(Delivered by Julie Piper, in Rom’s absence…)
Only the Gospel of Matthew gives us a record of the visit of the Magi (Wise Guys). These ‘wise men’ traveled thousands of miles to see the King of the Jews. When they finally found him, they responded with JOY, worship and gifts. And I have to say this is so different from the approach many people take today. Some expect God to come looking after them, to explain himself or what he’s up to. Some want Jesus to prove who he is … to them, or even to give them gifts, such as a life without troubles. But the truly wise still COME TOGETHER to seek and worship Christ for who he is today, now for what they can get. For they understand this truth: We are to love Christ because he first loved us, not because he owes us something…
Today, there is such an unhealthy attitude of ‘entitlement’ in our world. But those who are truly wise know that idea is a lie—nothing less. The only one ‘entitled’ is the Christ of Christmas … and he deserves our LOVE, simply because he loved us first… Listen to today’s story from the Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12, NLT)…
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
The wise men were full of God’s LOVE. There was no attitude of ‘entitlement’ here, because they were wise & wealthy. No, they simply came to worship the Gift of LOVE sent by God to a world that desperately needed to know they were loved… And, folks, this GIFT OF LOVE is a gift that absolutely CHANGED THE WORLD… Consider this, as we look at the first part of today’s story:
LOVE: CHANGES HEROD’S WORLD. Verses 1-3 shows us this: “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.’ 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.” And so Herod’s world was changed forever…
While many ‘Herods’ are mentioned in the Bible [‘Herod’ being a family name], this was ‘Herod the Great,’ named king over all four political districts of Palestine by the Roman Senate. He ruled from 37 to 4 BC. The history of the Herod family is a story filled with lies, murder, treachery, and adultery. Although Herod the Great was a ruthless, evil man who murdered many of his own family, he also supervised some of the greatest building projects this world has ever seen (thus, ‘the Great’): renovation of the Temple, making it much larger and more beautiful, as well as many other building projects like the fortress at Masada, Herodium—Herod’s version of an Egyptian pyramid, or Caesarea by the Sea—one of the largest and most advanced seaports of the day. These building projects made him popular with the Jews … at least for awhile.
After Herod’s death, the four districts he was over were divided among 3 separate rulers… (We later read about Herod the Great’s son, Herod Antipas, who beheaded John the Baptist (Mark 6:26-28) and taunted Jesus toward the end of his life (Luke 23:6-12)…
This was the Herod in the story of the Wise Men. Deception and hypocrisy reach their height in Herod’s lifetime (2:7-8). Greed and hatred escalated to an all-time high in Palestine during this Herod’s reign (2:16ff). This was the Herod who—out of fear for his position in life—had all of the babies of Bethlehem killed after the Wise Men left … and Joseph and family had to flee! It was into this culture of chaos, spurred on by King Herod the Great, that the King of Kings (Jesus) came to transform the culture and demonstrate his love for the sin-sick lost … which included this horrible ruler of the day… LOVE came into this world and certainly changed Herod’s world, didn’t he? Here’s something else…
LOVE: CHANGES THE WISE MEN’S WORLD. Verses 1-2 and 12 describes this: “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.’ … 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.” No doubt, for the wise men … this was a trip of a lifetime … and absolutely changed the rest of their lives—their world as they’d known it!
Not much is known about these ‘wise men.’ Also called ‘Magi,’ they may have interpreted dreams and had other special knowledge and abilities. Their real specialty was astronomy. If they traveled from Parthia, they covered thousands of miles in their quest to find the newborn king…
The Magi were seeking to honor an earthly king, but what they were confronted with was something a bit different. They were confronted with their need to worship the Lord of all time. To show their respect for what they thought was another human dignitary, they brought a huge entourage with many expensive gifts in tow…
Now, once they arrive, besides being transformed by the presence of the Christ child, the Magi were also convinced by an angel of the Lord to change their return route—their way back home. Instead of going back to report to King Herod, as they’d been asked to, they were warned by an angel to return home taking a different way (2:12)…
Folks, I want you to notice here that the Magi did what ALL seekers of Christ should do as a pattern of worship when responding to Christ’s LOVE:
- They bowed…
- They entered…
- They gave…
- They worshiped…
- They responded with obedience…
And that, folks, is a pattern of worship that we all need to pay attention to! Is that our pattern? Is that our attitude when we come to worship! Has God changed our world, like he did that of the wise men, letting us know that what we really seek in life is to be found in Christ? If we’ve come to that realization, even if it’s for the first time this Advent season, it’s not too late to respond to God’s LOVE that he sent at Christmas in the very same ways—entering, bowing, giving back, worshiping, and obeying with our very lives… Here’s the final thing I want you to notice today:
LOVE: CHANGES OUR WORLD. The LOVE that God sent us at Christmas is a LOVE that will absolutely change our world, too; it will change us personally and it will change our community, if we allow it to! Folks, let me move down a little further from our story for today to verse 16:
“Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.”
Folks, here are some much-needed questions as we consider our text for today:
- Am I like Herod – Do I love Jesus or do I hate him?
- Am I like the Magi – Do I truly worship Jesus … or merely go through the motions?
- Am I like the self-centered – Does Jesus lead my life, or am I the one who has to be in control?
When Jesus was born into our world, people immediately began to react. His presence did not soothe and comfort people. Instead, it startled and disturbed them. In some, Jesus’ birth awakened spiritual longings. And in others, what was awakened was their tendency toward fear and insecurity…
If it is true that God entered our world when Jesus was born, we dare not sit idly by ignoring or rationalizing our ‘lukewarm’ responses. We must acknowledge Jesus as the rightful King of our lives! Notice that he did not stay in the manger! In fact, his LOVE for us would even change eternity when he died on the cross and came back to life from a borrowed tomb…
The wise men were overjoyed at finding the Christ Child. If you think becoming a Christian—a follower of the Christ of Christmas—means putting on a long face and behaving like a person in a straight-jacket, think again! Finding Christ means finding…
HOPE – a waiting on God, knowing that God has a plan and that God is with us … always—no matter what we’re going through in this life!
PEACE – a peace like no other can give, but only as Christ can give—a peace that gives us a calm center, knowing that ‘we don’t have to get excited until God does’…
JOY – Finding Christ brings real JOY to us—deeper than what we feel when the Packers win, more enduring than what we feel when get acquire something new in life—like that new car … or new tool … or new guitar—a JOY that fills our soul and makes us glad…
No matter what you’re going through this Christmas season, I want you to know this about the LOVE that has come to us: God Has Promised Strength for the Day…
God has not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our life through;
God has not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
But God has promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way;
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love. (Source Unknown)
Folks, what we’re talking about here are the depths of God’s LOVE. And the JOY of the season truly comes from knowing the depths of God’s LOVE. When we taste that reality, God then changes us (individually and corporately)…
Have you been on a journey lately to find yourself? To find real LOVE? One thing I can guarantee you is this: There’s JOY at the end of that journey … when you find the Gift of LOVE at Christmas … the Gift of Christ! Won’t you open up your heart to receive all of THAT gift God so passionately wants you to have?