The Magi and Shepherd King Jesus

Matthew 2:1-12  MT_Ch02_1_12M_2026 (1)

Key Verse 2:2 

“…and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’” 

Merry Christmas! Through Matthew’s gospel, we have learned that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of David, the Son of Abraham. Though humanity repeatedly fell into sin throughout history, God revealed his mercy by delaying his judgment and his faithfulness by sending his son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering for us. Finally, Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born into the humble family of Joseph and Mary. God entrusted his son to them for they were man and woman of faith before God. Let us pray that Our Dream Team may grow to be men and women of faith like Joseph and Mary. To save us from sin, Jesus sacrificed himself as the perfect lamb of God. In this way, he took away all our sins and made us righteous before God.

According to Luke’s account, although Mary was expecting a child, Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem, the town of David, to register because Caesar Augusts  issued a decree for a census over the entire Roman world. While they were there, she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. The birth of Jesus, the savior, was the good news of great joy for all the people. So, the angel of God delivered this news, saying “Today, in the town of David, a savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord!” (Lk2:11)

In terms of timing, today’s passage occurs about 2 years after Jesus’ birth. It seems no one knew about it – no Instagram, no TikTok, nor You tube news. No one was searching for or interested in the birth of the Savior. However, the Magi, known as wise men, came to worship Jesus. Isn’t it amazing? Through them, we may learn the spirit of true worship. Like them, may we seek, find, and worship Jesus, the Savior who is worthy of all our worship and praise. May we experience the joy that overflows from our hearts this Christmas.  

First, Come to worship him, the king of the Jews. 
Look at verse 1 and 2. “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem, and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Knowing who was president helps us better understand American History, because his character, decision, leadership, and beliefs affects the course of the U.S. History. This is why we often speak of periods such as the “Lincoln era, “ the “New Deal era,” or the “Regan era.” What about King Herod? He was not born into a royal family, nor fully Jewish. By Rome, he was appointed as a king for the Jews. Many Jews saw him as an illegitimate ruler. So, Herod rebuilt the Temple to gain legitimacy and support from the Jews. Yet deep in his heart, he lived in constant fear – always watching for insurrection or political intrigue. In his paranoia, he murdered his favorite wife and his own sons even to secure his throne. Later he became so evil that he ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem. So, the days of Herod the King were filled with fear and darkness for God’s people.

Then, who came to Jerusalem? The Magi from the east came to Jerusalem. The magi, traditionally called “wise man”, were probably from Babylon or Persia. They were highly regarded as great scholars who studied all the wisdoms of the world and even kingly people. Why did they come to Jerusalem? They said “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him?” How did they come to know about the king of the Jews? It is obvious that they studied ancient Hebrew’s scriptures – Old Testament. They might carefully and deeply do so, until they got the point: God promised a Messiah to come through the Jews, who would be king of all the people of the world. They might  have studied Genesis, Isaiah, Daniel, and Micah. Their sincere bible study led them to know that the king of the Jews was not just another political king, but the Savior promised by God. As Isaiah prophesied, he is the son of Mighty God, prince of peace, a wonderful counselor, not just for the Jews, but for all the people of the world. 

They were seekers of truth. To find the truth, they might have studied all kinds of wisdoms of the world. Yet, they discovered the Hope of God in the Bible – OT. This hope was not like any other knowledge of the world could offer. It was real, living and true hope for them. Their bible study and the hope they found inspired and empowered them to take action: to begin a journey to seek, find and worship the true king. How do you study the Bible? In the Bible, there are Heavenly treasures, the words of eternal life. If anyone wants to find God, study the Bible! Anyone wants to know the truth and the way, study the Bible; anyone wants to have eternal life, study the bible! In the Bible, we can find Jesus who is the truth, the way, and the life. God has promised in Dt 4:29 “If.. you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”     

We do not know how long the Magi had to travel. It may have taken them many months, or even years, as they crossed rivers, passed through deserts and forests and climbed hills and mountains. For this, they laid everything aside –  their work, their family responsibilities, and even their scholarly pursuits. Can you understand why they would make such a journey that seemed unnecessary, costly and time-consuming – just to see a baby in a manger? From a human point of view,  it seemed even foolish. But, they have come to worship the king of the Jews! We can learn two things about worship from the Magi.

First, Jesus is worthy of all our worship! Is there anyone or anything else in the world that deserves our total sacrfice? Jesus, the Son of God, is worthy of our worship for he sacrificed himself to set us free from sin; Jesus is worthy of our obedience for He is the truth, the life, and the way. Jesus is worthy of our praise for he loved us, shepherded us, and made us a new creation. Who Jesus is and what he has done prove that Jesus, the lame of God  who was slain, -is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and praise. (Re5:12) The Maji were not sorry for their loss, sufferings, or pains at all. Rather, they were joyful and thankful to honor the king in such a way. It is because Jesus is worthy of all their devotion, …    

Second, we are made to worship God, the Lord. In other words, coming to and worshipping Jesus is the ultimate goal of our life journey; Worshiping Jesus should be our first priority. Some of you might wonder about it. But, it is true for God made mankind in His own image to worship Him. If men do not worship God, they worship something else – things made by human hands. Then, they become wicked and depraved (Ro 1:18-32). Men are made to worship God. What is worship? Is it sacrificing animals? Is it bowing down or praising God with dances? But, God did not command us to do so. Rather, God commanded us to love him. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ (Dt6:5) Worshipping God fundamentally means loving God with all our beings. When we truly worship God by loving him with all our hearts, minds, and souls, we come to have peace, fullness of life with meaning and purpose in our lives.

