Sermon Manuscript

[Video:  “The Characters of Christmas - Bumper” - 0:30]

They were “poking the bear” and they knew it.  Like when an IU fan asks a Purdue fan, “Hey, did you see that football game last weekend?  You know, the Big Ten championship?  I mean.  Who ended up winning that game, anyway?”  Because they had made a point to ask a question they already knew the answer to.  And they knew it.

I say “they” because it was a group of people.  Not one or three but probably as many as ten or maybe even twelve.  A group of what we might call “king makers”.  People whose job it was to announce and confirm kings.  In fact, they had had a long history of working for and confirming and installing kings.  A tradition which had spanned many generations and survived many empires.  From the Medes and Persians to more recently the Babylonians.  

And these “king makers” had served as religious scholars, political advisers, and royal priests for each of these empires.  As priests, it was said that they were capable of interpreting dreams and even the stars to recognize and receive messages from God.  And so when this group of men spoke they spoke with power and authority within their culture and their society.

But this group of “king makers” were also “travelers” because they were “king makers from the east”.  And they had traveled a great distance.  A journey of over one thousand miles.  From a region called Persia to another region called Judea.  One thousand miles.  Like traveling from Fountaintown, Indiana to Miami, Florida.  But they didn’t travel by airplane or by car.  They traveled by foot.  I mean.  What would it take for you to pack up and walk to Florida?  Some of us love the beach and right now Florida sounds pretty nice given that it’s supposed to be less than 10 degrees outside today!  But what would it take for you to walk that far?

Yet, they did.  They walked or likely rode camels from modern-day Iran to Jerusalem.  And why did they travel that far?  Because they were “king makers from the east” and they had studied the stars and determined that a new King had been born.  It’s tough to know exactly what they saw but scholars today have used software to discover that at that time that Jupiter, the King of the Planets had combined with Regulus, the King of the Stars, in the constellation of Virgo, the Virgin.  And this had been seen in the sky from Persia over Judea.  This astronomological phenomenon had been so important and so significant that it had prompted this journey.

And so they went.  “Kingmakers from the east” to find, announce, and confirm a King they had never met and to install Him as the new King.  To formally select and confirm His monarchy and His rule.  To legitimize this brand new King and to show the people that these foreigners, these “Kingmakers from the east” would now honor, uphold, and recognize the power and authority of the One who had been born “King of the Jews”.  

And yet no child had been born to the king.  It would be like a large group of Russian diplomats flying into Washington, DC, and driving through the city in a motorcade until they reached the White House and then declaring to Donald Trump, the current President of the United States, that he was not the true President.  And that someone else was going to take his place.  Just how do you think that news would be received?  “Not well” is the safest answer.

But this is what a group of “Kingmakers from the east” actually did shortly after the birth of Jesus.  And they were called the magi or the “wise men”.  And today we’re going to take a look at their story as we continue within our Christmas series in order to discover more about what they were looking for, what they found, and what that means for you and for me today.

So if you have your Bibles, turn with me now to the book of Matthew chapter 2.  Today we’re going to be in verses 1-12.  If you would like to follow along with us online you can do so by using our app called Church Center.  This morning we continue within our series called The Characters of Christmas where together we’ve examined the stories of Zechariah in order to learn how we can find hope and Joseph to discover how we can find peace.  But today we are examining the Magi in order to learn how we can find joy.

Here’s their story.  Here’s what Matthew writes in chapter 2, beginning in verse 1.  We read:

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Alright.  So after Jesus was born in the days of King Herod we’re told that a group of “wise men from the east” came to Jerusalem.  The Greek word translated “wise men” is MAGOI which is a plural form of the word MAGOS which means “Magian” which is why we sometimes refer to them as the “Magi”.  The Magians were a group of religious scholars and priests who served in various empires to announce and anoint kings.  Kings who received their approval in the east were much more likely to be viewed as kings because they were accepted by their society as the group who brought “divine rights”.  So if you were proclaimed king by them it was as if God Himself had chosen you.  And for this reason they were very powerful and significant.

So it is this group of “King makers from the east” who have studied the stars and believed that God was bringing into their world a King.  But not just any king.  The King of all Kings.  And the One who would reign and rule over all other Kings and kingdoms.  They may have also known the Scriptures because they had been used all the way back during the Babylonian empire and we know historically that Daniel the Prophet was one of them.  He was one of the “wise men” who had served the king and interpreted dreams and messages from God.  So it is this group of foreign “Kingmakers from the east” who come to Jerusalem and “poke the bear”.  They would have known that there was no child born in Herod’s household and yet they go to him and they say, “Where is He?  Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His Star in the sky.  We have seen how the Star representing the King of the Planets has collided with the star representing the King of the Stars within the constellation of Virgo the Virgin.  We have seen what God has said He was going to do and we have come to acknowledge Him, to accept Him, to put Him in charge of your kingdom, to worship Him.”

