Matthew 2:1-12
Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good
king.
He loved his people. He wanted to know how they
lived.
He wanted to know about their hardships.
Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or
a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor.
No one whom he visited thought that he was their
ruler.
One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a
cellar.
He ate the coarse food the poor man ate.
He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left.
Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed
his identity by saying, “I am your king!” The king
thought the man would surely ask for some gift or
favor, but he didn’t.
Instead he said, “You left your palace and your
glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate
the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my
heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To
me you have given yourself!”
The King of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, gave
himself to you and me.
Over the past few weeks we have studied several
responses to the Good News of the birth of Jesus.
We saw Mary’s humble, obedient response.
We saw the Shepherd’s joyous, evangelistic response.
And today we are going to see three responses to Jesus.
Our text is the first 12 verses of Matthew 2.
Before we read it, let’s pray and ask God to give us
wisdom as we study His word this morning.
Matthew 2:1-12
The first response to the birth of Jesus is:
Indifference
If we aren’t paying close attention to the story we may
pass right by the response of the priests and scribes.
When the magi arrive in Jerusalem they go straight to
the current king, Herod to see if he has heard where the
new king of the Jews was.
This was the first that Herod had heard of the new king
so he summoned the priests and scribes to see if they
had heard about it and knew where Christ was to be
born.
The priests and scribes immediately quoted the prophet
Micah.
They knew it without even having to look it up.
They quickly blurted out – Bethlehem.
Isn’t it interesting that these Jewish leaders knew the
truth, but didn’t care enough to investigate whether what
they had studied was actually true. They were just a
short 5-6 miles away from the place where the future
king had been born.
There are people today who respond to Jesus in a similar
way.
They know the Bible, they even come to church.
But they are indifferent to Jesus.
I call it a matter of 18 inches.
The distance between the head and the heart.
People who are indifferent to Jesus don’t truly know Him
with their heart. They simply know about Him.
There is no relationship, just ritual or routine or
obligation.
They haven’t truly trusted Him to forgive their sin.
You may be wondering what is the harm in indifference.
It’s not outright rejection right?
Wrong. Remember when Jesus talked about separating
the sheep from the goats. Those who took care of the
hungry, visited the sick, clothed the naked would inherit
the kingdom of God. Those who didn’t do these things
will be sent away into eternal punishment.
We all have to respond to God.
Indifference is the same as rejection.
The second response to the birth of Jesus is:
Hostility
King Herod responds to Jesus with hostility.
When the wise men came asking about the new king that
was born because they wanted to worship Him, it caused
Herod great trouble.
Herod has no idea what the Scriptures say, but he knows
who does. So he assembles the priests and scribes and
asks them if they know where the new king was to be
born. He will do anything to find out where this new
threat to his kingdom is so he can destroy Him.
Herod was not a fan of competition. He dealt harshly with
anyone he thought may be trying to take his place.
Herod had his own wife and two brothers killed because
he suspected them of treason.
In verse 7-8 Herod gathers the wise men to see if they
could tell him exactly when the star appeared and sends
them to Bethlehem to look for the child.
Herod lies to them when he says he wants to go worship
the child. He has only murderous intentions towards the
baby Jesus.
Later on in the chapter Herod had all the male babies in
Bethlehem and that region 2 years old and younger
killed.
Sometimes people mask their hostility with false
pretenses.
There are many people in the world today who are hostile
to the gospel. This should not dissuade us from sharing
the Good News.
The third and only correct response to the birth of Jesus
is:
Worship
The Greek word translated “wise men” is Magi.
Contrary to the popular Christmas song We Three Kings,
these men were not kings. They were likely astrologers.
The Scripture says they came from the East.
The best guess is that they came from Persia or Babylon.
They knew the stars and studied them regularly, so it
made sense that they would notice a new star.
The wise men sacrificed a great deal to come and
worship the new king.
They sacrificed their time.
The wise men journeyed several hundred miles which
would have taken them months by foot.
I imagine it would have been a dangerous journey as
well.
They sacrificed their wealth.
The wise men brought valuable gifts to Jesus.
The gold, frankincense and myrrh would be enough to
sustain Jesus and His family as they fled to Egypt to stay
out of Herod’s way.
Isn’t it interesting that these non-Jews sought Jesus so
diligently?
It helps us understand that God sent Jesus not only for
His chosen people, but for all who believe.
Remember what the angel told the shepherds in the
field?
Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for
all the people.
The Scripture tells us that when the star stopped over the
house where Jesus was they rejoiced exceedingly with
great joy. Does that describe worship for you?
If not it should.
When they went into the house they saw the child and
fell down and worshiped Him.
And then they offered Him their gifts of great value.
We should pause to consider what we sacrifice for Jesus.
What do we spend our time doing?
What do we spend our money on?
Does our faith cost us anything?
APPLICATION
Our application is to follow the lead of the wise men.
Seek Him
We are wise if we seek Jesus with all of our heart.
Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love those who love me, and those
who seek me diligently find me.
James 4:8a says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw
near to you…”
Worship Him
We are also wise to worship Jesus.
The multitude of heavenly host worshiped God for
sending Jesus.
The wise men came from so far to worship Jesus.