In this passage that we have just read, Matthew’s version of the Christmas story, we are faced with three responses to the miracle of the birth of Christ, the coming of the Messiah, that of Joseph (his legal father), Herod (the king of the Jews), and some magi (astrologers, astronomers, magicians or wise men, traditionally ‘we three kings’).
Magi
Magi are astrologers, astronomers, or wise men (cf. Daniel 2:2,10; Acts 8:9; 13:6,8). Our word ‘magic’, interestingly enough comes from the same root as ‘magi’. In Acts 13:6,8, this same word, ‘magoi’, is actually translated ‘magicians’[9]. In the Christmas story traditionally these magi are commonly known as ‘we three kings’ (ca. 225 CE Tertullian called them kings[10]). Now – of course – there is no mention as to how many of these magi there are in this story. The Bible mentions that they bring three different kinds of gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – but does not mention how many magi there were (Matthew 2:11). The word ‘magi’ is plural so presumably there are at least two of them but there could be 2 or 102 of them; we don’t know but we do know that they are learned people.
These learned people see this thing in the sky. They see this ‘star’. These magi, they probably aren’t Jews.[11] They come from the east (cf. Philippians 2:10-11). Remember that travel isn’t easy in that day and age: they can’t just hop a flight or drive the Trans-Palestine superhighway to Jerusalem. These wise men realize somehow from their studies of the world around them that the King of the Jews has been born (cf. Numbers 24:17, Daniel 9:25, John 4:25,Romans 1).[12] What do they do when they discover this? Remember that they probably aren’t Jews and they don’t live in the area. They probably are men of privilege; who else has time to devote to study and travel in this way in this time in this place? What do these privileged foreign academics do when they find out that a king of the Jews has been born? They come to worship him (Matthew 2:2; cf. TSA d. 2,4).
This is interesting. These men. They see the star (cf. Numbers 24:17). They realize somehow that the King of the Jews has been born, so where do they go to see him? They head to Jerusalem, the capital city of the province of Judea; they go to the palace where the king lives. This is where one would go to find a new king, isn’t it? This makes sense: a king would naturally be born to the family that lives in the royal palace in the royal city – That makes sense but in this instance by simply doing what makes sense, they are wrong (cf. Judges 21:25). The new king of the Jews is not born in the palace of the old king of the Jews. He is born about five miles out-of-town, just south of Jerusalem in a community known as Bethlehem in Judea (Matthew 2:5). Lest we give our academic friends too much of a tough time here, they quickly realize their error and make the necessary corrections (Matthew 2:9). Instead of relying on their own devices and falling prey to the plans of Herod, they pay attention to their dreams and they decide to follow God’s star to the place where He is taking them (Matthew 2:10-12).
After an interview or two with Herod (Matthew 2:1-9), the current King of the Jews, these learned Magi realize that not only is the new king of the Jews not with the old and current king of the Jews in the palace but they realize that the old and current king of Judea has no immediate idea of what they are talking about and King Herod even asks them in a subsequent interview to tell him what they find out when they find him (Matthew 2:8). Herod is up to something (Matthew 2:16). But the Magi are warned by God in a dream, they avoid Herod’s trap and they follow God’s star to where God is taking them and God is taking them to a house in Bethlehem where these gentiles meet the King of the Jews and present him with the gifts they brought with them (Matthew 2:11). These foreigners see the signs; they leave their homes and their lives to track down the young king and worship Him. These are the Magi.
What is your response?
These are the three different responses to the birth of Jesus that Matthew intertwines for us in our text today. And these are three different choices for us as we are faced with the reality of the Advent of Christ in our world today. What is our response to the news of Christ? Are we like Herod? Herod is a man of power, prestige and privilege in society. He doesn’t believe in the power of the Almighty God. Herod thinks he can take matters into his own hands and disregard the truth of what God has preordained. He is wrong. Instead of worshipping the Lord, he tries to rule his world himself. His plans are frustrated though and he is furious. Likewise today if we deny the reality of the Kingdom of God and the return of Christ and instead try to control our own world, in the end we may be furious and we will be frustrated because in the end every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord – whether we want to our not (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10). Jesus has already defeated sin and death. We do not want to make the same choice as Herod
Better are the choices of the Gentile Magi and the Judean Joseph in their responses to the news of the birth of the Christ. Joseph, a righteous man, has grown up in the faith. He knows that God can be trusted so when the almost inconceivable conception occurs, he draws on the teaching of his youth, he follows his dreams, he listens to God and he spends his life living with the Christ. This is a faith that each of us who grew up in the church should have. We have the Biblical record (cf. TSA d.1), we have the historical record, we have our personal experience, and we have a brain; so rather than chuck all that we have known and experienced out the window like the Herod, let us lean not on simply our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) but let us trust instead in the power and majesty of our Lord.[13] And let us today and forever more, when we realize the power and majesty of the reality of Christ’s reign; let us, like the Magi, come and worship Him. This is my prayer for us today on this December 23rd some 2000 years after the birth of our Saviour, that indeed that we will realize from all the evidence around us the reality of Christ, cast all else aside and come to worship Him forevermore (cf. TSA d. 2,4).
