Matthew 2: 1-12
In this passage we see the seed, the offspring of David come true, which we read about earlier in 2 Samuel 7: 8-9. We come face to face with Christ, coming face to face with the world. God himself came into the world. He came into the world in human flesh, He came into the world He had made. The kings came to worship the one who was born king. He was born King by virtue of who He is. No one needed to anoint Him king, He is King. He came face to face with all kinds of people. Here, He came face to face with shepherds (Luke), even with kings. And now He comes face to face with you. This is how we come to know Him. He meets you. How do you respond?
Here, we see two groups of people and how they respond.
The wise men. How do they respond?
They searched, “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.” (Mathhew 2:2). They followed a special star, which has now gone, so they go into Jerusalem in order to ask where is the king of the Jews? They sked for help. They Keep searching because they know this is serious business. They have come a long way. It would have cost a lot of money to travel and it would have been very dangerous. They would have come with caravans, people to protect them and food. When they get to Jerusalem, they keep going. It was serious business. They risked their safety, leaving no stone unturned. Do you know it’s serious? Have you come this morning knowing it is serious and important? They undertake take a serious search. They go to the king because they’re really intent on finding this king.
After they searched, they rejoiced. To rejoice is to be very joyful, very glad and to show it. People know when you are rejoicing. Matthew says they rejoiced exceedingly, in a great manner. Matthew makes the point these men were very seriously happy. They were overwhelmed with joy. Why? It was not because they saw Christ, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (Matthew 2:10). They rejoiced when they saw the star. This might seem strange, but it is the sign that they know they are very nearly there. All the expense, all the time, all of the searching, has nearly come to an end.
Why are they so happy? Not only had they reached the end of their journey, but they know the king of the Jews is very good news for them. Do you know it is very good news for you? You need to rejoice like this. “Behold” (Matthew 2:1), is a very special word. It doesn’t mean to look or see. Here, it tells you something very dramatic is about to happen, to be explained. “Behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem.” (Matthew 2:1b).
‘Wise men from the East’ is a surprise! They were not in the right group of people, people of Israel. It’s a surprise wise men from the east came. For them it didn’t matter they had been brought up not worshipping God. It is good news for everyone.
Rejoicing is not the end of the story. The wise men came and do what they’ve come to do – they worship Him. The journey, the search they entered undertook, the joy they felt, are all to worship him. They came to worship him. All their actions are all related to this one purpose – to worship the King of the Jews. How strange a situation. Men in caravans come to a small village, go to a home, see a mother and child, and fall on the floor to worship someone they think is a king. The child has no royal mother or father; they weren’t well off. There is nothing to indicate a king lives here, except the star. They trust the prophecy they’ve read is true. They worship Him. They lift up and exalt, while at the same time going down. They fell on the ground, they didn’t kneel. The fell on the ground, flat on a dust floor, to worship. To put ourselves down is to humble ourselves. It is to adore Him. It is to acknowledge the other person is higher than us, to acknowledge He has power over us.
The wise men continue to worship; they open their treasures and give Him very expensive gifts showing status, power and wealth. To offer is to give a sacrifice. That is what worship is – themselves down, Christ high and giving valuable things from their lives. The wise men worship the King and Him only. They give their gifts to the toddler. Nothing is directed at Mary. His kingship is total now, even as a toddler.
Christianity is worship of Christ, following Him only, not Christ and scripture. We worship Christ. All of the worship, all of the adoration, all of the sacrifice is made to the King. This is how you should respond to the King – put yourself low down, acknowledge you are lower than Him, and that He is more than you. You are not to be adored, He is to be adored. You give Him everything, your time your money to support His people – the church. Can you honestly say that you are like the wise men? Come, acknowledging this is serious business. Come happy to be face to face, to worship the King. Are you happy to see chapel? Are you excited when you approach the building? We are here by God’s grace. The building is not important but what goes on is.
The contrast to the response of the wise men is seen in Herod. Are we like Herod and those like him? “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him,” (Matthew 2:3). Herod was troubled. He doesn’t hear a king is born, he hears a threat. Herod hears the news and is troubled. See this contrast between the wise men and Herod. Are you worried about the things you’ll have to give up? Do you worry what being a citizen under this King will do for you?
Herod also searched (verses, 3/4, 7/8). He brings the chief priests and scribes. He wants to see is the threat real and if so, what can he do to avert the it. He asks the wise men to search diligently (Matthew 2:8). He was desperate to find out, not just after this short period, but he continued to look his whole life. He was persistent in looking for this child and to kill him. What do you search for?
Herod And the wise men had the same information. Herod also had information from the chief priests and scribes. Do you look to and listen for reasons not to change? Herod was very angry when he found he had been tricked. If you are like that, you need to change and be like the wise men, ready to search and worship.
Herod didn’t want the King. He rejected the King and did his best to kill him, “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.” (Matthew 2:16). Before this he was a horrible man, he continued to be a horrible man. Rejection is so total. Herod is happy to have children murdered. That is what rejection is. If you reject the King, you reject him totally. Do you reject the King? You may say, ‘I haven’t had children killed or murdered,’ but you do not have to be angry and active to reject the King. You can be passive and not listen to everything about Jesus – that is rejecting the King.
The King is King whether you believe it or not. If you don’t accept the King, you are in error. This King became so poor that you became so rich. He came to be betrayed. He came to be murdered by people He had made. This King who came to the cross, to take the punishment for sin, came for a single purpose – to get to the cross. Who is your king?
When the King returns all those who reject Him will be killed (Luke 19). In the history of the human race we know, until recently, a traitor would be killed. We might not like that, but this will happen when the Lord Jesus returns. They will be made to bow before they are killed. They will be made to bow down now to this King who died on the cross, the man who came into the world with the express purpose to die for your sins.
If you reject this king, it is your fault. Bow down now. He is worthy. Become a citizen of the Kingdom of heaven. Worship the Lord Jesus Christ.
In 1647 Christmas Day was not celebrated. No church bells rang, no services were held. Christmas was not to be celebrated by an Act of Parliament for a few years. Why? Was it because M.Ps were against the gospel? Because there was no love for Jesus Christ in the land? Perhaps a great disaster had struck in the land so Christmas was cancelled? No. The people who passed this Act of Parliament loved Jesus Christ with all their hearts. So why then? The people were concerned to underline the importance of Sunday worship. Over the centuries the church had added saint feasts, there was concern to point out the only command is to worship the Lord on the Lord’s Day. They wanted to establish the Lord’s Day as a worship day for the nation.
Penuel Baptist Chapel, Roch 