“The Case for Christ - The Magi” - (part 14)

Tonight, we go on with our study of the Person of Jesus Christ as we look at His Incarnation.

Please turn to Matthew 2:1-12.

This is the record of the wise men coming to seek out the newly-born Son of God.

Although this scene has been part of the Christmas theme of the Church down through the ages, it actually took place sometime after Christ was born - anywhere from four months to possibly even two years later.

Let us read, starting with verse one.

Matthew 2:1-12: 'Now, after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the king, behold, magi from the East came to Jerusalem asking, ‘Where is the newborn King of the Jews? For we have seen His star at its rising and have come to pay Him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was startled, and so was all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem of Judea’, they told him: for it is written by the prophet:
	'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
	are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
	for from you will come forth a ruler
	Who will shepherd My people Israel.'
Then Herod summoned the magi secretly and ascertained from them the exact time when the star had appeared. And he sent them off to Bethlehem with the instruction: ‘Go, search diligently for the child. As soon as you find Him, bring me word that I, too, may come and pay Him homage.’ 

Obeying the king, they set out; and behold, the star which they had seen at its rising, went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were greatly overjoyed. And entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, His mother; and they bowed down and paid Him homage. Then they opened their treasure-boxes and brought out gifts for Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But, since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went away to their own country by another route.'

In the account of Jesus' Incarnation in Luke, chapter 2, as we saw the last time, the setting was in the world of shepherds, men who were considered part of the company of Israelites, God's people.

When they saw that the angels' message concerning His birth was true, they could not help but praise God and  honor Him. (v 20)

And, they could not help but spread the good news so that all heard it and '...wondered of those things told them by the shepherds.’ (v 18)

Even Mary was so affected that she '...kept all these things in her heart and pondered them.' (v 19)

These were all Jews who received God’s salvation announcement of Christ the Lord, a Savior, born that very day!  

Now, we move into a different world, a world of the adoring magi, Gentiles of a different religious system.

In this account in Matthew that I just read, Christ is introduced as the '...newborn King of the Jews': - ‘the newborn King’ - this is how the wise men were observing and perceiving Him to be.

With this, they immediately bring into God's salvation history the broadening revelation of Himself in Christ, first - in including the Gentile world in His design, and secondly, in indicating His sole Sovereignty over spiritual consummation. 

This evening, I would like to look at these two factors as we study the Incarnation of Christ as the ‘Newborn King’.

Let us start, first, with the coming of the wise men to seek Christ out: here is the evidence of God's extension of His plan to the world. 

What was the religious system like at that time in the Gentile world? 

Where were these men coming from in their religious quest?

We know, of course, from the Old Testament history, that the heathen nations were not without their religion.

The Geeks never knew, even in their best days, of a literal Almighty God, much less of a God of love.

As far as the true and living God was concerned, He was buried under the heathenish system as the ‘unknown god’, as Paul explained in Acts 17:23.

Their systems had certain elements, some of which appeared to be actual realities, but all of which were mingled with grave error, spells, magic formulas, superstitions, incantations, and all kinds of evil and destructive practices.

In short, they engaged in a system that lavished its adoration and homage on gods of their own minds and imaginations and on worthless, miserable, dead objects.  

Never were there so many magicians, so many incantations, so many rites, so many debasing practices of religion as at this time.

And - never was there such an intensity to satisfy the yearnings of the heart through such religious practices in the Gentile world as now.

Yes - ‘...darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the people...’. (Isa 60:2)

But - here, the account of the magi disclosed - for the very first time - the actual discharge of God's promise to call the Gentiles unto salvation.

It was God’s 'fulness of time' for them - now He was invading their religious system also with the news of His saving plan that would give them light to come out of their gross darkness.  

In His divine initiative, He was giving His revelation to the whole world, even to the Gentiles through the extreme characters of these men who were so steeped in their own heathen practices, who were so remote from the Jewish citizens in Jerusalem in heritage and in a true spiritual background.

