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JANUARY 6, 2008
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary his mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:1–12
There is a danger. There is, I think, a great danger that the more familiar we are with an account of the Bible, the more prone we are to tire of it. This may especially be true of our text for today, one that we know so well. Who hasn’t heard of the wise men’s journey to worship the infant Messiah in Bethlehem?
By the grace of God, may our hearts be stirred anew to see the wonder of God’s marvelous works.
Our text for today, the visit of the magi, is celebrated as the Epiphany of our Lord. Epiphany means “a making known” or “a revelation.” Here the Christ child is revealed to the magi as the promised Messiah and Savior of the world. Up to this time, only Jewish people had seen him. But, here, we have the first revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles. This revelation is, therefore, properly called the “Christmas of the Gentiles.”
There is, perhaps, no other New Testament story that has been so embellished with legends. Many think there were exactly three wise men. We don’t know their exact number other than the fact that they are referred to in the plural.1 It is also thought that the wise men were kings. They were not. They are referred to as magi, men known for their magic (occultic) arts and men versed in some of the natural sciences. It is also commonly believed that these wise men came to the manger on Christmas just as the shepherds did. But most Bible scholars place their visitation about a year or 1½ after the Savior’s birth.2
The magi came from the East, most probably from Persia, searching for the infant Messiah. Why Persia? Well, let’s travel backward in time to about 600 B.C. God’s people had been taken captive into Babylon (within the geographical boundaries of what is commonly referred to as Persia) and remained there for 70 years.
During that time, King Nebuchadnezzar was advised by a class of highly–educated men who were also priests of the Persian religion, a religion that was utterly pagan. These advisors were called magi (i.e., magicians) who practiced sorcery, astrology, and other secret arts.
But this was also the time of the prophet Daniel. When the magi couldn’t reveal or interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, God enabled Daniel to do so, i.e., to do what the magi couldn’t.3 Daniel became famous for his knowledge and wisdom. But he and others also told these Gentile Persians that a great Messiah–King would be born who one day who would rule the nations. Daniel’s God became a subject of great interest. Who wouldn’t want to know about the God who could protect Daniel from the lions’ den and save the three Israelites who were thrown into the fiery furnace?
After the Israelites were set free and returned to their homeland, the magi (as a class) remained in Persia and continued to study the Old Testament prophecies of Israel’s coming Messiah. From them they learned that the Jewish Messiah would be not only for the Jews but for all people. They also learned that the sign of Christ’s coming would be by a miraculous star. Indeed, the Scriptures said, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star shall come forth from Jacob; a scepter shall rise from Israel.”4
And so it was that centuries later, some Persian magi saw the promised star and followed it for many miles. It led them to Jerusalem. They came with a question. They asked, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”5 What is surprising is that neither the Jewish scholars nor leaders knew that the Messiah had been born. The Gentile magi knew, but the Jews didn’t! What utter shame and indifference!
Bethlehem was only six miles from Jerusalem. Yet Jerusalem, the center of Jewish scholarship, learning, and worship, had to learn about the birth of Christ from Gentile magi of the East. What a disgrace! They should have known! We remember how the shepherds who saw Christ on that first Christmas night spread the good news.6 We remember how the prophetess Anna continued to speak of Christ to all that looked for the redemption of Jerusalem.7 Perhaps there were prominent Jews who came to Bethlehem to see for themselves whether the Christ had been born. But when they came and searched the homes, they found only ordinary–looking babies. They did not find any that distinguished himself in a kingly way. So they left, saying, “Let us leave this place and tell our people to pay no attention to the rumors that we have heard!”
But now the magi had come to Jerusalem, led by a star. They were carrying costly gifts fit for a great king, the King of the Jews. King Herod is upset because, in 37 B.C., the Roman senate had conferred upon him the title, “King of the Jews.”8 You can imagine Herod’s alarm.
The magi persist with their question: “Where is the great King?” The Jewish scholars convene. “The Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem,” they say. The magi soon depart, but not before Herod says, “When you find him, let me know. I want to worship him too!”
Herod, of course, is lying. The magi want to find the Christ child to worship him; Herod wants to find the child to murder him. He wants no rival king. When the magi don’t return, Herod realizes that he has been duped. “They must have found him,” he says to himself. “I must settle this problem now!”
Herod knows well how to deal with his adversaries. He was responsible for killing a number of his own sons, a wife, and many friends and associates. Murder came easily to this tyrant.
Herod will, therefore, get rid of this rival king by his normal methods. St. Matthew writes of Herod’s jealous brutality, saying, “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.”9 Herod’s order was probably given a day or two after the magi had left for Bethlehem. Providentially, Joseph had been warned in a dream to take Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt.10
According to our text, then, we see men gathering themselves into three distinct groups with respect to Christ.
