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2011 Christmas Lesson 5 

THE WORSHIP OF THE WISE MEN

Matthew 2:1-12
Key Verse: 2:2, 10

“And asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’ … When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

Most of us get several Christmas cards every year. Every year I receive at least one or two Christmas cards that depict the three Magi in their royal costumes, following the star in the night sky. The wise men in the pictures always look noble, dignified and inspiring. What inspires me most about their story is their genuineness and undying passion that fueled their search for someone whom they believed to be worthy of their love, their respect, and the most precious thing in their lives. Simply speaking, they were the seekers of God’s truth. They were even more than just seekers. They were true worshipers of God.

Look at verses 1 and 2. “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 in the east and have come to worship him.’” Magi were traditionally called “wise men.” They were believed to be astrologers who also studied astronomy. Astrologers believed that the position and movement of the stars could predict the destiny of men and the world’s history. Some of these astrologers were honest inquirers of the truth, although some of the astrologers were charlatans. We see in the book of Daniel that among the king’s royal advisory boards were astrologers in the Babylonian kingdom and Persian kingdom. (Dan 2:2; 4:7)

When these wise men came to Jerusalem, a certain period of time could have already passed since the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in Judea. Based on the information in 2:16, it could have been nearly two years since the birth of Jesus. Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, who came from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, had their child Jesus, were still living there when the Magi came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” As we studied in Luke 2:1-20, when the Messiah was born in a manger, no one in Israel knew what was going on, except several shepherds who had been informed by the angel of the Lord. Even though they spread the words about the birth of the Savior, no one seemed to have been paying real attention to them.

But some time later, when these noble and dignified wise men from a foreign country inquired of the birthplace of the Messiah, the king of the Jews, the entire nation was shaken by the news. Look at verse 3. “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him.” The birth of Jesus Christ is good news of great joy for all the people. But it wasn’t good news to many people in Israel. They were deeply troubled by the news of the birth of the newborn king. King Herod especially may have become very anxious about his own position as a king. He might have thought, “Hum! Is this newborn king going to replace me?” And when people in Jerusalem heard that Herod was greatly disturbed, they were disturbed along with him. We notice that they were disturbed not necessarily by the fact of the birth of the newborn king but because of their lack of understanding or their misunderstanding of who the newborn king would be. According to verse 6, the newborn king Jesus is not going to be a political figure, like King Herod. He would be a shepherd king. But no one really understood who Jesus really was.

Look at verses 4-5. “When he (Herod) called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.  ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written:”

The Sadducees and the Pharisees were two major Jewish religious denominations in Israel at that time. The people’s priests, including the high priest, were the Sadducees and teachers of the law were the Pharisees. They didn’t agree with each other in many aspects. But they agreed that Bethlehem in Judea was the birthplace of the Messiah, based on Micah’s prophecy, 700 years prior to the birth of Jesus. (Micah 5:2) In fact, the Old Testament predicted how the Messiah would be born. For example, Isaiah 7:14 reads, “The virgin will be with Child and will give birth to a so, and they will call him Immanuel – means ‘God with us.’” (Mt 1:23) The Old Testament also predicted where the Messiah would be born.

Look at verses 6 and 7. “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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.” According to Micah’s prophecy, this newborn king, the Messiah, was not going to be a political king. He would be the shepherd king. A shepherd is a person who provides spiritual care and guidance for God’s flock, a congregation. The Prophet Micah was not the only one in the Old Testament who prophesized the Messiah as the shepherd king. The three Major Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel also predicted about the coming of the shepherd king. (Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:30; Ezekiel 34:12, 23) When we read Isaiah 40:9b–11, it’s pretty evident that the Messiah who is almighty and sovereign would be a gentle shepherd. “Here is your God! See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those who have young.”  We need a shepherd king, not a dictator king who tries to manipulate and control everybody. But a shepherd king gently leads and guides his flock under his care. He knows his sheep by name and his sheep knows his shepherd’s voice. Jesus is the shepherd of our soul. (1 Peter 2:25)

