The Wise Will Seek Him (Matthew 2:1-12 December 19, 2010) Chances are that your mantelpiece is loaded with Christmas cards at this time of the year. And no doubt many of them feature images of the wise men. So what is it about these men that makes them such a popular feature of Christmas? One reason is their mystery. We know so little about them. They are mysterious strangers who suddenly appear and then disappear never to be heard from again. We don t know their names, their nationalities or basically anything about them except this they were wise men from the East who came seeking to worship the newborn King of the Jews. To understand the significance of this, consider that when Jesus was born Israel as a nation was longing for the appearance of the Messiah the One to save Israel. But finally, in the fullness of time, when the King was born, not one Jew came looking for Him. The only ones who came were Gentiles non-jews. The story of why they came and what they found is the story of Christmas. We are going to look at Matthew chapter 2. Look at verses 1 and 2: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. Who were these wise men? The word wise men is magi. It usually refers to a class of men who advised kings and royalty through their study of dreams and stars and magic. They were astrologers, diviners those who guided Kings through these arts. For example, the men who were asked to interpret Nebuchadnezzar s dream in the book of Daniel were known as magi. These particular magi came from the east. Most likely they came from Babylon or Persia but we can t be certain. Some speculate they came from different lands drawn by the lure of the star. Some say they all came from the same country. In the middle ages a tradition arose that because there were three gifts there were three wise men. Then the story grew until they were no longer wise men but based on Scriptures in Psalms and Isaiah they were now Kings the three Kings from orient land. The story went further supposedly they were descendants of Noah s
three sons. One was white, one black and one brown. They were given names Casper, Balthazar and Melchior. But there is no solid evidence for any of this it is medieval supposition. What we do know is that these magi wise men astrologers were in a far off land where they were studying the stars when one particular star caught their attention. So much so they left everything to travel westward to the land of Israel. What was so special about this star that made them sit up and pay attention? Again, there is so much speculation. Did a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn produce a bright light in the sky? Was it a supernova or a comet? Was it a divine miracle a bright heavenly phenomenon an angel or even the glory of God? Almost certainly this was no natural phenomenon. The way the star guided them to Bethlehem and right to Jesus seems to indicate that this was a special miracle intended to lead them to Christ. Ordinary stars do not behave like this. But the reality is that we don t know exactly what this star was. The point is that there was something very unusual in the heavens that indicated an event of incredible importance was occurring. How did they know that this star meant that the King of the Jews had been born? And of even greater significance how did they know this King was a king for all men not just Jews one they should go and worship? Again the conjecture is endless. Some say the star arose in Pisces a constellation associated with the Jews. Another option is that these magi may have come from Babylon. We know Daniel was intimately involved with the Babylonian wise men. We know that many Jews did not return to Israel after the exile they stayed and intermarried with the Babylonians and the Persians. So perhaps knowledge of the prophecies of the Old Testament were known. In particular Numbers 24:17 the prophecy of Balaam: A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. Also, they may have grasped the significance of the Old Testament teachings that the Messiah would be for all men Jew and Gentile. The appearance of this incredible star over the land of Israel might have indicated to these men the fulfilment of these prophesies.
