THE MAGI WORSHIPED THE SHEPHERD KING JESUS

Matthew 2:1-12

Key Verse 2:6

“‘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 shepherd my people Israel.’”

From last week’s message, which was graciously delivered by M. Joseph Lee Sr, we heard God’s message through an angel saying, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). We thank and praise God for sending us his one and only Son Jesus who is always with us even today. As the Christmas season is closing in, we pray to remember and meditate on God’s deep grace expressed through Immanuel Jesus. 

Today’s passage, Matthew 2:1-12, is one of the most well-known stories worldwide. Even those who are not Christians somehow know about these elderly and scholarly men traveling with gifts to the baby Jesus. They are referred to as the Magi, the wise men, and the Three Kings. For being so well known, the Magi are still some of the most mysterious people in the Bible, like Melchizedek, who appears and then disappears without a trace. Yet, their short intervention had such a powerful impact on the birth of Jesus forever. Some scholars say the Magi were so extraordinary and mysterious that they must be a myth. But, no! They are not a myth. They are the most wonderful examples of those who sought the truth and worshiped the promised King. Matthew made it clear from the very beginning of his book that Jesus is the king while emphasizing that Jesus was in the line of King David. But Jesus is no typical, authoritative, and power-hungry king. As Prophet Micah prophesied, Jesus is the Shepherd King who rules the world and his people with love and mercy. May God help us to learn from the Magi the deep meaning of worship, and like them, come to worship Jesus, our Shepherd King. Amen

Verse 1 introduces us to the Magi. “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem….” In last week’s message, we learned how Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem. It was the work of God through the Holy Spirit. It was the most important event in the history of the world because Immanuel, God with us, had been born. Yet it went largely unnoticed. Most people were unaware of the birth of the Messiah. Why? Because they were not looking for the Messiah. Prophecies of the Messiah had been known to God’s people for centuries. For example, Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” It is such a wonderful prophecy it became a main song in Handel’s “Messiah.” But at that time, most people seemed to have given up the hope of the Messiah in their hearts. Since Prophet Micah in the Old Testament, more than 400 years passed without another prophet. And what was worse: verse 1 says it was in the time of King Herod. It meant that it was the time of the brutal Romans, whose empire was like an iron beast that ate up everything. In particular, Israel was under King Herod who was a murderous authoritarian. People became jaded thinking that there was no more hope for them. God’s prophecies became forgotten fading stories. 

Our lives can also become like them. The attractions of human comforts and the harsh realities of living can make the promises of God seem distant and irrelevant. Many people in America go to church because that is what they do, it is their family tradition, and it feels like it is the right thing to do. But they fail to build a personal relationship with Jesus, which is far more important than checking off their attendance each week. We also study the Bible regularly, and undoubtedly, it is a great chance for us to learn God’s truth and promises. But when we do it only out of habit and formality, it only becomes chores and burdens, and the promises of God become distant away.

But the Magi were different! They never lost the promise of the Messiah in their hearts. Look at verse 2. “…and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews. We saw his star when it rose and we have come to worship him.’” The Magi were oriental king-makers. They were the elite and cultured. They were the leaders of the Middle Eastern society. They were the Persian king-makers, philosophers, and wise men. And most importantly, they had been influenced by the Old Testament, because the southern kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity in Babylon. And with that southern captivity came the Old Testament, and came the prophet Daniel, and even the prophet Ezekiel who spent time in captivity as well. And so the Magi were exposed to the Old Testament prophecies regarding Messiah, and that grew into an expectation that there would come this great King. And these wise men were eagerly and patiently waiting for that event to happen. 

Then, finally, they were given a sign, a star in the heavens. They must have been astrologers, too. They remembered the prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24:17 concerning the special star. “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.” They also remembered Isaiah 32:1 which promised a righteous king. It says, “See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.”  Isaiah 32:16-17 describes the Messiah’s kingdom, which they must have longed for. “The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field.  The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” The Magi came to Jerusalem because their souls were captivated by the promise of the Messiah King. They believed he would give them and all people peace and blessing forever. With such faith burning in their hearts, they came to Jerusalem to worship the promised king.

Let me ask you a question. Why have you come here today? What is the reason that you brought yourself here? Because you were invited? Because it would be weird if you did not come? Because you wanted to have delicious food and fellowship with friends? The ultimate reason that we are here today is to worship our King Jesus. Amen! Christmas time is when we come to remember God’s promise about Jesus’ birth. As God showed the Magi the star as the sign to follow, He leads us in an extraordinary way so that we can come to worship him.

In verse 3, we learn another kind of response to the message of the king’s birth. It says, “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him.” Herod was disturbed because he viewed the baby Jesus as a political threat. Disturbing Herod meant the whole nation was on edge, wondering what terrible thing he might do. Herod called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law and asked them where the Messiah was to be born. They replied in verse 6, quoting the prophet Micah 5:2, 4. Let us read it together. “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 shepherd my people Israel.” It is surprising that Herod knew about the Messiah, and the religious leaders knew all the details of the Messiah’s birth. Yet, they completely missed his coming. Moreover, they didn’t understand the nature of the Messiah’s kingdom. “For out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” The Messiah’s kingdom is not the one that oppresses but the one that shepherds. 