Let us briefly look at each group. Like Herod who hated Christ enough to want him destroyed, there are many today who hate or are hostile to the Savior. As William Barclay notes, “There are still those would gladly destroy Jesus Christ, because they see in him the one who interferes with their lives. . . . The man whose one desire is to do what he likes has never any use for Jesus Christ. The Christian is the man who has ceased to do what he likes, and has dedicated his life to do as Christ likes.”12
Consider Ted Turner, the cable television tycoon. The Dallas Morning News, some time ago, quoted Turner as saying, “Christianity is a religion for losers.” When reminded that the Bible teaches that Christ died on the cross for all sinners, himself included, Turner bristled with indignation, saying, “I don't want anybody to die for me. I've had a few drinks and a few girlfriends, and if that's gonna put me in hell, so be it.”13
The reaction of the Jewish leaders to the birth of Christ was one of indifference. Spiritual apathy is also a common problem among the flock of Christ today. You know how it is: We're familiar with the liturgy; we've sung the hymns; the sermons are dry; the Lord's Prayer is old; and the Lord's Supper is, well, routine. Our prayers are uttered half–heartedly, too often we give in to sin without much of a struggle, and our lives reflect the world and not the Word. Yes, we can find ourselves rather bored with the whole thing. And so it is that we can say with a fellow–Christian,
My eyes are dry, my faith is old; my heart is hard, my prayers are cold. And I know how I ought to be; alive to you, and dead to me. So what can be done for an old heart like mine? Soften it up with oil and wine. The oil is you, your Spirit of love. Please wash me anew with the wine of your love?14
Jesus has a word for us. He first spoke this word to the church of Laodicea nineteen centuries ago. He said to them and says to us, “Those whom I love, I rebuke and chasten; so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”15 Here, we see how lovingly he cries to urge our repentance.
And, so, in sincere repentance, washed clean by the blood of Christ, we join our hearts with the magi. We, like them, react to the child of Bethlehem with genuine worship and thankfulness. Why? Because without this holy Child, we would all perish everlastingly. But with this Child, God freely gives us every perfect gift. Because of this, the magi present him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Gold is the gift given to a king. Jesus is a king, not of an earthly kingdom, but of the kingdom of heaven. His kingdom advances not by arms and armies, but by his love for us. He rules over his subjects not from a throne, but from a cross. Frankincense is the gift for a priest. A priest opens for men the way to God. In the Temple worship of ancient Israel, frankincense was sprinkled on the offerings to present a sweet aroma to the LORD. Myrrh is the gift for one who is to die. It was used as an aromatic resin with which to wrap the bodies of the dead. Jesus was so buried after his death.16
Gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, myrrh for one who was to die. These were the gifts of the magi. And, even at his cradle, they foretold that he was to be the King of our salvation, the perfect High Priest, and, in the end, the supreme Savior who, by his dying, opened the door to eternal life!17
Behold, then, the love of God manifested in Christ who is revealed on this Epiphany as the Savior of the Gentiles and as the Savior of all nations.
To you, then, I say, “A blessed Christmas to you!
To him be all honor, and praise, and glory. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Endnotes
1 Magi is the plural of the Greek magos. The English word magician is etymologically derived from the Greek magi.
2 Christ was 40 days old when Jesus came to the temple for his presentation (Luke 2:22). There he was revealed to Simeon and Anna. In Matthew 2:16, Herod gave the order to slay all the males babies in Bethlehem that were 2 years of age and under. Therefore, the visit of the magi occurred after his presentation and before Herod’s slaughter, somewhere between 41 day and 2 years.
3 See Daniel 2:1-48.
4 See Numbers 24:17.
5 See Matthew 2:2.
6 See Luke 2:16-18.
7 See Luke 2:38.
8 His actual title may have been “King of Judea.” See William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol 1, rev ed. (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1975), p. 28. See also Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible: The New Testament, vol. 1, (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1923), p. 8, and Adam Fahling, The Life of Christ (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1936), p. 50. Also see website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/history/herod.shtml.
9 See Matthew 2:16, ESV.
10 See Matthew 2:13.
11 Barclay, p. 30, notes the three groupings.
12 Barclay, p. 30.
14 Keith Green, “My Eyes are Dry,” No Compromise (Canoga Park, CA: Sparrow Records), 1978. I wish he had said in the last sentence, “Please wash me anew in the wine of your blood (not love). As long as we understand that love’s cleansing agent is always the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7), we can understand his words in a correct sense.
15 See Revelation 3:19-20. Please note that this text is not spoken to unbelievers as though it were a conversion passage. No, Christ speaks these words to the Church of Laodicea. As the Church, he is speaking to believers. As such, he is not urging their conversion, but their repentance.
16 John 19:39 says, “And Nicodemus came also, who had first come to Him by night; bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.” (NASB).
17 The final two paragraphs are adapted from Barclay, pp. 32-33.
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