Happy New Year. A quick unscientific survey of the Christmas cards we received this year reveals that those featuring the Magi significantly outsell those depicting shepherds. Both are probably a long way behind Father Christmas who, for all I care, was probably drinking fizzy drinks on the North Pole when Jesus was born – but let’s not go there.
Far be it from me to tell politically incorrect jokes. I would never do such a thing. But, in the interests of clarification, for the benefit of those who don’t know what a politically incorrect joke is, allow me give you an example. They say that Jesus wasn’t born in Ireland because they couldn’t find a virgin or three wise men. Now isn’t that terrible? It’s not even biblical. In point of fact, the Bible never actually says that the Magi were men or women. The grammar is inconclusive; they could have been all men, all women, or some of each. The old King James Version translated Magi as wise men but no modern translation does – for the very good and simple reason that Magi doesn’t mean ‘wise men’ at all.
What does it mean? In Acts 8 and 13 we are introduced to two men; one called Simon and the other Elymas. Both are referred to in Greek as magoi and the word is translated there ‘sorcerer’ or ‘magician’. They were in fact both practitioners of the occult. The word magoi could refer to all manner of astrologers, interpreters of dreams, fortune-tellers, tealeaf readers, crystal enthusiasts, faith healers or even snake charmers. These Magi may have actually been new-age travellers. In the book of Daniel (1.20 and 2.27) other Magi appear as magicians, diviners and enchanters.
So surprise no1; they weren’t wise at all, certainly not in God’s eyes. Surprise no 2; they weren’t necessarily men either. Surprise no 3; nothing in the New Testament says that there were three of them. And surprise no4; it says nothing about them being kings (…or queens) either. Apart from that, ‘three wise men’ and ‘three kings’ are perfectly good titles!
The idea that these people might have been kings comes from an interpretation of Isaiah 60 which reminds some people of the appearance of the star and the visit of the Magi. It’s a prophecy that looks 750 years ahead to the coming Messiah and it says this:
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
It is unquestionably a prophecy about Jesus. But it’s not really about the visit of the Magi at all. It mentions a light that comes but it doesn’t mean the appearance in the night sky of a newly discovered star; it’s the glory of the Lord itself that shines against the background of the thick darkness of evil.
We’d probably pick one of the wonders of the world but God chooses the cramped and dingy dishonour of an animal’s night shelter to display the stunning brightness of his eternal heavenly glory. Who would have predicted it? The brightness of God’s glory, shown in a sleeping infant, is gentle enough not to blind us – but is strong enough to compel these Magi to journey from miles away.
So much for who these mysterious Magi may have been – more importantly what does this narrative in Matthew chapter 2 tell us about who God is? What kind of God is it that would draw these ancient clairvoyants, physically miles away from the Promised Land and spiritually miles away from God, to happen upon the most significant, the most important child ever born?
It’s a God full of grace and mercy, who doesn’t count our sins against us, who invites us, who draws us to his glorious self – even, sometimes, amazingly, through the very folly of our own defiance of his laws – such is his kindness. This is the God whom, the Psalms say over and over again, rescues us “from the pit.” It uses the expression “from the pit” for a reason. It means this: I am not, of myself, an upright, respectable man who has found his way to faith. No! I am, of myself, a lover of sin, without excuse, richly deserving God’s fully justified wrath and having no chance of escape from the serious consequences of my rebellion against him.
The fact that God would draw these Magi from far away in the East to Bethlehem to shows us that he is the God whose forgiveness is comprehensive; he removes sin from us as far as east is from west. His greatness is admirable. You can never degenerate or fall away from grace so far that it’s too far. Because his arm is not too short to save and his compassion is from everlasting to everlasting.
Do you ever feel far away from God? Do you feel far away from him this morning? Well, you’re not too far away. And you may not even be as far away as you think you are.
