Part of Christmas is travelling. As Lucado puts it, “Holiday time is HIGHWAY TIME!” This aspect of celebrating Jesus’ birth has been true since the days winter travel was done with a horse-drawn sleigh. Do you remember this old song? Sing with me if you do:
“Over the river, and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go! The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh or white and drifting snow! Over the river and through the woods, Oh, how the wind does blow! It stings the toes and bites the nose, As over the ground we go.”
How many of you have travel plans this Christmas? Perhaps YOU are going to grandmother’s house or to see some other family members? How many have family members who are travelling to see you? Good! We are all doing our part to add to Christmas highway congestion!
Some of my favorite Christmas journeys took place when Sue and I first got married. As most of you know, the first three years of our marriage were spent in Louisville, where I attended Southern Seminary. And from the beginning we always made plans to get home—by driving 690 miles over the river and through the woods to be with our families in Dover. We wouldn’t travel alone—we’d always share the journey with another seminary couple: Bill and Donna Ratliff. You see, both of their families were from the Bethesda area—so every Christmas we’d head east together—we’d split the cost of the trip—making it affordable for both of us.
This annual Christmas journey always started after our church in Indiana did their Christmas cantata. When it was over Sue and I would hurry home to our apartment in Seminary Village. Then we’d pile our suitcases and bags full of Christmas presents into the Ratliff’s car—which was bigger than our little compact. We’d leave about 10PM and drive all night. My dad would meet us in Bethesda the next morning and take us the rest of the way.
During those Midnight Christmas road trips, we’d listen to our favorite Christmas music on cassette tape—we’d talk about our seminary studies—we’d share our latest ministry challenges in the little churches where we served—and we’d always stop for breakfast in LaValle, Maryland about the time the sun began to appear over the eastern horizon. Then, refreshed with coffee and a MacDonald’s BIG breakfast, we’d head out for the last leg of our journey.
Well—I’m in a “Christmas road trip state of mind” because today we’re looking at one of the very first Christmas travel stories—the journey a group of wise men made to find the newborn King—Jesus. Take your Bibles and turn to Matthew chapter 2. Follow along as I read about it in verses 1-12.
1 – After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
2 – 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.”
3 – When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 – When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
5 – “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
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.’”
7 – When Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
8 – He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “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.”
9 – After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the Child was.
10 – When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
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.
12 – And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Now—let’s begin our study of this journey by taking a close look at these popular Christmas travelers—known as the “Magi.” Who were these guys? Well, Matthew’s gospel gives us almost no details about them. On top of that, most popular beliefs about the Magi are misleading. I mean—it is doubtful that these guys were anything like the camel-riding travelers we usually see portrayed on Christmas cards and in Christmas pageants. In fact, they probably rode Arabian stallions, not camels.
Even the old Christmas Carol, “We Three Kings of Orient Are” is wrong on several counts. First of all, nothing in the Bible says that these men were kings. And, we have no evidence that there were THREE of them, other than the Scriptural record that they brought three GIFTS to our Lord. As a matter of fact, some traditions say there were as many as a DOZEN Magi or wise men. Another thing—the Bible says nothing about them being from the Orient. I’m not sure where the hymn writer got that idea.
Most of the information we can glean from history infers that they came from the land of the Medes and the Persians, which is known today as Iran. A couple years ago, we toured the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem that is built above the cave where Jesus was born. Our guide told us that one reason the invading Persians did not destroy this church in 614 A.D, as they did ALL the others—was because they saw the golden mosaic over the doorway depicting the wise men in Persian head dress—another indication as to where these guys came from. Now—the word “WISE” is a good word to describe these men from Persia for they were the SCHOLARS of their time. Their teachings became known as the “law of the Medes and the Persians” and both Magi and their laws are referred to in the Old Testament books of Esther and Daniel. (Esther 1:19; Daniel 6:8) The laws of the magi were seen in Persia as the highest unalterable legal code. Our word “MAGISTRATE” comes from the word “magi.”
So—to summarize, these magi were learned men: scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, doctors, as well as the legal authorities in their land. Think of Dr. Gale Goodlow, Lawyer Bob Michael, Judge CC Day, Scientist Charlie Brinkman, Professor Dale Smith and Certified Public Accountant Tom Esch—on horseback in 1st century Persian garb—and you get the right idea.
All kidding aside—because of their great knowledge, these magi rose to places of prominence in the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Greek empires. They acted as advisors to kings, interpreting dreams and things like that.
Now—I want you to note that Matthew gives a LOT OF SPACE to the Magi in his account of Jesus’ birth—more “square inches of text” to the journey of the magi—than he did to Jesus’ birth. Lucado writes, “[Matthew] never mentions the shepherds or the manger, but he didn’t want us to miss the star and the seekers. It’s easy to see why. Their story is our story. We’re all travelers, all sojourners. In order to find Jesus, every one of us needs direction and God gives it.” Well, Lucado is right—in order to find Jesus—in order to come to know God—we all need direction and in His grace God has given it—in several ways.
