Christmas Eve 2020
Wise Men Still Seek Him
Matthew 2:1-12
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
12-24-2020
Christmas Eve 1987
What’s the best Christmas present you have ever received? Several come to mind. When we were first married Maxine got tickets for us to go see The Orlando Magic vs. The Washington Bullets (now Wizards). I was a big fan of one of the Magic rookies, Shaquille O’Neal, and I was blown away by how agile the big man was on the court.
Now the harder question: What’s the best present you’ve ever given. I can answer that without hesitation. It was a baby.
Maybe I should explain. But I’ll wait to the end….:)
If you have a Bible with you, turn with me to Matthew 2.
Prayer
Wise Men Seek Him
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)
On Sunday, we studied Matthew’s account of how Jesus was born. Tonight, we will look at a group of men who traveled a long way to worship the baby King.
This is a very familiar scene for us at Christmas. In fact, we just sang the Christmas carol, “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”
Unfortunately most of what we know about these seeking worshipers, come from legend and Christmas songs.
We are told that this happened in the time of Herod so we know it was about 6 BC.
Who were these men? Scripture calls them “Magi.” These were a spiritually elite group that surrounded the throne in Babylon, not in the Orient.
They are a very old sect, dating back to Abraham. When the Israelites were deported to Babylon, Daniel and his three friends were taken into the palace. Daniel is listed at the head of the Magi.
They studied the stars and they were highly influential.
They are not kings but king makers.
These men traveled between 800 and 1,000 miles and stopped in Jerusalem to ask for directions, another Christmas miracle.
How many were there? We have no idea.
They asked a startling question: “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?”
How did they know about this? The Jews had been in Babylon for at least 500 years and you know they shared the prophesies of a Messiah King with these men.
What was the star? Many smart people have speculated on this phenomena. Some say it was a comet or a supernova.
Or that it is the “Christmas star” [the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn] that is visible in the night sky right now for the first time in 800 years.
But this “star” moved and lead them to Bethlehem. How? Again, we don’t know.
We do know that they did not visit Jesus when He was a baby like many movies and nativity scenes depict.
Their journey took between one and two years so Jesus would have been a toddler when they finally arrived.
Why is there so much in this story that we don’t know? Why didn’t Matthew give us more details? Because he wants us to focus on what the wise men were focused on.
Why did these Gentle pagans make a 1,000 mile journey through deserts and mountains?
Remember that Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience and tells them that the first people to seek the Messiah were from another nation.
Look at verse two again. Read it with me:
“We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.”
They studied the stars, they were the experts. And they knew the ancient prophecies like Numbers 24:17:
“A star will come out of Jacob, a scepter will rise out of Israel.”
The reason we are not given more information about this group in the Christmas story (Luke doesn’t even mention the wise men) is because it’s not about them. It’s about a God that was leading them straight to Jesus.
Let me ask a simple question. Are you willing to seek after Jesus? How far are you willing to go? To these wise men, no distance was too far, no cost was too great.
Jeremiah wrote these encouraging words:
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
The Sociopath Ruler
“When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:3)
Remember that there weren’t three wise men. There was probably an entire caravan, that included guards and servants. They probably didn’t ride camels but Arabian horses.
One of the definitions of the word Magi is one who “dresses in a bizarre manner.”
Imagine a huge caravan of men dressed spectacularly with a large group following them.
They are obviously important people and they are asking where they can find the ‘King of the Jews.”
Word must of gotten to Herod and Matthew tells us that he was disturbed. This is an understatement!
Herod was known as the “king of the Jews!” He was brilliant, a great builder, loved opulence, famous orator, crafty, cruel,. and completely insane!
He had is favorite wife killed and murdered two of his sons.
All of Jerusalem was shocked as well. Because they knew that he wouldn’t stand for this. Heads would roll. There is only one King and even though he was sick, he wouldn’t surrender his throne to anyone, especially a baby!
Jesus is threatening to those who want to stay on the thrones of their lives.
A Prophecy Fulfilled
Herod , ever the politician, consults the Jewish priests and teachers of the law and asks where the Messiah would be born.