1) God Rewards Those Who Seek Him
How is it that these Magi, coming from a point as distant from God as it is perhaps possible to be, how is it that they ended up discovering him? I am going to suggest three things. First of all, they were seekers. You can tell that from the first two verses of Matthew chapter 2.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east...”
We know that they were seekers by asking one simple question. Here it is: Would you travel long distances over several months to check up something you don’t honestly care about? No, neither would I. But when they noticed changes in the night sky, they used serious air miles to check it out. They were curious. They were inquisitive. They wanted to know more. And when they finally got to Jerusalem they asked around, “Excuse me, we heard that there is a new king around here. Where is he? Where do we go to see him, please?” There’s a restless quest going on here. These are earnest enquirers.
God makes very firm promises to people like this. In Luke 11, verses 9 to 11, a passage well known by many of us, Jesus talks about seeking and seekers. This is what he says, translating it literally: “Keep on asking and it will be given to you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives; everyone who keeps on seeking finds; and to everyone who keeps on knocking, the door will be opened.”
He’s encouraging you to put your doubts and hesitations behind you. Keep seeking, don’t give up, and you will find it in the end. If you haven’t yet found what you are looking for, keep looking.
A few years ago, a very bright young girl named Elsa signed up for an Alpha course I was running. Her family was Buddhist and from Korea but she actually grew up in France. Elsa was special. I have rarely met anyone who sought answers to her questions with such determination and resolve. Every week she would grill the other group members with question after question. Elsa, like the Magi, was from the east and, like them, had her background in other religious ideas. But like the Magi she was a serious seeker. And like the Magi, when she got to her point of arrival, she was… disappointed. The Magi reached Jerusalem and didn’t find what they had been looking for. They had to keep going a bit longer. So they did. And so did Elsa, who finished the Alpha course not having become a Christian, but having started to come to church, still not at all convinced, but still searching.
Six months passed and we were planning to run another Alpha course so I started to look around for some people who might stand up in church and say, “Sign up to Alpha, it’s really good and changed my life.” And I asked Elsa if she too would like to say a few words. I said, “I want to show people that it’s not a brainwashing programme. You can come out the other side, free to do as you please, and even if you don’t become a Christian, it’s very interesting and worthwhile.” She answered me, “I’ll do the interview, but I’m afraid I won’t say what you want me to.” I said, “Why not?” She replied, “I’ve become a Christian, I hope you don’t mind!” Elsa’s journey lasted well over a year, but in the end she found what she was looking for. And her faith is stronger for having left no stone unturned in her quest for the truth.
“Let us press on to know the Lord”, said the prophet Hosea. Those who keep searching for Christ, those persist in seeking God’s face, those who never tire in their endeavour to know God more will always be on the verge of some new and exciting discovery. Because God is an inexhaustible mine of treasure, knowing him is a never-ending pursuit. And full of surprises too. What did the Magi think when they came to honour the new king and found an infant of such unspeakably humble surroundings?
Can I encourage you, if you’re not yet a believer to keep going? Jesus said you will get there in the end if you don’t give up. And can I urge those of you who are believers, especially if you’re in a rut spiritually, to abandon your comfort zone and get on your camel and seek more of God. Don’t be satisfied with what you have already. There’s much, much more – but you have to look. And go on looking...
2) God Honours Sacrifice
The second thing is this. God honours sacrifice. The Magi must have made big sacrifices. Verse 1 says they travelled from the east (and that doesn’t mean East Jerusalem down the road; it possibly means modern day Iran or even India). In any case it was a long way. It may have been up to a year of travelling. And in that part of the world the days are hot and there’s little shade. The nights are cold and there’s little shelter. You’re staying in tents. You’re surrounded by camels. There are no toilets, baths or electricity and you miss your family. There is danger from bandits and wild jackals.
They made big sacrifices to follow a star. “We saw his star in the east” they say in v2. Astronomers say there was an alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in 7BC. There are records in China dating back to 4BC of an unusual evanescent star. We know Jesus wasn’t born in the year zero, but a few years earlier, so that might explain the star from a human point of view. The star could have been a supernatural manifestation of the Lord’s glory, who knows? It’s a detail.