Look at verses 7 and 8. “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 make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” It’s surprising to see that neither Herod nor religious leaders in Israel joined the Magi in search of the newborn King, who would be the shepherd of his people Israel. But it seems that they were not interested in seeking and worshiping the Messiah at all. In fact, they felt threatened by the coming of the newborn king. Herod was a very dangerous man who was willing to do anything because of his sense of insecurity. We know that he failed to get rid of the newborn king. (2:13-18) It was actually the Jewish religious leaders who later condemned Jesus and handed him over to be crucified many years later. (Mt 26:57-68) What caused these people to become so evil? It’s their sense of insecurity. When a person who feels insecure of himself is in a leadership position, he or she can be very harmful to others, like King Herod.

However, it seems that these wise men didn’t suspect King Herod’s true nature and his intension. It’s either because Herod was a good actor or because these wise men were too naïve. It seems that they were almost persuaded by King Herod who told them that he would also want to worship the newborn king with them. Perhaps, the Magi wanted to inform King Herod about where the child was, as soon as they found him. In many ways, these wise men were vulnerable people. In the following verses we see how God guides them and protects them.

Look at verse 9. “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.”  When the Magi left Herod’s temple, it was nighttime. Bethlehem is just five miles away from Jerusalem. But where were they going to find the newborn king? They didn’t even know the child’s name or the address of his parents. They could not find him unless they visited one house after the other. But how could they do that in the middle of the night while everyone was sleeping? The Magi could have felt helpless, at least momentarily. They had absolutely no clue where to find the baby. Have you ever felt helpless to solve a problem that is far beyond your ability? What would you do? Some people think that God cannot be found. They don’t believe in God’s miracle. But that’s not true at all. I don’t know whether they prayed to God or not. But all of a sudden, the star they had seen in the east appeared and went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

Sometimes, God’s presence or His existence seems remote. But He is not far away from us. He promised that we could find him in any circumstance if we seek him earnestly and sincerely. Deuteronomy 4:29 reads, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” In fact, it is God’s design that we find him through our sincerity and earnestness, as we seek hidden treasures. (Mt 13:44-46) We don’t need to pretend that we already know God, like the Jewish religious leaders in today’s passage. We cannot put God in the box of our own understanding because He is an infinite God. We should continually seek him. In fact, God should be discovered and rediscovered by us. Hebrews 11:6 reads, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, for anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  Sometimes, God allows us to go through some difficulties so that we may seek him and discover that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

What can we do when we see that the world is so dark and things are so confusing around us? How can we seek God? We can seek God by following the stars in the sky, which is the word of God. That’s why Bible study is very important. When we read the Scripture, we don’t always understand what it means. Just collecting information about Bible knowledge, like King Herod, is not enough. We need to be inspired and enlightened by the word of God. Saint Peter said that we should pay attention to it, pondering over and over until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts. (2 Peter 1:19)

Again, just studying the Bible is not enough. We need spiritual exercise. Let me share briefly “the Story of The Other Wise Man”, written by Henry Van Dyke. The movie “The Fourth Magi” is based on this story. “The Story of the Other Wise Man” is a simple story of a fourth wise man who wants to travel with the other three Magi to follow the star. Before his departure, this man trades all his belongings into expensive and beautiful jewels, such as a sapphire, a ruby and a pearl. The man plans to give the jewels to the Messiah after meeting up with the other three wise men who prepared gold, incense and myrrh. But unfortunately he misses the newborn king because he stops to nurse a dying man on his way to the promise land. He decides to spend the rest of his life helping others, but always seeking Jesus. In facts, he goes to everywhere in order to find Jesus, even to Egypt. However, each time he comes close to meeting Jesus, he is sidetracked by the need to help another human being. In fact, he uses the sapphire to help someone who is in desperate need. Later on, he also uses the ruby to ransom a child King Herod ordered to be killed and the pearl to free a girl about to be sold into slavery. He feeds the hungry and cures the sick people. And his search for Jesus continues for 33 years. When he finally is about to meet Jesus, he hears that Jesus is going to be crucified. The fourth wise man does not even see Jesus face to face all his lifetime. Yet, he becomes just like Jesus in his compassion and love. This man cries when he realizes that he has missed all opportunities to meet the promised Messiah and no gift to give him. Then he hears a small voice from heaven saying to him, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40) Seeking God and helping the needy are two different things. Yet, they are not separable. We cannot say that we love God when we ignore our suffering brothers and sisters.

