HOW SHOULD JESUS BIRTH IMPACT OUR LIVES? MATTHEW 2:1-12 DECEMBER 21, 2008 In C.S. Lewis story, Prince Caspian, Caspian s evil uncle Miraz murders Caspian s father to take the throne in Narnia. However, Miraz keeps Caspian around as the heir to the throne until his son is born. When Miraz s son is born everything changes for Caspian. Now Caspain stands in the way of Miraz s son taking the throne. Realizing that Miraz will have Caspian killed, a wise old sage, Cornelius, awakens Caspian to tell him that he must flee immediately. Before he knows it, Caspian is racing away from the palace on a horse trying to evade the soldiers sent to take his life. Caspian escapes into the woods, makes friends with the creatures of Narnia, and eventually, with the help of the heroes of the story, Peter, Jill, Edmund and Susan, he defeats Miraz and assumes his rightful rule. But the birth of Miraz s son upends Caspian s world. In a matter of moments, he s out of the comfortable palace living in the woods with a whole new set of friends. That birth sets off an unpredictable chain of events that leads to Caspian ruling Narnia. As great as the impact of Miraz s son was on Caspian s world, there was a birth 2000 years ago that should impact our world, individually and corporately, in a much more dramatic way. God s expectation is that in unpredictable ways, at times with exhilaration and other times with desperation, Jesus birth would upend our world. But does Jesus birth have that kind of impact on our life? Does it have any impact on our life? Or is it a non-event for us? This morning we ll explore the expected impact of Jesus birth on our life, by looking at how Jesus birth impacted His world. If you have a Bible please open it to Matthew 2:1-12. We ll look at these verses and consider the question, How should Jesus birth impact our lives? As we start in verses 1-2, Jesus has been born. 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, 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. Two sets of people will help us understand how Jesus birth impacted His world. The first is King Herod. Herod was appointed King of Judea by the Roman senate. He was politically gifted, but resented the fact that the Jews didn t embrace him. The second set was the magi who arrived in Jerusalem looking for Jesus. Apparently, they were drawn to Jerusalem by astrological interests. They followed a star. They also knew something of Jewish prophecy, because they were looking for the King of the Jews. In verse 3, we see Herod s response. 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Why is Herod troubled? Jesus is a threat. He hears the word king and he starts figuring a way to get rid of him. Jerusalem is troubled with Herod, because they know he is prone to violent and rash actions. In his paranoia, he has killed his favorite wife and two sons, because he viewed them as a threat to his power. In verse 4, we see Herod act on his fear. 1
4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. Herod didn t get along with either group, the chief priests or scribes. And they didn t get along with each other. Yet, Herod is desperate. He wants to know the location of the birth of this rival king so he consults these religious leaders. In verses 5-6, the religious leaders give Herod his answer. 5 They said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what 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. The quote in verse 6 comes from Micah 5:2. Though the wording in verse 6 is a little different than the original verse in Micah 5:2, the meaning is the same. For hundreds of years, Bethlehem was an unimportant city in Israel. It was a backwater. Yet, the prophet Micah predicted that one day Israel s savior would come out of Bethlehem. That prophecy was fulfilled with the birth of Jesus. Having determined the location of the rival king s birth, in verses 7-8, Herod hatches his plan to locate the king. 7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him. Once he finds out Jesus location, Herod doesn t plan to worship Him. We see later in Matthew s gospel Herod wants to kill Jesus. But, here, Herod resorts to deception in an attempt to do away with a potential rival. Some ask, once he knew Jesus was in Bethlehem, why didn t Herod send the army with orders to kill Jesus? We don t know Herod s mind, but sending the army probably would have alerted people that something was up. It would have given Mary and Joseph time to get out of Bethlehem. Working through the magi gives Herod the element of surprise. All this planning, all this scheming, to get rid of a baby, Herod must have seen Jesus as a real threat. Herod wasn t alone in viewing Jesus as a threat. Thirty years later, Jesus began His public ministry. The religious leaders also viewed Him as a threat to their power. But they didn t fail in their attempt to kill Him. Their only problem was that Jesus came back from the dead. And His followers turned the religious leaders world upside down. And He lives today. And do you know what? Jesus still threatens those who want to hold on to power. During mating season a male elk will fight another male elk that encroaches on his turf and harem. Sadly, when we hold on to control of our life or part of our life, we view Jesus like an opposing elk. We want to get Him off our turf. Maybe we can t physically kill Him like Herod and the 2
religious leaders, but we look for other ways to eliminate Him. We marginalize Him, reduce His authority or water down His word. All of it has the same affect. We think that we get to keep our power, our control, and our territory. How should Jesus birth impact our lives? Jesus birth threatens those who want to hold onto their own kingship. Jesus birth threatens those who want to hold onto their own kingship. Yes, Jesus threatened Herod s world when He entered it. Does the thought of Jesus entering your world threaten you? Are their places where Jesus is not welcome? Is He welcome in your finances? How about your relationships? Are your business dealings off limits to Jesus? Do you protect certain parts of your turf? To varying degrees, Jesus arrival threatens all of us, because we want control. We want the final say. Would you ask the Holy Spirit to examine your life and show you where you need to turn over power to Jesus? Psalm 2:2-3 say this: 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us! Verse 4 gives us the Lord s response to their plans: 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. We re four days from celebrating the birth of our Savior. None of us want to look on this celebration from Herod s point of view, scheming and deceiving to destroy Jesus so we can hold on to whatever power and control we have. As Psalm 2 reminds us our plots and schemes will fail. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to turn over your life to Jesus so you don t have to plot against Him to maintain control of your life. We know that our second set of people, the Magi, are on their way to Bethlehem. Let s find out what happens in verses 9-11. 9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Verse 10 tells us that these men rejoiced exceedingly with great joy when they saw the star. Verse 11 tells us they worshipped Jesus. In those times gifts were offered when approaching a superior. Did these men become Christ followers? We don t know for sure. All we know is that these men appear to be seeking God. And Christ s birth brought them great joy. How should Jesus birth impact our world? Jesus birth delights seekers of God. Jesus birth delights seekers of God. 3
We don t know if these men became Christ followers. But verse 12 tells us that they were responsive to God. 12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. Remember Herod was the ruler of Judea. These men take their chances in crossing him. In verses 16-23, we discover that when Herod finds out he was tricked, he had all the boys under two years old murdered. He was not a stable man. He was a man to be feared. Yet, these magi risked incurring Herod s wrath to follow God s instruction. At the very least, these men are open to God. And as seekers of God, they are delighted with Jesus. How do we explain that, in our culture, many self-proclaimed seekers of God are not delighted with Jesus? I can t explain every specific situation, but I can answer generally. Many God seekers want God on their own terms. They want a god that they can control, who will meet their needs and desires and not limit them in any way. They want a god who will let them be god of their own life. They want their own kingship. Jesus won t allow for that. As God, He seeks His rightful rule in the life of each of His followers. Those truly seeking God understand that God has the right to rule in their lives. But those truly seeking God today are delighted with Jesus, because He puts God in terms they can understand. God is infinite. We are finite. How does the finite understand the infinite? The infinite must come down to the level of the finite. That is what Jesus did. He brought God down to a level we could understand. As a freshman, I took engineering calculus. Most of the students in class had taken calculus in high school. I had not. It was a terribly frightening experience. The professor shot over our heads in lecture. But because most of the students had prior exposure, they could follow him to some degree. I didn t have that luxury. Twice a week, my classmates and I met with a graduate student. He put calculus in terms I could understand. For a semester I cherished that man. He was my savior. He brought calculus down to my level. In the same way, Jesus brings God to our level. What is otherwise over our head, we can now understand. Jesus delights the person truly seeking God. There is quite a contrast between the two responses, don t you think? One man was threatened by Jesus birth. These other men were delighted with Jesus birth? Why the difference in responses? I d say it has everything to do with the condition of their hearts. Herod cared nothing about God. He only wanted to hold onto what he had. The magi were interested in meeting God. It doesn t appear the world had much hold on them. How would you describe the condition of your heart this morning? Are you like Herod? Do you have your plans and desires to acquire money, things, power, prestige, people s opinions and do you just want God to stay away or give you his stamp of approval so you can work your plan? If so, you will view Jesus as a threat. Do you know God created you to be in relationship with Him? And all that stuff, money, things, power, prestige, people s opinions will never satisfy your deepest needs. Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for your self-absorbed life. If you ll trust Him, He ll forgive your sin and empower you to live the way God designed you to live. If you ve never made that decision, I invite you to do that right now. Many of you have made the decision to follow Christ. If you are a follower of Christ, would you consider the magi? They sure made an effort to worship Christ, they delighted in Jesus birth. They were certainly open to God s direction even if that direction brought them into conflict with the ruler of the land. Ask God to build 4
those qualities into your life: a priority of worshipping Christ and an obedience to God s direction. On Thursday, November 27, 2003 with extraordinary secrecy President George W. Bush paid a surprise visit to Iraq. His purpose was to thank U.S. troops for "defending the American people from danger." While there, the President served up Thanksgiving dinner to 600 stunned soldiers in a mess hall at Baghdad's airport. The soldiers had gathered for what they thought would be a speech by chief U.S. administrator, Paul Bremer. Bremer told the troops he would read a Thanksgiving proclamation from the President, then paused and noted that it was customary for the most senior official present to read the President's proclamation. "Is there anybody back there who's more senior?" he asked. The President himself then emerged from behind a curtain as cheering soldiers climbed on chairs and tables to yell their approval. U. S. soldiers were thrilled with the president s visit. However recently, at a press conference in Iraq, a reporter threw his shoes at President Bush. In Iraqi culture throwing shoe is a sign of contempt. The two different responses to President Bush demonstrate two very different responses to his presence in Iraq. In the same way, our passage demonstrates two very different responses to Jesus birth. How is the condition of your heart? Do you cheer Jesus birth? Or do you want to throw a shoe? How should Jesus birth impact our world? Jesus birth threatens those who want to hold on to their own kingship, but delights seekers of God. Jesus birth threatens those who want to hold on to their own kingship, but delights seekers of God. 5