Becoming Like a Wise Man

Matthew 2:1-12
2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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 in the east 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 Christ 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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” 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 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.” 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. 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 and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 

We don’t know much about the Wise Men of the traditional Christmas story.  Matthew’s depiction leaves lots to the imagination.  We don’t know the number of these wise men but tradition suggests three.  Some scholars hold that there were three because three gifts were given so therefore it must have been three kingly wise men that presented those gifts.  Some scholars suggest that there were many of them each had a great entourage that accompanied them from the east. Nevertheless, we do know that these men, however many there were, had knowledge from their studies that made them search for the promised king of the Jews.  Matthew shows these men being from the East.  It is not certain but this could have meant Arabia, Persia, or Mesopotamia.  Daniel 2:48 tells us that “the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him.  He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.”  Could it be that these wise men mentioned in the Christmas story were descendants of those that had been influenced by Daniel’s teachings?  It would make sense for God in His created order to do something that would set the precedent for something else later on down the road.  God has a way of orchestrating things that seem to be a domino effect, one thing leading to another.  This is very evident in Matthew 2:1-12.  You have these scholars that somehow knew enough theology to search for the promise of the messiah.  They knew about prophecies that we now know as part of the Old Testament like Numbers 24:17 that states “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.  A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”  Or Micah 5:2 that states “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.”  These scholars had long studied the stars and the way they affected human lives.  They were first influenced by these sacred writings now seeing these signs and prophecies coming to fruition.  It is interesting to note that the coming of the Messiah was announced to Jewish shepherds through angels and to these gentile philosophers by a star. God speaks to us through our own language and reveals Himself to us in ways that we can understand.  This reminds the readers that God’s gift of Christ is for all nations and all mankind!  The wise men were intrigued by this star enough to follow it.  They operated with certainty.  They knew it was the sign of a king being born.  Their wonder propelled their action.  The wise men had a sense of wonder.
Had they been fans of old hymns and gospel music, they may have heard the song that George Beverly Shea used belt out:
The Wonder of It All.
There's the wonder of sunset at evening,
The wonder as sunrise I see;
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul
Is the wonder that God loves me.

Refrain
O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all!
Just to think that God loves me.
O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all!
Just to think that God loves me.

Verse 2
There's the wonder of springtime and harvest,
The sky, the stars, the sun;
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul
Is a wonder that's only begun.
The wise men were fascinated by their wonder.  But notice that their wonder led them to worship.
Verses 10 and 11 state “when they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  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.”
The worship of the wise men is significant, but how they worshiped him is extraordinary.  They bowed down.  When was the last time you heard about someone that was scholarly and well-studied that bowed down?  Just the other day I was in a conversation with a young lady that talked about her college psychology professor.  He would not allow any discussions except on what he had written.  This student made the observation that this professor needed to have his ego stroked.  While it is understood that there are many great scholars that have great faith, it seems that they are in the minority.  It is very interesting how these scholars approached the Christ Child.   They found where the star had stopped and they were overjoyed.  When was the last time that you entered into a place of worship overjoyed?  Once they came into the house, we are told they bowed and worshiped.  They opened their treasures and gave Him their gifts.  Matthew is very clear about the gifts that were presented.  There is much significance in these gifts from which we can learn much.  These kingly scholars presented Him with a little more than pampers, baby wipes and a rattle.  They presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Through their studies that led them to be looking for that star, they knew that this child was more than just a cute baby.  So they presented Him gifts that indicated they understood this child to be so much more.  The gifts came from their personal treasures and seemingly were planned with great consideration.  How many times just this week did we take gifts to another house or presented gifts to those we love.  Hopefully, there was some thought put into your gift giving.    The wise men presented 3 gifts to this holy child.  The first gift that Matthew shares with us is the gift of gold.  A golden gift in that day and culture meant you thought of your recipient as a king.  These wise men had confirmed through their studies that this child was not going to be a king, but this child was a king.  They presented him with gold.  Secondly, they presented him with frankincense.  Frankincense was used as part of the sacrificial giving in the temple.  It was presented by the priests as an offering for the atonement of sins for the people.  In doing so, the priests were mediators that helped the unrighteous people be made right with a very righteous God.  This purification ritual had to be done on many occasions.  The third gift was myrrh.   Myrrh was used as an embalming fluid.  It was
placed on the body of one that died so that body could be made ready for burial.  Do you see the significance of these gifts?  These very wise men recognized Jesus as the King of all Kings.  They saw Him as the priestly mediator between a sinful world and a Holy God.  They knew one day He would die as the Savior.  I am not sure if they knew for sure that His death would be for the atonement for all people, but they knew enough to present Him with gifts of great significance.
Matthew describes the wonder and the worship in specific detail. He also gives us some insight into the fact the after they worshiped Him, they were different.  They were able to recognize that a change had happened in their lives.  Verse 12 of this passage states, “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”  An interesting note here, that the word “warn” is used later on in this chapter in verses 13, 19, and 22.  It is also used in Matthew 27:19 when Christ was being tried by Pilate.  “While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife went him this message: ‘Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of Him.’”  In Hebrews 11:7, we are reminded that “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.  By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”  The wise men wondered about what they had seen and heard, they worshiped the king, priest and savior, and they received a sense of wow that caused them to live different lives.  When was the last time you were “wowed?”  When I study scripture and see how it continually interprets itself and how it comes to fruition in my life, I simply say wow.

