Wise Guys
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ’Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ’But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ’Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.’ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way." (Matthew 2:1-12)
I think the story of the wise men is kind of mysterious, don’t you? However, traditions, like party-poopers, have attempted to take all the mystery out of this encounter – which is recorded only in the book of Matthew. For instance, the Magi are commonly referred to as both wise men and kings. But these guys were no kings. The word itself, magi, is the Latin version of the plural Greek word, magos. But magos is from an Old Persian word maguŝ which is taken from the Avestan (an eastern Iranian language), magâunô. Got all that? Uh-huh, sure.
Anyway, the magâunô were a religious, priestly caste who paid very close attention to the stars and had gained an international reputation for astrology – a belief that by studying the stars (astronomy) you could predict the future and explain the present. At that time, astrology was big. I mean, it was a science! So, the magâunô’s religious practices, including their use of astrology, resulted in the term magi being used to describe the occult. Hence, the English word “magic.”
And the phrase from the East? Well, that's the only information Matthew gives us about where these guys came from. Traditionally, the view developed that they were Babylonians (present day Turkey), or Persians (present day Iran), or Jewish men from Yemen. However, the majority believe that they were probably from Babylon, which - at least at that time - was the center of astrology. (Go figure! Daniel connected with the Wise Guys? Really?)
Three gifts are also identified in Matthew, i.e., gold, frankincense and myrrh. Now, there’s a lot of theories about the meaning and symbolism of these gifts, but they’re generally lumped into two, major categories. The first grouping suggests that all three gifts were offerings and gifts that would, typically, have been given to a king: myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil; frankincense as a perfume; and gold as a valuable. The other line of thought suggests that the three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth; frankincense as a symbol of the priesthood; and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death. In fact, these spiritual interpretations are alluded to in the verses of the popular Christmas Carol, We Three Kings, circa 1857. (Pssssst! It was 3 gifts not 3 kings; we don’t know how many wise men actually showed up. And they’re not kings! Sorry)
Regardless of your take on popular traditions, I think you’d have to admit that these guys were men of faith, don’t you think? I mean, what would prompt someone to leave the comfort of their own home to go on a dangerous trip? Romance? Maybe. Wealth? Probably. But faith? Really? Remember, this was a journey of close to 900 miles. In those days, it might as well have been 9,000 miles, or 9,000,000 miles since traveling that kind of distance could have taken as long as a year.
Their question though, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” is really pretty probing, don’t you think? I mean, there’s no doubt from their question that they believed that Jesus had been born, right? So, the real question was, “Where is He?” Better yet, these guys had seen a star. And, being the astrologers that they were, this sign fascinated them and confirmed what they’d heard. So, their evidence was real, too. In other words, they had faith that the Christ child existed. Now, all they had to do was find Him and, apparently, they were willing to risk everything to do just that.
Speaking of risk, did you happen to catch the name of the guy to whom the wise guys asked their question? Yep, good ol’ king Herod, himself. A real peach of a guy. He suffered from depression and paranoia. As a result, he saw a conspiracy around every corner and under every rug. Being a career politician, he didn’t want to lose his job to some upstart, so he simply “eliminated” his challengers. This included his first wife, three of his sons, and one of his sons-in-law. Yeah, a real charmer.
This is the same guy who, when his kingdom was running a little short on cash, didn’t bother raising taxes or printing more money. No, Herod had a better idea. He simply went to the source and invited 45 of the country’s wealthiest families (all members of the Jewish Sanhedrin) to Jerusalem for the weekend and threw them a huge party. The guests had the time of their lives. Good thing, because Herod’s parting gift at this killer party was the ordering of their immediate execution and the seizure of their estates. (How’s that for a charitable fundraiser?)
As Herod’s life was drawing to a close, he became concerned that no one would actually mourn his death. (Can you imagine?) So, he commanded a large group of distinguished men to come to his palace in Jericho, at which time he ordered the men imprisoned and sentenced to death when Herod died. That way, Herod figured, there’d be plenty of grieving – if not for him, at least in general. Fortunately, Herod’s son, Archilaus, and his sister, Salome, didn’t carry out their dad’s wish.
