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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 2. Matthew chapter 2, as we take 
up the Magi, their visit to worship the Son of David. Matthew chapter 
2, I'll begin reading in verse 1. Now after Jesus was born in 
Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi 
from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been 
born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in 
the east and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard 
this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when 
he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people 
together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 
So they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written 
by the prophet. But you, Bethlehem, in the land 
of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah. For out 
of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.' 
Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined 
from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to 
Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the young child. 
And when you have found him, bring back word to me that I 
may come and worship him also. When they heard the king, they 
departed. And behold, the star which they had seen in the east 
went before them, till it came and stood over where the young 
child was. When they saw the star, they 
rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into 
the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, 
and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened 
their treasures, they presented gifts to him, gold, frankincense, 
and myrrh. Then being divinely warned in 
a dream that they should not return to Herod, They departed 
for their own country another way. Now when they had departed, 
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, 
saying, Arise, take the young child and his mother. Flee to 
Egypt and stay there until I bring you word, for Herod will seek 
the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young 
child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. and was 
there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled, which 
was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt 
I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that 
he was deceived by the wise men, or the Magi, was exceedingly 
angry, and he sent forth and put to death all the male children 
who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years 
old and under, according to the time which he had determined 
from the Magi. Then was fulfilled what was spoken 
by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, 
weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, 
refusing to be comforted, because they are no more. Now when Herod 
was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream 
to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, take the young child and his 
mother, and go to the land of Israel. For those who sought 
the young child's life are dead. Then he arose, took the young 
child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But 
when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead 
of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned 
by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 
He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled 
which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene." 
Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank You for the Scripture. We thank You for Your Spirit 
that gave us this Word. And we pray that even now He 
would guide us and instruct us and lead us into all truth. We 
just pray for the forgiveness for our sins. We acknowledge 
its darkening influence upon our minds and hearts. We pray, 
Father, that You would keep the devil out of here, that You would 
cause us to receive with gladness Your Word. And, Father, that 
we would indeed see the glory of Jesus Christ as it's so clearly 
revealed. in the Gospel according to Matthew. We just pray, Father, as well 
for those who have not come to the Lord, those who have not 
worshipped the King. We pray that you would deal with 
them, that you would convict them of sin and show them that 
Jesus Christ alone is the one who saves his people from their 
sins. And we ask in Jesus' name, Amen. Very often in the history of 
interpretation, I believe Matthew's account and Luke's account have 
gotten jumbled together. We oftentimes think of those 
nativity scenes or the theatrical productions where you've got 
the shepherds on the one hand and the three kings on the other 
looking upon the manger and adoring the babe Christ. Well, there's 
no indication whatsoever that that was actually the case. More 
than likely, these three magi, I call them magi because it better 
reflects what they are, these three magi came after the birth. We're not sure exactly how long, 
but it was sometime after the birth of the Lord Jesus. As well, 
we often pin the number three on these three kings from the 
east. Again, they're not kings, that's 
not what is described here, and it doesn't even mention that 
there were three of them. That there were three gifts given 
to the Lord does not automatically assume or insist that there were, 
in fact, three particular men. So we need to kind of rid ourselves 
of, again, the nativity scenes and the theatrical productions, 
and we need to come to grips with what Matthew is trying to 
do in this particular account of Holy Scripture. Again, I believe 
what is intrinsic, what is absolutely crucial for the Apostle, is to 
highlight that the Davidic King has indeed come. that He is worthy 
of praise and worship and adoration, and that His mission is not solely 
confined to the nation of Israel, but it is a worldwide mission. 
It is a universal mission, representative here of these three men, or I 
said three men, these men from the East who have come to bow 
down to Him. Well, I want to take up the narrative 
in three considerations. We're just going to go up to 
verse 12 this morning. We're going to notice first, 
the Magi enter Jerusalem in verses 1 and 2. Secondly, the false 
king searches the Scriptures in verses 3 to 8. And then lastly, 
the Magi worship the king in verses 9 to 12. But if you notice 
there, specifically, as we consider their arrival to Jerusalem, the 
author tells us specifically the occasion. Verse 1, chapter 
2, now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days 
of Herod the king. The reference to Bethlehem once 
again connects Jesus to King David. Remember that Bethlehem 
was, in fact, the city of David. It was where he was born. It 
was where he lived. If you search the books of Samuel 
and Kings and Chronicles, you will see various references time 
and again to the city of David. You'll see this in Luke's account. 
In Luke chapter 2, we see it called the city of David. The reference to Bethlehem also 
sets the stage for the reference to Micah chapter 5 verse 2. When 
Herod says to the scribes to search the Scriptures or to tell 
him where the Messiah was to be born, they go to Micah chapter 
5, verse 2. But as well, the reference to 
Bethlehem does something else. It highlights something very 
important that we as God's people need to remember. The gospel, 
the good news concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed 
reality that God is saving sinners or reconciling sinners unto himself 
is not a mythical story. It is historically accurate. 
