A Long Journey
Matthew 2:1-18
This past year we have been doing a “church read” in the New Testament. Many of you have been doing it through the Bible Project App, and there are also a number of you doing it on your own through the sheets that Tammy has put out each month. Overall, we have had a good number who have been reading through the New Testament together. It has been good to hear once in a while of something that you had read while the rest of us have read the same thing. Some of you have been asking what we are going to do next year. Don’t you just hate those “keeners” that are just chomping-at-the-bit the get going. Well, I thought it would be good to do some kind of Old Testament read. Maybe a read through all the narratives of the Old Testament. Which I sort of assumed that the Bible Project would have but they did not. And then I thought that there would be something online, but nothing there.
So, what we have come up with is our own Elim Old Testament narrative read. I have gone through the Old Testament and chosen all the narratives, the stories, which includes much of the Old Testament except the list of genealogies, tabernacle instructions, laws, land divisions, in other words, we are sticking to the stories. There are a few unique things such as I have included part of the story of Job just before the calling of Abraham in Genesis12, as most believe Job to be a contemporary of Abraham. And a few other things such as some of the narrative of Hezekiah tucked in the book of Isaiah placed just after reading about Hezekiah in 2 Kings. It includes the first six chapters of Daniel as this is the storyline and omits the last six chapters of Daniel as it is prophecy. Each day’s reading is about a chapter and some of the longer chapters have been divided, so that at the end of next year we will have read together all the Old Testament stories. Tammy has done them up on these cards which are on the foyer table. I realize this is not for everyone as some of you do your own thing, but there is something unique about us reading through these passages every day together. If you start and really like it, you can praise me; but if you do not, you can blame Tammy.
Turn to Matthew 2, the story of the Magi, But before we get into our passage this morning, look with me at 2 Timothy 1, as Paul here is speaking about this Jesus that we are going to look at this morning. God …
“[W]ho has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been manifested by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
2 Tim 1:9-10 (LSB)
These few verses of Paul’s say much about our Lord. That He saved us. That He called us, not according to our works. In other words, His choice was not conditional on us, but His choice was “according to His own purpose and grace.” That you and I who know Christ this morning, sit here because of the appearing of Jesus Christ who abolished death for us and who provides for us eternal life. And in many ways, this is a mystery, that the story of Jesus, though 2,000 years ago has a real impact on us today. And that is somewhat of an understatement, as what God’s Word says has more meaning and is more important than anything else, and therefore, it must be read with such carefulness. The Bible is not just a collection of ancient documents, that we might try to adjust them to make them relevant for us today. No, we are accountable to these words. Harold L. Senkbeil wrote:
“Evolving cultural trends must not position the Bible; rather, the Bible positions each changing culture in turn.”:
Harold L. Senkbeil, The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart 46
In other words, we live according to the Bible, as the Bible never changes from culture to culture. Now if we ever could read a story, on one hand, that is so familiar to us, and yet, on the other hand, is shrouded with so much mystery, it is the story of the Magi. And I have called this morning’s message, “A Long Journey.” Long, of course, as the Magi made such a long journey to find Christ, as they travelled for miles to find Him. But also, long, because this story of Christ as Paul has told us was from all eternity, but it now was being made manifest to us. As this is not a story that begins with the Magi, but this is a story that was in the heart of God before the world was even created.
Now we get the idea that so far in the Christmas story, not too much was really known at this point. Certainly, the plan was in place but God had chosen to keep the birth of Christ fairly low-keyed. The angels made a proclamation to the shepherds when Jesus was born. But this announcement must have been fairly selective to these shepherds only, as we certainly do not see a lot of fanfare around Jesus. We do read that the shepherds left Bethlehem glorifying and praising God, but they may not have had the influence to cause too much of a fuss. After all, it was only a baby boy born to a poor couple. Two people of little means and who would have been so, so insignificant.
Now the announcement to the shepherds was spectacular and if it had been made to the vast crowds or to the big wigs of society, it may have been different, but nothing much has become known. So, not a lot of information is getting out, there is nothing on Fox News. Maybe if it were modern times, the shepherds may have posted something about their visit. And what might have been the clincher would have been if the shepherds had posted a video of the angels. So, all is still quiet on the western front, until, God chooses to do something else to make known the birth way out in the east, likely 800-900 miles away. I thought it would be like Eli and Abby showing up here again for some big event in Arkona, as they come out of the east, but we didn’t know anything about it. So, let’s look at our passage.
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’ And when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he was inquiring of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Leader Who will shepherd My people Israel.”’ Then Herod secretly called the magi and carefully determined from them the time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.’ Now after hearing the king, they went their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, was going on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And after coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi departed for their own country by another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.’ So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and departed for Egypt. And he remained there until the death of Herod, in order that what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.’ Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had carefully determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she was refusing to be comforted, Because they were no more.’”