What gifts are you bringing to the Christ child right now?  Perhaps, like me, you don’t have gold or frankincense or myrrh to bring.  However, in our heart of hearts, we can acknowledge this Christ Child as King.  We can understand Him to be the priestly mediator between a sinful people and a Holy God.  We can recognize Him as Savior and Lord, having died so that once and for all our sins, our unrighteous condition, could be atoned for and that you and I can have life and have it abundantly.  If we come this day recognizing and giving these gifts, we can live a life that guided by the very presence of God, and we can be WOWED.

What We Can Learn from the Shepherds

Luke 2:8-20

We have heard this story forever.  I remember my mother challenging as a young boy to be able to do what Linus did in the beloved “Charlie Brown Christmas” and recite from memory this great passage found in Luke 2 known as the Christmas Story.  Perhaps even you have heard and seen like I did for the first time this year that as Linus recites this passage and gets to the part we have already read where the angel says “Fear not,” then drops his security blanket.  There seems to have been a great buzz about this on Christian radio this year, so I watched it.  Sure enough, Linus starts his recitation and gets to “Fear Not” then drops his blanket.  But one thing I noticed, is that at the end of his great oration, he picks it back up and walks off the stage.  Sometimes you and I are like that and return to the familiar.  This morning I want to invite you to look at this story that you have heard over and over and listen for something new.  I invite you to hear the Revelation of Christ being born, the Realization of Christ being worshipped, and the Response of Christ being shared.

The Shepherds were outcasts.  They had a dirty job.  Their work made them ceremonially unclean and kept them away from the temple for weeks at a time which prevented them from being made clean.  Perhaps they even cared for the sheep that were to be used at the temple as sacrifices, yet they were forbidden to enter the gates of temple.  So they had to remain out in the fields.  The fields were open and dangerous.  As a shepherd, they were protect their sheep from danger so they had to be alert and wide awake.  They were men’s men.  They were practical and not easily persuaded to believe in things that could be mythical or fantasy.  It was their job and way of life to protect the sheep at all costs.  Then it happens.  An angel appears in a way that all of these shepherds see it.  The glory of the Lord is revealed and they are terrified.  Can you imagine what that was like?  Years ago, I had a friend from college that was driving a back road from the Blue Ridge Parkway back to Mars Hill.  On this particular road there was a church in one of the curves that had a very bright fluorescent lighted cross that would blind drivers coming down the mountain.  My friend had been drinking and partying and decided he could make his way home.  On the way home he lost control of his car, ran into ditch and the impact temporarily knocked him out.  When he came too, he was at the foot of that cross being blinded by the light.  In his drunken state, he thought he had died and was about to be judged for his actions and confessed his sin and vowed to never drink again.  He was afraid of that light and the seeming glory of that light.  It caused him great fear.  Have you ever seen the glory of God?  Scripture tells us in Exodus 40:34-35 that the glory of God was contained in the tabernacle.  “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”  The people could perceive and experience the greatness of God when His glory was revealed.  2 Chronicles 7:1-3 also shows us something about the glory of God:  “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.  The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because of the glory of the Lord filled it.  When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord saying, ‘He is good; His love endures forever.’”  Surely the shepherds had heard stories from their ancestors how God revealed His glory to Moses and Abraham and the prophets.  They recognized that this was not from this world and Luke shares with us here that they were terrified.  I bet they have the “pujoobies” scared out them.  These rugged, earthy men were afraid.  But notice what the angel does next, “Do not be afraid.”  The King James Version says “Fear not.”  He goes on to say “I have for you the greatest news of the history of the world!  I am giving you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today, in the town of David, over there in Bethlehem, a Savior has been born.”  It was not the good news of a soldier being born nor a great judge being born, nor a reformer being born, but it was the good news of a savior being born!   It was a message of peace to the world that had known much war.  Even though the Pax Romana had been in place for many years, there was turmoil in the land.  People were taxed excessively, wages were hard to come by, and there were arguments in the religious community about how one should live.  Sounds like today doesn’t it?  One writer states “the absence of war does not guarantee the presence of peace.”  In fact, the Stoic Philosopher Epictetus said “while the emperor may give peace from war on land or sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief and envy.  He cannot give peace of heart for which man yearns more than ever for outward peace.”  This angel said I have good news and it is going to give you great joy.  Joy produces peace.  In fact, after the angel makes the pronouncement “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger,” the one angel is joined with a great company of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”  It is interesting here to note that the Hebrew word SHALOM means well-being, health, prosperity, security, soundness, and completeness.  It is more about character than circumstances.  This can only come from God!