Bethlehem was a real place. It's on a real map. These are 
real people living in the first century context. The Bible oftentimes 
tells us specifics concerning historical details. If it was 
a body of myths, you wouldn't have a reference to Herod the 
Great. If it was a body of myth, you 
wouldn't have a reference to Bethlehem. I remember early on 
when the Santiago's went to China, I remember getting a prayer letter 
from them. And it was in December time, 
at what people call Christmas time. And Shirley was sharing 
the message concerning the birth of Jesus to several Chinese ladies. Now, they had no inkling whatsoever 
about what she was talking about. They had no clue about the Bible. That is a society or a nation 
by and large that is steeped in darkness and ignorance concerning 
the things of God. So as she told them about the 
virgin birth, and as she told them about the incarnation, as 
she highlighted the truth about Jesus, they were dumbfounded. 
And they said, is this really true? So she was able to walk 
over to a map and point to the nation of Israel and find Bethlehem 
five or six miles south of Jerusalem and say, this is where it all 
took place. You see, we are not following 
cunningly devised fables. This isn't myth. This isn't just 
a feel-good sort of idea. This is the truth that God has 
acted in history, that God has broken in, that He has sent forth 
His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, born in Bethlehem, 
to fulfill the scriptural data and to assume His rightful place 
as David's greater Son. to rule and reign from the right 
hand of his Father, and to save his people from their sins." 
Brethren, the Scriptures, the Gospel, the doctrines concerning 
God and Christ and man are all rooted firmly in history. As well, this occasion has an 
apologetic purpose. One of the things that will be 
disputed later on in Jesus' life and ministry, specifically in 
John 7, They dispute that Jesus is the rightful Messiah because 
the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Remember that Joseph 
and Mary hailed from Galilee. It was because of this census 
that they left Galilee in order to go to Bethlehem. Because Joseph 
was of the lineage of David, he was of the house of David, 
so he goes to the city of David to register himself and to register 
his family. Well, it was while he was in 
Bethlehem that Jesus was born. But after the death of Herod, 
as we have seen, what does Joseph do? He takes his family back 
to Galilee, specifically the city of Nazareth, and that's 
where Jesus is raised. And so when people meet Jesus, 
they say, oh, you're from Nazareth. You couldn't be David's son. 
You couldn't be the rightful heir to the throne. You couldn't 
be the Messiah, because Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. 
That is Matthew's purpose here, and Luke's purpose as well, to 
display that even though the young man was raised or reared 
in Nazareth, he was born in Bethlehem. He fulfills the Scripture. He 
satisfies divine requirement. He is what he claims to be. Now notice as well, with reference 
to the occasion, we need to identify these parties. Notice in verse 
1, it says, In the days of Herod the king, Who was Herod the King? You might call him Herod the 
Great. You've probably heard him referred 
to that before. Well, he wasn't a true Jew. He 
was what's called an Idumean, or in the Old Testament, he was 
an Edomite. He was a descendant of Esau. 
The Jews recognized him as sort of a half-breed, or a half-Jew. He was born in 73 B.C. and he was appointed by the Roman 
Senate as king over Judea in about 37 B.C. He spent a lot 
of money and a lot of effort on helping to rebuild the temple. 
Sometimes you'll hear the second temple referred to as Herod's 
Temple. It doesn't mean he owned it, 
it doesn't mean that he worshipped there necessarily. It means that 
he helped finance the rebuilding of it so it would be more magnificent 
than it had been. Josephus records that towards 
the end of Herod's life, he began to get very paranoid. He was 
kind of a nutty man toward the end of his life, in the latter 
stages of his life. He was very paranoid and he was 
very jealous. He even murdered or had executed 
his own wife, one of his favorite wives. He had executed two of 
his sons who he thought were trying to usurp his authority 
on the throne. I think that helps us to understand 
something of the narrative here, especially when we get to verse 
16, and he orders the massacre of children from two years down, 
so that he can try to stop this claimant to the throne. You see, 
he is driven by political position. He is driven by rage and ungodliness. The Magi described here, notice 
it says, Behold, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem saying. They were a priestly cast of 
magicians. They were astrologers. Some dispute 
that this is historically accurate. I ask you, Why would a Jew turned 
Christian include astrologers as the very first worshippers 
of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? It would certainly 
not serve his purposes in terms of trying to appeal to a Jewish 
or Christian audience. These were social downcasts. 
