Day 2304 – Characters of Christmas-7 Seeking and Finding – The Wise Men

Welcome to Day 2304 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
The Characters of Christmas-7  Seeking and Finding - The Wise Men – Daily Wisdom
Putnam Church Message – 12/10/2023

The Characters of Christmas – Seeking and Finding: The Wise Men

Last week, in our first message of Advent, we continued from last year and investigated some of the Characters of Christmas.  The First to Know: Shepherds.

This week, we are going on a two-year expedition as we travel with a caravan of visitors from the east in a message titled,  Seeking and Finding: The Wise Men

Let’s read Matthew 2:1-12, starting on page 1497, in your Pew Bibles.

The Magi(Wise Men) Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 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.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 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. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘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.’[b]”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 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.”

9 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. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 

When you grow up in the church like I did, one of the enduring symbols of Christmas is the wise men and their camels. Every year, some larger churches put on multi-day Christmas pageants. These are elaborate affairs, complete with live animals, original music scores, and, yes, church members dressed up in satin gowns as wise men. (Hold up Blue Robe)

 

Picture in your mind a stately-looking man singing...

Welcome to Day 2304 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
The Characters of Christmas-7  Seeking and Finding - The Wise Men – Daily Wisdom
Putnam Church Message – 12/10/2023

The Characters of Christmas – Seeking and Finding: The Wise Men

Last week, in our first message of Advent, we continued from last year and investigated some of the Characters of Christmas.  The First to Know: Shepherds.

This week, we are going on a two-year expedition as we travel with a caravan of visitors from the east in a message titled,  Seeking and Finding: The Wise Men

Let’s read Matthew 2:1-12, starting on page 1497, in your Pew Bibles.

The Magi(Wise Men) Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 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.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 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. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘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.’[b]”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 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.”

9 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. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 

When you grow up in the church like I did, one of the enduring symbols of Christmas is the wise men and their camels. Every year, some larger churches put on multi-day Christmas pageants. These are elaborate affairs, complete with live animals, original music scores, and, yes, church members dressed up in satin gowns as wise men. (Hold up Blue Robe)

 

Picture in your mind a stately-looking man singing “Joyful; Joyful, We Adore Thee” atop a camel entering Bethlehem to the house where Mary, Joseph, and the toddler Jesus now live.

 

The wise men are a regular feature at Christmas. They adorn our nativity sets. They appear on our Christmas cards. But what's funny about the wise men is how little we actually know about them. Or, more accurately, how much do we get wrong about these mysterious monarchs?

So, Who Are the Wise Men?

Don't worry. I won't be that guy who spoils every Christmas by pointing out the historical inaccuracies of our cherished yuletide beliefs. Every gathering has a Scrooge-like this, who either just graduated from seminary or is busy writing a blog post telling us that the first Christmas probably wasn't in the winter.

 

But I think it is essential to know more about these traveling sages. There has been a lot of speculation throughout church history, mainly because the Bible is somewhat vague on the details.

 

We get the word “wise men” translated into English as a way of interpreting the Greek word magos, which typically means something like “those who have wisdom through investigation and interpretation of the movements of heavenly bodies”! Most likely, they were astronomers and possibly astrologers also. Matthew tells us they came “from the East.” Many have speculated that perhaps they came from Persia, now modern-day Iraq. This would seem to make sense, though we cannot be sure. Many in the East were watchers of the stars, often divining special meaning and purpose.

 

Could they be from Babylon, where Jewish exiles were taken? The book of Daniel records the use of “astrologers” (Dan. 2:2, 10) to help the kings understand their dreams and visions. It's not hard to imagine that someone like Daniel, who rose to prominence in Babylon and was outspoken about his faith in the coming Messiah, influenced several generations of Eastern intellectuals.

 

Were there three of them? And were they kings, as the famous hymn, “We Three Kings” (first song) seems to indicate? Probably not. We get the idea of three from the three gifts offered, but the entire delegation likely presented the gifts as a whole. And it's likely there were more than three, given how much of a stir Matthew says they caused when they arrived in Jerusalem. One early church father speculated that perhaps there were fourteen wise men. I don't know about that, but this was probably a caravan of several people. They weren't kings but prominent and influential religious leaders from the East. (King/Priest Type)

 

What is clear to us is that the magi were earnest in their desire to find the King of the Jews. They combined their knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures with a reliance on astrology. Scripture speaks powerfully against looking to the stars for meaning, but God is meeting these seekers where they are, utilizing His power over the heavenly bodies to direct them to His Son.