“When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,? are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;?for out of you will come a ruler? who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:4-6)
Without hesitation, probably from memory, these Jewish religious leaders quote the prophecy of Micah 5:2 and combine it with the words of 2 Samuel 5. The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem.
So all the chief priests and religious people packed a picnic lunch and hike five miles to Bethlehem to check the wise men’s story out?
Nope. They didn’t even send a delegation to see if it was true. They had head knowledge but not faith.
They were completely indifferent. They had paperwork to get done. They had religious duties to attend to. They didn’t have to time to go to Bethlehem. They just didn’t care.
Perhaps that’s you tonight. Maybe you know the Christmas story well in your head but your heart hasn’t been changed by the story. Tonight is your night.
The Sinister Plot
“Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” (Matthew 2:7-8)
Herod response the only way he knows how. He only worships himself. He lies and manipulates the wise men and then plots to kill Jesus. This is baby King must be eliminated.
At the end of this section, we are told that the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod and they returned to their country another way.
By this time Joseph had taken Jesus and Mary to Egypt.
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,? weeping and great mourning,?Rachel weeping for her children? and refusing to be comforted,? because they are no more.” - (Matthew 2:17-18)
He had all those children murdered to try to hold on to his throne. Can you imagine the extreme pain and sorrow this caused the families in Bethlehem?
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You
“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matthew 2:9-10)
It seems as if the star had disappeared for a while and now it reappears and “went ahead of them” and stopped over the house where Jesus was.
Apart from the revelation and guiding of God, they could have never found Christ on their own.
When they saw the star, the text literally says that they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy! This is quadruple joy! Joy the the 4th power!
They might have sung Joyful, Joyful, we adore you!
The star lead them right to Jesus’ front door.
O Come Let Us Adore Him
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
When they saw the child, they fell on their faces and worshipped. This means to “kiss and intensely adore.”
One commentator said it this way:
What Herod craved, Jesus received.
They are about to give Jesus gifts but first things first - they gave Him their hearts.
I can imagine how overwhelmed they were. They were tired from the long journey and probably a little anxious about Herod’s request.
Everything they had studied led them to this little guy with black curly hair, dark eyes, and a sagging diaper. They must have smiled at the sight.
John Piper says that they ascribed
authority to Him - King of the Jews.
dignity to Him - they fell to the ground in worship
they came with exceedingly great joy
They worshipped sacrificially
Christmas means very little spiritually if you do not follow the wise men’s lead.
The three gifts are what is most familiar to the story.
?Honestly, what strange gifts to give a toddler - a bar of gold, a container of frankincense, and a flask of myrrh?
The gifts meant something. They were symbolic. They were costly. They were personal.
Gold to represent His Royalty. In Babylon, you would never approach a king without gold.
Born a King on Israel’s plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign
Frankincense to represent His Divinity. This was used in the temple to worship God.
Frankincense to offer have I;
incense owns a Deity nigh;
prayer and praising, voices raising,
worshiping God on high
Myrrh is the strangest gift of all. It is basically embalming fluid. It was used to anoint dead bodies.
Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
breathes a life of gathering gloom;
sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
They got it. They understood, as much as they could at the time, that this baby was born to die.
Christmas Eve 1987 (part 2)
The year was 1987. It was Christmas Eve. I was a tired college freshman who had just finished working seventy hours during the Christmas week at a local department store. I had seen customers fight over their place in line and had chased shoplifters down the escalators. I had been cursed out for ringing up merchandise too slowly and had spent my lunch hours fighting crowds to finish my own shopping. In short, I had grown to hate Christmas! I rivaled Ebenezer Scrooge in my disdain for the miserable holiday.
During this hectic holiday, a friend invited me to be a liaison for her mother’s adoption agency. I didn’t want to go. I had gotten into a fight with my parents when I arrived home from work and spent the next hour walking in a cold December rain. I looked like a water-logged rat when they came to pick me up.
I sat in silence on the ride to Memphis International airport. My mind was exhausted. I had never felt so down. I had never felt so far away from God. The universe was a cold, heartless place and celebrating Christmas did not seem appropriate or logical to my doubt filled heart. Where is the hope? In a world ravaged by war and famine and death, where is the peace that Christmas promised?