(1) First, God uses NATURE to guide us to Jesus.
Listen, anyone can use the eyes God has given us to look at the intricate beauty and design of this world and see that all this didn’t just happen. There must have been a Designer—a being with limitless power, knowledge, and creativity. As Paul writes in Romans 1, “What may be known about God is plain, because God has made it plain. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made—so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20)
Nature itself is God revealing Himself to us—God drawing us to Him. The more we study it—the more we see God’s great love for humanity—and the more God “makes this love plain to us” the more we see that in Jesus God came to earth that first Christmas. I mean nature is one of the steps God uses to help us understand that as John puts it, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”
And we see this use of nature in literally guiding the Magi’s journey because God used a star that He created for the occasion to point them to Bethlehem. Matthew tells us that the Magi saw this star and it led them right to the Messiah. Well—what about this star? What exactly was it? Astronomers have made all kinds of theories. In Parade magazine a few years back David Levy wrote an article in which he theorized that in 2 B.C. there was a lining up of Jupiter and the star, Regulus—which could have gotten the Wise Men on their journey. But Scripture doesn’t tell us this—and I for one believe it was not just an aligning of the planets—but rather as I said, a special star for a specific purpose. After all, Verse 2 says it was “His star”—the star of Him “Who is born King of the Jews.” I take this to mean that this star was created—specifically-designed—for this purpose just as that fish that swallowed Jonah was custom made for the job of humbling a prideful prophet. I mean, this star certainly behaved differently than your typical star—guiding these wise men to a specific house, appearing and disappearing. And it shouldn’t take too much faith for us to believe this. Astronomers tell us that our universe consists of at least twelve quadrillion galaxies each containing billions of stars. If God could create so many stars, why could He not create one more? After all, one of the first recorded sayings of God is, “Let there be light!”
And—unlike sinful mankind, inanimate nature always responds to God’s will. A Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” So, it is really no stretch of belief to say that God custom-made this unique star to declare the glory of His Son’s birth. Plus—as I said, this is in line with God’s working. I mean, even today NATURE guides people to God.
An article in Discovery magazine noted a new study that suggests there are around 700 quintillion planets in the universe, but only ONE like Earth. The article states: “It’s a revelation that’s both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Astrophysicist Erik Zackrisson from Uppsala University in Sweden arrived at this staggering figure—a 7 followed by 20 zeros—with the aid of a computer model. Zackrisson found that Earth appears to have been dealt a fairly lucky hand. In a galaxy like the Milky Way, for example, most of the planets Zackrisson’s model generated looked very different than Earth—they were larger, older and very unlikely to support life. One of the most fundamental requirements for a planet to sustain life is to orbit in the ‘habitable zone’ of a star—the ‘Goldilocks’ region where the temperature is just right and liquid water can exist. [In conclusion], Earth is more than your garden-variety planet.”
Of course, the article begs A SIMPLE QUESTION: If we (earth dwellers that is) were “dealt a lucky hand,” WHO dealt us the cards? The article doesn’t mention God, but it can’t avoid language that implies a master “Card Dealer.” And—people who see this—realize this—study this part of our universe—they are confronted with the fact that there IS a Designer—and He must love people very much to make one planet in 700 quintillion where they could live.
Of course, many scientists choose to ignore this truth but it is still there. This universe obviously didn’t just happen. It was created! I mean, just as He did that first Christmas, God guides lost people to Jesus—through nature. Lucado says, “Everyday people see signs of God. Sunsets that steal the breath. Newborns that bring tears. Migrating geese that stir a smile.” How many of you have ever looked at the beauty of this world and felt a sense of AWE? Well the word, “awe” means, “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.” The NATURAL response to the beauty of this world—is reverential respect for the Being Who created it. This inborn response of AWE is our Creator drawing us to Himself.
(2) God also uses SCRIPTURE to guide people to Jesus.
The purpose of the Bible—the reason God inspired the writing of His book—is to lead people to His Son. As John put it in his gospel, “These words have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
Well, these Magi were wise enough to see this as they studied the Scriptures. They made the most important journey of their lives based on prophecies they had read in the Word of God—specifically the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah. But think about that—how did it come about that these men from way over in Persia would know the Messianic prophecies of Scripture? I mean AMAZON wasn’t around. How did they get a copy of the Old Testament? Well, to answer question that we must look back at the Old Testament itself. As I said earlier, Magi are mentioned there in the accounts concerning Israel’s dealings with the Babylonian Empire.
