Matthew 2:1-12
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘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 shepherd my people Israel.’”7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 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, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Unraveling the Mystery of the Magi
If I were James Cameron, I know exactly how I direct the opening scene of a Magi movie based on Matthew 2. The camera fades from black to an empty room. It’s ancient, dusty, dingy. On every wall there are floor to ceiling shelves packed full of scrolls and books and rolled up pieces of leather with writing on every inch. As the camera pans through the room, it circles around a table in the middle with more papers piled high, but one scrap carefully laid out on top. It's covered with characters you’ve never seen before from a language long since forgotten, and then superimposed on the screen in Papyrus font are words setting the scene:
A forgotten prophecy
Strange lights in the sky
3 men willing to risk it all to unravel the mystery
It’s probably a good thing I’m not a movie director. I think I’ll stick to my pastor gig. But I will stand by my contention that this story would make a compelling movie. There’s mystery and drama, a sociopathic tyrant and exotic people from far-flung locations traveling halfway around their known world to find the one thing that will change their lives forever. There is a certain mystique about the Magi.
Matthew doesn’t waste any time introducing them to us. Here is all of the background, biographical detail that Matthew brings to the table:
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.[1]
That’s it! That’s everything. Matthew doesn’t even tell you what a Magi is. Allow me.
You might know the Magi by another name. We often call them the Wise Men. That’s what they were. They were wise guys. They were the intellectual elite. They were scientists and astronomers. They were anthropologists and dieticians. They were historians and the king’s most trusted advisors. If you had a question about anything – physical, historical, biological, spiritual – you’d go to the Magi for answers.
Only, in Matthew’s story, it was the Magi who were asking the questions. Apparently there was a mystery that sat unsolved for 700 years on the shelves of the wisest men in the east. It told of a very special king whose life and reign would change the world and whose birth would be accompanied by some strange signs in the sky.
This is where it gets interesting. The Magi were easterners; they weren’t Israelites. Why would they care about the king of the Jews? What was this star that so captured their attention? They were accomplished astronomers. They had seen it all, and charted it all for centuries, but this was something new. Something no one had ever seen before. And how was it that these foreigners had a prophecy about an Israelite king when not even the Israelites knew about that prophecy? It’s not anywhere on the pages of Scripture.
And yet, these mysterious Magi believed in that prophecy so completely that they were willing to leave their homes behind, embark on a months’ long journey, cross a desert without even knowing where they were going. They had a fragment of knowledge – a piece of a promise – but it was enough for them to drop everything, pack up their costliest treasures and travel to Jerusalem looking for answers.
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”[2]
King Herod didn’t know how to answer that question, but the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law did: “In Bethlehem in Judea,”[3] they said, and then they quoted a prophecy that is plain as day from the pages of Micah.
It’s interesting, isn’t it? The chief priests and teachers of the law had so much information, but they did so little with it. The Magi had a fragment of a prophecy, and it inspired them to incredible acts of blind faith. The chief priests and teachers of the law had books and books of prophecy, but they couldn’t even muster up an ounce of curiosity, let alone faith.
Brothers and sisters, there’s a warning there for us. You have pages and pages of prophecy. You have the entire revealed will of God in black and white (and sometimes red). You have promises in Scripture of forgiveness and salvation and eternal life. We just celebrated the 2027th anniversary of Jesus’ birth. Are you still so moved by the message that you are privileged to hear week after week that you are willing to drop everything and pack up your treasures and worship him at all costs like the Magi did? Or has the novelty worn off for you? Has your enthusiasm cooled into a matter of mild habit?
Look at what the Magi did when they found Jesus:
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.[4]
Literally, in Greek, Matthew says, “They rejoiced with an exceedingly great joy.” Honestly, it’s comical how many adjectives and adverbs Matthew piles together to express the Magi’s excitement. Overjoyed barely scratches the surface of how happy they felt.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.[5]
Again, literally, in Greek, Matthew says, “They fell down and worshiped him.” I don’t imagine this as some stodgy, solemn, ceremonial gesture. I imagine this as the kind of plop that leaves bruises on your knees.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.[6]
This was not a small thing. This was the biggest moment in their entire lives, and they were prepared to show it. These foreigners traveled for months and brought extravagant gifts to match their enthusiasm to meet the one who had been born king of the Jews, because in their hearts they knew that he was their King too.