These were people that were frowned upon. These magi could have come 
from Arabia or from Egypt, but most likely they came from Babylon. Remember, there was a large Jewish 
colony in Babylon after the Babylonian exile. About 50,000 returned 
to Judah, but the rest stayed there in Babylon. So certainly 
these Magi had been somewhat aware of their scripture, of 
the Old Testament. They had some inkling that there 
was this coming king. They refer to Him as King of 
the Jews. Only twice in Matthew's Gospel 
do parties refer to Jesus as King of the Jews. And in both 
instances, they are Gentiles. You see, the Jews themselves 
would call Him Messiah, or they would call Him Christ, or they 
would call Him David's son. This is an indicator that they 
were, in fact, Gentiles, more than likely from Babylon. Daniel 
refers to these Magi in Daniel 1, chapter 2, chapter 4, and 
chapter 5. And so now we come to their specific 
inquiry. It says, Where is he who has 
been born King of the Jews? For we have seen a star in the 
east and have come to worship him. Again, we're going a bit 
slower through these details because we're fuzzy on these 
details. We have this view of the nativity scene, and there's 
the star, and there's the animals, and they're all sort of lulling 
over Jesus, and everybody's radiant, and there's these halos on their 
head. That's not what it looked like. As well, the very layout 
of the housing situation at that particular time. It wasn't as 
if Jesus was removed and in a manger somewhere apart from the building. 
It was a one-room house, with a lower level that the animals 
would be kept in during the evening. There'd be a manger on the edge 
so that the animals at night could reach that. So it wasn't 
like this thing, this conception that we have in our minds. And 
what they do at this particular time is mention this star. What 
is the star? It's a good question. Commentators 
say it was either a supernova, it was Halley's Comet, or it 
was a planetary conjunction. There's dates for each of these 
things. I forgot to mention Herod the Great died in 4 BC. So Jesus was born prior to 4 
BC. You ever notice when you're doing 
Bible study or you read commentaries and there's a little bit of a 
date, you would think, well, Jesus should have been born in 
zero, right? Well, no, he wasn't. In 4 B.C. is when Herod dies, so Jesus 
had been born before that. And so there's men who have actually 
dated. You've heard of the astronomer 
Kepler. He dated the supernova. I think it was in 11 B.C., probably 
too far. There was a planetary conjunction 
in about 7 B.C. I think it's better to understand 
it as a miraculous sign from God. Instead of trying to nail 
down, was it a supernova, was it a comet? Halley's comet. You 
trace back and you can actually find the date. I think Chamberlain 
describes it well after surveying the evidence. He says, in light 
of this evidence, I conclude that the star is a miraculous 
and mysterious phenomenon whose precise identity cannot be ascertained, 
yet its purpose is clear. This is the point. God provides 
it to herald the birth of His Son and to bring into His presence 
those persons' intent upon honoring Him. There's probably some messianic 
background from Numbers 24 and verse 17, the prophecy, the goings-on 
with Bala. In Numbers 24, 17, it says, A 
star shall come out of Jacob, a scepter shall rise out of Israel, 
and better the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of Tumal. So that's the occasion. That's 
the situation. That's the identity of the players. 
That's who's involved. Now let's look at the false king 
as he searches the Scriptures. Verses 3 to 8. Notice he is troubled. Why? Does he miss the birth and 
he wants to be there to worship the rightful king to the throne? 
Absolutely not. He's threatened. This mention 
of the king of the Jews causes a bit of problems in his soul. 
So what does he do? He shows his ignorance of the 
Scripture. The Jew would have known the 
particulars with reference to the birth of the coming Messiah. 
