I can’t help but think about what might have happened if the wise men had been women. For one thing, they wouldn’t have arrived many months after Jesus’ birth because they would have stopped to ask for directions. And that means they would have been there to clean up the mess so Jesus wouldn’t have had to be born in a barn. Finally, had the wise men been women, they would have brought much more practical gifts, like a casserole so the family would have something to eat.

What do we really know about the wise men? Where did they come from? “The east?” Where in the east? How far east? Pennsylvania? Africa? We know they came from the east and we know they came from a long way, but we don’t really know where they came from.

We don’t know how many of them there were or even what kind of men they were. The Bible doesn’t say they were kings, or even that there were three of them. That came from a second-century church father named Tertullian who suggested that these men were kings because the Old Testament had predicted that kings would come to worship the Christ. Tertullian also concluded that there were three kings based on the number of gifts mentioned, gold, frankincense and myrrh. And the manufacturers of nativity scenes caught on and so in every nativity scene, you see three kings or wise men. But the Bible doesn’t tell us who they were or how many of them came.

In the sixth century, someone decided that their names were Melchior, Baltazar and Gaspar. And so operas have been written using these names for them. But no one really knows what their names were.

We don’t even really know that they were wise. In the original biblical manuscripts they are called the “magi” a word which was actually used to describe people who acted in very strange ways, were captivated by astrology, spells and chants and dressed in a very bizarre manner. The Latin word, “magi” is where we get our words like “magician.” You’ll see a clear example of this in the adventures of King Arthur and the knights of the round table. Remember Merlin, the magician and the strange way he dressed?

So we don’t know who they were, where they came from or even how many of them there were. Why not? Why doesn’t Matthew, or any of the other many writers of the Bible, tell us any of this information? I don’t know, but I’d suggest that all of this detail is left out so that the full emphasis may be placed on the one thing that is central to this story, namely their statement, “we have come to worship.” That’s the main point of this particular story as Matthew tells it to us. “We have come to worship.” And as we look at what Matthew tells us about these men, although they may have been strange little men who dressed weird, they really were wise men.

And the challenge for us today, is whether we will be wise men and women. I believe that wise people still seek him. Wise people still serve him and still worship him. Let’s read the story of the wise men who visited the baby Jesus, although he was probably a toddler by the time they arrived. [Read Matthew 12.1-12.] First, wise people still search for the Christ. The unusual appearance of a star the magi had never before seen convinced them that the King of Israel was born! One thing we do know about these men is that they were astrologers—people whose occupation was studying the skies. On the night that Jesus was born, there was an unusual phenomenon—a bright and shining star that had never before appeared in the order of the skies before. Just as people who study the stars today, these men would immediately take notice of anything new in the sky because each star and planet has its place and the skies just do not change!

Also, from their Bible the men knew it was prophesied, in Numbers 24.17: “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel…” Star and Scepter were symbols representing royalty. So astrologers had been searching the skies for hundreds of years looking for a sign that the messiah had come. When these particular astrologers saw the new star, they rejoiced and set out to find the star and the royalty it pointed to.

We don’t know exactly how far they traveled, but it is likely that they came from 500 to 1000 miles away. Their faith gave them a deep, insatiable desire to see the King. So they set out on a journey that they knew would be a long one. Imagine traveling that far on the back of a camel. One hump or two? It might not be that bad if you were on a two humper. Maybe you could settle in between the humps and put it on autopilot, or auto-camel. But imagine being on top of a one humper trying to keep your balance the whole way! And it was a long and difficult trip across the desert. Give these men credit. They really wanted to come and worship Jesus. They were serious seekers.

Contrast them with the chief priests and teachers of the law that were already there, near Bethlehem. They were not the least bit interested. They didn’t care about the star. And they wouldn’t travel 6 little miles down the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to check out what was happening. They knew the right answers. Yet they had no desire to see the Christ, honor Him as their Savior and King, or tell anyone else about Him. They weren’t even willing to make the effort to see if what they had heard, was even true!

Let me give you a little background about this gospel at this point. Matthew is writing this gospel to Jewish people who are living away from Israel. His purpose is to convince them that Jesus is the Christ predicted in the Old Testament. That’s why he makes so many references to it. And what he is saying is that they—and we, too-- should be like the magi, not like the Jewish religious leaders. Do you have a longing in your heart for Him? Are you using that longing to seek Him? Or do you cover it up with the activities of your life, practicing your religion, but never actually knowing Jesus and knowing Him as the King of the world? (PAUSE)

The lesson for us from the wise men is that perfect theology is not required to come to the conclusion that Jesus is God’s son who came to earth for you. Don’t miss this. The Apostle John says that Jesus came to his own but his own did not receive him. Literally, he is saying that Jesus came into this world that he had specially prepared for himself. He came into the world he had created, walked the land he made and came to the people he had chosen as his special people. And he was rejected. But then John says that to as many as received him he gave the right to be his sons and daughters.