Wow.  What a scary moment that must have been within Jerusalem!  No wonder Matthew records here that Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.  King Herod was known for being a wicked and evil king.  He had taken the lives of several of his children and even his own wife out of his mad desire to keep his power and remain the king.  And the people living within the city would have known this.  And so when these foreign diplomats come riding into the city and make a big scene and then ask the king, “Where is the real king?  Because you’re not him!” that had to have been frightening.  And caused the whole city to say, “What’s going on here?  What does this mean?  And what is King Herod going to do now?”

Remember.  We said a couple of weeks ago that King Herod was a descendant of the Seleucids and the Hasmonean Dynasty who took power with Rome.  And we said that he was not a Jew and not a descendant of Jacob but actually an Edomite and a descendant of Esau.  So he was an imposter.  A phony.  A fake and a fraud.  And all of the Jews knew it.  But no one would ever dare to say it to his face.  To look the king into the eyes and say, “Where is the real king?  Because… you’re… not.. Him.”  But the magi, the wise men, did so.  They poked the bear.

And yet in this moment Herod appears to remain calm.  He calls upon the priests and scribes and asks them where the King of the Jews was to be born prophetically.  And they answered him and they say, “In Bethlehem in Judea”.  And the quote the prophet Micah in Micah 5:2 when he says, “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”  And having been given where it would take place, Herod then tries to find out “when”.  When will this happen?  When did you see the star?  And the wise men say answer him.  And so he says, “Well, then.  Go and search for this Child and find him.  Then come back and tell me so that I, too, may worship Him!  You do your job of being a ‘King maker’ and then I’ll do mine to pass along my power and my authority to this new king.  Yep, that’s what I’ll do.  Just let me know who He is!”

So they go and as they do they see the star again and the star leads them this time not just to the region but to the specific location of where Mary and Joseph were.  And when they see this star we’re told that they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy”.  They were excited because after traveling for months and possibly a year that they were going to finally find Him!  And over that time they must have had thousands of conversations about Him.  Asking each other as they traveled, “What do you think He will be like?  What do you think He will do?  What do you think will make Him so great?  What do you think He will do to be called ‘The King of Kings’?”

But after such a long journey they arrived in Bethlehem and found the teenage couple and their now nearly two year old son.  And when they found Him they bowed down before Him.  And they gave gifts to Him which were appropriate for a King.  Each was symbolic.  Each was significant.  And each was special because they represented something important about Him.  Gold was valuable and would signify that He was a King.  Frankincense was religious and was burned in temples signifying that He was a Priest.  And myrrh was also an expensive fragrance but it was also used for medicinal purposes and would come to signify His death.  This King, this King of Kings, whom they discovered was named Jesus was born to die.  And ultimately to die on a cross.  But each of these precious gifts were expensive and fit for a king.  And this would be money that this young couple would need to provide for their child in the weeks ahead.

The wise men or magi then would have likely performed various rituals to honor this baby boy.  And as Joseph and Mary watched them and thought about how valuable the gifts were that they had been given for Him they must have wondered, “Who is this Child who has been born to us?  Who is this Son whom God has given to us?  What will He do?  What will He become?  How will God use Him?  And how will we raise Him?”  

Questions God would answer in His time.  Because God would provide them with the answers they would need.  Just as He would provide the wise men with the answers they would need.  Because in a dream God told them not to return to King Herod but instead to return home quickly and in a way in which he will not find them.  It would be a decision which would anger King Herod and cause him to later send soldiers to Bethlehem to destroy every male child under the age of two.  But Mary and Joseph would be warned in a dream beforehand to leave.  And they would escape to Egypt.  They would escape just as the wise men escaped.

This is the story of the wise men.  This is the story of the “King makers from the east”.  A group of men who had surveyed the stars, studied their meaning, and started a journey of over 1000 miles in search of a King but not just any King.  The King.  The King of Kings.  The One who would reign and rule over all kings found upon the earth.  And when they found Him they were filled with joy because God had revealed His plans to them and had been given them the honor and privilege of being the first foreigners to declare Jesus to be the One true King.

Joy.  Unspeakable joy.  Matthew describes it in verse 10 by saying that “When they saw the star they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy”.  Other versions say the same.  But the original kind of uses the same words over and over again.  Like saying, “They rejoiced greatly with great joy” or “They celebrated incredibly with incredible celebration”.  It’s almost like Matthew was struggling to even express just how much joy they were experiencing in this moment.  Like the day you won a scholarship to your dream university.  Or had a phone call telling you that you would receive your dream job.  Or after years of struggle accomplished a dream goal that you never thought was possible.  One of those times in life where when you tell that story you smile and it always starts with, “You are not going to believe what just happened to me!”  That was the feeling.  And that’s what they felt.  It was joy.  Unspeakable joy.  Extreme joy.  Mega joy.  The magi were filled with mega joy!!!

So what do we learn from this group of “King makers from the east”?  Well, I think that it’s significant that this group who had likely been part of installing many kings were so excited about this foreign king in Judea.  Because they recognized that this was no ordinary king.  Whatever they saw in the stars told them that this was “The King”, “The King of Kings”, and possibly even a “Divine King” or at least a King God was establishing over all others.  

