LESSONS FROM THE WISE MEN
(Matthew 2:1–16)
Based on a PCC PrayerMeeting Exhortation by bro Linus Chua on 28 December 2001

It’s the Christmas season once again! Christians and non-Christians, believersand unbelievers alike all over the world celebrate this “important” and“joyous” event. It’s one of those events that this world simply loves verymuch. If you want a taste of Christmas celebrations, take a walk down Orchard Road andobserve the colourful and attractive Christmas decorations. Then go into anyshopping centre and you’re likely to hear those familiar Christmas carols andtunes being played over and over again. But you know it’s strange thatunbelievers who hate God and His beloved Son should love to commemorate thebirth of Christ, the Son of God. To me, that’s one of the many indications thatthere’s something wrong with Christmas and that Christians should have nothingto do with it. But my purpose in this article is not to discuss with us thereasons why we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas. Instead, I have selected afamiliar “Christmas story” to show us why this passage of sacredScripture—Matthew 2:1–16—has really got nothing at all to do with Christmas.But more than that, I’ll like to use this biblical account to remind us of somevery simple lessons as we begin a new year—lessons that we’ll do well to thinkupon and apply.

Some weeks ago, I received a Christmas card from the shop from which we boughtour piano. After taking a very quick look at it, I decided to throw it away.But as I got up and started walking towards the bin, suddenly the picture onthe front cover of that card caught my attention. It was a picture of threemen, dressed like kings, gathering in front of a little infant in a manger andpresenting their gifts to him.

I do not think I am too far off if I say that the story of the wise men is oneof the most well known and often retold biblical accounts, especially atChristmas time. A good friend of ours from a conservative church told me that,on Monday evening during the Christmas Eve service, the children from thatchurch put up a sketch. One of the scenes in their Christmas sketch involvedthe story of the wise men. But more often than not, this story is mixed up withvarious inaccuracies and mistakes. I think they’ll become obvious to us as wego along.

Historical Setting

But first, let’s establish the biblical setting and context in which thisaccount took place. Luke, in the second chapter of his gospel account, tells usthat Joseph and Mary travelled from Nazareth in Galileeto Bethlehem in Judeabecause Cæsar Augustus wanted a census to be taken of the entire Roman world.While they were in Bethlehem,Mary gave birth to the child. But because there was no room in the inn, theyhad to put up in a manger. The shepherds were the first to hear about thechild’s birth through the announcement of the angel, and they went to see thebaby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. On the eight days, thechild was circumcised and given the name Jesus. Then after 33 days, accordingto the law in Leviticus 12, when the days of her purification were over, Josephand Mary went to the temple in Jerusalemto present their firstborn to the Lord. But because they were too poor toafford a lamb for the sacrifice, they offered two pigeons or turtledovesinstead. There at the temple, they met two godly saints, Simeon and Anna. Lukethen concludes his account of this incident by writing, in Luke 2:39, “And whenthey had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returnedinto Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.”Because of this verse, many of us have the mistaken notion that immediatelyafter the temple incident, Jesus and His parents returned to Nazareth. But that’s not the whole story,because Matthew records for us some things, which Luke omitted—things whichhappened before they returned to Nazareth,namely the visit of the wise men, and their subsequent escape to Egypt.

I am not exactly sure why Joseph and Mary didn’t return to Nazarethimmediately after finishing their business at the temple, but instead returnedto Bethlehem, which was about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. One possiblereason I can think of is that winter was approaching or had just started and itwasn’t too convenient, especially for Mary and the infant, to make that fairlylong journey of more than 70 miles back to Nazareth. Now, I am sure we all know thatChrist wasn’t born on the 25th of December. Historians suggest that Christ wasactually born somewhere around September or October. No one knows for sure.However if September or October was the time of His birth, then it makes sensefor Joseph to wait a few months for Mary to recover her strength, for theinfant to grow up a little more and for winter to pass before returning home inspring. And it was during this season of waiting that the wise men came.

Who were the wise men? Where did they come from? How many of them came? Duringthe middle ages, legend developed that they were kings, that they were three innumber and that their names were Casper, Balthazar and Melchior. Furthermore,they were thought to represent the three sons of Noah, and so one of them isoften pictured as an Ethiopian. A 12th century Bishop of Cologne even claimedto have found their skulls!