The point is the Magi went to great lengths to pursue it. Sometimes following the Jesus that the star led to means blood, sweat and tears too. Jesus spoke of following him and taking up your cross in the same breath. Being a follower of Jesus can mean making an unpopular and costly stand at work. A friend of mine was once asked by his company to defend a dossier that he knew involved false accounting in order to secure a contract. He said, “I’m not going to do that.” They said “Why not?” He said “This is morally wrong and, as a Christian, I am telling you I will have no part in it.” They told him to clear his desk by 5:00pm that day. Following Jesus can mean working hard, painfully hard, at a troubled marriage instead of taking the easy way out. Following Jesus can mean forgoing marriage for his sake. Following Jesus can mean forgiving a parent who has abused you. It can mean all manner of adversity. But I want to say that God honours sacrifice. He honoured the Magi for the hardship that they endured for the sake of Christ. They would be amongst the first to see the awesome glory of God in human form. What distinction! What an honour!
Sometimes, looking at the titles in Christian bookshops, I get the impression that the most important thing in the world for many Western Christians is personal fulfilment and earthly happiness. It’s as if the ultimate goal in the Christian life is successfully assuming every role, having all your ambitions fulfilled, marrying a perfect spouse, attaining a good standard of living, and having a body that is not too fat, not too thin but a normal, healthy size. Self-help is everywhere, but where are the Christian bestsellers on self-denial, on the necessity of putting off personal happiness till later for the sake of Christ, on serving Christ in all circumstances? Is there anyone who dares to say to our generation, “you will never be happy, never be fulfilled, if Jesus is simply a servant of your personal fulfilment programme?”
David Livingstone, the great pioneer of the gospel who made Jesus known deep into the heart of the African continent, once said this. “People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice, which is simply acknowledging a great debt we owe to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice, which brings its own reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny? It is emphatically no sacrifice. Rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, danger, foregoing the common conveniences of this life - these may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing compared with the glory which shall later be revealed in and through us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which he made who left his Father's throne on high to give himself for us.”
That’s right. God honours the sacrifices we make, but what are they in comparison with what he did for us? So I want to encourage those of you who are paying the price for following Christ today. Lift up your heads. God crowns you with honour and the best is yet to come.
3) God Delights in Worship
The last thing I want to say is that God delights in worship. The Magi were ready to be worshipers.
The gifts they brought (gold, incense and myrrh) were, I understand, typical of the kind of presents one would offer royalty in that time and culture. They were making a statement about who Jesus is. They talk about the King of the Jews in v2 - but they almost certainly weren’t Jews themselves so why should they go to such lengths to bring him their tribute? I can only suggest that, at the end of the road, he had become their king too.
Even though they may well have come from a background of devotion to the elements of earth air, fire and water, even though, as far as we know, Magi were opposed in principle to the idea of any personal god, they appear to have put all that behind them to become worshippers. Ask yourself this morning; is my worship up to the standard of these men who were only just coming out of pagan rituals.
“We have come to worship him.” They say in v2. In v11 they adore the newborn king. That same verse speaks of bowing down. So they gave praise to God with their whole selves, not just with their minds. Their adoration was engaged, not passive. It says that they offered treasures. They expressed worship to Christ with their wealth, not just with their words. It was costly, not cheap. In v10 we read that they were overjoyed. So their devotion touched their emotions too. It was glad, not cheerless.
Focussed on who God is, full bodied, costly, joyful, transforming adoration; this is worship that God delights in. This is worship that God deserves.
Ending
So, as I close, let us come before God the Father and ask him to make into us a people who never tire of seeking his face. Let us come before God the Son and ask him that we will gladly make sacrifices, laying down our lives for his and for the gospel’s sake. And let us come before God the Holy Spirit, and ask him to draw us to be the kind of worshippers in whom God delights.
Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 3rd January 2010
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