Sunday's Message: The Wise Men

As we move through Advent, we’re looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

In the last message, we focused on the Wise Men. A copy and recording of the message is below.

*******

Well, Happy New Year! Of course, this isn’t the first time I’ve said that today. I mean, remember that ball in Times Square dropped at midnight; therefore I’ve all had a little over ten hours to “Happy New Year” people all over the place, right? But to be completely honest with y’all, I can only say that I assume that it dropped, because I was long gone when the clock struck twelve. And when I left for the church this morning, Debbie was still asleep, and since she was up at midnight ringing in the New Year, of course with Coco Chanel, I didn’t want to wake her up. And so, my first “Happy New Year” to her was about a half-hour ago. But still, it’s the thought that counts, right? And I did say it to Shelly and Ed and Jordan and some of y’all when you got here this morning. And so, just to make sure I haven’t left anyone out, let me say, “Happy New Year.” And I’ll tell you, from what I’ve already seen in 2023, I have great hope. I mean, remember how cold it was last Saturday and Sunday? Well, it’s supposed to be in the low 60s on Tuesday, which must mean that Winter is almost over and Spring is on the way, right? Please, tell me I’m right.

And you know, it’s kind of interesting, on this day when we’re entering a new year, we’re also tying up a sermon series we started back at the end of November, one focusing on some of the characters we associate with the story of Christmas either from the Gospel of Luke or the Gospel of Matthew. Now we started by looking at Zechariah, you know, the father of John the Baptist, and talked about how he ended up showing faith despite the doubt he initially felt. The next week we looked at Mary, the mother of Christ, and talked about how she was willing to accept the mission God had given her with humility and enthusiasm. And then we looked at Joseph, Jesus’s adopted father, and talked about how he put aside some of the values and principles he assumed that God wanted him to follow in order to do what God had actually called him to do. And finally, last week, on my sixth Sunday Christmas, we looked at the shepherds, a group of regular working men, who listened to what an angel had to say and who left what they were doing, celebrated with Mary and Joseph and then returned to their world praising God. Now, that’s what we’ve already done.

And this morning, we’re going to put a bow on this by using a passage from the Gospel of Matthew to consider the Wise Men, something that just seems right, especially since Friday is what’s called the Epiphany of the Lord, in other words, the day we remember the coming of “we three kings of orient are.” And sort of like we saw last week, these guys are really unique when compared to Zechariah and Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. You see, unlike everyone else we’ve been talking about, the Wise Men were most definitely not Jewish: no way, no how. In fact, as we’re going to see, there’s really no indication that they returned to the orient spiritually much different than they were when they left. In other words, according to what Matthew wrote, they didn’t convert either to Judaism or Christianity. And I’ll tell you, that one simple fact will shape the questions we’re going to consider this morning. I mean, although we’re still going to answer the questions, who were the Wise Men and what happened to them, since I don’t think their personal faith was really involved in the story, our third question will be this: how did the Wise Men serve God? And you know, since their situation is a little different from our own, I think we’re going to approach them from a slightly different perspective. You see, we’re going to use our time discussing how God might do great things through men and women who are not believers, you know, who are not like us.

Of course, doing that kind of thing is really impossible until we answer question number one: who were the Wise Men? In other words, who were these guys who, with their camels, kind of dominate every nativity set and who sure seem to play an important role in the birth of Jesus Christ? Well, this was what the Evangelist Matthew wrote:

When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem [Matthew 2:1, CEV]

Now that’s what Matthew wrote. 

And I think it’s important to note that the Greek word translated here as “wise men” is μάγοι, the root for the English words “magic” and “magician.” And I’ll tell you, that’s kind of how the μάγοι were viewed, at least by regular folks in the first century. I mean, they were scientists who knew some stuff about the world that seemed mysterious to most people. And they were physicians who knew how to deal with diseases that most men and women couldn’t explain much less control. But most important of all, they were astrologers. In other words, they knew all about the stars, but more important than that, they knew what the stars and their alignment meant. And I’ll tell you, this was really important, because in a world where people relied on signs to determine what they should and shouldn’t do, man, this was some powerful knowledge. They were wise men. And according to Matthew, they were from the east, and although there’s a lot of space east of Palestine, they were probably priests from either Persia or Babylon. And that’s who the μάγοι were. Of course, that also meant that they weren’t Jews. As a matter of fact, the only other place in the New Testament when we run into μάγοι is in this passage from the Book of Acts:

Barnabas and Saul went all the way to the city of Paphos on the other end of the island, where they met a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus. He practiced witchcraft and was a false prophet. He also worked for Sergius Paulus, who was very smart and was the governor of the island. Sergius Paulus wanted to hear God's message, and he sent for Barnabas and Saul. But Bar-Jesus, whose other name was Elymas, was against them. He even tried to keep the governor from having faith in the Lord. [Acts 13:6-8, CEV]

You see, Bar-Jesus, Elymas was called a μάγον, just like these guys from the east who will play an important role in the coming of Christ.

And I’ll tell you, there’s a part of me who kind of wishes I didn’t know all this about the Wise Men. You see, I think I’d have been a lot happier seeing them as an Arab, a black guy and a Scandinavian, each wearing a different kind of crown, standing or kneeling before baby Jesus. I mean, seeing them as being physically different is one thing; but according to the word Matthew used, what these “Wise Men” believed was radically different from anything Zechariah or Mary, Joseph or the shepherds had been taught. My gosh, now-a-days, it would be like saying a Muslim Imam, a Buddhist priest and an atheist walk to the manger, and that’s no joke. No, in terms of their backgrounds and their beliefs, the μάγοι were so unlike us that, frankly, it makes me uncomfortable, but that’s exactly who the Wise Men were; the answer to our first question.