But this is all pure speculation we don t know if they knew of these prophesies nor whether they would have believed in the accuracy of Jewish prophecy nor that these foreign astrologers would grasp Jewish prophecy when the Scribes of Israel didn t. Perhaps the most likely option is that an angel appeared or a dream was sent telling them what the star meant telling them to go and worship the newborn King. The fact that later they are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod makes this a very strong possibility. What we do know is that this heavenly phenomenon indicated to them that the King of the Jews had been born and this King was so important they should travel to that land and worship Him. Another question. Why did no one else come looking for the King? A star so unusual it can be seen from the lands of the east appears. Yet no one else comes asking what it means and incredibly no Jews are asking the star is here so where is our King? They had the prophecy of Numbers a star shall come out or Jacob a sceptre a king will rise yet no Jews were saying the King must be here. As far as we can tell it is just these pagan astrologers who have any idea of the significance. Some surmised that the reason no one else was asking is that this was a miracle just for the wise men only they saw it. This was a work of God intended only for them. This is quite possible. They arrive in Jerusalem and no one is talking about this star and what it means. Also, the fact Herod asked them to go and find the child might mean that only they could see the star. If Herod could see it he could follow it to where Jesus was. But perhaps it is simply that no one expected a Messiah who would be born as a child. If they saw the star and realised its significance they might have been looking to the heavens for a Messiah to come on the clouds as a ruling King with a heavenly army not for a babe in a manger. Another question is why these magi made the journey to Jerusalem. This was a huge undertaking. To leave their homes, the king s they served gathering a company of men assembling gifts of great value and heading off westward not knowing exactly who they would find, where they would find Him and how they would be received. Why did they go? Because somehow revelation, an angel, a prophecy they knew that this was not just a King for Israel this was a King for all men and He should be worshipped by all men. Somehow they grasped this is the One sent to save men and they just knew they had to go and worship Him. Verse 3: When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Herod was a paranoid, cruel, vindictive and extremely unpopular king. As he grew older he became increasingly paranoid.
His second wife Mariamne was beautiful. Herod was exceedingly jealous and gave orders that if he died she should be executed so no other man could have her. Not surprisingly, Mariamne objected to this so Herod believed she was plotting against him and had her executed. His sister and several of his advisers were constantly whispering that his throne was in danger that even his sons were plotting his death. In 7 BC he had two of his sons the presumptive heirs to his throne executed. In 4 BC his oldest son the man now in line for the throne was accused of plotting Herod s death and was executed. And Herod s rage and paranoia resulted in frequent outbursts against the people. This is a man who is pathologically paranoid, vain, jealous and very dangerous. So you can imagine the commotion it caused when three royal advisers from powerful lands arrived and began asking where is the one born to be King of the Jews. Herod would have become dangerously paranoid. And all Jerusalem would have worried about what this would do to the King s disposition and whether they would cop further punishment. The extent of Herod s paranoia and rage can be seen in verse 16: Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. This is a man who cared little for life. His wife, his sons, his people none were important to him. By the time the magi arrived, Herod was an old man nearing death. In fact he died soon after this. But he was so intent on protecting his throne so obsessed that someone might want to be king that even the suggestion that a mere babe could claim his throne led him to take this extreme step killing every male child under two in the region. He would do whatever it took to find and kill this threat to his throne. Verses 4-6: And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. I am sure that when Herod assembled the chief priests and the scribes they were worried. Herod wanted to know about this King of the Jews. They were the experts in the Law but they knew nothing about a king. They hadn t warned Herod. If the star was visible to all they hadn t grasped the significance. They had not anticipated a baby would be born who was the Messiah. Now Herod calls them together and wants to know where the Christ is to be born. They knew Herod would not take we don t know as an answer their lives would be forfeit. So they scoured the Word and there it was written plainly in Micah and 2 Samuel: And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. They should have been looking out for a child born in Bethlehem who would be the King of Israel. Verses 7-9: Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him. After listening to the king, they went on their way. What might seem surprising is that Herod does not send an army to Bethlehem to seal off the city and kill every male child under two. But note verse 7. Herod wanted to know when the star appeared. The assumption is that the star appeared when Messiah was born. It took many months probably more than a year for the magi to organise and then make the journey. Jesus had not been born in the days before the magi arrived. This meeting with Herod is almost certainly over a year after Jesus was born. The fact Herod wants to kill every child under two years old backs up the fact that it is some time since Jesus had been born. The problem for Herod is that the new King might have been born in Bethlehem but by now He might have left. He could be anywhere.
