Matthew 2:1-12
Key Verse: 2:2
“...and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’”
In today’s passage, we will study about three wise men that traveled a long distance to worship the baby Jesus. On the surface, it is such a ridiculous story! Why would three noble grown men risk their lives and travel thousands of miles to worship a baby? But as we dig deeper into their story, we begin to understand their reason. Through their visit, they found their true source of worship. We are all made to worship something. We must find the one worthy of our act of worship.
First, who is our true object of worship?
Look at verse 1. “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem....” The birth of Christ is the greatest event in Israel’s history, and the history of mankind. God kept his promise and sent the Messiah as a baby in a manger. After his birth, Magi from the east came to see him.
Who were the Magi? History study tells us that the Magi came from ancient Persia or Babylon. They were men who were experts in the fields of astronomy, history, religion, music and politics. They held high positions in the government as advisers to kings.
According to tradition, the bones of the magi are encased in gold shrine in the famous Köln Dome in Germany.
Why did they come to Jerusalem? Look at verse 2. “...and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’” They were looking for the king of the Jews. How did they know about him? They saw his star in the east.
According to verse 2, they were following a star. The Magi studied the stars. They believed that the stars foretold man’s destiny, and special stars signaled the birth of great men. One night, as they surveyed the sky, they saw a great star. It was no ordinary star. Scientist says a comet appeared during the time of Jesus birth. It was so bright; it was seen as far as China and Korea. It was noted that the star appeared over 70 days with no movement. This fact confirms verse 9 which reads "...it stopped over the place where the child was." They knew that it signaled something special and began to research its meaning.
The Magi realized that the star signaled the birth of the king of the Jews. They realized that this king of the Jews was not just another political king, but the Savior promised by God. At that moment, they decided to take the journey to visit the new born king. Proverbs 4:7 reads “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” They believed that wisdom and truth can be found in this new king. They were ready to risk everything to embark on this journey; their jobs, misunderstand from their colleagues and family members. They were ready to endure the harsh desert and cruel terrain. According to scholars, it took them two years to reach Bethlehem. They could make such a journey because they believed that wisdom is supreme and it is worth to lose everything in order to gain it.
Verse 2 explains the reason for their visit. It says, "They have come to worship him." The meaning of worship is very controversial. To worship means to show intense love and admiration to someone or some object. Some think worship means to sing worship songs that make them feel good. To some worship is to blow oneself up and cause collateral damage.
What does the Bible say about worship? To worship is to express intense love for God. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” To paraphrase the magi statement, they came to express their love the new born king. Their love is like a couple who are madly in love with one another. They are constantly thinking of each other, buying chocolates and flowers for each other. God wants us to be madly in love with him! To worship God means to think of him day and night. King David was known as a man after God’s own heart. He truly loved God. The book of Psalms is his love letters to God.
God hard-wired each of us to worship Him (Gen 1:27). St. Augustine said, “God made man with an empty spot that only God can fill; man is a restless wanderer until he finds his rest in God.” When man worships God he finds rest and true peace. When we worship God we find lasting happiness.
But sinful have tried to rewire themselves to worship created things instead of the Creator. If men do not worship God, they worship created things, and become wicked and depraved (Ro 1:18-32). However, in our time, many worship created things, such as a boyfriend or girlfriend, sports stars or rock stars, technology, human achievement, and money. No human being is worthy of our worship. Many young girls worship and idolize Britney Spears. But she herself struggles to find her true source of worship. Even though she is extremely talented and successful, is not happy or peaceful. She is constantly in the news about her emotional breakdowns and outrageous antics. There are so many broken people because their source of worship has disappointed them. As a young teenager, I worshipped the Beatles, especially John Lennon. My room was a Beatles shrine. He was once quoted as saying “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus.” I was on the verge of adopting his lifestyle of drugs and free sex, when I was invited to Bible study as a freshman at the University of Illinois at Chicago. So who is worthy of our worship?
Only Jesus is worthy of our worship. Look at verses 5-6. “”In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written: “But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.”’” The king of the Jews would be a shepherd of his people.
Jesus will come as a ruler. In other words he will come as a king. History is filled with stories of kings who only oppressed their subjects. Stalin is considered the most infamous dictator. He killed 20-40 million of his own people. Looking at him in the wrong way can give you a one way ticket to Siberia. Our Lord Jesus is very different from kings of the world. Jesus is the King of Kings, but he came down as a baby in a manager. He did this because he wanted to be our friend and savior. Our Lord Jesus comes to rule our hearts. He rules us with love and peace. We can be happy, hopeful and peaceful. We like Jesus as a friend and comforter. But it is not easy to accept Jesus as our ruler or king. This means we can’t live by our feelings or our own ideas. We must live by God’s truth whether we like it or not.
Jesus is also our good shepherd. Once Jesus survey a large crowd and commented that they are like sheep without a shepherd. A shepherd’s job is to take care of sheep. Sheep are not easy to manage. Sheep are dumb animals. When you tell them to go to the left, they go to the right. We are all like rebellious and ignorant sheep. But Jesus leads us to green pastures. As a good shepherd, he knows us by name. He cares for us in every way both spiritually and physically. Jesus our good shepherd who offered his life on the cross for our salvation. Praise Jesus who is worthy of our worship!