I walked slowly through the terminals and watched the families waiting impatiently in line to check their bags. One whole family had on matching Christmas sweaters. “Bah Humbug!” I said out loud. The Christmas spirit had hit everyone but me.
When we arrived at the gate, I was given my instructions. Suddenly, I became nervous. My job was to board the plane, pick up the baby, and bring him down the ramp and present him to the family. The only problem was I had never held a baby. Let alone walked down a ramp with one.
What if I dropped him? What if he made a mess on me? What if he started crying? How was I supposed to know what to do? I was then gently shoved toward the gate door. What happened next changed my mind about Christmas and ultimately led me in the next year to make my own journey to Jesus.
The plane was empty except for two large car seats about half way down the aisle. I peeked around the blue seat and stared at what I saw. The baby was Korean and chubby. With a big round face and huge dark eyes he stared back at me. I gently slipped my hand under him and pulled him out of the car seat. I held him up and came nose to nose with him.
He didn’t cry and he didn’t mess on me. I relaxed a bit and studied this baby. I whispered to him that he had come a long way but that he was about to go to his new home. He smiled, I think. I could feel his heart beating against my chest. I wrapped him tighter in his blue blanket and started back down the aisle of the plane.
I walked the runway and was blinded as I made the turn. I instinctively held him closer as the lights from video cameras and flash bulbs temporarily blinded me. I turned my little friend toward the camera and walked toward the waiting family. A mother was shaking with anticipation. A father was trying to balance the video camera and wipe away tears. Two younger children were standing on tip toes to see what was in the blue bundle this stranger held in his hands. I began to tremble.
I held the little boy out to the open hands of the mother and weakly said, “Merry Christmas.” She took him into her arms, held him tight, and began to weep. She showed him to the rest of the family and the dad began to pray. I walked away from that scene weeping openly. I cried partly out of the exhaustion of the week. But there was more, much more in those tears. It was the night I really understood Christmas.
Christmas is not about trying to find a parking place at the mall, putting up Christmas decorations, or blinding the neighborhood with our light display. It is about the greatest present ever given to mankind: a baby. God wrapped Himself in flesh. The infinite became an infant. Divinity in diapers. Grasp this concept and you will never be the same.
We live in a world that, at times, seems overrun with tragedy. We live in a world permeated by evil. We live in fear and confusion.
In the quiet of our souls, we cry out the endless, eternal question: WHY? We yell and scream and are answered by the deafening silence of heaven. God gives no easy responses.
He already answered our deepest longings for hope and peace two thousand years ago when Joseph and Mary presented a dark eyed baby to a crying, hurting world. What is the only hope for our pain-pierced world? Isaiah said He would be called Immanuel which means “God with us.” The angel said to name him Jesus which means “God’s Salvation.”
Speaking prophetically, Isaiah wrote this Christmas card to us,
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
A child is born. He will be fully human. A Son is given. He will be a Divine gift that will change the world. He will bring peace by offering Himself in our place as our sin-substitute on the cross. God knows the heart-wrenching pain of losing a child. But He loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).
In order to truly appreciate a present you must receive it.
Herod didn’t want it. He wanted to kill Jesus.
The religious leaders were five miles away from the Messiah and didn’t care enough to even go check it out.
But the wise men traveled 1,000 miles and stopped at nothing to worship Jesus.
Which one are you tonight?
The greatest Christmas present ever is the same way. You must receive the free gift that cost God the life of His Son. The apostle John said it this way:
“Yet to all who receive Him (Jesus), to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12).
In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, the shopping and stress chose to unwrap Christmas this year and surrender your life to the Savior.
Somewhere there is a Korean teenager who doesn’t have a clue who that strange college student is on the adoption tape his mother and father show him every Christmas Eve. But I am eternally thankful for my chance Christmas encounter with him. He changed my life and pointed me to the greatest Christmas Presence ever given – Jesus.
[Communion]
Ending Song: Silent Night