He didn't have a clue. So he sends for the chief priests 
and the scribes. But notice as well, it says, 
not only Herod the king was troubled, but all Jerusalem with him. Why 
do you think all Jerusalem was troubled with him? It could have 
been because they knew he was a nut. And if he's troubled and 
if he's having problems, he's going to make it hard on us, 
right? You don't want your leaders to be unstable men. Especially 
when they are, you pray for them that God will stabilize them 
and sort them out and put them on good ground. So all of Jerusalem 
may have been troubled for that fact because Herod could have 
gone into the rage. You know, they didn't know verse 
16 at that particular time. As well, it could mean all Jerusalem 
in terms of the leadership. Herod made a place for the leadership 
there, so if there was a transfer of power, their position might 
be threatened. But I do think it foreshadows 
a theme that's going to come out over and over and over again 
in Matthew's Gospel. Those closest to Jesus received 
him not. Remember, John describes it this 
way in the opening prologue. He came to his own, and his own 
what? They received him not. So whether 
their trouble at this particular instance is their fear of Herod, 
or it's just the leadership fearing their lack of position, it does 
foreshadow a truth that will come out over and over again 
in Matthew's Gospel. That the Jews, by and large, 
rejected the son of David. And that the Gospel goes forth 
to the Gentiles, and that they are saved in mass. Matthew is 
an artist. Matthew is a craftsman. Matthew 
is indicating here something that will be played out over 
and over again in this particular gospel account. One man says, 
the antithesis carries through the gospel. The redemptive influence 
of Jesus will extend far beyond the confines of Jerusalem to 
the far corners of the earth, yet those closest to Jesus will 
reject him. They will reject him. Notice 
the inquiry in verse 4. And when he had gathered all 
the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired 
of them where the Christ was to be born. And he wants to neutralize 
the threat. At this particular juncture, 
we probably don't think that. We see that he's troubled. We 
don't quite know why he's troubled. All of this is, in fact, setting 
the stage for his activity in verse 16 when he orders the slaying 
of the babies. This guy is mad. This guy is 
nuts. This guy does want to protect 
his throne. He is a false claimant. He is the usurper. That's the 
interesting juxtaposition concerning this whole affair. He, not even 
a Jew, is the king of Judea. And yet here comes Jesus, the 
rightful heir to David's throne, and this man wants to neutralize 
him and destroy him so that he cannot take his position away. Notice as well, he inquired of 
them where the Christ, or the Messiah, was to be born. You 
see, the Scriptures themselves testify that the coming Messiah 
was to be the King. Those two terms are interchangeable. Those two terms are synonymous. The chief priests and the scribes 
do their particular duty. They turn to the book of Micah, 
verse 5. It says, They said to him in 
Bethlehem of Judea, For thus it is written by the prophet, 
But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among 
the rulers of Judah. Notice the emphasis on Judah, 
the emphasis on Judea. It harkens back to the genealogy. This Jesus is David's son. He 
is of the tribe of Judah. He comes from this particular 
place. He has entitlement. He has right. He has legal succession 
to David's throne. So they highlight the prophet 
Micah here. And notice there is a bit of 
different wording between what Micah says and what Matthew says. Micah basically says that you 
are little among the thousands of Judah. Micah sort of highlights 
the insignificance of Bethlehem. Matthew, however, says are not 
the least among the rulers of Judah. Some see contradiction. No, we ought to see promise fulfillment. At the time of Micah's writing, 
it was an insignificant place. At the time of Micah's writing, 
it was least among the tribes or clans. But at the time of 
Matthew's writing, you are not least among the rulers of Judah. 
You have ascended to a place of priority. Like what Waltke 
says in his commentary on the book of Micah, he says it's from 
Jerusalem's past and future glory originates from a manger or a 
cradle in Bethlehem. It's a beautiful statement. At 
the time of the prophet, looking back, Bethlehem was that birthplace 
of David, king of Israel. Looking forward, it is the place. 
where the one who comes is from of old, whose going forth are 
from everlasting." It's a beautiful statement concerning our Lord 
Jesus. And it's interesting that the 
prophet Micah wrote in a similar context. He wrote at a time of 
government corruption. He wrote at a time when the priests 
were apostate. He wrote at a time when the leadership 
was bad. It's very similar to what Matthew 
finds himself here with, or with what Jesus found himself with, 
with reference to King Herod. And yet the promise of Micah 
is fulfilled here in Matthew chapter 2. Jesus Christ has come. And notice what it says concerning 
him. Verse 6, For out of you shall 
come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. You see the 
contrast? Matthew wants you to. Matthew 
wants you to appreciate something here. King Herod is a ruler who 
doesn't shepherd. King Herod is a despot. King 
Herod is a tyrant. King Herod will murder people 
to protect his position. Not so, Jesus. He's a ruler who 
shepherds. He's a ruler who feeds. He's 
a ruler who cares. He's a ruler that tends to the 
flock. He's a ruler that defends his 
people. He's a ruler that protects his 
people. He is a ruler like no other. 
Yes, he wields a scepter for the destruction of his enemies, 
but it's for the blessing of his people. It's a beautiful 
statement concerning Jesus, who will shepherd my people, Israel. That last bit is actually from 
2 Samuel 5, verse 2. It was said concerning David. He was uniquely different than 
Saul. Saul was like a King Herod, jockeying 
for position, murdering people to stay ahead. What was David? David was a servant of the people. 
He had his issues. He had his sins. He had his times 
of defection. But by and large, David's kingship 
over Israel was marked by a shepherd's heart. Jesus is just like that. Jesus is just like David. R.T. Frantz says the language 
defines the caring rather than the despotic role of this ideal 
king in contrast with Herod's reign. Do you ever reflect on 
that? You know, I think we have a bad 
conception of monarchy or of a kingship. The king just sits 
on his throne and everybody bows down to him. Well, we're to bow 
down to this particular king, to be sure. But a king serves. A king labors. A king works. A king acts. A king cares. Herod the king may not, but Jesus 
the king most certainly does. He is a ruler who shepherds his 
people, Israel. He is a ruler who cares for his 
people, Israel. Notice the response of Herod 
in verses 7 and 8. Then Herod, when he had secretly 
called the Magi, determined from them what time the star appeared. 
