The Magi
Advent 2023 - The Characters of Christmas • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Intro
Intro
Thank you all for Joining us tonight. We had a lot of fun preparing this Christmas program for you all. We wanted to share the Christmas message with you all in a fun way. I was asked to give a short message to wrap up the evening and being a pastor how could I say no to talking. I wont keep you long. As I was thinking about what to say I want to look into some characters in the story you saw tonight that have left some people confused. It also has to do with a popular song around this time of year. The song I am talking about is “we three kings”.
We Three Kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain,
Moor and mountain,
Following yonder Star.
But we have it wrong. Something I have been thinking about is who where these men that traversed afar to see a baby? What where they trying to do? Is the baby they where trying to find worth following, worth worshiping?
What are Magi
What are Magi
It is such a popular part of the Christmas story that it bears looking in to for a bit. They where not kings bit wise men or Magi. They are introduced to us in the bible in Matthew 2:1-2
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”
There are questions regarding who these guys are, that is what caused me to want to go through this with you guys.
In the book of Matthew they are said to be wise men, or in the original language Matthew was written in Magi. They came from a long ways away. What I know about these guys comes from research in historical books.
They likely came from The Babylon area as Magi where known to be a Persian Priestly order of men who played important roles in advising kings. They would employ what was considered magical arts to try and understand present and future life. They would take things like astrology, diplomatic and magical incantations to try and do this. They also would claim to interpret dreams to tell the future as well.
Where they would have came from, in Babylon is 1000 kms from where Jesus was born.
The Wise Men and Jesus
The Wise Men and Jesus
So these men in the Christmas story saw a miraculous star rising. There was a ancient Jewish prophecy that these men likely would have heard of. In all there research into astrology, it would be unheard of for them to have heard of this prophecy of a star signifying a new king, a messiah.
17 I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites.
Was the star literal? they probably would have wondered and kept an eye out. Then something strange happened. A star that hadnt been there before, likely in a strange place so they decided to go search for this messiah and king bringing gifts fit for a king. It was also likely that more then three went, we say three because of the three gifts.
They came to Jerusalem, about 6 miles away from where Jesus was staying at the time. Herod was the current king/emperor, so naturally they came to ask Him what the deal was. Being royal advisors themselves, they likely where aware of Herod’s position and maybe assumed He would know of this new king. They wanted to worship Him.
This made Herod mad, and finding out there was a prophecy of a messiah In Bethlehem he sent them out with the guise of wanting to worship Him as well. He told the wise men to find him and report back so He may worship Him as well.
Why would Herod not have gone himself? after all Bethlehem was only 6 miles away? According to Josepohus, a historian from the time, Herod liked to rely under-cover agents to do his will, so this was not out of place for him.
he had an interest in the star. The wise men went to Bethlehem where the star rested over the place where Jesus lay.
This is where some confusion comes in. where was Jesus, How old was he. In most christmas plays, mainly for lack of time I think, they portray Jesus coming around the time the shepherds do. Reading all the information we have in the bible it makes for an interesting story though. For example, Jesus was not born in a barn like what we would think. In a normal Palestinian home of the period the mangers would be found not in a separate building but on the edge of the raised family living area where the animals, who were brought into the lower section of the one-room house at night, could conveniently reach them. therefore Jesus’ birth did not take place outside a normal house, but that in that particular house the “guest-room”.
Herod asked them when the star had appeared because He wanted to find out how old the child was, How long this usurper had been around. Based on all the gospel accounts, how far away the wise men had come from Jesus would have been anywhere from 6 months old to 2 years old.
16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.
When the wise men came to the toddler Jesus they gave him gifts fit for a king. They would have cost more then the family could have ever hoped to afford. The wise men worshipped the new king and fled from the anger of Herod.
11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
So What?
So What?
I wanted to tell the story of the wise men for a reason. People read the account of the birth of Jesus and only see the account of these mystical men in Matthew and think the bible is contradicting itself. But that is not the case. It is just that Matthew is the only one that records it. The other gospels being silent on it does not mean it didn't happen.
This account of the life of Jesus reminds me of something. If we are not careful the Christmas season can become one of consumerism filled with decorating, lots of good food, gifts, vacation and so on. These are good things, don't get me wrong. However what they do is help us sometimes to forget about why we celebrate Christmas.
As we went through the story of the wise men the one thing I see and am reminded of is their single minded determination to find and worship King Jesus. Nothing was going to stand in there way. 1000 ish kms of walking, a threat from the current crazy emperor, nothing was going to keep them from seeing if the promise of a coming messiah was true. and when they found Him they fell down and worshiped Him.
What is it that you are searching for? Are you finding peace in the things you are searching for? We search and search for peace, for something. Wether you admit it or not.
I am here to tell you today that your search can stop, Jesus is the reason for the season, He is the creator of heave and earth, he is the everlasting one. The Christmas story, the gifts of the wise men point to Jesus dying for our sin so we could have freedom in Him.
The wise men gave there all to Jesus, will you give your all to Him today? will your realize what the true meaning of Christmas is? that the prince or peace, the Lord of all came to give you a way to have a relationship with Him!