Great Joy.  Great Peace. Great God.

No doubt these shepherds had heard the prophets proclaim of a coming messiah.  They knew of the promised one.  Isn’t interesting that the first ones to hear about the birth of Christ were shepherds.  The Messiah came to be both the Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God!  They had a revelation that Christ is born!

With the revelation that Christ is born, the shepherds also had a realization.   Verse 15-16 states “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger.”  They realized this was no dream.  They knew this was to be true.  They had just experienced the glory of God and they were ready to enter into the presence of Christ.  It was immediate:  “they hurried off.”  There was no delay.  They left their jobs and went in search of what they had been told.  The revelation led to a realization.  The realization was to pay reverent honor and homage to Christ the Lord.  By the way, if you look up the word worship on www.dictionary.com, the very first definition listed is “to pay reverent honor and homage to God,” Their realization was to WORSHIP.  Listen to this another way.  When you and I realize this Christmas that Christ, a Savior, was born to reconcile our sinful, filthy lives and give us access to a Holy, righteous God, we will worship!  The Glory of God was revealed to these dirty, nasty, hardworking men and they immediately go to find this Christ.  They didn’t get cleaned up.  They didn’t wait for the right moment.  They didn’t wait until the stars were properly aligned.  They didn’t wait until there was a better time.  They went immediately.  The use of the word found in this passage means they had a search to find this baby.  Perhaps they ran from door to door shouting and disturbing the whole town, “hey is there a baby here?” Then finally, they found him.  Do you think they said, “Oh cool, there he is, doesn’t he look like his daddy?”  Do you think they picked him up and held him?  That’s an awkward thought, or is it?  Or do you think that they bowed down and worshipped that baby?  I have tried to put myself in their sandals, having experienced what they did, I would think I would have come into that barn or cave or whatever it was, and just sat there in awe thinking of how a Mighty and Holy God just gave to me in the form of a baby, the greatest gift of all, that how through Him I could have life and have it abundantly.  My sins being forgiven and my relationship with God being restored.  Just the mere thought of that leads me to worship!  Hallelujah what a savior!

We don’t know for sure what happened there or how long they stayed.  The Revelation that Christ is born led to the realization and Christ was worshipped.  You know, the same happens to you and I if we think about it and are really honest.  When it is revealed to us that Christ is born for the redemption of our sins and we truly realize it, we are going to worship Him.  Verse 17-18 states “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”  The revelation was that Christ is born.  The realization caused for Christ to be worshiped.  The response is that Christ must be shared.  The shepherds were the first missionaries if you will.  They shared the good news and joy of Christ coming to this world.  We know from the text that the shepherds left.  “Mary treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned to their work glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

Now begs the question, what are you going to do with what you have been told?  My prayer for you is that you will have a revelation about Christ being born, a realization that will lead you worship Him, and by doing so, you will respond by telling others what you have heard and seen, which is just what you have been told.