Remember Nebuchadnezzar was the Babylonian king who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and took the Jewish nation into captivity in 587 B.C. Scripture tells us that he hand-picked certain young Hebrew men of extraordinary wisdom to serve him, including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Remember? In a sense, they became rivals of Nebuchadnezzar’s Magi.
The cool thing is Daniel made an early favorable impression on Nebuchadnezzar by doing what the Magi were supposed to be able to do but could not, that is, interpret the king’s dreams. Daniel prayed for God’s gift of wisdom and as a result was able to interpret the dream and the king rewarded him by making Daniel master of the Magi. Well, as their leader, Daniel would have had great influence on their studies. Knowing what we know of Daniel’s character and zeal for God, we can be certain that he would have taken advantage of this opportunity to instruct the magi about the One true God. It stands to reason that in this way they would have gained a great deal of familiarity with Jewish Scripture, including all the prophecy regarding the coming Messiah.
We don’t know how the Magi knew the Messianic prophecies had been fulfilled, but obviously God revealed it to them in some way. And the sight of the star would have confirmed it for them, especially if they had studied the Old Testament as I’m sure Daniel would have led them to do.
They would have read Numbers 24:17 which says. “A star shall come forth from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel.” By the way, this is the only verse in the O.T. that talks about a star being any kind of a sign. And the word, “scepter” would suggest a coming “kingship.”
We should also note that the Magi did not arrive on the night of Jesus’ birth but many months—maybe as much as two years later. I say this for two reasons. First of all, Matthew 2:7 says that Herod ascertained from the Magi WHEN the star appeared and became enraged—and ordered all male babies 2 YEARS OLD and younger to be killed. Second, this text says that the wise men found Jesus’ not in a stable but in a house. Obviously, Joseph and Mary had decided to settle in Bethlehem for a while.
In any case, these magi were wise—because they followed the guidance God gives us in His written Word—and that led them to Jesus. In fact, based on their understanding of Scripture these guys journeyed to find Jesus even when nature STOPPED guiding them. Remember? In verse 2 they said to Herod, “we SAW His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
They headed in that direction even after the star stopped shining. Then after learning of the Bethlehem prophesy from Herod’s “wise guys” the star re-appeared to guide them from Jerusalem—-to the specific house in Bethlehem where Mary and Joseph had set up their first home. So, contrary to pictures on Christmas cards, the Wise Men traveled long miles of their journey in the dark, without benefit of the glorious star.
This is true to life, isn’t it? We spend a lot of our journeys in the dark. God guides us to attend a certain college, and we go there, not knowing what lies ahead. He leads us to a specific career or a profession and we go in that direction, not knowing any more than that. Again and again in life, we have a moment of great luminosity, when everything becomes clear and we know that God has guided us in this direction—then the light gives way to stretches of darkness, with only the memory of the light to guide us. The star does not shine brightly at all times. When it doesn’t we must walk by faith, remembering it’s shining and hoping it will shine again. After all, Hebrews 11:1 says, “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not SEEN.”
I mean, all Christians go through times when it seems like God is hidden—-and when this happens WISE followers will remember that God is always there guiding us even when we can’t see His guiding light.
Job thought God had abandoned him but he discovered this was not true and that in fact more was going on in and around him than he could perceive. He learned that God was never MORE present than in those times of trial. With the help of Scripture, we can learn this as well.
(3) This Christmas journey also shows us that God uses DREAMS to guide us.
Remember, Matthew tells us that the Magi were warned in a dream not to return the same way they come. Throughout the Bible we see God revealing Himself to people through dreams. In his sermon on Pentecost Sunday, Peter quoted the prophet Joel and reminded us that God will
continue to do this kind of things. He said, “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”
And God continues to use DREAMS to draw people to Jesus TODAY—especially in places where missionaries cannot go. In a recent issue of Christianity Today (January 2013), a Muslim man describes his commitment to follow Isa al Masih—Jesus the Messiah. Surprisingly, a rather “ordinary” miracle caused this man to open his heart to Jesus. Here’s how the man described it:
“One night the only food my wife and I had was a small portion of macaroni. My wife prepared it very nicely. Then one of her friends knocked on the door. I told myself, ‘The macaroni is not sufficient for even the two of us, so how will it be enough for three of us?’ But because we have no other custom, we opened the door, and she came in to eat with us. While we were eating, the macaroni started to multiply; it became full in the bowl. I suspected that something was wrong with my eyes, so I started rubbing them. I thought maybe my wife hid some macaroni under the small table, so I checked, but there was nothing. My wife and I looked at each other, but because the guest was there we said nothing. Afterward I lay down on the bed, and as I slept, Isa came to me and asked me, ‘Do you know who multiplied the macaroni?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’
He said, ‘I am Isa al Masih [Jesus, the Messiah]. If you follow Me, not only the macaroni but your life will be multiplied.’”