Magi are astrologers, astronomers, or wise men (cf. Daniel 2:2,10; Acts 8:9; 13:6,8). Our word ‘magic’, interestingly enough comes from the same root as ‘magi’. In Acts 13:6,8, this same word, ‘magoi’, is actually translated ‘magicians’[9]. In the Christmas story traditionally these magi are commonly known as ‘we three kings’ (ca. 225 CE Tertullian called them kings[10]). Now – of course – there is no mention as to how many of these magi there are in this story. The Bible mentions that they bring three different kinds of gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – but does not mention how many magi there were (Matthew 2:11). The word ‘magi’ is plural so presumably there are at least two of them but there could be 2 or 102 of them; we don’t know but we do know that they are learned people.
These learned people see this thing in the sky. They see this ‘star’. These magi, they probably aren’t Jews.[11] They come from the east (cf. Philippians 2:10-11). Remember that travel isn’t easy in that day and age: they can’t just hop a flight or drive the Trans-Palestine superhighway to Jerusalem. These wise men realize somehow from their studies of the world around them that the King of the Jews has been born (cf. Numbers 24:17, Daniel 9:25, John 4:25,Romans 1).[12] What do they do when they discover this? Remember that they probably aren’t Jews and they don’t live in the area. They probably are men of privilege; who else has time to devote to study and travel in this way in this time in this place? What do these privileged foreign academics do when they find out that a king of the Jews has been born? They come to worship him (Matthew 2:2; cf. TSA d. 2,4).
This is interesting. These men. They see the star (cf. Numbers 24:17). They realize somehow that the King of the Jews has been born, so where do they go to see him? They head to Jerusalem, the capital city of the province of Judea; they go to the palace where the king lives. This is where one would go to find a new king, isn’t it? This makes sense: a king would naturally be born to the family that lives in the royal palace in the royal city – That makes sense but in this instance by simply doing what makes sense, they are wrong (cf. Judges 21:25). The new king of the Jews is not born in the palace of the old king of the Jews. He is born about five miles out-of-town, just south of Jerusalem in a community known as Bethlehem in Judea (Matthew 2:5). Lest we give our academic friends too much of a tough time here, they quickly realize their error and make the necessary corrections (Matthew 2:9). Instead of relying on their own devices and falling prey to the plans of Herod, they pay attention to their dreams and they decide to follow God’s star to the place where He is taking them (Matthew 2:10-12).
After an interview or two with Herod (Matthew 2:1-9), the current King of the Jews, these learned Magi realize that not only is the new king of the Jews not with the old and current king of the Jews in the palace but they realize that the old and current king of Judea has no immediate idea of what they are talking about and King Herod even asks them in a subsequent interview to tell him what they find out when they find him (Matthew 2:8). Herod is up to something (Matthew 2:16). But the Magi are warned by God in a dream, they avoid Herod’s trap and they follow God’s star to where God is taking them and God is taking them to a house in Bethlehem where these gentiles meet the King of the Jews and present him with the gifts they brought with them (Matthew 2:11). These foreigners see the signs; they leave their homes and their lives to track down the young king and worship Him. These are the Magi.
What is your response?
These are the three different responses to the birth of Jesus that Matthew intertwines for us in our text today. And these are three different choices for us as we are faced with the reality of the Advent of Christ in our world today. What is our response to the news of Christ? Are we like Herod? Herod is a man of power, prestige and privilege in society. He doesn’t believe in the power of the Almighty God. Herod thinks he can take matters into his own hands and disregard the truth of what God has preordained. He is wrong. Instead of worshipping the Lord, he tries to rule his world himself. His plans are frustrated though and he is furious. Likewise today if we deny the reality of the Kingdom of God and the return of Christ and instead try to control our own world, in the end we may be furious and we will be frustrated because in the end every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord – whether we want to our not (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10). Jesus has already defeated sin and death. We do not want to make the same choice as Herod
Better are the choices of the Gentile Magi and the Judean Joseph in their responses to the news of the birth of the Christ. Joseph, a righteous man, has grown up in the faith. He knows that God can be trusted so when the almost inconceivable conception occurs, he draws on the teaching of his youth, he follows his dreams, he listens to God and he spends his life living with the Christ. This is a faith that each of us who grew up in the church should have. We have the Biblical record (cf. TSA d.1), we have the historical record, we have our personal experience, and we have a brain; so rather than chuck all that we have known and experienced out the window like the Herod, let us lean not on simply our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) but let us trust instead in the power and majesty of our Lord.[13] And let us today and forever more, when we realize the power and majesty of the reality of Christ’s reign; let us, like the Magi, come and worship Him. This is my prayer for us today on this December 23rd some 2000 years after the birth of our Saviour, that indeed that we will realize from all the evidence around us the reality of Christ, cast all else aside and come to worship Him forevermore (cf. TSA d. 2,4).
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