The Polar Express
Notes
Transcript
# 2019-12-25 Christmas at the Movies - The Polar Express (Matthew 2:1-15)
## Introduction
> I have a confession to make.
>
> For a very long time, I didn't really like Christmas.
>
> I wasn't a Scrooge or a Grinch.
>
> I didn't hate it.
>
> I just didn't like it every much.
>
> Actually, that isn't quite true.
>
> I loved Christmas day...
>
> I just couldn't be bothered with the lead up to Christmas.
>
> Cheesy Christmas songs repeated endlessly,
>
> Mountains of mince pies,
>
> Constant carols...
>
> It wasn't until about 5 pm on Christmas eve that I started getting in the mood.
>
> But that started to change once the boys got a bit older.
>
> Children have a way of drawing you into the Christmas build up
>
> Films are a big part of that build up for many families'.
>
> And first among them for us is The Polar Express.
>
> The Polar Express follows the story of a young boy,
>
> Who goes to bed on Christmas eve unsure whether Santa exists
>
> Shortly after falling asleep he is woken up by the sound
>
> of a huge steam engine pulling into his street
>
> When the boy asks the conductor where the train is going,
>
> the Conductor replies
>
> "Why to the north pole of course! This is the Polar Express!"
>
> After some doubts the boy climbs on board
>
> And discovers his not the only one heading to the north pole.
>
> During the journey, the conductor comes to check the tickets,
>
> And we soon learn that one of the passengers,
>
> a girl has lost her ticket.
>
> With the ticket nowher to be found,
>
> the conductor escorts the girl down to the back of the train,
>
> up on the roof of the carriages
>
> and walks her through a snow to the engine at the front.
>
> Shortly after the boy finds the lost ticket
>
> and bravely heads up on to the roof of the carriages to return it.
>
> (don't try that at home kids!)
>
> Its here on the roof of the carriages
>
> Where for first time,
>
> the boys meets the Hobo
>
> A ghost who lives on the Polar Express!
>
> The encounter is one of the most important scenes in the whole film
>
> And sets the direction for every major scene that follows
>
> Let's take a look.
{PlayClip}
> At the heart of the Polar Exoress is the question,
>
> 'What does it take to believe?'
>
> And the scene where the boy meets the Hobo for the first time
>
> is so important becuase it is the first time we see that boy
>
> wants to believe, but only if it is true.
>
> And as the hobo gives voice to the boys doubts,
>
> we encounter one of the most immportant lines in the whole film.
>
> Seeing is believing.
>
> Seeing is believing.
>
> In other words,
>
> don't believe anything you can't back up with hard evidence.
>
> Sounds good right? Sounds logical, reasonable even.
Well as we look at Matthew 2:1-15
we going to put that claim to the test.
So grab a bible and keep it open at Matthew 2:1-15,
We going to look at the passage under two headings:
1. Seeing is believing? (v1-7)
2. Believing is seeing! (v8-15)
## 1. Seeing is Believing? (v1-8)
The plotline of Matthew 2:1-15 is simple enough:
A group of Magi
have seen a new star rise and come to Jerusalem
in search of the King of the Jews.
After a quick stop over in Jerusalem they head to Bethlehem
Worship the baby, give gifts and go home.
What does any of that have to do with
the relationship between evidence and faith?
Well, rather than focus on the storyline of the chapter,
I'd like us to think about the evidence that Matthew presents
and how the characters react to to it.
In v1, Matthew introduces us to two sets of characters,
the magi and King Herod the Great.
_First, let's look at the Magi_
Over the centuries,
Christmas tradition has built up layers of stories
and myths around these festive gift givers.
But the truth is we know very little about them.
Matthew doesn’t give us names,
he doesn’t tells us which country they came from,
he doesn’t even tell us how many there were.
He doesn’t even call them kings,
He doesn’t even call them wise men!
he calls them Magi.
They’re stargazers, astrologoers
I guess, like a first century Brian Cox
crossed with Mystic Meg!
The thing is,
Matthew is not so interested in who they were
or where they came from,
but what the did,
and most of all who they came to see.
Having seen a new star rise they travel
in search of 'The one who has been born king of the Jews' (v2).
Coming to the capital city expecting to find the new born king,
they instead meet King Herod the Great.