Probably assumed that was when the baby was born. He wanted 
to find that child and he wanted to liquidate him. He wanted to 
terminate him. He wanted to kill him. And he 
sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search carefully for the 
young child. And when you have found him, 
bring back word to me that I may come and worship him also. He's 
a liar. We know that because we read 
ahead. We know that because we've read before. He's troubled, he's 
anxious, he's agitated, he wants to destroy the child. He doesn't 
want to worship. This is a foil so that he can 
find the child and murder him. Remember that scene in Revelation 
chapter 12, connected with the birth of the Lord Jesus. The 
devil is poised there to receive the child and destroy him. That's 
what's going on in this particular passage. Do not read Matthew 
2 apart from Revelation chapter 12. Don't read Revelation 12 
apart from Matthew chapter 2. The two passages go hand in hand. 
They illustrate the spiritual warfare going on behind the scenes 
at the birth of Jesus. You think you've got problems? 
You think your little family suffers difficulties and trials? 
I mean, the beast, the raging animal, the hater of souls, the 
murderer of men is out to destroy Jesus. He's a baby, laying in 
his mother's arms, not doing anything to anybody, physically. Spiritually, he is about to bring 
down the devil's empire, and the devil doesn't like that. 
So he uses Herod as his servant to carry out this deed. Brethren, 
there is spiritual warfare going on behind the scenes that Revelation 
12 fills in for you, so that you can appreciate what is going 
on here. Now notice thirdly and finally, 
the magi worship the king. Verses 9 to 12. Verse 9, when 
they heard the king, they departed, and behold, the star which they 
had seen in the east went before them, till it came and stood 
over where the young child was. What a beautiful scene, huh? 
What a beautiful scene. house in ordinary Bethlehem is 
singled out by God for the most extraordinary event that has 
ever taken place. The Magi see this. They're giddy 
with excitement. It's building. You need to enter 
in here. They heard the king, they departed. 
They behold the star, which they had seen in the east, that went 
before them, till it came and stood over where the young child 
was." They had come a long way from Babylon. Their search was 
done. They were happy. How many are 
we almost there yet, said they heard on the way? Right? You ever go on a long trip? Are 
we there yet? Are we there yet? How much longer 
till we get there? These Magi left their homes, 
they traversed the hard soil. Notice that they come initially 
to Jerusalem. Isn't that the no-brainer? Where 
would David's son be? Where would the Davidic king 
be? It would be in that place of centralized power. It would 
be in Jerusalem. They hear word that it's Bethlehem. Again, five to six miles south 
of Jerusalem. So off they go. Now notice what 
happens in verse 10. When they saw the star, they 
rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. You can't make them happier 
with language. You can't. Matthew didn't have 
any more words to use to make them happier. Or describing their 
happiness. Right? You ever describe something 
to somebody and say, I was really fine. It was really, really fun. We had a really, really, really 
fun time. There's only so much you can 
do, right? There's only so many words you 
can sort of string together. Language stops at a particular 
time. You just get repetitious. Look at what he says. When they 
saw the star, they rejoiced. That would be amazing right then 
and there. We could just stop there. But 
they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. We've got to ask ourselves, 
do we view Messiah like this? Do we come to church like this? 
Do we approach the great realities of God's Gospel like this? Do we rejoice with exceedingly 
great joy when we consider amazing grace, how sweet the sound that 
saved a wretch like me? who we sing with the hymn writer, 
veiled in flesh that God had seen. Hail the incarnate deity. I think these magi can teach 
us something about worship, and about joy, and about praise, 
and about adoration. Now it says they want to worship. 
More than likely, that means the social custom, a dignitary 
would pay homage to a newly installed king. I understand that. I get that. They didn't know 
the full significance of what they were doing, but Matthew 
does. And Matthew wants us, the reader, 
to get it. Matthew wants us to appreciate 
it in light of the entirety of his Gospel, that the first formal 
visitors to the Lord Jesus Christ are Gentile astrologers and they 
rejoice with exceedingly great joy. Only the gospel does that. If you don't know the gospel, 
you know nothing of rejoicing with exceedingly great joy. The 
magi have arrived, the king is in their eyes, and the only proper 
response, verse 11, And when they had come into the house, 
they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down 
and worshipped him. They didn't worship Mary. They 
didn't worship the pair. They didn't give some to her 
and some to him. They didn't recognize her as 
a co-mediatrix. They fall down and worship Him. Ryle makes a beautiful connection 
in this regard. He likens these magi to the thief 
on the cross. You wonder, how do you make such 
a connection? I preached on the thief on the 
cross before. Remember what the thief on the cross said to Jesus. Lord, remember me. when you come 
in the glory of your kingdom." We say, oh yeah, that's a beautiful 
statement, that's a wonderful thing. We love to hear Jesus' 
response to them. Today, you shall be with me in 
paradise. Now, stop for a moment. What is the dying thief seeing 
in that particular instance? He's seeing Jesus hung on a cross. He's seeing blood streaming down 
his face. He is seeing torment and torture 
at its highest. He is seeing the rejection of 
the people that should be praising. They are rejecting Him and reviling 
Him and despising Him. And yet He looks through that 
gore. He looks through that shame. He looks through that ignominy. 
