholars, the teachers of science and religion in that part of the world. They protected the law, the traditions, the culture of the Chaldeans.
These are the same ones, if you remember your biblical history, back in the book of Daniel, there are those who were summoned along with Daniel to interpret the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon and when Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were brought to Babylon in the exile of 605 BC, they became students of the Magi. They were raised in the culture and the learning of the Babylonians and the Chaldeans. They learned the arts and the sciences, studied ancient wisdom from these Chaldean scholars. Eventually, as we know from Daniel, God elevated Daniel and his friends to positions of authority over the ruling class of the Chaldeans in Babylon and through them God sovereignly and graciously gave to the Chaldeans the revealed wisdom not just of their own history and traditions, but now of his Mosaic Law, the Jewish prophets. They learned of Israel’s hope.
So these Magi had learned from Daniel and his friends, this messianic hope, coming of a Savior prophesied since the very beginning in Genesis 15, the protoeangelion or first gospel where God promised salvation would come from a child, the offspring of a woman, to crush the head of the devil and to free us from sin. All this because of the conquering of Jerusalem and the sending of Daniel and his friends into exile. Not everything that happens that’s bad to us is truly bad from a divine, sovereign perspective. After the Babylonian Empire fell to the Medes, we know about Cyrus the Great of Persia in 538 BC, he decreed the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, to go back and rebuild their temple.
Many of the Jews, however, stayed in Babylon. Others remained in Persia, and so the promises of the gospel in the Jewish scripture became known to many and most notably, they were studied by these Magi by the scholarly class, the high priestly class. And so centuries later, by the time these Magi had arrived in Jerusalem, they’ve been studying the Jewish scriptures and anticipating the Jewish Messiah for centuries. They’ve been waiting for him, looking for him, anticipating him, and once they saw his star, whatever that means, they made their preparations and they hit the road.
Traveling from the land of Chaldea near ancient Babylon, they’d come a long, long way, around 900 miles; taking, not just driving 900 miles, they took animals. They were on beasts of burden so it took about four months. It’s not just a long distance, but it’s a long time of waiting and anticipating as they draw near to Jerusalem. These Magi, though, were eager and they were eager to worship, it says that they were asking as soon as they got into town, not what’s the best restaurant, you know, list where do we go and get some food? What are the best hotels? They said, “where is he who’s been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose. We’ve come to worship him.”
Matthew doesn’t explain for us the star that the Magi saw was back home in their land of Chaldea. It looked like a star, but it frankly behaved for them like the Shekinah glory of God behaved for the Israelites, visible manifestation of God’s presence to them and that Shekinah glory of God, looking like a star, guided them. It remained to them a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night, but guiding them from Egypt to the land of promise for the Israelites, and the same kind of thing going on for these Magi. Somehow, by God’s mysterious grace, these Magi knew that this star was something special, that this is his star and they are so certain that they immediately packed their bags.
Interesting how they gave up their life for better part of a year, maybe more. Some people won’t roll out of bed on a Sunday morning and cross the street to worship the Lord after all that’s been told of him, all that’s been written about him, and they still shrug their shoulders as if it’s no big deal. These men took a year off from their lives. They embarked on a 900 mile, 4 month journey to follow the sign of the birth of the King of the Jews in a hope that they might see him. Their hearts are certainly prepared for Christmas worship. So, friends, have you prepared this season not simply to celebrate Christmas, but to worship? The Magi prepared their hearts by studying ancient texts; by pondering the wisdom they’ve been taught for centuries. They spared no expense to do something with what they learned.
So maybe as you do your Christmas celebrations this season, maybe you could consider pulling out a Bible at your Christmas table and after eating the meal, don’t want to impede the satisfaction of eager appetites, but perhaps you could lead in a reading or two, maybe a little explanation of the meaning of Christmas based on things you’ve heard this Sunday and in your Christian life, praying, giving thanks for God’s good gifts of Christ and his great salvation. That’d be a good way to prepare your hearts to celebrate Christmas.
Second point, notice the rejection of Christmas worship. The rejection of Christmas worship, of course, we’re talking about Herod and his court. We’re talking about the religious establishment of Jerusalem. These are well studied, highly accomplished scholars, all of them with privileged access to the truth. These scribes and elders and priests, they are of the, won’t get out of bed to cross the street kind of people. Their hearts are not prepared for worship, but they’re bent on rejection. As it says in verse 3, “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.”