And so that leads to question number two: What happened to the Wise Men? In other words, what happened to these guys from the east whom respectable Jewish men and women associated with magicians and sorcerers and false prophets? Well, this was what Matthew wrote:

When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,

‘Bethlehem in the land

    of Judea,

you are very important

    among the towns of Judea.

From your town

    will come a leader,

who will be like a shepherd

    for my people Israel.’”

Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I also want to go and worship him.”

The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They were thrilled and excited to see the star. [Matthew 2:1-10, CEV]

Now according to Matthew, that’s what happened. 

And you know, I really find this amazing. I mean, for reasons I will never understand, God chose to lead a group of pagan astrologers to his son, the one whom Joseph had been told to name “Jesus,” because he was going to save his people from their sin and who would be for humanity Immanuel, bringing the very presence of God into our world. You see, he didn’t choose Herod, the King of Judea, and he didn’t choose the chief priests and he didn’t choose the teachers of the Law, and he didn’t choose anyone from Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, he didn’t choose a Jew at all. Instead, he chose to lead a bunch of foreigners, who came from a foreign land and who spoke a foreign language and who worshiped foreign gods. These were the ones God led to his son, the messiah, the King of Jews. And he did it in a way that those foreign μάγοι, these astrologers would understand; he did it through a star in the heavens. You see, that’s what God did. And I’ll tell you, it worked. You see, those Wise Men followed that star. And after getting a little additional information, they found the child, just as God intended.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something really important for us to recognize. You see, I think it’s easy to believe that God is only working through Christians, you know, followers of Jesus Christ, men and women who share our backgrounds and beliefs. Man, that’s what we’re told by people we respect. And although I think we all recognize that there are good people outside our little group, I believe it’s tempting to assume that they’re probably the exception to the rule and that, for the most part, those who come from these foreign lands and who speak in these foreign languages and who worship these foreign gods are impediments to God’s work and his will. Therefore, the possibility that they’re actually being led by God, and I’m talking about the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, man, that’s highly unlikely, bordering on impossible. And because of these assumptions, it becomes easy to overlook not only what they’re doing but also the ridiculous possibility that God, the one we worship, is calling them and leading them and empowering them to do it. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen, right? And so we focus on ourselves and ignore them, completely forgetting that God can guide and direct those whom we consider on the outside in order to do great things for the entire world. And I’ll tell you, we should know that’s possible, because that’s exactly what happened to the Wise Men, the answer to our second question.

And of course, that leaves us with question number three, one that’s worded a little different from the third question we asked when we were talking about Zechariah and Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. You see, since there’s really no indication in the story that the Wise Men either had or showed what we’d consider faith, our third question is simply this: How did these Wise Men, these μάγοι, these foreign astrologers serve God? Well, just listen to what Matthew wrote:

When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and gave them to him. Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road. [Matthew 2:11-12, CEV]

Now that’s what Matthew wrote, and I want y’all to think about the three things those Wise Men did. I mean, first, they worshiped. But before anyone assumes that this must show faith, the Greek word used here refers to kneeling in respect, you know, sort of like a good subject would do to his king or a good husband should do to his wife. You see, it’s more a sign of humble honor than religious devotion. And so, they offered the one they saw as the new King of the Jews the respect he deserved. But that’s not all they offered, because, second, they offered Jesus gifts that reflected who he was and why he would be important: gold, the metal of kings, and frankincense, a resin that was used as incense during religious worship, and myrrh, a really strong smelling spice that was utilized in embalming. These were the gifts they brought. And third, when warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they did what they were told to do, giving Joseph and Mary time to pack up and to head to Egypt before Herod could get his hands on their son. You see, this was how those Wise Men from the east served the God whom they really didn’t know. 

And I’ll tell you something, I believe the same is true today. In fact, I think it’s probably happening all around us and often we either overlook it or attribute it to something or someone else. God’s work is being done by people who are labeled foreign and strange. And I’ll tell you, in my opinion, it’s good that this kind of thing is happening all the time, because let’s get real, in our world, there’s a whole lot more people like them than like us. Now that’s just the way it is. You see, whether we see it or not, whether we like it or not, they’re doing great things for a God they may not even know. And imagine, imagine if we decided to view them like I think Matthew wants us to view the μάγοι, as people who are very different from us, and yet who are being led right this minute by the one we call savior and Lord. And as such, they end up serving God in some amazing ways. Of course, that’s certainly not true of everybody and let’s get real, different doesn’t mean better. Still, if we’re allow ourselves to trust that all things really are possible for God, I think we’ll be able to recognize that there just may be all kinds of μάγοι out there, men and women who’ll hear Jesus say, 

“My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.” [Matthew 25:34b-36, CEV]

You see, they’re doing God’s work. 

And us, well, we can decide to acknowledge them and to support them and to help them do what they were called to do, because that’s exactly how the Wise Men served God; the answer to our third and final question.

And I’ll tell you, this is something we can certainly choose to do as we enter this new year, with all the new opportunities and possibilities that are right now before us. You see, as we move forward, we can recognize that we can still trust God even though, from time-to-time, we might have some doubts. And we can claim what we’ve been called to do with humility and enthusiasm. In fact, we can do that, even if it challenges us to move beyond some of those beliefs and opinions that might prevent us from being the men and women we were created to be. And then we can, when we hear the voice of God, leave behind our everyday lives and celebrate with our Savior and then return as changed people. And finally, as we look out into our world, we can choose to see men and women, who are very different from us, being guided by the same Lord and Savior to accomplish great things. Now, if we want, this can become our vision for a new year, all because of these five characters of Christmas.