And He says, Lord, what are these guys doing? This is a baby. This is a child. This is a little 
one. They fall down and worship Him. They got faith. They see a king. They see glory. They see majesty. They, like 
that dying thief, didn't see the miracles, didn't eat the 
bread, didn't enjoy the fish, didn't watch Him walk on the 
water, didn't watch Him call Lazarus from the grave. They 
didn't see all these things. fall and worship. That's faith. Just like that dying thief looked 
through the gore, looked through the shame and said, Lord. On the ground, people are mocking. 
He saved others. Let him save himself. Their mocks 
were being played out in reality as Jesus was saving that dying 
thief on the cross at Calvary. These men come, these men bow, 
these men worship, these men present gifts to the king. Brethren, you need to read the 
Old Testament, because you should be thinking right now, at the 
presentation of these gifts, another instance where a foreign 
dignitary presented gifts to a son of David. Remember the 
queen of Sheba? She came to test Solomon. about 
all of his wisdom and all of his learning. And she said, I've 
heard of you and now I've seen it. And she presents these gifts 
to him. Did Solomon need her gifts? Were Solomon's sheds getting 
a little bit dry? Were Solomon's storehouses about 
to dry up? No, it is a recognition of the 
majesty and the glory and the excellence of King Solomon. The 
Queen of Sheba brings him gifts to acknowledge his glory, his 
majesty, his power, and his honor. Now, in God's providence, this 
family is going to need to take a trip to Egypt to evade murderous 
Herod. They could sell these gifts to 
finance their trip. So God is good in that respect 
as well. But this is prophesied in the 
Old Testament. Psalm 72 again talks about kings 
coming to present their gifts before the Messiah. Isaiah 60 
speaks of the very same thing. Kings, the wealth of the nations 
coming and presenting it to the Messiah. Notch Chamberlain said, 
if the Queen of Sheba brought spices and gold to Solomon, how 
much more fitting that the royalty of Sheba and Sheba and other 
nations bow before the incomparable successor to Solomon? Later on 
in Matthew's Gospel, in chapter 12, at verse 22, Jesus is going 
to say, there's a greater than Solomon here. There's a greater 
than Solomon here. You need to approach these texts 
with the Scripture in your mind. You need to see that this isn't 
just a pattern so that on December 25th, we can give each other 
a Nerf football and we can give each other a new bike. We can 
buy toasters for each other. This is set forth for us to see 
the wealth of the nations by the dignitaries of the nations 
being presented, the Messiah being presented to the King of 
Kings and Lord of Lords. It is an acknowledgment of who 
he is. It is an acknowledgment of his glory. It is an acknowledgment 
of his position and his power. That's what these men are doing. 
That's what these men are displaying. He goes on to say, the Magi are 
not themselves kings, but kings do well to follow their example. It is prophesied, it is foretold, 
the wealth of the nations will be presented to our Lord. It's 
a beautiful scene in Revelation 21 depicting that very thing. 
Revelation 21 at verse 24. 21-22, I'll start reading. But I saw no temple in it for 
the Lord God Almighty in the Lamb or its temple. The city 
had no need of sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the 
glory of God illuminated it. The land is its light, and the 
nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light. And 
the kings of the earth, what do they do? They bring their 
glory and honor into it. Why? Because you need more stuff 
in the New Jerusalem? Because you need to bring your 
stuff with you. It's to present to the King. It's to give to 
the King. It's to acknowledge the King. 
This is what Isaiah the prophet is getting at in chapter 60. 
This is what David says in Psalm 72 concerning a psalm of Solomon. 
It's pointing to this greater than Solomon. The kings of the 
earth will present their riches to this one. That's what these 
magi are doing. That's what they're about. That's 
the example we are to follow. They rejoice with exceedingly 
great joy. They fall down and they worship. 
They present their gifts to ascribe greatness to Him. That's what 
we're supposed to learn from these men. That's the pattern 
we're supposed to follow from these men. And then notice in 
verse 12, "...then being divinely warned in a dream that they should 
not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another 
way." You see, the devil rages. The devil is moving, King Herod. 