That is what strikes us in reading this text: we are impressed immediately with the profound influence and force this small New-born is to awaken the whole world.

Does it not seem strange to you for these Persian astrologers to travel for all these many months, and - it may have been close to two years even - to search for this new Baby?

They came to see Him: they were not looking for a new-born Persian, Gentile king.

Oh - no - they were looking for the newborn King of the Jews!

Why should they have been so interested in the birth of a Jewish child?

Actually - there is no explanation in the natural sense for this fascination about this King of the Jews.

The only explanation is found in the promises of God to draw all mankind into His love.  
  
Even though these men were part of the gross superstitution and blank unbelief that was being practiced by the heathen at this time of Christ's Incarnation, yet, in their coming to seek Him out, they represented the Gentiles who, according to Isaiah’s prophecies were included in God's original plan of salvation.

Christ was to be given as ‘...a light to the Gentiles...’, to be God’s ‘...salvation unto the end of the earth.’ (Isa 49:6)

Yes - gross darkness covered them but God’s promise of Christ was ‘...but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to Thy light, and kings to the brightness of Thy rising.’ (Isa 60:2-3)

God the Father was making known His plan to Jew and Gentile alike.

And - here, in these heathen magi is the first fruits of the fulfillment of the prophecies given so many, many years earlier - prophecies that included the Gentiles.

Here was visible proof that God was discharging His promise about Christ and His blessings.

These were blessings that would no longer be bounded by the limits of the one nation of the Jews.

No - not at all! 

It would be free to all mankind so that in place of the one national religious system of the Jews, and in place of the religious systems of the heathen, there would be one all-inclusive, universal arrangement and guarantee to spiritual deliverance and atonement.

Nothing else would be needed to assure man of that!

Thus, in one stroke - through the Incarnation of His Son -  the entire world is swept into God’s overall design of salvation.

That is the first fact of the revelation of God in Christ’s Incarnation that the story of the magi proclaims.

Then, secondly, we see God making known His character in Christ as life's Supreme Authority for spiritual consummation: 
He is King.

To the Shepherds, He made known His character as Savior in Christ: now, in Christ, He is King.

When Peter was preaching to the Jews in Acts 2, he confirmed Christ as both Lord or King and Messiah, Savior, in v 36.

The magi did not have this revelation of God from the Jewish Scripture. 

No - all they had at the time to follow was the light of the rising of a new star in the heavens.

Christ's star motivated them to seek Him out.

How they knew of Him being the 'newborn King of the Jews' is information that is not given in the Scriptures.

We can be reasonably sure, however, that these magi were men - like others - were on a spiritual quest, and - like others - sought for the meaning of life and for the satisfaction and answers to questions in that search.

We know that in their seeking, they were expressing their hopes for finding the meaning of things.

Of course, resorting to astrology was a very unbiblical and anti-biblical way but, at the time, that was all they had.

But - the star is what led to their search even though they had to learn that God's definitive revelation is not found in the stars: they could not receive the full revelation from nature alone.

They followed the little light they had, and God - Who is the Supreme Rule of man’s heart and soul satisfied the hunger of their hearts and granted them the opening of their eyes to see through that little bit of light and then through the Light of His Word to their hearts to feast directly upon the revelation of Himself in Christ.

Thus, right from the beginning of Jesus' birth, God's purpose to extend salvation to every man - Jew and Gentile alike - is proclaimed, and it is proclaimed through the search for the meaning of life by the magi. 

And they found what they were actually looking for in Christ - they did not really know what they were yearning for, at the moment, but in their seeking they were met by the act of God in Christ's Incarnation as King.

God, the Father, was making known the character of His Kingship in Christ, the character of His Supreme authority of life, the answer to all of life's baffling mysteries.

Here He is: the King of Life, the King - not only of the Jews - but of the Gentiles, as well,- the One Who would meet every yearning need of every searching soul.

How He was to be Savior we know.

The day would come when His blood would atone for all.

But - how was He to become King?

Notice carefully - these men did not find Him in a gilded castle nor on a golden throne. 

