1 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, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Introduction

• Some questions demand more than a word-based answer, but an action-based response.
  • Parent: What is this mess?
  • Boss: Why wasn’t this done?
  • Wife: Where were you?
• When the wise men rolled into Jerusalem and asked their question, all hell broke loose.
  • In this movement, we’ll see some respond to King Jesus with worship, others with resistance, and others with apathy—options that remain today.

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1. Jesus is the Legitimate King.

Divine Guidance by a Star

• The star hinted at God’s sovereign orchestration of events to bring people to his Son.
• The star may have been a fulfillment of prophecy.
  • Balaam’s Oracle: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel… (Numbers 24:17)

Born King

• The wise men from the east asked Herod, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (2:2). This was a threat to Herod, who had been installed as the king of the Jews by Rome.
• Herod’s History
  • Many Herods in the New Testament, and they all descend from this first Herod who, by the time of Jesus’ birth, is nearing the end of a long 40+ year reign.
  • During that time, Herod maintained his power through magnificent architectural projects while growing increasingly paranoid, cruelly executing many of his rivals, including his wife and sons.
    • It was even said that Caesar Augustus punned that it was “better to be Herod’s pig than his son.”
  • Because of all this, he was widely viewed as a usurper to the throne.
  • In his paranoia and fear, he built fortress outposts in the east (Rome lay to the west, so he felt safe from that direction). And now these wise men appear from the east and ask about the rightful Jewish king!

Born in Bethlehem

• The city of David—important as the Christ figure promised to David.
• Micah predicted
  • The religious leaders of the time delivered Micah 5:2 in response to Herod’s question:
    • But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel… (Micah 5:2)
• Matthew changed Micah’s quotation in a slight but significant way.
  • Micah: Bethlehem, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah.
  • Matthew: Bethlehem, by no means the least among the rulers of Judah (2:6).

Eternal

• The full Micah 5:2 quotation hints at the Son’s eternality.
  • But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (Micah 5:2)

Worshiped by Wise Men

• Once they saw the child, the wise men rejoiced with exceedingly great joy, fell down, and worshiped him (2:10-11).
• The idea is that of laying out in veneration—falling prostrate before the one being worshiped. This phrasing is reserved for the worship of a deity.
• Matthew intended to indirectly—but certainly—point to Jesus’ divinity.
  • Matthew: Jesus is the Legitimate King.
  • Example: Oak Tree with long taproot vs. potted plant that only goes so deep—Jesus’ claim to the throne was rooted in Israel’s story, the creation story, and eternity itself, while Herod was merely propped up by Rome.
  • Joseph’s brothers: resisted, but eventually saw reality (Gen. 37-50).

Cast Out all Usurpers

• Since Jesus is the only legitimate king, we must identify and cast out all usurpers who try to rule our hearts.
• Example: Great estate whose steward began to treat the estate as his own (Ohtani).
• Example: When I get into the car after Christina—if I rush, I hurt myself because I don’t fit in that seat. It’s meant for another.

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2. Jesus is Worthy of Worship.

Wise Men

• Were they three kings?
  • Because they brought three gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—the church eventually adopted the tradition there were three, even giving them names six centuries later.
  • Because Isaiah 60:3 prophesied that nations would come to Christ’s light and kings to the brightness of his rising, the church eventually adopted the idea that they were kings.
    • We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar…
• Who were they?
  • They were Magi from the east, meaning they were part of a caste of priestly astronomer-astrologers, perhaps an offshoot of the ancient astrologers we find in the book of Daniel.
    • They studied the movement of the stars and interpreted messages from the stars.
  • Using these abilities, they served as religious advisors to kings and other authorities.
    • Perhaps they’d heard of Balaam’s prophecy or Daniel’s prophecies and had been waiting for a sign in the heavens that the king of the Jews had been born.
• How did Israel perceive them?
  • Idolaters and impious—condemned for worshiping the creation rather than the Creator.
  • Antonyms of Spirit-inspired prophets.
  • Matthew is merely giving facts—pagan astrologers who were far from God sought out the Christ more than the religious leaders immersed in the Hebrew Scriptures.

The Wise Men Followed a Star

• What star did they follow? Various theories:
  • A supernatural event
    • Miracle star only they could observe.
    • It could move ahead of them and stop and stand over the house.
  • An angel
    • Angels are often referred to as stars in Jewish thought.
    • Angels litter the birth accounts.
    • Similar to the pillar of cloud and fire that guided Israel.
  • A natural event
    • Such as the alignment of bright planets (planetary conjunction)—some believe major conjunctions occurred in 7-5 B.C..
    • Or a nova, supernova, or comet, but none of these account for the specific movement of 2:9 (came to rest).
• What does Matthew say happened?
  • They saw (from the east) his star when it rose in the west (2:2).
  • They went to the capital city of Jerusalem, assuming it would be the correct location, and asked about the newly born king of the Jews.
  • Herod gathered the scholars who told him of Micah’s prophecy: the Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
  • They went on their way to Bethlehem (2:9).
  • Then, in a surprise twist—Behold!—the star they had seen back in the east appeared again and rested over the place where the child was (2:9).
    • Perhaps it was moving and only they saw it.
    • Perhaps it merely parked over Bethlehem, the place where the child was, and they asked around about a young family with a baby (2:9).

