The Visit of the Magi

 

COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 22 DECEMBER 2024 am – MR JASON CRUISE

MATTHEW 2 VERSES 1 – 12

Here in Matthew 2 we read about the visit of the Magi, coming to Bethlehem, coming to see the Lord.  God manifested in the flesh.  God was willing to step into the world.  In Luke we read of Mary bringing forth her son and wrapping him in swaddling clothes.  Then the shepherds, having been told about the birth of Christ came with haste and found the baby in the manger.  James Irwin, an astronaut on the Apollo 15 in 1971 went to the moon a couple of years after Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins.  After he returned to earth a journalist asked James “don’t you think it was wonderful that you were able to walk on the moon?”  He replied “I think it is even more wonderful that the one who made the moon was willing to walk on the earth.”  I want us to think of the wise men who came to meet Jesus.  They were probably making their way from Persia or modern-day Iran to meet the Saviour.

Verses 1 and 2 “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”  Notice the era that they came.  King Herod was on the throne.  This is Herod the great.  Secular history shows that he was a cruel man.  He had no sympathy for many people.  He oversaw the murder of children 2 years and under as he sought to find the Saviour.  When Herod was asked “where is he that is born King of the Jews?” he became concerned.  This was a threat to him and his throne.  He doesn’t want to give up his earthly throne.  A reminder that when we come to Christ, we have to give up anything that is central in our lives, anything that we worship other than Christ.  Anything that excludes the Saviour.  Herod believes this one has come to take over his place.  He doesn’t want to give it up.  He wants first place.  He doesn’t want to give anyone else this place.  Many ask “if they were following a star why did they come to Jerusalem when the Lord was born in Bethlehem?”  Surely, we would have done no differently.  These men studied the stars, they believed that as they saw the star there had been born one King of the Jews.  They assumed he would be born in a palace as a king and that is why they made their way to Jerusalem.  These men, the Magi came along to see the Lord.  “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”  That was a declaration of the kingship of Jesus.  There was no-one ever born before who was born a King of the Jews.  We could think of many kings who have ruled and sat upon thrones in different countries.  Even our own king, King Charles born on 14 November 1948 was born not as a king but as a prince.  Here is one born a King.  Our own King did not become King until 6 May 2023.  Today as then, Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  The angel said to Mary “And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shalt call his name Jesus.  He shall be great, and He will be called Son of the Most High.  And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1 verses 31 to 33)  The one we trust for salvation today is our great sovereign and he is coming back to rule and reign in fulfilment of the prophet Zechariah 14 verse 4 “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.”  He shall come there to the Mount of Olives and make his way to the eastern gate that has not been opened in 500 years since the time of the Ottoman empire.  Ezekiel 44 verse 2 tells us “Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the  Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.”  The one who we have trusted in is coming back.  There is going to be a second advent.  He is coming to rule and reign.  The wise men came and asked this question to Herod. 

Verse 3 “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.” Herod became troubled and all Jerusalem with him.  This is the last time Matthew refers to Herod as the king.  In verse 9 he is referred to as the king.  In Mark’s gospel our Saviour is presented as the servant, in Luke as the Son of Man, in John he is the Son of God but in Matthew he is presented as the king.  Matthew 1 verse 1 gives the genealogy of the Lord Jesus back to Abraham.  His line goes back through David.  A legal heirship to the throne.  The Lord is coming back to rule and reign one day.  King Herod and all Jerusalem were troubled by the question of the Magi.  They came searching – there are still people searching for Christ today.  If we speak to people about the second coming of Christ very quickly, they change the conversation.  They become very troubled.  They move it on to other things that are of absolutely no importance at all.  The most important thing is to be ready for the Lord is coming again.  Scripture does not tell us how many kings came but there were enough for them to come into the city of Jerusalem and make everyone troubled.  What a significant day when they came into the city.  Their dress was different, their culture was different, their speech was different.  They asked the first question in the New Testament.  They became troubled at the question.  If we speak of prophecy or eschatology which is the study of the end times, very soon people want to change the conversation.  John 14 verse 27 says “peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”  The one we trust in for eternity doesn’t want you to be troubled.  He wants you to have the peace that passeth all understanding.  Having put our trust in Christ we can know all is well for eternity should the Lord come or call. 