Herod could kill every child in the region and not kill the King. In fact that ends up being exactly what happens. When his plan of being led to the Christ by the magi fails he does kill every child under two but Jesus has escaped to Egypt and is spared. So Herod decides to try a little deception first. If the star led the wise men this far it can lead them to the one child Herod wants dead. Herod summons the magi and tells them how wonderful that you have come to worship the new King. Of course I wish to do so as well. But you men understand how these prophecies and stars are they don t tell us exactly where this new King is. How about you find him and then let me know and I will bring my gifts and worship Him. Verse 9-11: And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Since the wise men now knew that the child was born in Bethlehem why did they need the star? Perhaps the star rising before them indicated that He was still there and they went and enquired about a special birth sometime over a year ago. Remember, that the shepherds had told all who would listen who the King was. Listen to Luke 2:15-18: When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. It seems the people of Bethlehem knew something great had happened and many would have heard it involved Mary and Joseph and their new child. However, while we can t be sure it seems more likely that we are to understand from the text that the star originally indicated for them to travel west to Israel but did not indicate a specific house or place. In fact it seems it did not even indicate a specific city as they went to Jerusalem. They went to the capital Jerusalem the place where the King of Israel should be and enquired of the present King Herod. Surely he would know who the new King was.
But now in some way it seems that when they set out again, the star now guided them very specifically straight to Jesus. It came to rest over the house where the holy family were living. Remember, this is some time after the birth of Jesus probably more than a year. Joseph, Mary and Jesus are not in the manger of an inn. They are now living in a house. The magi see the star indicating the place and they rejoiced. The fact that the magi went first to the splendour of the palace of Herod indicates that they were thinking that the one born was a powerful king. A star arising the king of Jews surely this is a great and powerful king. But they arrived and the star pointed to a poor home. They went in to find Mary and Jesus. Not what they were expecting. A young girl. Poor, newly married. Some stigma about the circumstances of the conception. No wealth, no servants, no army. But, this did not worry them. They knew the Spirit of God had testified this is the One. The One to save all men. They rejoiced and they fell down and worshipped Him. This is more than the veneration of a human king. In Matthew s Gospel worship is given to God alone. In Matthew 4:10 Jesus tells Satan: It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. There is no doubt that the wise men recognised Jesus was not just a king He is far more. Their journey, their search, their joy and their worship indicate this. Somehow they knew that this child was unique. He might be poor, no palace, His parents were not obviously royal but He was no ordinary King. Their worship seems to indicate that in some way they understood He was the One God sent to save all men Jew and Gentile. The Old Testament spoke about Messiah coming to save all men and it prophesied about Gentiles coming to worship the Messiah. Isaiah 60:3-6:
And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. The wealth of the nations shall come to you. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord. Psalm 72:8-11: May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him! Again it is difficult to know with certainty what the wise men knew did they understand the gospel that this babe in arms was God come in human flesh to save men from their sins? Or was their knowledge more general a great King sent from God to deliver His people? I will look forward to asking them in glory. But certainly they understood that this was no ordinary king. But, He was a king so they came bringing great gifts. Verse 11: Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Gifts worthy of a King. Perhaps the gold indicates His royalty, the frankincense His priesthood and the myrrh His death. That has long been the way these gifts are understood. That is possible but more certain is that these gifts indicate His worthiness and royalty. He is the king of the Jews. And verse 12: And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Herod had a plan. God has a plan. The plan of God always wins. So what do we learn from the magi? We learn the true meaning of Christmas. We learn this: The Wise Will Still Seek Him. Here are men who grew up in a foreign land taught the arts of magic and astrology.
Possibly they had some of the prophesies of Israel handed down to them but as far as we can tell they were far from the truth of God. Dead in their trespasses and sins. But something set them out on a journey a journey that led them to Christ and led them to salvation. It was a journey literally and figuratively. It was a journey that cost them time and money, probably their occupations and reputations. Their lives were travelling along fine then somehow they heard about the birth of the King of the Jews. A dream, the Spirit of God making some ancient prophesies live, an angelic revelation we don t know. But suddenly they knew they had to seek the one born King of the Jews. He was worth any sacrifice. He had to be worshipped. In many ways we walk in the footsteps of the magi. We know that there has to be more to this life. We know that God must have spoken. God must have done something. And then one day the routine of our lives is interrupted when we hear that there is One who can save men s souls. One who can free us from the chains of sin. One who can give us eternal life. We may have heard bits of the story at Christmas or Easter. Perhaps we heard it a lot in church. Then one day we find ourselves drawn on a journey to find the truth. None of us have had angelic visits or divine dreams. None have followed stars to find the truth. But for every one of us there are signs to follow and help us in our search perhaps even more obvious than a star on the horizon. For centuries there were prophesies about the One God would send. Prophesies about where He would be born, what family He would come from, what He would do. Even prophesies about the devastation Herod would cause. And then He came. A birth unlike any other. An angel appeared to Zacharias and to Mary to announce His coming. He was conceived in a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit. His messenger John the Baptist was born miraculously before Him.