These Magi, though they came to worship the King of Kings, they came to bow down before the Lord of Lords, they know that this is bigger than politics, this is bigger than nations, this is the King of the world.” Travis Allen
Herod the Great, if you read about his history, it’s fascinating. He sought and received from the Romans the title King of the Jews, even though he didn’t have a drop of Jewish blood flowing through his veins. He was an Idumean, an Edomite, a descendant of Esau. So he really had no true right to rule over the Jews, but no matter. Herod obtained his throne by cunning, and once he got his title and his office, he intended to keep it at all costs. He held on to his position by ruthlessness and cunning and any potential political rival was eliminated.
No one was safe, not even family members, relatives; his sons were not safe, his daughters, even his own wife. He had a penchant for suspicion and a cruelty that led Caesar Augustus to remark it’s better to be Herod’s pig than his son. And so this is the Herod who is troubled, since he knew deep down inside, he’s not really the king of the Jews. He’s nothing more than an Idumean pretender. He’s got no valid claim to the throne of Jerusalem, no real right to the title. No matter what title Rome conferred upon him, the Jews were not his people and Jerusalem was not his city.
The throne belonged to another, to this prophesied Messiah, and he is there sitting on it, without divine authorization, without true permission. So when Matthew says all Jerusalem was troubled with him, we know why. Whenever Herod started to feel at least the least bit insecure, people died. He started killing until he found and eliminated the threat. So all those around him, to avoid becoming a target of his, they started to investigate and do some work for him, make sure that they’re not on the list. So verse 4 says, “Gathering together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, Herod was inquiring of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him in Bethlehem of Judea. For this is what is written by the prophet. And you, Bethlehem, land of Judea, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah. For out of you shall come forth a ruler, will shepherd my people, Israel.”
Herod’s not getting new information, by the way, being a king in Jerusalem and sitting on that throne, he couldn’t help, through all of the readings, and all of the priests and the scribes and the scholars around him; he knew his Bible, he knew the Scriptures, he knew the prophecies, so we shouldn’t think of him as wholly ignorant, as if he didn’t know where the Messiah was to be born. He knew the implications about the Magi’s question about the King of the Jews. He knew this is a messianic question about the Christ. He’s not ignorant. He knows his Bible. But he did what every intelligent ruler would do in such a position. He called in the biblical experts and made sure he got his facts right. Called the local seminary and said hey, I need some of your guys to come down and fill me in on this. He wanted certainty before he made a move.
There’s an evil plan already formulating in his devious mind. It says, “Herod secretly called the Magi,” verse 7, “determined from them the time that the star appeared.” He knows about this prophecy. He just wants to get down the time, he’s trying to triangulate. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “go search carefully for the child and when you have found him, report back to me so that I too may come and worship him.” It’s as he’s done all his life. Herod is using these Magi, turns them into his private detectives, his spies. He deploys them to go out and gather intel for him and bring him back word. So they had come to worship the true king of the Jews, but Herod, he’s feigning worship here. His plan is to do what he’s always done, he’s going to eliminate one more rival.
So Herod’s idolatrous heart, much like the idolatrous heart of every non-Christian, tolerates no rivals to the worship of the self. That’s really what’s at the heart of all idolatry, self-worship, that’s the essence of all idolatry. What would it be to anybody who stands in the way of the worship of the self? Again, think about that this Christmas season, whether your heart is all about yourself or whether it’s really about God and others. What is your heart focused on? What do you love the most? What do you long for the most? If you put it in a sentence and you leave it blank: My life would be perfect if.. whatever’s filled in, in that blank, that’s what you worship, is your own comfort, what you idolize, not merely physical comfort, but maybe emotional comfort, relational ease. Is your comfort the most important thing? Are you giving yourself to that, or does your heart really love and worship God? Do you love doing spiritual good to others, no matter the cost?
These Magi, they sacrificed a lot of comfort, their wealth, their convenience. They left the land of, they came from in the east, came to the west; many, many miles, arrive in Jerusalem, check in with the local authority, and they leave Jerusalem in good faith. They’re very eager to finish what they’d come to do. Herod stayed in Jerusalem to gather his death squad together, prepare his assassins to go locate and then terminate the child once he received word from the Magi. But high above Herod’s cunning, watching over these pious Magi, God guided the wise men to their destination. It’s by his good and wise providence. He protected them. He gave them their hearts desire to worship the King.
