Christmas Story (pt 8) – Wise Men
21 December 2016 Wed – Matthew 2:1-12 – Christmas16 – Scott Childs
Introduction: Did the wise men travel by camel? Were they kings? What was their home country? How many of them came? Did the star they followed move? How did they know about the Messiah? We do not know the answers to these questions.
We do know that they came to worship Jesus and travelled from the East. We can assume that they came from a country at least as far as Babylon which was about 2700 km. That is a long trip, especially when travelling without modern transportation.
Transition: This evening we are going to divide this portion of the Christmas Story into four sections and then look for principles in each section.
1. The Wise Men (v.1)
a. Who were these wise men?
1) The Greek word for wise men is Magos. Thayer’s Lexicon states that it is, “the name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augers, soothsayers, sorcerers etc.” We may call them Magi or Sages.
2) They came from the east which is the direction of Babylon. Were they kings? Not likely. They may have been Jews in positions similar to that of Daniel who did not return to Israel but rather remained in Babylon after the captivity. (Daniel 5:11)
b. What was their desire?
1) They looked for the King of the Jews (v.2).
2) They saw His star in the east and came to find Him. What was His star? We do not know. Obviously, it was some sort of miracle star that moved and led them.
c. When did they get to Jerusalem?
1) Their desire began about the time Christ was born. The Bible says “Now when Jesus was born”. The grammar of the words “was born” means having been born. So they arrived in Jerusalem sometime after Jesus was born.
2) We know it was sometime after Jesus was dedicated in the temple when he was 40 days old because after the wise men’s visit Joseph took his family to Egypt.
3) Luke states that sometime after Mary’s purification they returned to Nazareth. (Luke 2:39) “And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.” Luke did not say it was immediately or that they did not take a trip to Egypt before going to Nazareth. He simply does not mention details.
4) It was in the days of Herod the king.
5) Because Herod killed all the babies 2 years old and younger, lets us know that Jesus was between 40 days and 2 years old.
O As you study the Bible, be sure to compare Scripture with Scripture so that you get an accurate understanding. Some sections leave out portions.
2. The Troubling Question (v.2-6)
a. Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
1) They asked in sincerity.
2) They had pure motives.
b. The question troubled the ungodly.
1) Herod was troubled (v.3). This caused him inward commotion and took away his calmness of mind.
2) Why would Herod be troubled? He did not want any competition for the throne. Obviously, Herod knew that this king was supposed to be the Messiah (v.4).
3) All Jerusalem was also trouble. Their troubled feelings were likely different from those of jealous Herod. Perhaps they were troubled by the thought of the Messiah being born without them knowing it.
4) Herod immediately gathered together the chief priests and the scribes (v.4). He knew that if this baby was the Messiah, they would know from Scripture where he was to be born.
5) Without hesitation, they told him that the Christ (Messiah) would be born in Bethlehem of Judaea. They quoted for him Micah 5:2.
O The coming of the Messiah should have been good news, yet it troubled Herod and many in Jerusalem. Because their hearts were not right with God, they were not looking for the Messiah. The Bible tells us that the Messiah is going to come again to take believers to heaven. We are to be looking for Him. If your life is not in order, you cannot honestly get excited about the Lord’s return. It could be tonight. Let’s do right!
3. The King’s Deception
a. The secret meeting
1) Herod privily or secretly called in the Magi (v.7).
2) He enquired of them diligently. He wanted to know exactly and accurately all the details about when the star first appeared.
b. The king’s deceitful lie
1) His questions about the baby were all tainted by lies. His interest in the baby was not motivated by desire for worship as was theirs.
2) Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem to find the child and then commanded them to report their findings to him so that he could come and worship the baby (v.8). That was just a BIG FAT lie.
O This is a reminder to us that the Devil will often tempt us to lie to hide our sinful motives. He wants us to lie to get what we want. Do not be deceived. Lying is sin. (Colossians 3:9) “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”
4. The Magi’s Worship (v.10-12)
a. They headed for Bethlehem
1) When they began their trip, the star again appeared and directed them (v.9).
2) The star took them right to Bethlehem and stood right over the house where Jesus was. No normal star would do that!
3) When they saw the star lead them and stop over the exact house, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. They were overwhelmed with joy.
b. They entered the house
1) The first thing mentioned is that they saw the young child. The word translated “young child” has a broad meaning including an infant all the way up to a half-grown child. We cannot tell from this the age of Jesus.
2) The fell down and worshipped Jesus. This means that they fell face-down on their knees and touched the ground with their foreheads. Thayer’s Lexicon states, “among the Orientals, esp. the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence.”
a) Worship is bowing the body or heart before God.
b) Worship requires a humble attitude.
c) Worship admits God’s superiority.
d) Worship expresses honour to God.
e) Worship includes an offering of some kind (e.g., tithe, offering, song, praise, thanks, obedience, loyalty).
3) They opened their treasures (lit. a casket, coffer, or other receptacle, in which valuables are kept) containing their gifts and presented to Jesus gifts of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. The last two were expensive perfumes.
O God strongly desires and truly deserves our worship. (Psalms 29:2) “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” You can attend church, hear preaching, sing songs, and even pray without ever truly worshipping the Lord. Review what worship is.
c. God’s warning
1) God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.
2) They obeyed God and returned to their homeland another way.
Conclusion: This evening we have noted several principles that can help us grow spiritually. Now let’s apply them to our lives.