And so they knew it was worth it to travel a thousand miles.  They knew it was worth it to spend months and possibly even a year of their lives searching for and finding this One King who would be so special.  They stopped everything they were doing and left everything they knew to travel to a foreign country and find the One who had been revealed to them as “The King of Judea” and “The King of All Kings”.  And so having spent so much time, effort, energy, and focus upon searching for Him, asking about Him, and then finding Him by the time they found Him they were filled with joy.  And their pursuit of Jesus needs to speak into our lives.

Because the truth is that we are a lot like them.  We are all on a journey throughout our lives.  We are all searching for what will fill our lives with joy and happiness.  Some of us have sought happiness in people thinking, “If I just find the right boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, or friend I will be happy!”  Others have sought happiness in pleasures thinking, “If I just taste this or try that or feel this by doing that with that person I will be happy.”  And others have sought happiness and joy in material possessions thinking, “If I just buy this house or that car or this coat or that pair of shoes I will be happy.”  And we do this throughout our lives.  Seeking, searching, longing for that which will never fill us.  We’re looking for joy.  And when we find joy, true joy, we know we will be able to be happy no matter what happens in life.  We’re like those wise men.  But we don’t spend a year looking for happiness and joy.  We’ve spent a lifetime doing that!

And what we need to discover is what they discovered.  The joy we’re looking for at Christmas and throughout the year will only be found in the Person of Jesus Christ.  If you are looking for joy right now you will not find it in people and parties and presents this Christmas you will only find it in a Person.  In a King.  In the King of Kings.  Jesus Christ.  He alone is the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, and the Prince of Peace.  And what you’re looking for and what you most need will always be found in Him.  Joy, true joy, is found in Jesus.

So, like the wise men, we need to seek Him for ourselves, discover who He is, and then fall to His feet and worship Him.  Make Him the King of our lives.  Because when we do we will find what we’re looking for.  We will find what they found.  The joy of knowing and serving the King.  The joy of offering the best of what we have to the King.  The joy of being loved by Jesus.

So if you’re looking for joy today, here's three truths you can discover about Jesus right now that brought joy to the wise men.  First, find joy in the person of Jesus.  Jesus came into our world for all people who were opposed to God.  People who needed to be in a right relationship with God.  People like you and me.  He then revealed who He was as God’s Son.  So He represents God’s desire to draw near to us.  He is our Immanuel, as Matthew reminded us last week in chapter 1, verse 23, which means “God with us.”  So recognize how much God loves you in Him.  Find joy in the person of Jesus.  Because the wise men did.

Second, find joy in the position of Jesus.  Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  He stands above every nation, power, and world leader.  He is the Ultimate King of our Universe because He is God Himself.  He reigns from heaven and He rules over all of heaven and earth.  He sits at the right hand of God in power and position.  And so we don’t have to be anxious or nervous about this world and what’s happening within it.  Because we know Him.  Every single person on this planet gets worried and nervous about what is happening all around them but followers of Jesus do not have to do so.  Because we know the King!  So find joy in the position of Jesus!  Because the wise men did.

And third, find joy in the purpose of Jesus.  Jesus Christ came into our world to save us.  Not to destroy us.  He came to save.  He was born to die.  And it was through His death on the cross that He paid for our sins.  And it was through His resurrection that He demonstrated that our sins have been paid.  He came to fulfill a purpose.  To save.  And if you have not made a decision for Him do so.  Don’t let this Christmas season pass you by without turning your life over to Him.  Bow before Him like the wise men did.  Offer to Him your gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Everything in your life to Him.  Make Him King and make Him Lord of your life.  Because He came to save the world, yes, but He came to save you.  To save you from your sins.  So give your life to Him.  Receive Him.  Accept Him.  Love Him.  Be baptized into Him.  And experience the joy that comes from knowing Jesus and the forgiveness He offers to you.  I promise you and I know that many within this room can promise you the same.  It is a joy you cannot experience in life until you have given your life to Him.  So do it today and find joy in the purpose of Jesus.  Just like the wise men did.

Because the wise men were on a journey in their lives.  And you are as well.  And throughout their lives they had anointed many “false kings”.  Fake kings.  Kings who were phonies, false, pretenders.  And the truth is that you have done the same.  And so have I.  Throughout my own life I have bowed before many false kings.  When I was younger I bowed before the king or idol of fortune and fame.  Wanted to be a superstar athlete.  At times I have bowed before the king of popularity or pleasure or material possessions or position in the corporate world.  I’m like the wise men.  I’ve been a “king maker” throughout my life.  But it wasn’t until I found Jesus and bowed before Him that I found the joy I was looking for.  So when will you find the joy you’re looking for?  When will you discover the joy you’re looking for?  When will you recognize “the star” that God has been using to point you to His Son?  Will you go on that journey of discovery which will lead you to His Son?  And when will you find Him and bow before Him?

Because your journey for joy will end in Him.  It will end in Jesus.  Because…
Your journey to find joy ends when you make Jesus your King.

Let’s pray.

[Prayer:  For every person in the room to seek and find Jesus

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