So, you can imagine Herod’s response when the wise men asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews,” especially when Herod considered himself a Jew. So, here’s Herod, a crazed, conspiracy-theorist who’s asked, “Where’s the King, king?” by a bunch of smart aleck foreigners. “Uh, fellas? You know that King thing you’re asking about? Well, that king would be ME!” Given the wise guys that they were, they probably quit asking questions and called a cab for the six mile drive to Bethlehem. (Maybe now you can see why Herod had no problem ordering that all male children under two (2) years old, in and around Bethlehem, be killed. For Herod, it was all in a day’s work. Yep, Herod was a real piece of work. That’s why the wise men went home another way, and Joseph, Mary and Jesus took a train to Egypt)
So, can you imagine the neighbor’s reaction when the wise men were getting ready to head out and go to Jerusalem? Maybe it went something like this: “Hey, John, looks like you’re gettin’ ready to go on a trip somewhere.” “Yeah, I am.” “Cool. Where ya goin’?” “I’m not really sure.” “OK. Well, how far are you gonna go on this trip? I mean, are you goin’ cross-town or are you going, let’s say, cross-country?” “Well, I don’t really know the answer to that one, either.” “Hummmmm. OK. Well then, do you know how long you’ll be gone?” “Unfortunately, I’m not too sure about that one as well.” “You know, John, for a ‘wise man,’ you don’t know much, do you?”
Of course, this wouldn't be the first time that people questioned an act of faith. For instance, people must have said some pretty similar things to Abraham when he left his home and family for a place that God would eventually show him. (Acts 7:2-3) But God's journeys always involve faith. In fact, the Hebrew writer says in Hebrews 11:6 that "It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him." The Bible is full of stories of people of faith who have been willing to respond to the challenges of the unknown.
Interestingly, journeys of faith always produce worship. In our story, the wise men’s journey was for the express purpose of worship. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh didn’t they? And these gifts had a worshipful purpose. Gold represented wealth – a gift fit for the King of kings. Frankincense was the sap of a tree that had been dried, hardened and used as incense to worship God – a fitting gift for the Son of God, our High Priest. Myrrh is a fragrant perfume that was used to anoint and embalm Jesus – the sacrificial Lamb of God.
But isn’t there more to worship than gift giving like presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Doesn’t it also involve sacrifice? These men had devoted themselves to go on a journey to an unknown location, at an unknown distance, for an unknown period of time. And, don’t forget – travel in those days was not very comfortable and could be downright dangerous. Nevertheless, the wise men sacrificed their own comfort to find the King and to worship Him.
“OK, OK. But, I don’t have anything to give Him.” That’s not true. For instance, where were you last Sunday, or maybe mid-week. Maybe church, or a small group Bible study? You’ve given Him something of yourself haven’t you? Yep, you’ve given your time.
For instance, last Sunday, maybe you prepared for worship by getting up (you could’ve slept in), getting dressed (you could’ve stayed home in your robe and slippers) and getting ready to seek a King (you could’ve decided to go without a shower, or a shave, or even makeup. Oh, my!). So, you got in your car, used your gas and went to worship.
See, when you come, you come as a living sacrifice even though you may not see it that way. Maybe you didn’t even realize it. The effort you make to worship God is a part of your sacrifice to Him. But what God wants most of all, more than your sacrifice, is … you! He wants your heart. He wants your attention. He wants your dependence on Him. So the question becomes, “What are you willing to give Him?” Are you willing to give Him your best? Are you willing to go on a spiritual journey to worship Him? Are you willing to give up your comfort zone to follow Christ? The wise men were. How ‘bout you?
But along with the journey, and the worship and the sacrifice, a wise man’s journey is also one of change. Isn’t it interesting that after the wise men worshiped Jesus they couldn’t go back the same way they came? That’s true even today. Once you’ve met God you’ll never be the same. An encounter with God changes things – it changes you – doesn’t it? It’s always been that way.
And that’s what happens when we walk into the presence of God. We’re changed. That’s what happened to the wise men when they encountered Christ – they were changed. And that’s what happens when we encounter Christ – things become different.
So, we hear the story of the wise men around this time of the year. But this season, consider that maybe, just maybe, they were wise because they had faith; they were wise because they worshiped and, as a result, their lives were changed forever. All because of a child.
How about you? Are you looking for a change in your life? Find Christ this Christmas and you’ll be changed; things will be different. Step out in faith and seek Him as the wise men did. It’s the wisest decision you’ll ever make.
Merry Christmas!
Grace,
Randy
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