 

This doesn't mean the Bible condones astrology, but it does show us that God is willing to meet those who genuinely seek Him where they are. Consider how God met us. I doubt any of us were completely sound in our theology when we first met Jesus. And yet God can meet a seeking sinner, with impure motives and uncertain beliefs, and point that soul to His Son.

 

And consider what tools God employed here in this story to let the world know about the birth of His Son, Jesus. The entire universe was at God's disposal in announcing the gospel. Last week in Luke, we read of the angelic messengers and how the sky lit up with praise as the heavenly choir shouted the news to the shepherds. And in Matthew, we read of God using a star to point people from afar toward Bethlehem.

 

This story has a connection to the Old Testament. There is an obscure story in the book of Numbers (22-24) of an ornery prophet named Balaam and a talking donkey. God asked Balaam to deliver three blessings to his people. One of those, the final message, contained these words in Numbers 24:16-17:

16 the message of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide open:
17 I see him, but not here and now.
I perceive him, but far in the distant future.
A star will rise from Jacob;
a scepter will emerge from Israel.
It will crush the heads of Moab’s people,
cracking the skulls[a] of the people of Sheth.

Some have speculated that this was a coincidence, perhaps a comet that might have been simultaneously in the sky. Maybe a comet did lead the wise men to Bethlehem,/ but there is no doubt that this was the God /who appeared as a pillar of fire and a cloud to His people, /opening up the heavens to point the lost to Jesus.

 

All of creation is at God's disposal to tell His story. King David, describing the joy that would one day cause the universe to announce the son of David born in the city of David, says in Psalm 19:1-5:

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.[a]
4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

The nineteenth-century British pastor Charles Spurgeon said this about the star that led these men to Jesus:

He was born of lowly parents, laid in a manger, and wrapped in infant clothes. But the principalities and powers in the heavenly places are in motion. First, an angel descends to proclaim the Advent of the newborn king. But the activity was not confined to the spirits above, for in the heavens above the earth, something began to stir. A star is sent on behalf of all the stars, as if it were the envoy of all worlds to represent them before their king. This star was put into commission to await the Lord, to be his herald to men far away, and to be God’s usher to conduct these wise men into Christ’s presence.

 

As many of you know, I love the study of the universe and am a fan of Space Sy-Fy. It gives me goosebumps to think of this moment, when the star first appeared to those seeking sages in the East. The infant Son of God, /Creator of the heavens and earth, /who holds the universe in His hands, directing the stars to draw people to Himself./ This shows us the love of God for the world.

God so loved the world, Jesus would later say (John 3:16), that God offered His Son to redeem those who believe. Not every day will bring sunshine and roses into our lives. Some days may appear dreary and bleak, but know this: if you are in Christ, God leveraged the entire universe to shout His message of love and drew you to Himself.

The Two Kings

We may not believe these wise men were actual kings (though singing the hymn is still okay—it’s one of my favorites), but there are kings in this passage, and this, I believe, is the point of Matthew including this story in his retelling of the birth of Jesus.

If Luke emphasizes Jesus as a servant, Matthew's gospel is all about Jesus as King. This is why he opens with an extensive genealogy, establishing Jesus as the rightful heir to the throne of David. And it's why Matthew contrasts with another king, Herod, the bloodthirsty ruler of the Jews appointed by Rome. This is Herod the Great, who kept power by attacking and often killing his political enemies (and even family members) and who built impressive architecture in Israel, which included the second Jewish temple.

 

The prominent and wealthy men from the East traveled far and wide, not to sit at the feet of the one who sat on a throne in Jerusalem, but to bow before an infant in a house in Bethlehem. The star from heaven didn't point to Herod, but to Jesus.

 

Matthew is telling us that true worshipers worship the true King. While most of Israel slept in spiritual lethargy and those who knew the Scriptures/— the scribes and the chief priests—/were more fearful of Herod than God, /the wise men had the faith to worship the One who deserved worship: Jesus.

 

The presence of these men from the East—outsiders, Gentiles—is a confirmation of God's promise to send a Messiah who would not only be the King of the Jews, but a Messiah for the nations. Jesus' kingdom is a kingdom not just for insiders, but for outsiders. In fact, many insiders—those who were closest to Jesus—were most resistant to His message. And so it often is today. Those who are most “churched” are often those who are so blinded by self-righteousness they cannot see—we cannot see—the gospel. And it is often those who seem so far from God whom God draws by His Spirit.