Worship

• When the wise men arrived, they fell down and worshiped Jesus.
• As part of their worship, they gave expensive gifts to Jesus.
  • These gifts likely financed Joseph, Mary, and Jesus’ escape to live, for a season, in hiding in Egypt.

Seeking

• The wise men sought Jesus.
  • But Matthew’s big point is not to get us to make a docu-series about the possibility the star they saw was a UFO—his mission was to show us the unexpected seekers of the Christ.
    • Their months-long journey showed their intense interest in chasing out what they saw.
  • They were total outsiders in nationality, beliefs, practices, and way of life, but they came from afar to find Jesus.
    • “Evil” Gentiles sought the Christ!
    • Example: a masterpiece in a world-famous art museum, appreciated by art critics and historians, but adored by the night janitor, who falls on his face in awe of what he’s seen.
    • They followed in the line of Old Testament characters like Jethro (Exodus 18), Rahab (Joshua 2), the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10), Naaman the Syrian general (2 Kings 5), Ruth the Moabite (Ruth), the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3), King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4), or King Cyrus (Ezra 1)—Gentiles who, to some degree, sought God.
    • And they paved the way for many others to seek the Christ.
    • Example: a faint signal from deep space—astronomers today wouldn’t merely take a note, but would pour all their resources to decipher that signal!
• God sought the wise men.
  • General revelation: they looked to the star God made.
  • Special revelation: they looked to the Bible God wrote.
  • Most special revelation: they looked to the Son God sent.
  • But God initiated this whole thing—seeking the wise men before they sought him.
    • So let’s seek him!

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3. Jesus Should not be Resisted.

God’s control

• No matter what Herod did or the religious establishment didn’t do, God would not be stopped.
  • Through the star, he directed the right people to his Son.
  • Through the dreams, he directed his Son and his family to safety.

If the wise men sought the Lord, Herod and the religious leaders did everything they could to resist the Lord.

• Herod
  • He was troubled because the true king was a threat.
  • Key features: paranoia, scrambling to retain power, cunning hypocritical duplicity.
• Religious establishment
  • They knew things about the Christ, but did not investigate him for themselves.
  • They aligned themselves with Herod—and enjoyed the position he gave them—so they weren’t motivated for change.
  • Key features: apathy, spiritual dullness, failure to act on scriptural knowledge, and alignment with earthly powers.
• They took God’s revelation and, in their desire to remain in control/power, sought to stuff and silence it—a foreshadowing!

Don’t resist the true King.

• Example: Pharaoh’s resistance to Yahweh—the ultimate story of resisting God (Exodus 5-14).
• Example: Jonah’s flight from Yahweh’s will—hated God’s forgiving character.
• Example: You can concrete over the field, but the seed will find a way.
• It is hard to kick against the goads (Acts 9).

Conclusion

• What will your response be this week?

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Group Study Questions

For the Head (Understanding the Text)

1. Matthew established Jesus as the legitimate King. How does Matthew contrast Jesus’ “born” kingship with Herod’s “installed” kingship using Old Testament prophecies (Numbers 24:17, Micah 5:2) and historical details?
2. The Magi were unlikely worshipers. Who were the they, and why was their perception in Israel (as “idolators” or “impious”) so different from how Matthew presents them? What does their journey teach us about the different ways God reveals Himself (general, special, and personal revelation)?

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For the Heart (Personal Reflection & Conviction)

1. King Herod was “troubled” because the true King was a threat to his power and control. In what areas of your life (your career, finances, relationships, or future) do you feel “troubled” or defensive when Jesus’ legitimate kingship challenges your own desire for control?
2. The story presents three clear responses to King Jesus: the diligent worship of the Magi, the violent resistance of Herod, and the indifferent inaction of the scribes. If you were to be completely honest, which of these three responses most accurately describes your heart’s posture toward Jesus in this specific season of your life?

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For the Hands (Action & Application)

1. “Usurpers” to the throne—an idol, a fear, an ambition, or a relationship—compete for our hearts. What is one practical, concrete step you will take this week to dethrone them and actively submit that area to Jesus’ legitimate rule?
2. The religious leaders knew the correct answer from Scripture but failed to act. Where is there a gap in your own life between what you know the Bible says and what you do? Make a specific commitment to close that gap in one area, moving from passive knowledge to active obedience.