Our Beliefs : Sermons : Sermon Archive - 2006 : December 17, 2006

Theme: Behold God's Plan in...the Hope of the Wise Men

Church year occasion: Advent 3

This morning I want us to be detectives like Sherlock Holmes and find out the truth about the Wise Men.

First of all, who were the Wise Men and where did they come from? Contrary to popular belief, they were not kings, but they were Magi, probably members of a group of scientists or astrologers known as "wise men" from ancient Persia (modern day Iran) or Arabia (modern day Saudi Arabia). Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Old Testament were called wise men, and Daniel was even put in charge of them. Daniel and his friends lived over 500 years before Jesus was born, but these men were probably from that group of people that had been around since Daniel's time.

How did they know to follow the star to find the King of the Jews? We don't know. Undoubtedly, the wise men would have heard about the coming Savior from the prophet Daniel or other Jews who decided to remain in Babylon after the Babylonian Captivity. Maybe God used the prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24 to reveal to them that "the star that would come out of Jacob" was the Savior who would be revealed by a special star. In any case, God somehow let them know that this star would lead them to the King of the Jews.

Also contrary to popular belief, there weren't necessarily three of them. This is only guessed at because they brought three gifts to give to Jesus. Chrysostom, an early Church Father, said there were twelve. Again, we just don't know.

Probably the main thing that is different from popular belief is that the Wise Men weren't there with the shepherds on the night of Jesus' birth. In fact, verse 11 tells us that Mary and Joseph were now in a house, not the stable. It would have taken months for the Wise Men to travel from the east to Bethlehem, so Jesus was several months old by this time. This is confirmed by Herod later killing the baby boys in Bethlehem 2 years old and younger, so Jesus must have been less than 2 years old.

It almost seems that the more we discover about the wise men, the more questions we have. But there is a reason why Matthew doesn't explain every minute detail about the wise men and their visit. He reveals what is important. The rest, like every other question that the Bible doesn't reveal and history doesn't tell us, must be added to that list of questions that we'll ask God some day when we get to heaven.

But the main thing this account does tell us without a doubt is that Hope Comes from the Words and Promises of God. No matter how they found out about the birth of the King of the Jews, they were there to worship him as their King and Savior. They dropped everything to follow the star. They knew how difficult a journey it would be, but it would be well worth it. It would be the greatest thing they would ever experience in this world -- they would actually see God in human flesh. They would be able to worship their Savior in person. They knew who he was from the prophecies that had been made about the child and believers who had told them about the coming Messiah. But like the star, they let God's Word and promises guide them to their Savior.

I already mentioned that it would not be an easy journey to Judea. The Wise Men obviously didn't know about the prophecy from Micah that is quoted in our text telling that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. So the Wise Men naturally went to the capital city of Jerusalem and began asking questions about where to find the King of the Jews. Imagine their surprise when none of the Jews themselves knew what they were talking about! Their appearance in Jerusalem, probably with a large entourage of servants, would have been the talk of the day. But it was their question about the birth of the Messiah that would have really gotten people excited. So, inevitably, the ruler in Jerusalem, King Herod, who was called the King of the Jews himself, found out about these Wise Men and their questions. Verse 3 says, "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him." Why was Herod disturbed? Because he didn't want some upstart king taking away his throne. He was already paranoid about it. He ruthlessly murdered anyone who would possibly take away his rule -- even three of his own sons! You can understand why all of Jerusalem was disturbed that the King of the Jews had been born -- it meant that a bloodbath would be coming soon. Herod would find out where this rival was, and kill him as well, along with anyone who got in his way.

Herod called together his own advisors and asked them where to find the King of the Jews. They told him Bethlehem, a small village just four miles south of Jerusalem. But Herod wanted to know how old this child would be, so he brought the Wise Men in and found out when they had first seen the star, and made it look like he was ready to worship the Savior also. He fooled the Wise Men, and they went on their way to Bethlehem. As they went, the star that must have stopped shining since they started out reappeared, and they were overjoyed to see it because it showed that God was still with them and guiding them to their Savior.

The Magi are called "wise men" not just because they were learned and educated, but because they had true wisdom -- they knew Jesus was their Savior. They followed the star because they were following God's Word and promises. What happens in our lives when our "star" seems to stop shining? What happens when we don't know if we should take a different direction in our lives regarding a job or stand up for our faith to a co-worker or friend, knowing it may have some consequences. What happens when it seems like we're all alone and no one understands what we're going through or even cares? Like the Wise Men, we follow God's Word and promises. He's always been trustworthy and faithful, so we can trust that he will guide us by his Word and promises and bless us when we follow them.

Why can we trust God so strongly, no matter the circumstances? It has to do with the kind of hope we have in our God and his Word. It's not the kind of hope we have in finding a certain present under the tree on Christmas Eve. Those kinds of hope are only as good as the decisions of others who want to give you a present. You might get what you want, but you might not. Not so when we trust in God and his promises to guide us. In that case, our hope rests in the faithful God who cannot lie, who cannot go back on any promise. So when we seek Jesus, as the Wise Men did, our hope turns into reality.

Consider the picture that these Magi would have cut. Here are some well-respected men, men who would be the equivalent of today's scientists or leading citizens, men who would be admired for their wisdom and praised for their knowledge and understanding. But here, in a house in the small town of Bethlehem, these leading citizens got down on their knees and probably pressed their faces to the dirt floor as they demonstrated their complete servitude to and humble honor of -- a baby! A small Jewish baby was being worshipped by grown, respected men! But it's not strange when we know who the baby is -- Jesus was and is God himself sent to save us. Worship of Jesus was what their lives were all about.

How is your worship of Jesus going? Is worshiping Jesus what your life is all about? Have you made sure everything else is secondary to your worship of your Savior? Unfortunately, sometimes we have to say that other things take center stage. Or even when we make it to God's house, how easy it is just to go through the motions. Do we see that in the Wise Men? No, their worship was humble awe that God would become man to be their Savior. We need to understand that also. That is, in fact, why Jesus came. The many times we neglected his house because of supposedly more pressing matters, the times we went our own way instead of being guided by his Word, or in general the times when our entire worship lives -- the things we do and say every day -- simply don't reflect the humble awe we should have in Jesus. All these things Jesus came to take away. He came to die. He came to endure ridicule and pain and torment to take your sins away...away forever! He did that when he gave up his life on the cross. Now heaven is yours in the most beautiful way -- simply by trusting that Jesus did it all for you.

We have one advantage over the Wise Men -- we know what Jesus would do to save us. We can see the depth of his love for us to take our sins away and allows us to be holy in God's sight. That gives us all the more reason to place our hope in this small baby once born in such humble circumstances. Think of what Jesus was born to do. Then, like the star that led the Wise Men, let that guide your worship of him every day of your life. Amen.