Matthew 2:1-12
Audio file is at the end of this text.
Many Christmas images have somehow evolved over the centuries to include three wealthy men on camels arriving at the manger on the night that Jesus was born. It's convenient to show how shepherds, the lowest class of people, were joined by the affluent and all together they fell on their knees in awe of this newborn whose birth was announced by angels and lit up by a bright star in a dark sky. However, scholars tend to agree that Jesus was about two years old by the time the wise men arrived to see the baby they believed was prophesied to come. They had been studying the writings of Daniel and had respect for him as it was Daniel who had won King Nebuchadnezzar's trust. These magi were not Jews which is an important point. While we discover in the Bible over and over that Jews rejected God's teachings and many rejected Jesus, these magi were the first high-profile "pagans" to believe that Jesus was the fulfillment of a promise.
And think about how persistent they were in their search. This passage says that, "A band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem form the East. They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the Eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on a pilgrimage to worship him."
Do we really pursue God? Do we run to find him? Do we truly seek Him for ourselves as these wise men did? How often do we pray for a minute or two then give up? How often do we promise obedience then fall back to the old ways? These wise men, who should have had all the answers due to their scholarly lives, were smart enough and disciplined enough to search for the one who would change everything for the better.
King Herod heard they were in town and got scared. If these wise men believed there was a new king in territory they probably knew what they were talking about. King Herod was evil and wanted to kill any potential competitor so he asked the wise men to come back and tell him when they found the child. King Herod said, "Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I will join you in your worship." While Herod said he wanted to worship the, "King of the Jews," really he only wanted to destroy what could turn out to be a huge problem for his ability to hold on to power. His motivation was to keep things as they were.
Matthew 2:3-6 reports that the King is in a frenzy and he calls his own religious scholars and asks them what they know about a "Messiah" that is to be born. They tell the King, "Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly. 'It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land, no longer bringing up the rear. From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel.'"
Let's stop here a minute. It is so clear that Jesus came to save us from ourselves because no matter what the circumstances, we are our own worst enemy. Jesus came to be our personal shepherd. The 23rd Psalm says, "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want." Can you grasp this now at Christmas? Jesus came just for you.
Matthew 2:9-10 says that the wise men heard King Herod and they set off and, "the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child."
Let's be the wise men. Let's focus on the star and let it lead. The Holy Spirit inside of you is the star and it is the light; the direction to Jesus. Need a map, a way, a path, a direction for your life? Follow the star.
What happened when the wise men saw the child? They fell on their knees! Again, let's be the wise men. Let's fall on our knees at the feet of Jesus. This is outward expression of our hearts recognizing that we are helpless without Him.
Next, they laid gifts in front of the child. Three gifts. Could this be one gift for God the Father, one gift for Jesus the Son, and one gift for the Holy Spirit? These wise men seemed to be saying that they grasped the big picture. Can we? Do we?
Finally, let's learn from the wise men that they did not go back. They did not return to Herod as they had been instructed to do. They rejected the past and they leaned into the light. It would have been easier to get back home by simply reversing course. It was a familiar path. But, they were changed. They had seen something unlike anything they had ever seen before and while it would require faith to reject the past, they were up for it.
They said, "No" to the Herod path and found their way to the promised land. You can too. Once you've seen Jesus, there's no going back. Just follow the star.