Recently, I read a beautiful story of Dick Hoyt who is a good shepherd to his son Rick. His son Rick was born with cerebral palsy. The doctors told his father Dick, he should just put him away — he’d be a vegetable all his life. But the father decided to take care of him, no matter the cost. Through his good shepherd Father, Rick could communicate and become an inspiration to others. Rick also loved to run even though he could not walk. So the father trained to become a marathon runner. Together they have competed in marathons and triathlons. A triathlon consists of 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike race and 26 mile run. Our Lord Jesus is like the Father Dick Hoyt who carries us to the finish line of life. Praise Jesus who is worth of our worship!
Second, Worship is not a part of your life, it is your life.
The Magi journey to see the baby Jesus was an act of worship. Worship is not a part of your life, it is your life. It is not just 1 ½ hour every Sunday at West Loop. Worship is a lifestyle; 24 x 7, 365 days a year. A lifestyle of worship means doing everything as if I was doing it for Jesus. Worship is not only our public life, but our private as well. Do you worship when others are not looking at you? Sometimes we complain about work. But work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of his presence. Every activity can be transformed into an act of worship when you do it for the praise, glory, and pleasure of God. The Bible says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” The famous composer Bach would always sign his music initialed "S.D.G." (Soli Deo Gloria--"To God alone, the glory"). Students should view their school studies as an act of worship. They should work hard and get straight “A” for the glory of God.
Third, Worship requires a decision of faith.
Look at verse 3. “When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” King Herod ruled Israel from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C. He was known as Herod the Great. He had ten wives and many sons, and his family line ruled Israel for four generations. Their struggle to gain political power was marked by tragedy. Once, Herod executed his own sons for conspiracy, and many innocent people perished along with them.
The city was always fearful when King Herod was disturbed. They feared he might do something irrational and become victims of his wrath. Later in the chapter, we learn their fear was not groundless. Herod in his anger over the magi refusal to meet him, issued a murderous edict to kill all boys two years and younger.
Look at verse 4. “When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.” Based on his Bible experts, the new king would be born in Bethlehem. Then he secretly met with the Magi with the intent to use them to trap the baby Jesus. He asked them to give him a report about the exact location so he may worship him. However, his motive was not to worship Jesus, but to eliminate Jesus. The religious leaders were so near the birthplace of Christ. But they made no effort to go there. Perhaps it would only take a few hours to visit. What a great contrast with the Magi who traveled 2 years to see the Christ.
Herod was a poor Bible student. This was a golden opportunity for him to personally know the baby Jesus. The words of the prophecy should have moved him to tears. Instead, he hardened his heart and closed his mind. The more he hardened his heart towards God’s word, the more crooked and evil he became. He saw Jesus not as a shepherd, but an enemy and competitor. He felt threatened by a baby boy. We all have to make a personal decision who to worship. This decision will impact our daily life and out eternal destiny.
These days there is a popular vampire movie among teens called “Twilight” written by Stephanie Meyers. There was another author who also wrote about vampires. Her name was Anne Rice. For 38 years she hardened her heart lived as an atheist. She was known as “literary queen of the damned.” She worshipped money and fame as an author. But she still felt an empty spot in her soul. After years of soul searching, she said one afternoon she said she wanted to be loved. That afternoon, she decided to worship the Lord. Now she writes Christian books. Her recent book “Called out of the Darkness,” she traces her journey about how she came to know Christ. She was quoted as saying “Vampires represent a world without faith, a world in which alienated souls are wandering in the darkness, and that’s how I felt all those years when I was without faith. And I don’t feel lost anymore.” She felt like a vampire without God, now she is a child of God.
Look at verses 9-10. “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” When the Magi resumed their journey, suddenly, the star they had seen in the east appeared again. When they saw the star, they knew they were about to meet the one they had struggled so hard to find. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. No matter our situation, whether in plenty or want, if we worship Jesus we have joy.
When I heard about the worsening economic climate, I feared it will impact my company. Sure enough, it happened. On Thursday, the news story headline that the company I’m working for will layoff 12,000, I became disturbed. Satan tried to plant doubt of God love and fear in my heart. The other night I could not sleep. I thought how can I support my growing children. I had a nightmare about my kids play their musical instruments for money in the subway. I realize I worship my seemingly secure job. My happiness was dependent on my job. Matt 6:33 “Seek first, his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” I remember one word from one of our James chapter 4 study. It says, “I don’t know what the future holds, so I will let God hold my future.”
Look at verse 11. “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” The magi bowed down and offered their gifts to Jesus. They offered their best to Jesus. Then they returned home.
Today we learned from the Magi that we are made to worship God. When we seek God, find God and worship God, we can experience true joy and have eternal life. Mostly, we learned that Jesus is our shepherd king who lay down his life for us. He is worthy of our worship forever.