A Wise Approach to Life - Part 3 (Matthew 2: 10-12)

(Part 3 of 3)

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.

(Matthew 2: 10-11a)

Let’s pause again for a moment make a couple of observations. There are several things going on in this passage that might disappoint you if you get your theology from a nativity play, or the pictures on the front of your Christmas cards. These events didn’t happen the day he was born. As a matter of fact, the implication is it probably happened months after he was born. For one thing, it says Joseph and Mary, we're now living in a house. For another, it calls Jesus a word that means child, not the word that meant baby or infant used previously. Experts say he might have been as much as two years old at this point. As a matter of fact, as we get into the next passage, we see that Herod goes and kills all the children, two years old and younger. I noted back in verse seven that Herod secretly asked the wise men when the star first appeared so that also suggests a passing of time since its first appearance. Also, by the slaughter of the children, he ordered we can see he was wanting to make sure that he covered all his bases by having all of the children under two killed. Furthermore, in the Gospel of Luke we were told that Joseph and Mary offered the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves and a pigeon and that was the offering of poor people. So, some expositors have come to this message and said, well that mean they haven’t gotten any gold yet. so, that was before. I agree with most of the commentators that these events were sometime after his birth. But what did they do? Well, this verse says they worship him. 

That Greek word “Worship” used here simply means that they prostrated themselves before him. They bowed down before him, they worshiped him. The idea behind this word is to worship is to honour. That’s the essence of worship, but in this case, it involves submission. Therefore, the second suggestion I would make as a wise way to approach the saviour is first seek the Lord and then worship him. But remember worshipping him involves submitting to him and honouring him. 

If you were to go to Bethlehem today a tour guide would take you to a spot and say this is the spot where Jesus was born. Now, it’s not always the case but this is probably one of the most authentic spots in all of Israel. For one thing, a church was built on that spot by Constantine somewhere after three 330AD, and there was a tradition that goes back even beyond that. People who have been there have told me that as you walk up to that church. In order to get in you, there’s a door that’s made out of stone and you literally have to stoop down to walk through the door and then you see this very old ancient chapel space and there’s a wood floor and there’s a spot where they remove part of the wooden. You can look down and see a ceramic floor under it that goes back hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years, and then they right over beneath the alters the very spot. To get to it you have to take some stairs and go down under the church and into a cave 12 meters long and about four meters wide, and at that point they have put a Gold Star into the floor, and they say where the star is placed is where Jesus was born. But what’s fascinating is to get to that point you have got to bow. And that’s significant because when you come before the Lord you really ought to submit. 

Paul in the letter to the Romans talks about the spiritual life and says, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice”. When you submit yourself to him, you honour him, and you worship him. That is precisely what they did, and anyone who chooses to go to church, does that to a degree. Around the world, usually on a Sunday morning Christian’s replay this story by presenting themselves before the Messiah and honour him by their presence and worshipping him. This is a form of worship because it’s what God would want us to do in acknowledging who he is, and hopefully also seeking his face in order to obey him. 

There’s an apocryphal story of our Queen Elizabeth II father, George VI who shortly after he became king who walked into a meeting with a group of old friends, and the minute he walked into the room they all stood up. And, he said, sit down, take your seats, gentlemen. I count you as personal friends. Then he jokingly said I’m not the Lord you know. To which one of the friends replied. No, Sir. If you were. We would not have stood up, we would have dropped our knees. 

The way You Honour the Lord in a spiritual sense is like dropping to your knees, it’s a symbol of worship. I Have one more suggestion? It’s tucked away in verse 11, it says. 

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

(Matthew 2: 11)

How did these wise men observe the birth of Christ? They saw him and they bowed in submission, they worshipped, and they gave him gifts. There’s are  all kinds of speculation about these gifts. But, let me ask you a question. How many wise men were there? Your immediate answer is probably three. There is no indication that there were three the speculation of three comes from the fact the text lists three types of gifts. Some early traditions say there were three wives there also so there could have been six. I don’t think the text suggests that, but there definitely could have been more than three, there could have been a dozen for all we know. We just don’t know. Also where the wise men also kings? Nothing is said in this passage or anywhere else in the Bible that they were kings. They were wise men, that is all we know.  I have seen school nativity plays where there are three kings and three wise men all visiting and worshipping, together along with three shepherds, but what we do know is they gave gifts, 