Verses 4 and 5 “And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea; for thus it is written by the prophet.”  We can see here that these men, these scribes, had a knowledge of the Old Testament.  They would have become experts in the Mosaic Law.  The chief priests knew all about the Levitical offerings.  They had a head knowledge, they knew the scriptures but didn’t know the Saviour of the scriptures.  What these men are told and asked to do – the question they are asked, an answer can be given by them.  “In Bethlehem of Judaea”.  A fulfilment of Micah 5 verse 2 “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 of old, from ancient times.”  Sadly, like so many today who can debate the scriptures, they cannot call God their Father, Christ their Saviour and heaven will not be their home one day.  We are so thankful that God is our Father, Christ is our Saviour and can look forward to the day when we will be in heaven and at home.  What our God says he means.  He means what he says.  What he has said.  When he said it will come to pass it will.  None of the promises of God will be unfulfilled.  Joshua 23 verse 14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth.  You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed.  Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”  Our God is the one who keeps his word.  He means what he says.  He is able to bring it to pass.

Verses 9 and 10 “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.”  These wise men left Jerusalem and went 5 miles south to Bethlehem.  Maybe you have believed that the star they followed was the same star they had followed from the east.  I don’t believe they did – verse 9 tells us they followed the star from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.  These men are searching for the one who is the Saviour.  They were guided to where Christ is.  Surely, we can look back to a time when we were spiritually dead and in darkness, without hope and our Saviour brought us to himself.  We were brought to Christ and brought to the Father.  We trusted in him for salvation.  Colossians 1 verse 13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”  We have been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of his dear son.  The wise men were making their way through the darkness following a star that brought them to the Saviour.  We are thankful today for the work of the Spirit.  We were spiritually dead and in darkness.  We came to our Christ into a personal relationship.  Jeremiah 29 verse 13 “And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” If we know Christ, we can be thankful we have been filled with his Spirit.

Verse 11 “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.”  The first thing to notice is – they did not come to the stable and an outside place.  They came to a house.  The shepherds are long gone by this stage.  Jesus is older now.  They did not come to the same place where the shepherds came in Luke 2.  They came to the house.  Notice they didn’t worship a king back in Jerusalem but now they are ready to worship Christ.  They did not worship Mary his mother or Joseph his father.  These men, before they presented their gifts, presented themselves.  So many today try to bring what they can do and what they have in themselves.  They haven’t acknowledged Christ as Saviour, the one who is able to atone for their sin on the cross.  These wise men came and presented themselves.  They fell down and worshipped Christ.  The Lord Jesus is central in this house.  In this home all the worship and focus and adoration is on Christ.  The crux of my message today is Christ.  Is Christ central in your home?  Is Christ central in my home?  But when the rubber hits the road on Monday morning is Christ still central in your life?  Right through the week from Monday on is he the one you worship and adore?  It is really easy to dress up as a Christian, to pray and read your bible but is he the focus of your worship and adoration later on in the week?  Is Christ central in your home?  Can we say like Joshua “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord”?  For so many today money is their focus, sport is central in their lives, work and business is number 1.  Let us make Christ central in all of our lives, the object and focus of our worship.  They presented themselves and then presented their gifts.  Gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Gold reminds us of royalty and deity.  The one these men have come and worshipped is the one born King of the Jews, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  His genealogy could be traced back to the King David.  We are reminded of his deity.  The one born is co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, co-equal in power and honour and glory.  Frankincense reminds us of his high priestly work.  Hebrews 4 verse 15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.”  We have one who is our great High Priest, our mediator.  He is at the right hand of his Father in glory.  He knows all you are going through and what you will go through in future days.  He is the great High Priest and is in glory today.  They also presented myrrh.  Myrrh in the bible was used for embalming and preparation of a body for burial.  The one born in Bethlehem was born to die.  The one who came from the realms of glory one day would make his way to Calvary to suffer and die for you.  Hebrews 2 verse 9 “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”  Myrrh reminds us he came into the world to die, an atoning death for you and I.  We are thankful to the one who died on Calvary’s cross, who lay in a manger but gave up his body to a Roman cross and a borrowed grave.  He is not dead today, he is risen.  He is seated at the Father’s right hand side in glory. 

Verse 12 “And having ben warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.”  Here we see a change in direction, a change of course.  These wise men have come to the Lord Jesus and now as they make their way home, they travel a different road.  These men were travelling a road never travelled before.  That is the same for every one who comes to Christ.  In Matthew 7 we are told of 2 roads.  8 billion people today are travelling on one of 2 roads spiritually.  There is the broad road on which we are all born.  When we come to the Saviour we move onto the narrow road.  We are heading for heaven and home.  Have you ever come to Christ?  Are you still on that broad road?  Just like the wise men you can have a change of direction.  You can be changed onto a different road.  You can be heading for heaven and home.  Remember that the baby born in a manger became the man who died on the cross.  Some time ago I received a Christmas card with these words “wise men still seek him”.  If you have never come to know Christ, I trust you will come and seek him.  Then you will be born again of the Spirit of God.