Jesus is the Shepherd King who will shepherd his people Israel. Throughout his life, Jesus shepherded so many people. He shepherded a Samaritan woman and helped her restore her worship. He shepherded a lost religious leader, Nicodemus. He shepherded a man born blind until he could see and his twelve disciples until they could become great men of faith. Finally, Jesus laid down his life on the cross for all mankind to pay the penalty for their sins. Jesus said in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus is our good shepherd who bore all our sins on the cross and rose again to give us eternal life. Amen! Herod had nothing to fear with Jesus. In fact, Jesus came to shepherd and bless Herod too. Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” No matter how many times we have gone astray and turned to our own way, Jesus never fails to shepherd us and lead us to the green pasture. We, all, are different and we have many issues and problems in our lives. 

I know many of you are going through some struggles and suffering in your lives. In this kind of situation, it is easy for us to lose hope and despair.  And it would be a lie if I said to you, “I totally understand what you are going through” because I simply cannot fathom what you are going through. All I can do is let you know that I care for you and that I pray for you. But I do have good news for you. The good news is Jesus. The good news is that Jesus, the Shepherd King, has been born to you. He has been born to us to care for us and shepherd us in the times of both good and bad. Amen! I can confess that, during my last 36 years of life, I have gone astray from Jesus so many times following my sinful desires of lust, greed, laziness, self-righteousness, pride, and envy. But I can also confess that Jesus my shepherd king has been been always with me, comforting me and restoring me time after time. Let us praise Jesus for being our Shepherd King.

Look at verse 7. Once Herod learned that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, he called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. Then he pretended to want to worship him as well, saying “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” What was the difference between the Magi and Herod? The Magi sincerely wanted to know the Messiah, whereas Herod loved power and had no room for the King of the Jews in his heart. Finally, the Magi were on their way to Bethlehem. Again, the star they had followed went ahead of them. Look at verse 10, “Whey they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Here the word “overjoyed” in English is “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” in the original Greek. They were filled with the most incredible joy. I really want to rejoice with you with exceedingly great joy! Are you overjoyed to see baby Jesus, the promised Messiah King? The Magi experienced such joy when they realized the Lord had not abandoned them but faithfully led them to the Messiah. They had some distraction with King Herod, and lost sight of the star. From time to time we too become distracted by the things of the world. But the Lord is still there waiting to lead us. When we are on the path to worship the Lord Jesus, we can experience such joy every day. Our lives should be and can be filled with great joy, not forced joy, but joy from our souls. The most joyful moment of my life is when I confessed my sins before Jesus and when he met me as my Lord and Savior who would not condemn me but forgive me and restore our broken relationship.

There is nothing more worth it and joyful than finding Jesus in our lives!

Look at verse 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, frankincense and myrrh.” At last, they came to the house where the boy Jesus was. It was not at all what they had probably expected. It must have been an ordinary house. And Jesus grew up as a toddler, perhaps a year old or so. It did not look fancy or glamorous. But they knew God had led them to the King of the Jews. What did they do? Verse 11 says, “…they bowed down and worshiped him.” These distinguished, learned, and honorable men all bowed down to the boy Jesus. Little Timothy became 2 months old, and he is such a precious one to us. (But we can’t imagine bowing down to him.) Yet, the Magi knew this boy was the Son of God, the King of the Jews. With full reverence, they bowed down and praised God for leading them to worship him. Their humble hearts and truth-seeking mindset move us. May God help us to worship the Messiah Jesus with such humility and reverence today and tomorrow.

Verse 11b says, “They opened their treasures and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Not only did they worship him, but they opened their treasures and gave him costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were the perfect gifts for the Messiah: gold for the King, frankincense which is used in the priesthood, and myrrh, which is used for anointing someone who will die. The Magi may not have known it, but their gifts perfectly reflect the meaning of who Jesus is. They gave their treasures with all their hearts. Let us bring our gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as we present our special offerings to Jesus today. What did they do after they presented their gifts to the boy Jesus? Verse 12 says, “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” They simply returned to their country, avoiding Herod on the way. Their worship was pure worship. They came to bow before Jesus, gave him precious gifts, and left, not expecting anything in return. 

They teach us the true nature of worship. They also reveal to us the true duty of mankind, which is to worship and serve the Lord in such a way. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Everything we do can be worship to Jesus. Amen! 

Today we learned the beautiful worship of the Magi. Although their worship lasted a short time, perhaps their worship started long ago as they started traveling from the East and has not yet ended. Thank God for giving us this great opportunity to come and gather to worship Jesus, our shepherd king who rules with everlasting love and care. May God help us to experience the joy that never ends through the personal meeting with Jesus this Christmas. Merry Christmas!