At his birth angels lit up the sky and announced tidings of great joy to shepherds Magi came from afar with gifts for a King. His life was perfect. Without sin. When He began His ministry the heavens opened and God Himself declared This is My beloved Son. All Israel was stirred by His life and His teachings. And then suddenly He was gone. But this too was part of the plan. He died to save His people from their sin. And His death was followed by the great sign He rose from the dead. He appeared to over 500 people. His resurrection transformed the disciples from men moping about to those who turned the world upside down. The church was severely persecuted but it flourished and finally conquered the empire. The gospel has gone forth to the ends of the earth. Men and women are saved every day they turn from their sin to the one true God. The signs are there they are everywhere more obvious than a star on the horizon. Wise men and women will seek Him. They will want to know what His life and legacy means. Who is He? Why did He come? And they will walk in the footsteps of the magi and arrive at the manger. And there they will discover that the child of Bethlehem is God come to save His people. He is the One who flung the stars into space. He spoke and time began. He forged the angels and the stars. He created DNA and supernovas. He planned this reality and eternity. Yet for us, sinful, rebellious men He humbled Himself by taking on flesh. He became such that He could feel pain and suffer for us. He allowed sinful men to hammer nails into His flesh for us. How vast is the love of God that He would come to this world and die for me? In J.B. Phillip s New Testament Christianity, a senior angel is showing a very young angel around the splendours of the universe. They view the whirling galaxies and blazing suns, and then flit across the infinite distances of space until at last they enter one particular galaxy of 500 billion stars.
As the two of them drew near to the star which we call our sun and to its circling planets, the senior angel pointed to a small and rather insignificant sphere turning slowly on its axis. It looked as dull as a tennis-ball to the little angel, whose mind was filled with the size and glory of what he had seen. I want you to watch that one particularly, said the senior angel, pointing with his finger. Well, it looks very small and rather dirty to me, said the little angel. What s special about that one? To the little angel, though, earth did not seem so impressive. He listened in stunned disbelief as the senior angel told him that this planet, small and insignificant and not overly clean, was the renowned Visited Planet. Do you mean that our great and glorious Prince went down in Person to this fifthrate little ball? Why should He do a thing like that? The little angel s face wrinkled in disgust. Do you mean to tell me, he said, that He stooped so low as to become one of those creeping, crawling creatures of that floating ball? I do, and I don t think He would like you to call them creeping, crawling creatures in that tone of voice. For, strange as it may seem to us, He loves them. He went down to visit them to lift them up to become like Him. The little angel looked blank. Such a thought was almost beyond his comprehension. 1 So great is this act of love it is nearly beyond our comprehension but by the power of His Spirit by the Light in us the truth is there for us to grasp and to meditate on this Christmas. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son God the Son Jesus come in flesh that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. The magi counted the cost, they sought the truth, they found the One and they rejoiced and worshipped Him. Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Hail the heav n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, 1 Cited in Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995) pp. 43-44.
Ris n with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth. The magi were wise not because of what they knew but because they sought Him. My prayer is that we would be wise and seek Him follow in the magi s footsteps follow the signs and end where they ended at the cradle of the One. My prayer is that we would all rejoice at the coming of the One and worship Him. If you are here this morning and have not found your way to Him and worshipped Him it would be my privilege to share this truth with you. Ask those who brought you. If you know Him then be like the magi and the shepherds tell the world the good news of the coming of the king. The One who came to save our souls and give us life. In this you will be wise this Christmas.