Jesus said in John 14:23 and 24, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth” It is God who first sought us by calling our names one by one, and it is He who continues to stay with us until his wonderful work in us is completed. But he is also seeking for true worshipers and seekers of God, like the Magi. Even though, they were not religious Jews or Christians, they were the kind of worshipers God was earnestly searching for.

Look at verse 10. “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” What does it mean that they were overjoyed? It means that they were extremely happy. Have you ever been overjoyed lately? Some of you might have received the Christmas gift you wanted. When you really work hard for your difficult project and you finally complete it, how do you feel? Maybe unburdened, not overjoyed. We also become extremely happy when really good and thing happens unexpectedly. Recently, a girl whom her parents thought was dead at the age of 8 during the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004 was found to be alive after 7 years. Her parents could not believe it and they were overjoyed. In the course of our journey, we can have this kind of joy once in a while. But our joy in God is joy overflows like a fountain.

Look at verses 11 and 12. “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” These Magi were noble scholars and men of high standing. When they saw the little child, they didn’t just say, “Hi, baby!” They didn’t just give him toys because they knew that he was the one who had been born king of the Jews, the Messiah. When they finally found someone whom they believed to be worthy of their love and respect, they were deeply touched, bowed down and worshiped him. They finally found someone who is exceptional and truly makes them feel complete. No one forced them to worship the child. It was the expression of their love and respect from their heart and soul. After they worshiped him, they presented him with the gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Among all four Gospel writers in the New Testament, Matthew was the only one who recorded the story of these wise men in his gospel. We don’t know why. I personally happen to believe that the story of the Magi in today’s passage also is the author Matthew’s personal story of love and the story of his life journey as one of the wise men in the story. Before meeting Christ personally, Matthew was a lonely tax collector in Israel. Working as a tax collector in Israel at that time wasn’t the most respected job. In fact, tax collectors were highly criticized by the majority of people in Israel. They were even forbidden to attend meetings or worship services at the synagogue in Israel. Tax collectors were marginalized people, along with prostitutes or foreigners, in the Jewish community. But what really bothered Matthew was that he didn’t know what he really wanted to do with his own life. People despised and criticized him for his immoral and unethical lifestyle as a tax collector. But Jesus saw Matthew as a seeker of truth. Jesus knew that this young man was lost because he couldn’t find what he really could live for. He needed a shepherd. One day Jesus came to visit him at his tax collector’s booth and invited him to become one of his disciples by saying “Levi, follow me.” (Mt 9:9) Matthew got up and followed Jesus. When he met Jesus the Messiah, he was overjoyed and threw a big party for him. In fact, Matthew began his lifelong journey as a seeker and worshiper of God. And his journey was a lifelong process. He became a man of great influence to so many people in history.

We know that God exists because he rewards those who sincerely and earnestly seek him. God’s reward is not necessarily to make us rich and famous in the world or make our lives easy and comfortable. Although he allows us to suffer, he is always with us and definitely rewards those who sincerely seek him with the most beautiful image and character of God in us, just like the fourth wise man, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. (Gal 5:23) These are precious jewels. As we seek him earnestly and sincerely, we become a new creation. We are being transformed day by day.

Some of you may think that God does not know you. But He knows you and loves you. In fact, he is seeking us. He will love us forever. At this Christmas, may we truly know that God love us. He is with us. What a wonderful gift we have! We also need to think about whether we are truth seekers and genuine worshipers of God like the wise men, or pretenders like Herod and religious leaders in today’s passage. May the Lord renew our genuine heart and passion to seek and worship Him who is worthy of our love, honor and our best at this Christmas! May we have the joy from heaven that comes from truly seeking God!