Matt 2:1-18 (LSB)
Now there are a few things from this story that we know for certain, and yet this story also comes with much mystery. What we don’t know. Well, though we like to think that there were three Magi, we actually have no idea how many there were. There is some Christian tradition that has given us the names of these Magi, but in reality, we have no idea of their names. But we do know that these men came from the east, possibly from Babylon or Persia or Arabia. And by their gifts we know that they were prominent men and very wealthy. And because of their visit with Herod we also know they likely had some influence. And that they may have travelled to Jerusalem, and they followed the star to gain more information of this King’s whereabouts. Their coming to Herod of course, made him suspicious, and Herod took immediate action to determine where and when the Messiah might be born.
It is interesting that the introduction of a King, in this case, God Himself, brings an uneasiness with people, something that we see in our culture. Who wish to control their own lives and are not excited about a God who controls them, and sometimes the result is almost a surprising hostility. Some have said that we used to live in a society that had forgotten God, but now we live in a society that is at war with God. And I do not even know if the society could even explain this, of why their hearts are so against a loving God. And maybe this is where you have landed this morning in your life. For some reason or another, you find yourself afraid to openly acknowledge God, or believing somehow that you know better or that somehow that God is not loving in your opinion of Him. Anyways, the Magi communicated to Herod about the Christ. And Herod immediately was threatened in his mind by a so-called Pretender to the throne that was born within the last two years. Now when the Magi headed back out it would seem that the star had disappeared and then reappeared again, as then it moved before them.
There is much speculation about the star as I’ve mentioned before. Right now, Venus is quite blazing in the southwest at sunset. But that kind of bright star for anyone that followed the stars, they would have seen something like that many times. Some have suggested that this was a conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, meaning that they came close together from our view. Not in reality, but they somewhat lined up together from our perspective. And especially Jupiter and Saturn can be very bright on their own, and Mars can be semi-bright. So, if they were in a line, they may be very bright. Some have suggested a comet. But a comet could not actually be followed and stop over a small town, nor could three planets. So, I would suggest that this star was probably neither. Now if you are looking for speculation, there may be a few websites to give you some ideas. Just teasing, you could probably find everything and anything on the internet regarding the Bethlehem star. To me it would have been a miraculous star placed in the sky by God so that the Magi knew that God was leading them to the Messiah. So, we read in Matthew 2 that the star which they had seen in the east was again going before them and stood over the place where the Child was. Alfred Edersheim wrote:
“Whether the celestial phenomenon now disappeared, is neither stated in the Gospel-narrative, nor is it indeed of any importance”
Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah 207
A man after my own heart. For let’s not make something up by speculating what the Bible doesn’t tell us. But let us be certain of what the bible does tell us. I often wonder the Lord’s response to us when He tells us something, that we begin to ask a million questions about what he chose not to tell us. Or that He tells us something and just because it does not make sense to us, we doubt it or try to change it. We have been studying truths about God on Sunday evenings, and at times it is hard to bring them together, but trust them, believe them! As there are times to be amazed at the depth of God. That His eternal truths are way beyond us. And the times when our minds cannot fathom the depths of God, or even the fairness of God or the purposes of God. May these not be times when we would question God, but may these be times when we would fall before His wisdom and not our own.
And when these men saw the star confirming the whereabouts of the Child, they rejoiced (vs 10) with exceedingly great joy. Where the Child after their approximately 2-year journey is now in a house and of course, no longer at the manger. And their attraction to Christ does not seem to be in the surroundings or the setting that they found Him, but in His presence. The assumption would be that this was likely a very humble dwelling, and yet these wealthy men come with expensive gifts. And imagine the excitement of Mary and Joseph when these men arrive. This would have been such a confirmation of the special Child given to them under their care. You wonder if they may have questioned the fact that they had been given such a Child and only a handful of shepherds showed 2 years earlier. Yet without warning, these men arrive with gifts. Likely gifts that would have been things that Mary and Joseph would never believe they would ever possess. Expensive gifts that may have provided for them resources as a family for years to come.
You know, we have lost the excitement of someone showing up unexpectedly, or even knowing that someone was coming and we didn’t know exactly when they would arrive. Or maybe they were coming for Christmas from a distance and we didn’t even know if they would arrive safely. No text about the weather, no update that they were now only hours away or minutes away. As I remember as a kid or even as a young Dad when someone would come a considerable distance to visit, that you kept looking out the front window not really knowing if they were moments away or hours away or could not make it. And then all of a sudden, you look out and say what? Here they are! I remember as a kid camping at the Pinery and my Uncle Jack and Aunt Shirley were coming to visit. Now you have to know my Uncle Jack and Aunt Shirley, as I only had one uncle who was married to my only aunt and I had three cousins. But Uncle Jack and Aunt Shirley were not them, as they were just good friends of my Mom and Dad who we called Aunt and Uncle. But they were Christians and I remember as a kid my Mom and Dad would visit with them for hours and laugh and cry.
Well, they were coming to visit us at campsite #66. And it was now about 11 pm and they were not there. So, we knew for some reason they were not coming, remember, no way of letting us know. So, my sister Lynne and I were a little disappointed as we loved Uncle Jack and Aunt Shirley. I was probably only about eight or nine and Mom and Dad said that Lynne and I had better get to bed. So, we walked to the washroom and on our way an old rickety pickup pulled up beside us and said, “Do you know where campsite #66 is?” And we said excitedly, “Uncle Jack!” Well, we stayed up a bit, but at some point, went to bed. And Mom and Dad and Uncle Jack and Aunt Shirley laughed and cried until the sun came up. Probably no one wanted to camp beside us that night.
