Wise Men Arise!

(Message by Bro. Joel on December 27, 2009, at NLF, Vashi. Developed from the short notes and what I recall on Monday. Here’s hoping I haven’t missed much. Happy reading!)
 This is the season of Christmas! Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. When you repent of your sins and invite Jesus into your heart, He enters in, yes; He is ‘born’ in you! And that’s Christmas for you! And then, there is a reason for our living and a reason for our joy as we celebrate the presence of the Lord, everyday of our life!

Everybody loves the Christmas story (Isn’t it true?). We see children enacting the events that happened during the birth of Jesus Christ. So I thought it wise to pick up Matthew 2 for our meditation today. It’s the story of the wise men! Let’s start from verse 1.

V1, 2: 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, 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.”

Even before Jesus was born into this world, His birth was foretold by prophets. The time was uncertain, but the place was certainly Bethlehem of Judea. For it is written in Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me, the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting”. But the wise men, through their wisdom, understood somehow, the movement of stars, the appearance of a particular star and knew that this prophecy in Micah is fulfilled. It means they knew the prophecy; they knew the place and finally they understood the time too!

Nothing much is recorded about these wise men; some say they were astrologers because they studied stars, others say, they were magicians, because they were also named ‘Magi’ in Greek. It is not known how many wise men were there (although, we see in many skits, three men being depicted, maybe because of the mentioned number of gifts). It is not known from which place or country they started their journey. It is only mentioned that they came from the East. But we can certainly derive significance, by what is written in God’s word about these wise men. For, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable…” (2 Tim. 3:16). Every word imparts something to us; we can’t even ignore a full-stop or comma in God’s word.

1. Wise men seek Jesus
They understood the times: These wise men understood the times by the movement of stars. It means that God communicates with us in a language that WE understand. Whatever be the language! Throughout these chapters we see God also spoke to people in dreams. The wise men were instructed to go another way back in a dream. Joseph was instructed to flee to Egypt in a dream. We need to be wise to only KNOW He speaks!

They traveled miles and miles: It is clear that these wise men came from a distant place. They came from the East. Probably, they were not even Jews. It is often pictured that these men rode on camels. But the essence is they were wise and willing to sacrifice their comfort, undertake an arduous journey to somehow SEE Jesus.

They knew about who Jesus was: Picture this! Wise men standing before the reigning king of Judah! They then pose a question, “Where is He who is BORN KING of the Jews?”. You see, there is nobody who is a ‘born’ king. Even sons, born to kings, are only called ‘princes’. They have to grow up and become king someday. But the wise men knew that this ‘baby’ Jesus was different. Here was a ‘born’ King!

They were extremely joyful: Look at v10. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy”. The wise men were filled with joy. Just the expectation of seeing the ‘born King’ Jesus filled them with ‘exceedingly great joy’.

If you understand these times now, and are looking for Jesus, you too will be filled with ‘great joy’ in your life. You will certainly meet with the ‘born King’. Jesus says in John 16:24, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” And you are WISE if you do all these!

Now look at the contrast. There was the king Herod, the chief priests and scribes in the city of Jerusalem. Did they have the prophecy? Yes. But they were awakened to the words in Micah only after the arrival of wise men. Were they filled with joy and expectation? NO. Verse 3 says, “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him”. How far was Bethlehem from Jerusalem? Just about 10 km (-about the distance from Vashi to BARC). Were they willing to go and SEEK Jesus? No. Herod was filled with jealousy and insecurity. He became deceitful in dealing with the wise men. V8 says, And he (Herod) sent them (the wise men) 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.”

Let us return to the wise men. We still have something more to learn from them.

2. Wise men worship Jesus

They did not come empty-handed but brought gifts: Not only did the wise men travel many miles to seek Jesus, they had the assurance that they will find Him and they were prepared to give Him their gifts.
Here were the wise men being guided by the star. The star stood over where the young Child was. And they were filled with exceedingly great joy! (We are not sure how old was Jesus when the wise men arrived; but He was definitely less than two years old. For later, Herod would kill all infants below two years.)

They bowed down and worshipped Infant Jesus: On seeing Jesus, the wise men knew that He is the ‘born King’! And they fell down before ‘Baby’ Jesus and worshipped Him (v11). For the wise men knew, from Micah’s prophecy, that His ‘goings forth are from of old, from everlasting’! They understood that Jesus is God Himself and not merely an Infant in the flesh.

They did not bring ordinary gifts, but brought treasures: V11 says, “…And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

Now consider the gifts that the wise men brought Jesus. Gold, probably the only metal that does not lose its property when heated, represents Jesus’ Kingship, His Royalty, Purity and Divinity. The wise men knew Jesus as their King. When you come to meet Jesus, bring your treasures before Him. Come to Him with sacrificial giving. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. As you come to meet Jesus, offer to Him the fruit of your lips; that is thanksgiving out of a pure heart.
Frankincense, according to Exodus 30:34-37, is God’s own choice of fragrant incense, specially prepared according to specifications received by Moses, and prepared only for God Himself and no other. This, the High priest would offer at the altar once a year, before God. Jesus, as God Himself, was habituated to such fragrant incense. It means that the wise men knew what would please Jesus. When you come to meet Jesus, know the offering that will please God. Rev. 5:8 and Rev. 8:4 talk of the golden bowls of incense, which are the ‘prayers of the saints’. Rev. 8: 3, 4 talks about the angel offering incense at the golden altar before God. The smoke of the incense contains the prayers of the saints and it ascends to God Himself. As you come to meet Jesus, offer to God your worship and prayers.

The third gift that the wise men gave was Myrrh. A bitter-tasting medicine used to embalm dead bodies. It means that the wise men knew Jesus as their Healer. Jesus drank that bitter ‘cup’ of our sufferings that we may partake of His ‘cup of blessing’. As you come before Jesus, know Him as your Healer. Know that Jesus died our death, that we may live His life. He rose again from the dead to give us ‘eternal’ hope.

We see the life of Jesus, here on earth, portrayed in the gifts that the wise men gave. Are you willing to seek Jesus and worship Him with your ‘treasures’ and ‘gifts’? Be WISE. You are wise, if you seek Him and search for Him with all your heart; you will find Him. Come before God with a joyful heart and give to God what pleases Him. Worship Him with your thanksgiving and prayers. Know that Jesus drank the bitter cup of suffering for our sins, dying our death on the cross, that we may drink the cup of blessing and have hope of eternal life. Amen.