Are you seeking for something to fill an empty space in your life this morning? Let me suggest to you that there are a lot of ways to fill that feeling of emptiness. But there’s only one way to fill it in a way that will last. That is to realize that the emptiness is caused by God in order to bring you to himself. God sent Jesus to fill that void. He came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, died for our sins and rose from the dead. He offers you forgiveness, fulfillment and peace. (PAUSE)

The Word of God—the Bible—directed the wise men to Jesus. It is no different today. The Scriptures tell us all about Jesus, who came, taught, served, died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Faith in the prophecy that these men read in their Bible led them to Bethlehem, where they found the Child Jesus.

The revelation of the Bible always leads to Christ. Faith follows the same path and reaps the rewards. The result for the wise men was that “they were overwhelmed with joy.” (Matthew 2:10) The result is still the same today for all who are wise enough to accept God’s testimony as it is written and then come to a personal relationship with the Lord, Jesus.

Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:8: “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy…” Is your path of faith bringing you to this indescribable and glorious joy? (PAUSE)

The magi came to worship this baby they already accepted as their king. They stopped in Jerusalem to find out exactly where Jesus could be found. There they met King Herod. He must have been enraged by their question and statement. “Where is he who is born king of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

Born king of the Jews? Kings are not born. Herod had to murder, commit acts of deceit and treachery to become a king. Who in the world could be born a king? And why would he have a star? And why would these astrologers want to worship a baby? Herod must have been beside himself. But he kept calm and tried to make a deal with the magi.

“Tell me where he is so that I too, can come to worship.” The magi knew through supernatural means that he was lying to them. But now they had a choice. Who would they serve? The little tiny helpless baby born king of the Jews or the full grown, murderous treacherous Herod? After all, if they served Herod, he might reward them greatly. Jesus was just a baby. Maybe they could worship and serve him later is life. Maybe they could serve Herod now and Jesus later. Maybe they could have the best of both worlds, have their cake and eat it, too.

But that’s not what they did. They went to worship this little tiny baby. And then when God warned them in a dream and they understood what he wanted them to do, they were faithful to serve him regardless of the danger of disobeying the murderous King Herod.

These men had came all this way with one purpose in mind. That purpose was to worship the one who was born king of the Jews. They came to worship the Son of God. They did it with confidence. They did it with the certainty of hope. Look at some of the language. “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him.” They didn’t just set out for a leisurely ride in the desert, show up in Jerusalem and say, “we heard something was going on in this area. What’s happening? We saw some bright stars and thought maybe they meant something.” No. They were definite and they were certain. “Where is he? We have come to worship him.”

And they brought with them expensive gifts, gifts fit for a king. There is a divine significance in all their gifts, as the Scriptures tell us. They brought gold, a gift of wealth for royalty. But in God’s Word, gold speaks of the glory and righteousness that is Christ’s as the Son of God. They brought frankincense, a gift for a man living a hard working life. Frankincense—the fragrance of the perfect, sinless life Christ lived here in a world of opposition, as the willing, obedient servant who came just to do the Father’s will. They brought myrrh, a gift to suited for one’s burial, the sweet scent of Jesus’ life laid down in death to satisfy a holy God about the question of sin.

Did the Magi appreciate the significance of their gifts? That’s another thing we don’t know. But what we do know is that they didn’t just wander out, find a little baby and then decide that they needed to find a mall to pick up a gift. They brought gifts, expensive gifts, because they knew they were going to worship a king. (PAUSE)

Wise people still worship Him. Are you a wise man or woman? Are you spending time worshipping him? I’m not just talking about attending church. You can attend church and still not worship. Worship involves praising God, in speaking, in the way we go about our day-to-day living, and in singing. Worship involves hearing the word of God taught and our responding by changing our lives. Worship involves giving of our gifts to God.

How are you doing in your worship? Are you taking time to praise, to confess your sins, to study God’s Word, and to grow? What gifts do you bring to the Christ Child each Sunday? Are you giving generously, extravagantly to God’s work? Giving is an act of worship. As we come to the end of this year, I want to simply ask you, are you giving gifts to your church that are sacrificial and worthy to be given to One born a King? In faith they gave gifts to a baby. In faith we give gifts to our risen Lord.

And so, as I close, I think of the words of the great Anglican Bishop, J. C. Ryle, who said of these men, “We read of no greater faith than this in all the Bible. It is a faith that deserves to be placed side by side with that of the repenting thief. The thief saw Jesus dying the death of a criminal and yet prayed to him and called him ‘Lord.’ The wise men saw a newborn babe on the lap of a poor woman, and yet they worshipped him and confessed that he was (Lord).”

The magi really were wise men. And today, they still serve as an example to us, to seek Jesus also. Wise men still seek him, wise men still serve him, and wise men still worship him. My prayer for us is that we will be a church of wise men and women, seeking him, serving him and worshipping him as he leads us every day to become more and more a growing family of believers being transformed to wholeness and joy.

Sources: After 2000 years, they’re still wise men, by Ronald Horgan, Dec. 2000.

The Wise Men, Gospel Series No. 96 by D.T.L., from Moments With The Book

BENEDICTION:

The Lord your God is with you. He delights in you. He loves you. He rejoices with you. He will not leave, nor will he turn his back on you. Go forth into this new year and be glad, and worship the Christ Child with all your heart. Amen. (Based in part on the Book of Zephaniah 3)

Return to Weekly Message Page