It’s tempting to try to make something out of these various gifts. For example, gold is the gift you would give a king. frankincense was the gift for a priest, because they used this sweet perfume of frankincense on sacrifices, and Jesus was our priest, and myrrh was the gift of one who died. It was actually used as embalming fluid, and Jesus is our sacrifice. Therefore, by these gifts the text is saying Jesus was born a king, he is our priest, and he is our sacrifice. He is the one who came to die to bring us to God and became our sacrifice and will one day rule again as king. Maybe there is some significance of the gifts. But here's my point. They didn’t arrive at the feet of the Messiah and have just an emotional moment. And that’s what so much of Christianity is in danger of becoming these days. Lots of people go to church to feel good and have an emotional moment. I’m not opposed to enjoying a time of worship, I’m not opposed to that. But if that’s all you have, it’s superficial at best. 

Nor did they seek out the Messiah and just have a moment of theological contemplation. Their reaction was very practical. They gave him something, they gave him gifts. Now I submit to you. That’s the way to live your Christian life. It’s in the receiving the gift, that we worship the saviour, it’s in giving the gift. 

What gift are you going to give me? I wonder if any of you have any gold in your pocket, maybe some nickel coins but no gold these days. But what about Myrrh, anyone got any Myrrh in their back pocket? I doubt it? I suspect it is even less likely you got frankincense in your purse or wallet today. Probably not. What would you recommend you give? How about yourself? I said a moment ago that Romans, 6;12 says,

I beseech you brethren, yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your body as an instrument of righteousness to God.

(Romans 6: 12)

The writer of this, Paul, picks up the same word. It says “present” your bodies, meaning your life as a living sacrifice. That’s the gift God wants. To put it very simply. He wants you to be a living sacrifice for him and that the appropriate response to what should happen after you have sought the Messiah and you have found him. It all comes down to gift giving, the only the gift is the one you’re giving to him, and that is an act of proper worship.

Let’s sum all this up. What’s this passage teaching us? I think this message is telling us that in fulfilment of prophecy Jesus was born in Bethlehem and that wise men are seen to do three things. They sought him and as a response of finding him, they worship him, and they gave him gifts. So, I’m making the simple observation, that a good way to approach you love, to spend it seeking the Messiah, if you will, is the seeking, and then worshiping by making a sacrifice of giving of yourself as a response gift to him.

To finish this our time looking at this passage, I want to drop this story. In the context of the whole book. So, why did Matthew choose this part of the story in his gospel account of the life of Jesus. Mark and John don’t include it. The answer for that is not hard to see, because one thing that Matthew will be seen to constantly harp on about is the fact that he wants his audience, Christians of Jewish background to see Jesus Christ as the one who fulfils the prophecies of the Old Testament. We’ve already seen, how being born of a virgin was a fulfilment of prophecy? So, one of the things that Matthew was doing is choosing those incidences in the life of Christ that can be seen as the fulfilment of prophecy. You’re going to hear me say this a lot if you track me on Matthew over the next few months, it’s one of his major themes.

Another message is the idea of who seeks out and worshiped him, not wise men from Jerusalem, not the local civic leaders, not the local religious leaders, not even Herod, the one with power and authority, No they came from far away, not Galilee, not Jerusalem, wise people came from the east, from far away.

But there is another underlying them here, a motif if you like. In the Gospel of Matthew, he is seen to comes to his own, but in the words of John, his own received him not. Instead, Gentiles from far away seek him and find him. Somebody who said it more eloquently than I when he said. 

There are still those today who would gladly destroy Jesus Christ because they see him as one who interferes with their lives. They wish to do what they like, and Christ will not let them do what they like and so they seek to kill him. There are still those who are so interested in just trying to have fum and enjoy life Jesus Christ means nothing to them. The seek him bit they seek to destroy him.

There will always be some people who seek to do what they like and there will always be some other who will dedicate their lives in trying to do what Jesus would like and have dedicated themselves to trying to be doing that. Surely anyone who seeks and finds the saviour and realizes the love of God in Christ should be lost in wonder, in love, and praise. I’m suggesting simply that if you’re seeking, when you’re find you should  worship, and if you want to give him your gifts, simply give of yourself.

The promise of the Gospel of Matthew will continue to reveal to us that those who look for Jesus will find him. Those who truly find him, will worship him. And those who worship him will sacrifice their lives to him. I recently came across a little observation on-line which said

Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God, and every moment, thank God

That sounds like a really wise way to live your life.