Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 3-003 (Sermon/notes)

WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM (Epiphany – Matthew 2:1-12)

by Wayne Dobratz

2:1 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 in the east and have come to worship him.”

WISE MEN INDEED!

On a hillside near a major State Highway in a Minnesota college town there used to stand a Christmas display that I have never forgotten. You couldn’t miss its message. It read: WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM.

We will soon be putting away the Christmas decorations for another year, but I hope that we won’t forget that star. After all, it was a light to the Gentiles then and we still need its light as much today as they did then.

There are wise men and then there are wise men, if you know what I mean. You can find a lot of smart people teaching in College and Universities, but they may not qualify as wise people. The Wise Men of today’s text were smart enough to follow God’s directions.

Matthew calls them MAGI. Despite the beauty of the popular Christmas song, they most certainly were not Kings. The word MAGI is usually translated as “astrologers or Oriental scientists.” Their profession was a combination of modern-day astronomy and astrology.

“From the east” points to origins in Mesopotamia or Persia. The Magi were a powerful and influential priestly caste among the Medes and the Persians. These priest-sages were extremely well-educated for their day and were known to specialize in medicine, religion, astronomy, etc. The Persian Magi were well known for their higher religious and intellectual achievements.

They knew of the story of the coming Savior no doubt from the presence of Jewish people like Daniel in their country centuries before. Their honor in history is that they were intellectually honest enough to look for God’s revealing of himself and then acting upon that knowledge.

Dr. Paul Meier writes: There is nothing the least bit improbable about a group of sages being attracted by some event in the heavens and then trying to investigate it more closely. The ancient historians of Greece & Rome were fond of describing astronomical phenomena and the effects they had on the lives of people. In that region of clear air and in that time of poor artificial lighting, the nights were long and the heavens were quite impressive. (First Christmas).

The stars told them that a new king was born to the Jews and they mounted an expedition to find him. The lesson is clear: WISE MEN WENT SEARCHING FOR JESUS THEN AND THEY STILL DO TODAY.

Now let’s see what happened next. Matthew tells us: 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 Christ 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 be the shepherd of 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 make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM

Wise men still look to God’s Word for direction. When the Wise Men had upset all Jerusalem with their seeking of the newborn King, even wicked and paranoid old King Herod knew where to look. He sent for the Scribes and asked them to search the Scriptures for the answer. It wasn’t long in coming: In Bethlehem in Judea, the Scribes told him.

Well, that made sense. The Messiah was to be called the Son of David, so it would make sense that he would be born in the City of David. But the crafty old King lied about his intentions. Murder, not worship, was in the old King’s heart.

The Wise Men followed God’s directions and the rest is history. The Scriptures had said that although Bethlehem was a small town in those days, out of it would come a ruler who will be shepherd for my people Israel. That takes us to the 2nd thing we notice about these Magi: WISE MEN STILL LISTEN AND OBEY.

It took a lot of effort on the part of these wise men to mount this long journey that took them into the pages of history. Given the time that the star first appeared and the time it took to travel long distances in those days, we’re talking about something like a 2-year project here.

No doubt about it–God’s Word changed their lives, just as it does for us. The Wise Men observed, listened and obeyed. God rewarded their diligent obedience.

Matthew goes on to say: After they had heard the King, they went on their way, and the star which 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.

We will never know for sure, but two or more planets lining up could occur briefly, move apart and come back together again a year or two later, which fits into Matthew’s timetable. The reappearance of the star could also have been a multiple explosion of a star that astronomers call a nova. Daniel was known to be a wise man and his followers would certainly have known of his faith in the God of Israel and of the ancient prophecies made to Israel.

Oh, the discoveries these Wise Men made because they followed God’s Word! How many truths there would be for our enjoyment and growth if we would only seek them out! Martin Luther said it well: The Bible is a great and powerful tree. Each word is a mighty branch. Each of these branches I have shaken well. And the shaking of them has never disappointed me.

WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM

Shake the branches of the Bible and let God’s blessings shower down upon you as they upon the Wise Men in this story. Henry Van Dyke writes that the Bible has a word of peace for the time of peril, a word of comfort for a time of calamity, a word of light for the hour of darkness. Its message is repeated in the assembly of the people and its counsels whispered in the ear of the lonely. The wicked and proud tremble at its warnings, but to the wounded and penitent, it has a mother’s voice.

No man is poor and desolate who has this treasure for his own. When the landscape darkens and the trembling traveler comes to the valley of the shadow, he is not afraid to enter. He takes the rod and staff of Scripture in his hand, and he says to his friend: “Goodbye, we shall meet again.” And comforted by that support, he goes toward the lonely pass as one walks through darkness into light.

YES, WISE MEN STILL REJOICE IN THE MESSAGE OF GOD’S WORD AND WISE MEN STILL WORSHIP HIM.

We are told in the last part of today’s text: 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.

WISE MEN STILL WORSHIP HIM. What you are doing right now is the wisest thing you can possibly do. You are worshiping God. You are making God the center of your life, just as they did. You are falling at the feet of Jesus to worship Him.

THE WORD WORSHIP MEANS WORTHSHIP. When we worship, we are admitting that our sin made it necessary for God’s Son to come here to be our Savior. When we worship Jesus, we are telling our Heavenly Father and the world around us the WORTH we see in Jesus. When you worship Jesus and present to Him the gift of your life, you are telling the world that He is your hope for this life and for eternal life. When you worship Jesus, you are saying to the world: Jesus loved me and gave himself for me. I dedicate my life to loving and serving him.

When the song of the angels is silent When the star in the sky is gone When the kings and princes are home When the shepherds are again tending their sheep When the manger is darkened and still The work of Christmas begins — To find the lost To heal the broken To feed the hungry To rebuild the nations To bring peace among people To befriend the lonely To release the prisoner To make music in the heart.

O Come, let us worship and serve the Lord!

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

– Wayne Dobratz <>