How Were the Wise Men Wise?

Pastor Melinda Song

Matthew 2:1-12, NKJV

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 have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, inthe land of Judah,

Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”[a]

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

INTRODUCTION

In Matthew chapter 2, the Christmas story has jumped ahead about two years. Matthew chapter 1 closed with the baby Jesus being born and named, but now in chapter 2 Jesus is called a “child” (2:8,10) and the family is living in a house in Bethlehem.

By comparing the birth stories of Jesus in Matthew and Luke it appears that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. Then they presented Him at the temple before heading back to Nazareth (2:39). Later on they decided to move to Bethlehem as that’s where they were living in Matthew 2.

Then came “wise men from the East.”

A. Who Were The Wise Men?

Not much is known about these wise men. We are used to singing:

"We three kings of Orient are

bearing gifts, we traverse afar..."

They weren't kings and neither were there three of them.

These men are described as "Wise men" (NRSV, KJV) or "Magi" (NIV). The word is magos, "a Persian or Babylonian wise man and priest, who was expert in astrology, interpretation of dreams, and various other occult arts."

They came from "the east”, probably from Babylon, Persia or the Arabian desert. At any rate, they were men of wisdom and learning from an exotic, far away land bringing a caravan into the capital city of the Jews, seeking a newborn king.

The Biblical record says little about who these men were. 

B. How Were The Wise Men Wise?

They were wise to seek Jesus

v. 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

There are numerous theories on what the star was. People have speculated that it could be a  supernova, an explosion in an existing star that for several weeks or months gives out a great deal of light. However, there is no historical record of a supernova just before Jesus' birth date.

Or it could have been a comet but astronomers have calculated that Halley's comet would have been visible in 12-11 BC, which was years before Jesus' birth at around 6 BC.

There was a conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars that occurred in 7-6 BC, and mention seems to have been made of this in some ancient texts but there is no evidence that such a conjunction of planets would have been actually referred to as a "star."

We just don't know enough to say authoritatively exactly what the Star of Bethlehem was.

The Magi, although Gentile, may have linked the star to “the King of the Jews” through studying the OT and other Jewish writings. They could have been exposed to some Old Testament prophecies from some of the Jews who had settled in the east during the Babylonian exile.

They were watching and waiting for signs of the fulfilment of Number 24:17 which says, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” So when God sent the star that pointed the way to Jesus, left their homes, their families, and at great expense travelled hundreds of miles to follow the star in search for the King of the Jews.

Even today, 2,000 years later, wise men still come to Jesus! 

Application: We each must make our own journey to find Jesus, to meet him personally, and make him a living reality in our lives.

Today we are glad to have four great examples in our midst today who are following in obedience to Jesus through water baptism. 

If you have been waiting to come to Jesus for salvation, delay no longer, just come to Him today! He waits to save those who will call on Him!

For those of us who are already Christians…

Daniel 12:3

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament,

And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

You can be the star lighting the way for many to come into salvation.

They were wise to worship Jesus

v. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When they saw Jesus, they worshipped Him. Why? Because He is God and He is worthy of worship and He demands worship and we are happier when we worship Him.

The purpose that these Gentiles from a faraway land travelled perhaps hundreds of miles was to worship a baby born of peasant woman in a manger.  The point of this story is that we ought to worship Jesus as well.

Application: Christians are not simply those who believe in Jesus. Christians are those who know, love, trust and worship Jesus. Christianity and Christmas is about worship of a God who loves us so much that He came and dwelt among us.

This story teaches us what real worship involves. Real worship always involves giving.

These Magi brought Christ their best gifts, gifts fit for a king. They were willing to use their TREASURES to make the long journey to see the King. They also carried fantastic treasures of gold, incense, and myrrh to present to Christ.

The Magi used the gifts of their TALENTS too! They were men who knew the heavens. They understood that the star they were seeing was a special sign and then acted on that knowledge.

The Wise Men were wise, because they gave Jesus their gift of TIME. They took time off to make a journey of maybe months or years to Bethlehem.

These gifts represent a great sacrifice. The Magi gave the best they had. They came to the Messiah prepared to give. If we want to experience Jesus, then we must worship him and make sacrifices to put him first in our lives. We must be willing to sacrifice our time, our talents, and our treasure for Christ.

They were wise to obey God

v. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

The Lord commanded to return to their country by another route – it may have been an unfamiliar route, or less convenient, or more costly, or more dangerous one. They are sensitive to God’s leading and they are more than willing to submit to His plans and respond with obedience when He speaks.

Application: Sometimes what God calls us to do is unfamiliar and inconvenient and uncomfortable, sometimes it’s risky or costly or dangerous but if we want to really experience Christ we must submit to his Lordship.

CONCLUSION

The wisdom of Christmas is this:

1. The wise seek Jesus

2. The wise worship Jesus

3. The wise obey God

As God called the wise men to Christ by a star in the sky, He continues to call people to Himself through His servants and the word of God.

We are led to the same Christ as were the Magi, not for the gifts that we would bring to Him, but for the gifts that He would give to us, the gifts of forgiveness and life and salvation that are greater than all of the gold, frankincense and myrrh in the world.

Christianity and Christmas is about worship. The Savior has come. He has called us out of the darkness of sin. He has delivered us from the darkness of death. He has given us his Son. Wise is the man who worships the Christ the Lord in humble faith!

On this Christmas Day, let us worship Jesus because of Who He is.