Baby Jesus
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The Magi. Who were they? Where did they come from?
Matthew tells us precious little. There were some men. They were Magi. They came from a location east of Israel.
The word Magi is transliterated from Greek. The word is of Iranian origin and it could have referred to a priestly caste among the Medes and Persians. This class was deeply interested in the stars and how they related to their religion.
While that is interesting information, Matthew doesn’t indicate whether or not he was referring to some men from the Medes or Persians. Really, all we can know conclusively is what Matthew says in his gospel. They are men who came from the east and their actions demonstrate that they were wise in the worship of God.
These wise men, Magi show up in Jerusalem. They make their way to Herod and ask, “Where is the new born king of the Jews?” You can see them going into town, walking up and down the streets asking the people, “Where is the new born king of the Jews?”
If, in a couple of years, Prince William and Princess Catherine have a baby, if a bunch of strangers go to London and ask, “Where is the newborn king of England?” People would probably know where to find them. “Oh, they’re visiting Buckingham today.” Or, “Oh, they’re at their coastal home in Wales.”
So, it was probably surprising that the Wise men had to wait upon Herod, the self-styled king of the Jews, to get the answer they were looking for. It must have been puzzling. Why no one knows? The whole nation should be happy! And wouldn’t the king be born in Herod’s family?
The answer is no. He wasn’t, because Herod wasn’t really a king, and he wasn’t even Jewish! He made himself out to be Jewish, only for political reasons. Jesus is the true king, descended from King David.
The Magi told Herod, “We’re looking for him, so that we can worship him.”
To our ears, this sounds strange. We don’t worship the Queen. But in those days, Herod wanted worship. In those days, Caesar claimed to be divine. If not for Caesar’s claim, Herod might have made the claim himself!
So, the Wise men created a stir. Herod was furiously frightened. A complete megalomaniac, he was paranoid of losing his power. He was a terrifying and shrewd ruler. He killed several of his own sons, he killed his brother in law, his father in law, and countless others in order to get and then keep his power. He was ruthless. The mention of a newborn king of the Jews threw him round the bend.
The text says, “All Jerusalem was disturbed by the wise men’s words.” The people of Jerusalem were worried about the Herod’s reaction to the news of a new king. They knew he’d overreact and do something horrific, which, if you read on, he does. The leaders, the people, didn’t want a new king. They had figured out how to live with the one they had. If there was a perceived threat to Herod, everyone suffered.
Herod, always quick on his feet, stalls the wise men. “A newborn king you say? Could be. My kingdom is so vast, my family so great, it has become quite difficult to keep tabs on everyone. I’m sure that there was some prophecy concerning that. Give me a moment to consult with my learned men.”
Herod gets the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, and the teachers together, they search and examine, and discover the quoted text. In light of the observations made last week about the shepherds, these leading men wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with a shepherd king. This explains why no one goes with the wise men.
I mean, didn’t anyone get curious? Didn’t anyone wonder why these strangers were looking for a king of the Jews? Had they been so long removed from an actual human king that they simply had no interest anymore? It astounds me.
Herod, seemingly interested in what the Magi were doing, asks, “So, tell, me, when did you first notice this star? Oh really? How did you do that? That’s fascinating? These things can be discerned from the stars? Wow! I’d never considered that before. Do me a favour, would you? If you manage to find this baby, can you come and tell me where I can find him? I’d like to worship him too!
Herod, as crafty as ever, nonchalantly gathered the information he needed in order to be able to find and remove this potential threat to his kingdom. The Wise men depart for Bethlehem.
The star they’d been following miraculously reappears and leads them directly to the house where Jesus is. Matthew doesn’t tell us much more than that. It would be unwise to speculate. Nevertheless, lots of ink has been spilled about it. Suggesting that it could have been this that or the other thing, how this element of science can explain it.
Just look at the text. In light of, the virgin birth, the resurrection from the dead, the healing, all the other miracles, the star isn’t so important. The star points to Jesus. The heavens declare God’s glory. The star pointed to Jesus so that the wise men could find him and worship and glorify him. Matthew wants us to know that just as God sent angels to tell and guide the shepherds to Christ, the Shepherd king, God directed the stars and the heavens to guide the wise men. Angels and the heavens are of the creation. God has authority not only over beings, but over wind, waves, stars and other phenomena. That’s all. We talk about a sign coming down from heaven, that’s exactly what the Magi got. And because we read the story, don’t we get the same sign? Aren’t we directed to the Christ child?
That’s the point. They came to worship. This is how they did it.
When they found the home where they were staying (Jesus has moved. He’s not at the inn. This is some time after his birth. When exactly, we’re not sure. They find Jesus and they proscuneod him. They fell down on their faces. They spread themselves out in total subjection to Jesus.
This is huge. This act of worship, of prostrating oneself was only done to deities. You would do it to the deified emperor or king. You would do it to your god, idol, etc. We know that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. But these wise men were taking it on trust. They believed what God had revealed to them through the heavens, and through whatever means motivated them to come to Bethlehem. They worshipped Jesus. And by their worship, we know that Jesus is God.
Look at the book of Revelation. An angel appears to John and John does to the angel what these wise men did to Jesus. He falls down on his face in a posture of worship. Every time, the angel says, “Don’t! I’m not God. Don’t worship me. I’m just a creature.”
But here, these men worship a baby, and no one stops them. Why? Because he is the Son of God! He is God!
We also know that Jesus is God by what they brought. Origen, one of the early church fathers speaking about the gifts, said, “Gold, as to a king; myrrh, as to one who was mortal; and incense, as to God”
Yes, gold was used by more than just kings, nevertheless, it is always associated with kings. It has always been valued by kings, and still remains a standard today. Nebuchadnezzar, identified in the apocalyptic writings as the chief of the earthly kings is rendered in gold.
Incense is always associated with God. There is the altar of incense. Indeed, we started our series by looking at Zechariah who was chosen by lot to present the offering of incense before the Lord. Jewish readers would very quickly made this connection. The incense indicates that the wise men knew they were worshipping God.
Myrrh was used to indicate many things, mortality, death. That they presented Jesus, so close to his birth, with an offering that was used in burials also shows the point of why Christ came. Jesus came to die. He came to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin.
So, in the gifts that were given, we’re taught that this baby is no mere baby. We’re taught that he is worthy of worship, and by everyone. We’re taught that even foreigners like us are invited to worship. We’re taught that the Jews of the day, the leaders, and the rulers were too proud to worship. We’re taught that true worship is demanding, expensive and difficult. We’re taught that Jesus is worth it all!
Consider your worship of Christ this day. How would you describe it? Take time to reflect on what the wise men did, what they went through, what they gave.
Consider what you give. Do you go out of your way to worship, or only out of convenience? Do you give just a bit—some time, some treasure, and some talent? Or do you give your whole life, here, at home, at work, at play? Do you give gifts that reflect your understanding of who Jesus is? Gold for a king, sacrifice of your life as a fragrant offering of incense, death to your sinful nature as a dying and being raised with Christ?
There’s a lot more that can be said about how we worship. The most important thing is our hearts. The wise men didn’t give their gifts first. They first gave their hearts, demonstrated by their physical expression, lying on the floor in total humility. Are your hearts totally humbled before Jesus?
Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, Immanuel, the newborn king! Amen.