For example, in John 4, there was a Samaritan woman. She had worshiped men, believing the right man would make her happy forever. Instead, when she loved and worshiped men, her life was filled with heartbreak and misery. But, Jesus gently led her to repentance of idol worship and to worship God, who is the Spirit, in spirit and truth. Then, she found healing, peace, and the living water welling up to eternal life. What can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls? Only Jesus, the living water. When we worship God in spirit and truth, we enter into this life-giving relationship with God. We will never be thirsty or hungry.    

Another example is this Magi. Look at verses 9-10. “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Following the star, they finally found Jesus, then they were overjoyed. Their journey, sacrifices, devotions – what the Magi did – were not pointless or meaningless. They were truly worth making, for all of it led them to God and to find Jesus, the Messiah. Their joy came when they saw the baby Jesus who came to save them from their sins, the true object of worship. What makes us overjoyed? Christmas gift,  A+, Party, Games, Drug, Alcohols? Nothing compares to the joy of salvation in Jesus. Nothing compares to the joy of finding and having the living hope in the kingdom of God. The proper response to Jesus is to worship! 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 and of incense and of myrrh.”  The Magi knew without a doubt that Jesus was God, the true object of worship. They knew they were creatures before their Creator, and sinners before the Holy God. So, they bowed and worshiped Him. 

The secret of true joy and happiness is to worship the Lord God – by recognizing and  accepting  him as God, by offering ourselves fully to him, and by loving him with all our beings. Like the Magi, may we seek Jesus wholeheartedly, find him through God’s word, and worship him with our whole lives. Then we, too, may be truly overjoyed at Christmas time. 

Second, Jesus is the shepherd king (3-8). 

How did others respond to the good news? Look at verse 3. “When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” When Herod heard from the Magi that the king of the Jews had been born, he was not joyful at all – He was disturbed. And also all Jerusalem was disturbed. Herod saw the baby Jesus as a threat to his kingship. 

Immediately, he was determined to destroy the baby Jesus. He summoned all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law to ask them where Christ was to be born (4). Then, they gave him the correct answer based on  Old Testament prophecy – Micah. Look at verses 5-6. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are by no means least among the rulers of Judea; 

for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” Amazingly King Herod studied the Bible, not to worship Jesus, but to eliminate Jesus. He misused scriptures for his political purpose. The word of God should be our purpose, not be a tool for selfish ambition or or our own gain. The religious leader knew the Scriptures precisely. They knew that  the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem – only a few miles from Jerusalem. Yet, none of them went to see the new born king. What a sharp contrast to the Magi who traveled from a distant county only to worship Jesus.

Not only Herod, but all Jerusalem were disturbed. Why? They were too busy with their own lives – busy with work, final exams and papers, studies, family, children. Since they do not want to be bothered, or interrupted, they were disturbed by the thought of having to stop everything and to go to worship Jesus. To them, it was not worth sacrificing their time, effort, or anything else for Jesus. Instead, they thought that it  was better to go to parties, watch You tub, or focus on their studies. Even today, people invent many alternatives – online worship, radio worship, zoom worship. But still people do not come  to worship God. Why? Spiritually speaking, many were indifferent, complacent and compromising. Such people cannot experience the true joy that comes from wholehearted worship, nor can they know the secret of happiness found  in Jesus. 

Still, the Scriptures revealed about Jesus. Look at verse 6. “for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” The new born King Jesus is not a political king who might make America great again, but a shepherd, a spiritual king, who will lead us to green pastures, who will give us life to the full, who will recuse us from thieves and wolves, who will lay down his life for us, who will bring a living hope on the kingdom of God. Jesus said in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus laid down his life on  the cross. He took our shame, pain and eternal punishment upon himself. Why? Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Peter said, :24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” So, again Jesus, our good shepherd, is worthy of all our worship. 

How did the King respond? King Herod should have fallen to his knees in repentance. This good news was for him too. But, he was only looking for a chance to kill the boy. He pretended to worship Jesus while secretly plotting to kill him. God, however, protected the Magi by warning them in a dream. And they avoided Herod’s scheme. When Herod learned that he had been outwitted, he became furious and ordered to kill all the baby boys two years old and under in Bethlehem. Spiritual blindness is not a small matter. Spiritual blindness makes people forget God’s salvation history and live only for worldly pleasure – Eventually it produces terror, suffering and death..

Merry Christmas! Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you, He is the Messiah, the Lord. This good news is also for us today! How would you respond? We must learn how to seek Jesus like the Magi. Jesus, our shepherd king is worthy of all our worship and praise. We are made to worship one true God. When the Magi found Jesus and worshipped him, they were overjoyed. They were not sorry for their loss, hardships, troubles, sufferings or anything. It is because all the steps they had taken actually led to Jesus. The joy overflowed so greatly that it overwhelmed all their hardship, suffering, sacrifices, and pain, and it led them to praise Jesus. Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth is the secret of joy and happiness. This Christmas, may we seek God, find God and worship God with all our hearts, so that we too  may experience true joy and receive eternal life.