_The second character in this account_
We know a lot more about him!
Not often seen on Christmas Cards and for good reason.
Herod did great things -
like refurbish the temple in Jerusalem
But also trerrible things,
And towards the end of his life he became power hungry and paranoid.
He even murdered his faviourite wife and two of his own sons.
He heavily taxed the people to pay for his lifestyle,
and ruled with an iron fist.
It turns out that Herod the great was... well... not so great.
* * *
Having introduced us to the charcters
and the reason the Magi have come to Jerusalem,
Matthew then starts to lay out the evidence
that supports the Magi's claim
that the King of the Jews has been born.
We're told in v2
that Magi had been awaiting the arrival of the king
ever since they saw his star rise.
In the ancient world,
stars and planets rising were often believed
to mark the arrival of important rulers.
But more amazingly, we are told that the Magi have come to 'worship this king'
So clearly they think he is more than an ordinary ruler!
Even though Herod like to style himself as the King of the Jews,
He was not Jewish himself.
and so the idea of a true,
maybe even divine king, with a claim to Herod's throne
causes him some mental discomfort!
And so he does some research of his own,
In v5 & 6 we see Herod call together the best bible scholars in the land
and asks them where the Christ or 'anointed king' was to be born.
Through them Mathhew gives us some more evidence:
Two miles away in little town of Bethlehem they tell Herod.
And then they quote Micah 5:2,
part of a prophecy that promises
a great king be born in Bethlehem
A king who would overthrow the forigen rulers and usher in a
new age of peace and prosperity for the Jewish people!
Perhaps this sent Herod's paranoia into overdrive
becuase the next thing he does is summon the magi
and ask them when they first saw the star.
Now that Herod has all the facts too
just like the magi
'\*\*\*'
As we look at this chracters in verse 1-8,
we see that Matthew is recording the facts
that surround the bith of Jesus.
It's a reminder that the birth of Jesus is more
than a nice story we tell chidlren at Christmas.
Matthew presents it to us as history.
A real story, linked to real people
- like king Herod -
History happening in real places
- like Jerusalem and Bethelhem -
History taking place in time and space in such a way
that fulfills promises made 700 years earlier
by a prophet now long since dead and buried!
If seeing is believe,
then based on Matthew's evidence
the only logical conclusion we can come to
is that Jesus, the Christ, has been born!
the King of the Jews come to usher in God's perfect kingdom
of peace and justice,
a King who's come to recuse God's people sin and and death once and for all.
But if seeing is believing,
like the Hobo on the Polar Expres said that night,
then why, as we are about to see,
do the Magi and Herod react so differently to the evidence?
Why is that when presented with the same facts,
The Magi want to worship Jesus,
But Herod want to wage a war against Jesus?
## 2. Believing is seeing (2:9-13)
> To answer that, let's look at our second point
>
> Believing is seeing - verses 9-13.
>
> As the plot of the Polar Express chugs on
>
> the idea that we should only believe what we can see
>
> begins to get challenged.
>
> At first the boy thinks he's dreaming and tries to wake himself up
>
> but that doesn't work.
>
> Later, in another key scene
>
> the Conductor says to the boy:
>
> "Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."
>
> Finally, this all comes to head when at midnight
>
> in a town square at the North Pole
>
> jostling crowds push and shove to get a glimpse of Santa
>
> The boy tries to see over the crowd but is too short.
>
> Clearly still wrestling with his doubts the boy
>
> puts his concerns aside,
>
> scrunches up his eyes,
>
> and says with growing conviction,
>
> "I believe; I believe!"
>
> And who should walk up to him at that moment?
>
> But old Santa Claus himself.
>
> It's a climatic moment,
>
> the score soars in the background,
>
> And you can't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside.
>
> Perhaps, the thread that runs through the film is
>
> that it's OK to base our beliefs on Evidence,
>
> but eventually you have to decide
>
> what actually you believe for yourself...
>
> and sometimes that requires a leap of faith.
>
> In other words,
>
> 'seeing is believing' can only get you so far,
>
> sometimes you have to believe in order to see.