And here in our story, the arrival of the Magi, wealthy men. Who came a long way to see the Christ. A surprise visit! Hey Mary, some rich guys are here! Who are they? I have no idea! Well, of course, Herod is furious when he realizes that these men have tricked him, as they are warned not to go back to Herod. And therefore, the decree (vs 16) that all children two years and under were to be killed. Now, we can read that statement and quickly dismiss it because we are so wrapped up in the excitement of the Magi and the excitement of the Child who God miraculously protects by warning the Magi and by warning Joseph in a dream. But imagine the heartache of the many Moms and Dads who lost their children. Think of the terror and the anguish of these parents, as here God is front and centre of all these events surrounding the Child, and at the same time He allows the death of these little ones. Any thought Lord, that this could have been done another way? That is certainly a question that may have been in the minds of these grieving parents. Though this evil deed was done by Herod, could God not have intervened?
Last Sunday night we saw an exert of John Piper to questions about 9/11, that those planes that hit the tower. I used to work every Saturday, so I used to take Tuesdays off. And, as I have mentioned to you before, I actually had the news on TV just after the first plane had hit the Twin Towers. I remember it so vividly. And the consensus at that point was that this was some kind of accident. And now watching live as they were concerned about getting people out, a second plane hits the towers. And as a 42-year old Dad, your heart starts to pound. And you begin to wonder where all this is going? And then the news goes to Mr. Bush who was speaking with a children’s class at school, and to see his face when someone walked up to him and whispered the news in his ear about the event. And Piper said that all these deaths would have been saved if those planes were 60 feet off course. And his question was similar, “Lord, could You have not blown those planes 60 feet off course, so that thousands of children would not have lost their Moms and Dads?” Could God have chosen, as Piper said to “blow” those planes 60 feet to the right or to the left? After all, He has the power over the winds and the winds. Of course, He could, if He had chosen to, but He didn’t.
Sometimes in the depth of heartache in our lives, the loss of a child, the sadness of a marriage, the hurt of a friend, the struggle of a disease, we might ask, “Could God have not changed this?” Yet we must believe, believe that His purposes are higher than ours, and that they are perfect.
“A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she was refusing to be comforted, Because they were no more.”
Matt 2:18 (LSB)
This was not a reaction to tragedy. This was not God’s plan that went wrong. These were not words that were written when something happened. No, these were words written by Jeremiah years earlier of what would happen, of what would be part of God’s plan. These words were not predictions, but they were prophetic, and they were literal, and they were Scripture. You see there is the temptation to view the wonderful story of Luke’s shepherds and angels, and then the story of these Magi with nice gifts, all set in a quiet scene of somehow a little snow without cold. And a beautiful star that casts a beautiful glow on the landscape. But the remainder of Matthew’s story will not let us escape so easily, as we must see the whole setting of our Saviour’s birth which is surrounded by hostility, blood, death, rejection, and Mary and Joseph having to make an escape.
For we live in an age where things must go right, as we do not really do all that well with a headache, an over-cooked turkey, or a child with a fever, or a heart-wrenching phone in the middle of the night. As sometimes our perception of Christmas and Christianity is on the same level as success, and therefore, sorrow as Thomas H. Graves said is almost deemed a mark of judgment – where “Christian worship is presented almost entirely in the triumphal tones of happy celebration while the reality of suffering is brushed aside, in a culture that does everything it can to ignore, escape, deny, and cover up the ever-present reality of death and hurt.” The Magi come from a long way away. They leave their costly dwellings and make a costly long journey, and they bring with them costly gifts. And in the midst of all this, a baby is born who faces execution, and who will be rejected His whole life, and eventually crucified as a criminal. And this is the One whom we come to worship this morning. The One who said, take up your cross and follow me. In a very early sense Mary and Joseph and the Magi got a taste of that cost. What would be the cost of your worship? Since we connect ourselves with One who was despised and rejected. When Mary first heard the news that she would deliver the Saviour into the world she proclaimed (Luke 2 [selected verses]):
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
He has done a mighty deed with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent away the rich empty‑handed.
He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy.”
May this be the Child that we worship this Christmas. May this be our understanding of who Christ is. The One who came and was rejected, who gave His life for us, but who now sits at the right hand of God. May we not ignore the tragedy and grief that was a reality for Christ and for those who follow Him, but also remember this Christmas the mercy that He offers those who fear Him. Let’s pray. Lord, we come before You this morning, thinking of the joy of the Magi when they see the Christ. That throughout all the excitement, the tiredness, the long journey, the cost, the threat, the danger, yet I am sure that the rest of their lives they remembered mostly the joy of seeing Him. In Revelation 22, it tells us that those who served Christ will see His face. May we as a people not miss that joy. Knowing that though the cost may be great, the joy is exceeding. And all God’s people said, amen.