And here’s the truth about the story of the Magi. In my Bible, this section of Scripture is called The Visit of the Magi, but the real headline is in the first four words:
After Jesus was born.[7]
That’s the story! That’s the headline! We’re two full weeks out from Christmas, but this is still the reason for the season – Jesus was born!
Jesus was the subject of that prophecy. Jesus was the object of centuries of prayer. And not just in Jerusalem, but in the far-flung corners of the world where pockets of believers still clung to pieces of promises that God had made about a Saviour, about a King. As fascinating as the Magi are, this story isn’t about them. It’s about the one who motivated them to migrate across a desert, to fall on their knees and present him with precious treasures.
I don’t imagine that the Magi had any idea how fitting those gifts would be, but by God’s design they were perfect. In their minds, I’m sure that they were just giving the best that they had to give, but as we look at these gifts knowing how this baby’s life would end, I couldn’t have handpicked anything better.
Gold – it’s precious and pricey, a gift fit for a king. That’s what Jesus was prophesied and born to be. Not a king to challenge someone like Herod for the throne of a tiny kingdom like Israel, but our true and heavenly king. The Lord of the universe, who sits at the right hand of his Father in a position of power and authority, ruling over all things for the good of those who love him.
Incense – it was vital to the Israelites’ life of worship. They would light incense in the Temple and its fragrant aroma would serve as symbol of our prayers rising like smoke to the throne of our God in heaven. Jesus is more than a king. He is God. He is worthy of our worship and praise. He hears and answers our prayers.
Myrrh – it was a fragrant perfume most often associated with death. Myrrh is a reminder of Jesus’ mortality. King and God though he is, he was born of a woman and destined to die, and all for you.
Jesus loved you so much that he made the Magi’s pilgrimage look measly by comparison. He went from heaven to earth for you. He went from life to death for you. Jesus loved you so much that he made the Magi’s gifts look paltry. He didn’t give you precious metals or fragrant perfumes. He poured out his holy, precious blood on a cross and offered up his innocent suffering and death as the sacrifice for your sins. For the times when your enthusiasm for him grows cold, he gave his life to forgive you, to give you the promise of life and peace with him forever in heaven.
That’s what this story is all about. It’s not about the mystique or the mystery of the Magi. It’s about the one they came to worship, the Christ who came to be your Saviour, God and King too, who gave his life to forgive your sin, who rules over all things for your good, who is more than worthy of your worship and praise.
The only mystery worth solving, then, is not what the star looked like or where the Wise Men came from or what their names were. The only mystery worth solving is how you are going to respond, how you can maintain the excitement and enthusiasm of Christmas every day of your life. The first words of Matthew 2 could be the first words of our diary every day: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem…[8]
Now, I’m not suggesting that you need to liquidate your assets and drop a couple bags of gold in the offering box every week. You don’t have to make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem to show your love for your Lord. But there are many ways that you can fall on your knees and worship him. You have many alternatives to gold, frankincense and myrrh at your disposal to show your gratitude and express your marvel at the birth of your Saviour.
Maybe for you it’s telling the little children the stories of Jesus and his love. Maybe for you it’s picking up a phone and calling that member who hasn’t been in church in a month or more and just asking, “How’s it going?” We still need two qualified men to serve on our council to make sure that as a congregation we’re doing everything we can to share the Gospel.
Whatever it is, may God give you the same measure of marvel as the Magi. May God fill your heart with a faith that takes action, that takes what’s been given to you and gives back to him, that sees the child in the manger and rejoices with an exceedingly great joy every day that Jesus is your Saviour, God and King.
There are many mysteries about the Magi. There is no mystery about what motivated them. It was Jesus, always Jesus, only Jesus. May he motivate you, today and every day. Amen.
[1] Matthew 2:1
[2] Matthew 2:2
[3] Matthew 2:5
[4] Matthew 2:10
[5] Matthew 2:11
[6] Matthew 2:11
[7] Matthew 2:1
[8] Matthew 2:1