Brings us to a third point, the presentation of Christmas worship. The presentation of Christmas worship. Jerusalem is five miles, about two hours from Bethlehem. As they travelled, these Magi are eager to finish what they’ve started. “After hearing the king, they went on their way and behold, the star which they’d seen in the east was going on before them, until it came and stood over the place where the child was.” Again, it’s no natural star acts like this. This is obviously a supernatural phenomenon, a special grace of God to lead these former pagans to worship the Son of God. Seems they hadn’t maybe seen the stars since leaving their homeland, which explains the reaction of verse 10, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly and with great joy.” Notice these aren’t dispassionate Sages from the Orient, floating across the land with an air of unaffected dignity.
These men are true worshippers. They’re pious, they’re passionate, eager. They’re true believers. How can we tell? Well, by their exceedingly great joy, of course, but also notice what they did, offering true worship. Let’s look at the gifts that they gave, which you could see they’re offering not only a joyful, passionate worship, but an informed worship, calculated worship. These men have been thinking about the gifts that they’re going to bring. By the time the wise man arrived in Bethlehem, as I said earlier, Joseph and his family, he had his family situated in a house, no longer in a stable. The child slept in a bed, no longer in a manger.
And so on this particular night, there’s a knock at the door and Joseph opens to the sight of these Magi. Says in the text, “After coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell to the ground and worshipped him.” Quite a sight. And then they start opening their treasures. They presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Why fall down and worship this child who’s unable to perceive what they’re doing or respond because of who he is? They know this child to be something special based on what they’ve studied in the law and the prophets. This is God in human flesh. This is Jesus the Christ, the God man, and who he is demands an immediate, wholehearted worship and that’s what these Magi demonstrated, bowing before this child.
They demonstrate by their actions a great wisdom in this most fitting, most appropriate, most thoughtful worship and by contrast, King Herod, chief priest, scribes, the people, the residents of Jerusalem, none of them bothered to make the short journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem go see for themselves. Indifference, as they say, is the coldest form of hatred. These Magi, though they came to worship the King of Kings, they came to bow down before the Lord of Lords, they know that this is bigger than politics, this is bigger than nations, this is the King of the world.
We see their wisdom and their thoughtfulness as they open up their treasure boxes prepared many months earlier in anticipation of this moment. They present to the child the most fitting, highly appropriate gifts, fit only not just for any king, but for this king, for Jesus the Christ. Gifts are so theologically informed and so pinpoint accurate in portraying the truth about this child, his identity, his earthly mission. It’s as clear and bright as that star that guided them, had light shining in their hearts, caused them to give gifts under the special direction of the providence of God himself.
First gold. We just sang these lyrics that really are accurate. In that song We Three Kings, gold fit for the chosen king, second, incense for God, immortal and eternal, and then third, myrrh for the mortal man who came to die for the sins of his people. Perfect gifts. Gold is so fitting for Jesus, the great King, the one who’s ascended on high. In the future, we know it says in 1 Corinthians 15:25 that he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. This is a universal reign which will come to pass. He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords, and so gold is quite fitting of a gift for him. The next gift, frankincense made from the milky white resin of the Boswellia tree, native to Africa and to India and Arabia as well.
It’s wise men. They’re truly wise. Wise beyond measure in the gifts that they offered to the incarnate Son of God. Wise beyond measure in the gifts that they brought to the one who came to take away the sins of the world. ” Travis Allen
This frankincense was often offered with sacrifice. Incense has always been a symbol of prayer in religious ceremony ritual. The priests, would, of Israel would take burning coals from the altar of burnt offering and put them on the altar of incense and then they’d sprinkle the incense on those burning coals and so that fragrant smoke would ascend up to God and that was a symbol of the priest bringing the people’s prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God and it was offered up to God, a sweet aroma of his people coming to him.
The final gift of myrrh pictures the mortality of Jesus. It points to the end of his mission. Myrrh is a, it’s kind of a form of foreshadowing here. Myrrh comes from these small thorny trees, the Commiphora Myrrha. It was fragrant resin. It’s extracted from that wood. It was used for a perfume that served all kinds of uses, but most notably used to treat dead bodies with dignity and respect to hide the decay. Nicodemus in John 19:39 brought a mixture of this myrrh aloes, about 75 pounds worth to prepare Jesus body for burial. This myrrh gift points to Jesus coming to take our sin upon himself, to die in our place as a substitutionary atoning sacrifice to make us partakers with him, not in his mortality alone, he came to take part in our mortality, that we would come to take part in his immortality.