They did not find Him in some comet-like blaze of transient splendour!

No - they found Him in the lowliest of conditions, in poor, disheartening surroundings, living in simple, uncluttered conditions, alone, with no fanfare, with no apparent glory, His father unknown, His mother, just a young maiden.

Does that sound like a king to you?

No - of course it does not!

How was He to be made King?

It was God Who gave Him ‘...power over all flesh (Jew and Gentile alike) that He should give eternal life to as many as...’ were given Him. (Jn 17:2)

Jesus, after His death and resurrection, told His disciples privately, ‘...All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Mt 28:18)

He was ‘...declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead.’ (Rom 1:4)

The position to Kingship given Him as a Newborn was sealed in His death and resurrection.

So - again - notice carefully - that was yet to be confirmed on earth - but the magi looked upon Him as King now.  

Look at how they made Him King - and please take careful note of this: ‘we have seen His star and have come to pay Him homage.’

‘We have come to pay Him homage.’

And then notice again: ‘They entered into the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His mother; and they bowed down and paid Him homage.’ 

‘They bowed down and paid Him homage.’

And notice again: ‘They opened their treasure boxes and brought out gifts for Him...’.

These men saw only One Who was worthy of homage: Jesus Christ.

In their hearts, they saw Him as King - they did not see Him as the threat of a king-to-be, as Herod imagined Him to be!

But - in their homage to Him, they were confirming God’s Supreme Authority which He made known in Isa 42:8: 
‘I am the Lord: that is My Name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.’ 

‘I will not give My glory to another,’ God made clear.

These men looked upon this little Child as ‘King’, and, in doing so, they were suggesting that His Kingship was going to be looked for in the hearts of those who see through the eye of faith beyond themselves, beyond earthly systems, and into the realm of the Eternal. 

He would be the one Omnipotent Authority for mankind’s spiritual consummation.

As there would be no Salvation in any other (Acts 4:12), so no one else would be needed to assure man of God’s Sovereign spiritual rule over all. (Jer 23:5; Jn 18:37)

Now - what does this imply?

Simply this: in the discharge of His Kingship, Christ would understand every living soul and meet every need that every living soul has, by that infinite goodness, benevolence, and love that one day would take the very blood of His heart to give.

This is what the magi had to stand upon even though they did not realize what they actually had in Him at the time. 

They somehow knew He was greater than themselves for they did not hesitate to give Him homage alone. 

And - this is what we Christians stand upon: the King of all kings Who saves to the uttermost, Who will be King forever, Whose Supreme Authority can never be usurped by any other.

Now - what does that mean to we Christians?

People may ask us difficult questions to answer about miracles and mysteries of every kind.

They may lose us altogether in historical investigations, in research and in examinations and inquisitions to try to disprove every aspect of the historical Jesus and even the aspect of a star to announce His birth to a small group of Gentiles.  

They might even confuse us in our own minds about other certain matters surrounding His Incarnation.

They may try to bewilder and puzzle us with their questions about Christ and may even try to throw us off course with  
their mockeries and scornful laughter.

But we stand in this grand, magnificent fact that the magi found Christ - they found Him under the guiding hand of the Almighty God and they worshipped Him as King.

They worshipped Him as the King Who can do the most - not for just Jews, not for just Gentiles - but for all men.

'We have come to worship Him', they said; literally, 'we have come to do homage to Him'.

If we have come to worship Him, we have come to worship that which is greater than ourselves.  

Why? Because He is Salvation to us all and because He is King for us all!

‘Come and worship, come and worship.

Worship Christ the newborn King!’ 

AMEN!  Let us pray!

This is the chorus to a song we often sang.

The song goes like this:

“Angels, from the realms of glory, wing your flight o’er all the earth.
You who sang creation’s story, now proclaim Messiah’s 
birth.
Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ,
the newborn King.

Wise men, leave your contemplations, brighter visions
beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of Nations, you have seen
Emanuel’s star.
Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ,
the newborn King. 

AMEN!   Let us pray!