We see this in how Herod and the Magi act on the evidence they have
_Let's look at Herod first this time._
V8, **'Herod sent the Magi to Bethelhem 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."**
On first glance it seems like Herod,
who was initially so troubled by the Magi's news
has now had a change of heart.
But in a dark plot twist we discover in v12 & 13
The Herod is using the Magi,
He doesn't want to worship Jesus as his saviour and Lord,
Herod's delusions of power have lead him to believe
That if he can kill Jesus whilst he is still a baby
then he can put an end to a potential threat to his reign.
A threat that must be stopped at all costs.
Herod has all the evidence he needs too see Jeus as his saviour
but not the faith to make sense of it.
_Now let's think about the Magi,_
unlike Herod they actually demostrate great faith,
even, when to begin with they have very little evidence.
Think about it,
the appearence of a superantural light in the night sky
leads them to believe that an important Jewish king
is about to be born somewhere several hundred miles away.
So they set off,
probably with servants and assistents,
and at great person and financial cost
in search of this king.
They don't know the time or date of his birth,
they don't know what he looks like,
What city or town he'll be born in,
What family he comes from.
All they know is that this king is worthy of their worship.
And as they gather more evidence along the way,
the evidence shows them that their faith
has not been misplaced,
in fact eveidence confirms it,
helping them to see this long expected king more clearly.
To the point that when they see the star hanging over Bethelhem
we read in v10 that they are overjoyed.
Finally, in v11, their faith rewards them
with what their hearts desire most:
Matthew tell us that:
**"On coming to the house they see the child with his mother Mary, and they bow down and worship him."**
Having worshipped him, they present him with gifts.
Gifts which in God's providence only further hint
at Jesus true identity:
Gold for a king - the promised ruler of God's kingdom
Incense used in temple worship -
which together with the Magi's worship
tells us that this is more than a baby
this God clothed in a human nature.
and Myrrh.
A perfume used both in celebrations and for embalming bodies.
In fact the shadow of death lies across this whole passage,
you see the one who was called the King of Jesus at his birth,
is also called the king of the Jews at his execution.
In chapter 27, verse 37 Matthew records that on the cross
**"Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews."**
The final gift is a major clue that Jesus was born to die,
not as a tragic accident but as the plan of God
to bring about great joy as Jesus pays the price
to win forgiveness for all who trust in him as saviour and king.
Herod sees the evidence but fails to believe,
the Magi believe and with every step are able to see Jesus more clearly.
## 3. Conclusion: Evidence or Faith?
> Of all the world religions,
>
> I think Christian values evidence based belief more than any other.
>
> The bible does not encourage wishful thinking,
>
> closed mindness,
>
> unconsidered beliefs,
>
> or blind faith.
>
> Instead it wants us to examine the truth for ourselves,
>
> to know what we are to believe _and_ why we are to believe it.
>
> It short, Christianity encourages us to test, investigate,
>
> and scrutinise the evidence of who Jesus claims to be
>
> and what he calimed to do.
>
> And yet, the Bible tells us unashamedily that
>
> Christianity is _a faith based belief_ system.
That means, if you are waiting
until you have all the facts,
all the information,
all the evidence,
before you make a decesion about Jesus for yourself
you will never have enough.
Evidence helps us to understand that faith in Jesus
is a reasonable and rational
But as we saw in Matthew's acocunt of the Magi's arrival
Only faith can ultimately arrange the evidence so that we see Jesus clearly...
Eventaully we all must look at the facts and ask ourselves,
is God trying to tell me something about Jesus or not?
And if he is am I willing to belive it
even if I don't full understand it yet.
The 12th Century Christian-philospher, Anselm of Canterbury
called this relationship between evidence and belief
'faith seeking understanding'
Writing,
"I do not understand in order to belive, but believe in order to understand."
In the Polar Express the Hobo tells the boy (and us)
that seeing is believing,
But the rest of the film, and Matthew 2:1-15, show us that
Seeing is believing is not enough,
we also need to believe in order that we would see.
The boy's belief leads him to finally see Santa for himself
And the magi's belief leads them to see and worship Jesus
for themselves.
So if you are hear this morning,
And you have not yet trusted in Jesus as your Lord and saviour,
Let me leave you with this to think about,
Maybe it is time to stop asking for more information,
and time to start asking for faith to make sense of it.
Let's pray.