The devil is behind the scenes, but so is God the Lord. Do not forget that. Do not forget 
that. We wrestle not against flesh 
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against unseen 
and invisible forces. But you know what? We have an 
unseen and invisible force that's far exceeding. We have an unseen 
and invisible force that's far more powerful. And as Satan rages 
against the people of God, the Lord God Himself is there to 
protect. The Lord God himself is there to defend. The Lord 
God himself is there to watch over. This is what's going on 
here. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not 
return to Herod, they departed for their own country another 
way. Imagine the conversation on the way home. It wasn't, are 
we there yet? It's, can we go back? Can we give him more? Can we 
worship Him again and again and again and again? I bet the trip home was much better 
than the trip up. They were, did you see Him? Remember 
that scene when Simeon takes the babe out of Mary's arms and 
he cradles Him in his own arms and he says, Lord, now Your servant 
can depart in peace. Why? Mine eyes have seen the 
salvation of God. They had been in the presence 
of greatness. They had been in the presence 
of majesty. They had been in the presence 
of the Lord who made the heavens and the earth. And they responded 
accordingly. They rejoice with exceeding great 
joy. They bow to him and they worship 
him. Well, brethren, I believe in 
this passage we see first contrasting positions. contrasting positions. If you were here this morning, 
you either identify with Herod or you identify with the Magi. 
There's not a third position. There's not a position of neutrality. There's not a, well, we'll scratch 
our heads and see how this all plays out. No, you're either 
with him or you're against him. You're either in Herod's camp, 
rejecting him, Yes, you may not order the slaying of innocent 
children, but you hate Christ, you despise Christ. There is 
nothing that brings exceeding great joy into your heart concerning 
Christ. Are you of Herod this morning? 
Is he your spiritual forefather? It's an amazing thing. In the 
Old Testament, faithful Israelites were always the heroes over and 
against the Eastern magicians. Kind of an interesting turn of 
events now, isn't it? As Jesus comes to inaugurate 
this new covenant, as Jesus comes to inaugurate this worldwide 
campaign to save His people from their sins, in Matthew's gospel 
the tables are turned quite dramatically. It's not a pagan, it's the astrologer, 
it's the magi who is exceedingly joyful over the coming of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Where are you at this morning? 
Are you with Herod? What a horrible place to be. 
What a wretched man, as we consider this passage. But you know, if 
you consider things truthfully, what a wretched man are you if 
you're not following Jesus. What a wretched woman. What a 
wretched young boy. What a wretched young girl. And 
how much more wretched, because several times you have been called 
upon to believe this glorious gospel, to bow to the Lord Jesus, 
to worship the King. We just sang that at the outset 
of worship. Oh, worship the King. Is that 
what you did? Is that what you're about? Are 
you singing just because you don't want somebody to see you 
not singing? Or are you worshiping the King? 
Is there exceedingly great joy in your heart? Is there something 
pleasant about this place? Not the physical makeup or the 
physical bodies around, but is there something pleasant about 
spiritual worship? Is there something attractive 
about New Covenant worship? Is there something about praying 
and reading and looking at the Scriptures and opening them up? 
Is that attractive? Or are you a heretic? You search 
the Scriptures so you know how to get around it. You search 
the Scriptures so you know how to avoid it. One of the most 
miserable things in the world is to see somebody who has a 
lot of knowledge in their head, but no grace in their heart. 
These chief priests understood. These chief priests knew. But take a five-mile trip to 
Bethlehem? We can't be bothered. Amazing, isn't it? You're either 
with Herod today, or you're with the Magi. Interesting day, huh? Brethren, the Magi. Not all Magi, 
at least these Magi, but see these brethren in heaven. That's 
what Jesus teaches in Matthew 8. He talks about the Jews being 
rejected and he says men will come from where? The East and 
the West and will sit and dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 
It's an amazing thing. Those Magi are going to be eating 
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And many first century Jews who 
rejected Jesus are in hell. Secondly, I've already alluded 
to this, the spiritual blindness of the Jews. This is a recurring theme. You've 
got to get this, okay, or Matthew's gospel is not going to make a 
lot of sense. Especially when we get to chapter 20, 21, when 
Jesus makes that triumphal entry into Jerusalem and he starts 
to throw down with the religious leaders. If you don't understand 
what Matthew is doing, you're going to be puzzled, you're going 
to scratch your head. There is something going on in this gospel. It is showing us a transfer of 
kingdom, a transfer of power. It is taken away from ethnic 
Jews. It is given to the true Jew, to the true Israel, to the 
church of Jesus Christ the Lord. Now, C.H. Spurgeon commenting 
on the blindness of the Jews says, these scribes knew where 
to find the text about the Savior's birth. They did. They went right 
to it, didn't they? This was a victory drill or a 
Bible drill. They would have got a nice little 
medal on their chest. If they were Awanas, man, they 
would be bejeweled. They would be graced with all 
sorts of ornamentation. They didn't have to say, wait 
a minute, Herod, we've got to talk about where was Messiah 
born. This is what Micah says. He says, these scribes knew where 
to find the text about the Savior's birth, and they could put their 
finger upon the spot in the map where He should be born, and 
yet they knew not the King, neither cared to seek Him out. May it 
never be my case, he says, to be a master of scriptural geography, 
prophecy, and theology, and yet to miss Him of whom the Scripture 
speaks. The Spurgeon who said, everybody 
wants to know what the book of Revelation is talking about. 