 

This should also give us pause when we begin to think that the gospel is only for people who look like us, who come from our backgrounds, and who speak our language. The truth is that living in Western nations, we are likely one of the “outsiders” to whom the gospel had to be extended; we are part of the Gentile nations who were furthest from Jesus. We should thank God that His promise wasn't only for a particular ethnic group, /but that in His kingdom, /we see every nation, tribe, and tongue represented. This is a global kingdom, which will make up His Global Eden when Christ returns. Let's pray that our churches worldwide begin to reflect heaven's reality: the beautiful diversity of the kingdom of God.

 

Bowing Before the Real King

The name “wise men" is the term that has most stuck to these mysterious magi from the East, and perhaps it's just as well. Their wisdom was not in their intellect or knowledge of the stars, but in their willingness to know where the trustworthy source of wisdom comes from.

 

It wasn't, they knew, in their Eastern religions. It wasn't, they discovered, in Jerusalem, where they thought the King of the Jews should be. It wasn’t even amongst the religious leaders who should have joined them in their quest to find Jesus.

True wisdom is found, they realized, at the feet of Jesus. Imagine this scene here in Bethlehem. The Scripture tells us that after a fruitless inquiry in Herod's temple, the star that had risen in the East suddenly appeared again, leading them to the exact house where Mary, Joseph, and the now-toddler Jesus lived. Jesus was, contrary to our nativity scenes and Christmas pageants, not a baby when the magi showed up and no longer in the cradle. Judging by Herod's murderous edict, (which we will study next week), we can assume Jesus is about two years old. But even though they missed the birth, it doesn't make this long journey of worship any less significant.

 

They had scanned the skies and pored through the ancient texts. They had plodded through deserts and made their way over mountains. They had knocked on doors and tiptoed into temples. These men and their entourage rode, walked, and climbed from home to an utterly foreign place. And yet the wise men's journey pales compared to the One they now honored. Jesus had the more extended trip, leaving the throne of heaven and coming to live amongst His people.

 

This is why the magi's response was one of worship and exaltation of the Christ child. Let's stop and meditate on this moment here. These were men of the world, wise, cultured, and sophisticated. They came expecting a young king on a throne, surrounded by servants and the trappings of royalty. Instead, they found a poor family in an otherwise quiet neighborhood. This was all so ordinary to the average onlooker, unfamiliar with the ancient prophecies and unaware of the guiding star.

But to those whose hearts were open to God's leading, /who were genuinely seeking Jesus,/ they saw what the prophets predicted, /what the angels serenaded, /and what Mary understood: there toddling in a dirty tunic, was the Son of God. And so, these prestigious men dropped everything and offered the only proper response to Jesus: worship.

 

The very sight is a bundle of contradictions:/ the young child receiving the worship of royalty./ The wealthy bowing before the impoverished./ And yet, this is the upside-down nature of the kingdom of God.

 

In that moment, the real power was not in the wealthy coffers of these rich rulers. It was not in the gilded halls of Herod's palace. It was in the infant God-man standing before them. And so they bowed in reverent, genuine worship.

 

Jesus would later say that it is impossible for those of means to enter the kingdom of God (Matt. 19:24). This is because money and power—like that possessed by the wise men—can become idols that blind us to our vulnerabilities and need for saving faith. But Jesus would also say that with God, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). So here we have wealthy, connected, and influential people drawn by the Spirit of God into a humility that causes them to be brought low in worship of the Almighty. They followed the star and now worshiped the One who hung the stars.

 

In a sense, /this journey required not just of Eastern magi, but of anyone who is to enter the kingdom of God. God resists the proud, the Bible repeats, but He dispenses His grace to the humble. Regardless of your bank account size, /whether you grow up on the streets or in a mansion,/ to know Jesus is to bow and become low, /recognize your sinfulness and vulnerability,/ and receive God's grace. The Bible says that one day, everyone will be a worshiper, but for those who have resisted Jesus, it will be too late. Every knee will one day bow (Phil. 2:10), but the truly wise bow and worship while there is still time.

 

A Costly Worship (Although Salvation is Free)

This Christmas, we should linger and reflect on the depth of the worship exhibited by the magi. Matthew includes their story here to show how true worshipers worship the King.

Consider the fourfold response of the wise men:

They sought the truth by following the star and reading the ancient prophecies.

They obeyed the angel's voice, who told them not to return to Herod.

They bowed at the sight of Jesus.

They gave precious gifts as an act of devotion and worship.

Theirs was not a cheap worship. It was not a casual event. This was...