Isn’t that wonderful!? We should pray that God will continue to use DREAMS to reveal Jesus to people who are beyond the reach of other methods. And—I believe He will answer that prayer because more than anything God wants people to come to Him. As 2nd Peter 3:9 says, “He is not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL should come to repentance.”
One more point and I’m done.
(4) When someone follows the leading of nature or Scripture, or dreams to find Jesus, they find that HE seeks us!
Travelers who look for Jesus find Him looking for them. They discover that in Jesus God came, “…to SEEK and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
You know, there are many reasons that these wise men may have journeyed to pay homage to God’s newborn Son. They may have actually started seeking Him because of political motivations. Perhaps they thought this new King would help the Persians defeat Rome. Maybe they were even looking for a new king to unify the two empires. Possibly they were simply curious about the long-prophesied Jewish Messiah they had studied. But I for one think they set out on this huge road trip because they were genuinely seeking the true God. I believe they realized how empty the world’s knowledge is and so with hungry souls they set out to find our Creator. Well, do you remember God’s promise in Deuteronomy 4:29? He said, “If you seek Me with all your heart you will find Me.” Perhaps these guys had read that passage and it helped MOTIVATE them to make their long journey. I don’t know—but I do know these men found God in answer to their sincere seeking. And when they found Him, Matthew tells us they “fell down and worshiped Him.” In His amazing grace, God in His grace opened the eyes of these pagan men to something His own people did not see—that Jesus was God in human form.
I take it from their response that they were converted and thus became the earliest Gentile believers in Christ. Scripture is silent on this but tradition says that Thomas, the doubting disciple, spent his life after Jesus’ ascension as a missionary in the far east—and that in his travels he met the original magi and baptized them. I don’t know about that but I do know that—as we read earlier—God warned them in a dream and they departed to their country ANOTHER WAY. And I point to this verse again because this phrase can have a double meaning. It could mean they went back a different way or ROUTE—-or it could also mean THEY went back a different way. The wise men went back as followers of another way in the spiritual sense—THE WAY. In other words, they not only went back by a different route. They went back as changed men. I underscore that because when anyone FINDS JESUS—when they fall down and worship Him as Savior and Lord—He changes that person!
I went to college in Northern Alabama—just across the river from Tuscumbia—the town where Helen Keller lived as a child. Every year a theater troupe in Tuscumbia would put on the play, The Miracle Worker—-which is of course the compelling story of two females with great resolve: Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. How many of you have seen the play—or the classic movie starring Ann Bancroft and Patty Duke? Well if you have then you may know that Helen was born in 1880. She wasn’t yet two when she contracted an illness that left her blind, deaf, and mute. When she was seven years old, Annie, a young, partially blind teacher, came to the Keller’s Alabama home to serve as Helen’s teacher. Helen’s brother James tried to convince Annie to quit but the teacher wouldn’t consider it. She was resolved to help Helen function in a world of sight and sound.
Lucado writes, “Helen was as stubborn as her teacher. Locked in a frightening, lonely world, she misinterpreted Annie’s attempts and the result was a battle of wills. Over and over Annie pressed sign language into Helen’s palm. Helen pulled back. Annie persisted. Helen resisted. Finally, in a moment of high drama, there was a breakthrough. During a fevered exchange near the water pump, Annie placed one of Helen’s hands under the spout of flowing water. Into the other hand she spelled out w-a-t-e-r. Over and over, w-a-t-e-r. Hellen would pull back—but Annie kept signing w-a-t-e-r. All of a sudden Helen stopped. She placed her hand on her teacher’s and repeated the letters w-a-t-e-r. Annie beamed. She lifted Helen’s hand onto her own cheek and nodded vigorously and signed, “Yes! W-a-t-e-r!” Helen spelled it again “w-a-t-e-r.” Then Helen pulled Annie around the yard spelling out the word, G-r-o-u-n-d, p-o-r-t-c-h, p-u-m-p. It was a victory parade!”
Do you remember that climax of the story? Do you remember the joy of that moment?! Did you cry?! Well, Christmas celebrates a similar moment for us—God breaking through to our world.
Christmas reminds us that God will not leave us in the dark. Our Heavenly Father is the pursuer, the teacher. In Jesus, He entered our world. He sends signals and messages “H-o-p-e, L-i-f-e, F-o-r-g-v-e-n-e-s-s.” Lucado puts it like this, “He cracks the shell of our world and invites us to peek into His.” And when we do—Jesus changes us—as He did the Wise men—and the Shepherds. We all leave changed when we come to know Jesus personally.
You know there are basically only two kinds of people in this world: wise people who accept Christ and foolish people who reject Him. Which are you? How have you responded to the birth of Jesus? Where are you on your journey toward God? This morning we have looked at the TRUE MESSAGE of Christmas? If you’ve never done so—will you humbly fall at Jesus’ feet—and confess Him as Lord and Savior this morning?