A man comes up to me and says, what are these seven trumpets? 
He says, I don't know, but let me blow one in your ear and tell 
you to believe the gospel. I'm going to blow one of those trumpets 
right in your ear and tell you to believe the gospel. You see 
what he's saying? We can find everything on the 
map. We've got our tools because we've said all our scripture, 
but we haven't bowed to the king. Calvin said this, it is truly 
an instance of base sluggishness that not one of the Jews offers 
himself as an escort to those foreigners to go and see the 
king who had been promised to their own nation. Not one could 
go to Bethlehem a few hour journey away. Anything to show some common 
courtesy to these men visiting from a far place that were dignitaries, 
though not kings, they were recognized as men of some learning and of 
some knowledge and some ability. Not one of them could be bothered. 
D.A. Carson says, formal knowledge 
of the scriptures, Matthew implies, does not in itself lead to knowing 
who Jesus is. You may turn to Micah 5. You 
may be able to tell where Jesus was born. You may be able to 
recount the birth narratives and show when the shepherds came 
and when the Magi came. You may be able to explain Herod 
the Great and his place in history. You must believe the Gospel. 
You must believe the truth. You must look and live to the 
Lord Jesus Christ. As well, we see the promise made 
to Abraham has come to fruition. The nations are blessed through 
Abraham's seed. Notice the unsuitability of these recipients of God's grace. 
You don't normally find Eastern magicians worshiping Israel's 
God in the Old Testament. That's how Matthew starts. That's 
how Matthew begins. What's he saying? Matthew 1.21. He will save His people from 
their sins. It doesn't matter if they come 
from Babylon. It doesn't matter if they were 
astrologers. It doesn't matter if they practiced 
those wicked arts. It matters that they do it, to 
be sure. But Jesus saves to the uttermost 
all who draw nigh unto God through Him. That's the point you're 
to take away from this. You say, I am a sinner. Jesus 
is the Savior. And then I hope you see in this 
passage the glory of Jesus Christ. I've already cited that blessed 
portion of the hymn, Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the 
incarnate Deity, Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our 
Emmanuel. Brethren, as Christians, let 
us take a lesson from these Magi today. Let us take a lesson about 
what it is to joyfully worship this King. Imagine if they came 
in here. They saw us kind of muttering 
through some hymns. And I'm not saying this is the case. I'm 
not indicting anyone. They saw us fumbling through 
a few hymns. They saw us falling asleep. They saw us looking at 
our watch. They saw us, wow, I wonder what's 
in the oven right now. Hmm. But they could get in our 
heads, these magi. Imagine them sitting right there 
and they know your thoughts. I'm thinking about Thursday. 
I'm thinking about whoever. I'm thinking about tonight. I'm 
thinking about this, I'm thinking about that. I believe these magi 
would want to get up and say, you're in the presence of the 
King. Where's the joy? Where's the exceeding great joy? Where's the bowing in worship 
before this God? You may not have frankincense, 
you may not have myrrh, you may not have gold, but present your 
bodies as a living sacrifice to acknowledge the greatness 
of this King. If the Magi were in your head 
right now, what would they say? We worship Him too. Well, what's 
the matter with you? You need to bow. You need to 
worship. You need to enjoy and behold 
your King. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank You for Your Word. We thank You for this account. 
in the gospel that shows us the blessed truth that Jesus will 
establish at the end of the gospel. Go and make disciples of all 
the nations. We thank you that you are calling 
men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. We thank 
you that at the very birth of Christ, Magi from the East come 
and they bow in worship to the King. Our Father, I pray that 
we as Christians would take these things to heart, that we would 
examine our own selves, that we would see, Father, whether 
we respond in kind to the Lord of glory. And for anyone here 
that does not know the Lord, we pray that you open their hearts. 
We pray, Father, that you would do that work that is impossible 
with men, but is possible with you. We pray that you would pull 
out the old stony heart, put in a new fleshly heart, Give 
the gifts of faith and repentance so that men, women, boys and 
girls can believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Our 
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your spirit. We pray that he would be at work 
in our hearts. And we ask through Christ the 
Lord. Amen.