It’s wise men. They’re truly wise. Wise beyond measure in the gifts that they offered to the incarnate Son of God. Wise beyond measure in the gifts that they brought to the one who came to take away the sins of the world. What a story. What an amazing, amazing God watching over these Magi as they traveled from the East, four month journey of 900 miles, protecting them from King Herod, being used by the wicked king to murder the first Christ’s child. Verse 12 says “They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod and so these Magi departed for their own country by another way.” They didn’t outsmart Herod; God did, sent them out another way.
God also took care of Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus. That young family fled, verses 13 to 15, fled to Egypt. They escaped Herod’s murderous rampage. He came, just think of this in our day, if this were ever to happen, slaughtering the innocent children all around Bethlehem of two years of age and under, because he calculated the time that he learned from the Magi. They lived in Egypt until Herod died, then returned home to live in Nazareth up north. So what of the Jewish religious leaders? What about all these good citizens of Jerusalem? They had a most stupendous thing happen right five miles away. They did nothing. I mean, we have changed our calendars of human history based on this event. They did nothing. They continued on living indifferent to Jesus Christ, oblivious to the gift of salvation that God had sent.
Thirty years later, these same good citizens of Jerusalem following their hypocritical religious leaders, ironically, they’re taking up Herod’s cause because they were baying for Jesus’ blood, in the end crying out “crucify him, crucify him,” bunch of little Herod’s. Just reminds us once again, there’s no such thing as neutrality with Jesus; everyone chooses a side in the end. You will not be able to stand before God on that day and say, I didn’t know. You’re either for him in an active and intelligent worship, or you’re against him. Whether it’s by cold indifference or by outright opposition and murderous hatred and scorn, you choose a side. Jesus, we know, did nothing to warrant this crucifixion. He was without sin, without evil, came to preach the Kingdom of God and do miracles of mercy, casting out demons, healing diseases, raising the dead, forgiving sins.
But as we read, see in the worship of the Magi to all who did receive him, not reject him, but receive him, John 1:12 says, “Those who believed in His name, to them He gave them the right to become children of God, who were born not of the blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but born of God.” As Jesus is the risen King of kings and the Lord of Lords, and when he comes again, the glory of his royal justice will be on full and perfect display. He is the Savior of the world. All peoples looking to him as Savior. Not just the Jews, but these Magi from the east, people from all nations, tribes, tongues. God reaches out into every heart and gives a knowledge of the truth to every soul so that everyone may have a chance to put their faith in him.
So what about you? Will you receive him? Will you put your faith in Jesus Christ and join the Magi in offering to him your zealous and thoughtful and passionate and sacrificial worship. Will you give your life to him? We may not have the wealth of the Magi to give such appropriate gifts and offerings like gold and frankincense and myrrh, but money isn’t the point. Our Lord the King did not come to seek our money. He created all things. What does he need with a little few flakes of gold from our earth that he made? He came seeking people, his people. He came to give, not to take. In particular, he came to give his own life, to die for your sins and mine, came to deliver us from the eternal penalty of sin, from the current power of sin. And one day he’ll remove from us the very presence of sin.
He gave his all for you, and in giving your all to him, that’s where you discover the secret of eternal life. Because it’s Jesus who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Our very lives are his all that we own or think we’ve earned or merited or worked for. We couldn’t get any of it without him giving it to us first. He’s given everything. All is his and we return thanks to him. It’s so appropriate. Christ came for our souls, our lives, to save us from sin and from greed and from the small minded love of stuff. To deliver us into the joy of loving him with all our heart, souls, strength and mind, and to delight in the worship of the king. It’s what Christmas is all about, the love and the worship of the King of kings, who is the Savior of the world and when we know his love, we’re freed from all lesser loves and our attention is drawn to give that love to everyone. Let’s pray.
Our Father, we’re so grateful for the message of Christmas. Why do we give gifts every Christmas? Because we’re just doing what you taught us. We’re turning around and giving to others because we have been given so much from you. We’re so grateful for the gift of Christ, your one and only son. We’re so thankful for what the Magi have taught us in their thoughtful, passionate, careful, calculated worship. Please help us to be worshippers, like us unto them. And if there are any here who do not know you personally as Savior and Lord of their lives, will you by the Spirit affect true salvation in them, forgiving all their sin, granting them a righteousness that is the righteousness of Christ himself? Will you reconcile them to you, Father, that they may know life eternal? In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.