The only legitimate facts we know about these wise men are those given inMatthew’s gospel. We are not told how many of them there were or the specificcountry from which they came. And there is certainly no indication inScriptures that they were kings! All we know is that they came from the East.My Sunday School teacher, when I was in my teens, speculated that they camefrom China via the Silk Road. Some say they came from India; others, fromArabia and still others, from Babylon. I do not want to get into a discussionof where they may have come from although I do like the idea that they may havecome from Babylon—that the knowledge of the coming Messiah had actually beenpreserved and handed down through the ages to these wise men, from none otherthan the prophet Daniel himself, almost 500 years ago.

Now, although we do not know where they came from, we do have an indicationthat they travelled for quite a long distance before arriving at Jerusalem.Verse 16 tells us that when king Herod realised that he was played out, so tospeak, by the wise men, he was very angry and ordered that all the children inBethlehem and the surrounding coasts, from two years and under, be slaughtered.Why two years and below? Verse 16 says, “according to the time which he haddiligently inquired of the wise men.” In other words, Herod found out from thewise men the exact time in which they saw the star and started out on theirjourney. Assuming that the star appeared the moment Christ was born, these wisemen could have been travelling for a number of months, maybe even up to a year.Furthermore, we read in Matthew 2:8–9, 11 that Jesus was already a young childand no longer a babe or infant (cf. Luke 2:12).

Why did the wise men travel all that way? The wise men said in verse 2, “Whereis he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, andare come to worship him.” The wise men were seeking for this newborn child toworship Him. And so the moment they arrived in Jerusalem, they went around thecity asking whomsoever they met about the birth of this King. Perhaps theyassumed that everyone in Judea and certainly in Jerusalem would have heard andknown of the birth of such a special child. I wonder if they were somewhatsurprised to find that no one, no, not a single person, could tell them thechild’s whereabouts.

We do not know exactly how God revealed to them that the King of the Jews hadbeen born, only that His star in the east appeared. What is this star? Again wedo not have very much information on it. There have been quite a bit ofspeculation on what this star was, but whatever it was, God used it to enablethe wise men, eventually, to find the child.

As these wise men went about asking concerning the child’s whereabouts, kingHerod came to hear about it and he began to be troubled. This Herod, known asHerod the Great, was the first of several Herods mentioned in the NT. Herodwasn’t a Jew, but an Edomite, and so in order to make himself more acceptableto the Jewish people, he married a prominent Jewish woman named Mariamne. Herodwas a clever and capable warrior and governor. But he was also very cruel andmerciless, and he was extremely suspicious and jealous for his position andpower. According to historical records, he killed several of his own familymembers, including his brother-in-law, his own wife, his wife’s mother, andeven three of his sons because he considered them to be potential threats. Yetanother evidence of his bloodthirstiness and insane cruelty was his command toarrest the most distinguished citizens of Jerusalem and have them imprisonedshortly before his death. Herod knew that no one would mourn his own death, sohe gave orders that the moment he died, all those prisoners should be executedin order to ensure that there would be mourning in Jerusalem at the time of hisdeath.

Such an insane, paranoid and wicked man—you can be sure that he was verytroubled when he heard what the wise men had said. Having found out from thechief priests and scribes where Christ should be born, he told the wise men togo to Bethlehem to search out this young child and then inform him of hiswhereabouts so that he could go and “worship” Him. So the wise men headed southtowards Bethlehem and as they went, the star which originally appeared to themre-appeared once again and led them to the exact location and house. The wisemen were filled with great joy. They went into the house and worshipped thechild, and gave gifts to Him. Then, being warned of God in a dream not toreturn to Herod, they departed into their own country by another way.

Well then, what lessons can we learn from the wise men? I’ll like to highlightthree of them.

Consider their Commitmentand Resolve

Firstly, we observe their commitment and resolve in seeking Christ. We notedthat it was very probable, judging from the time they travelled, that thesewise men came from a far country and had to travel a long distance to Bethlehemjust to catch a brief glimpse of the One who was born King of the Jews.Travelling in those days was neither easy nor convenient. They had to endurethe rough terrain, the heat of the day and the cold of the night continuouslyfor many days. There would have been numerous discouragements as they went on.Furthermore, there were countless dangers and perils along the way. Two weeksago, we heard our Pastor’s sermon on the parable of the Good Samaritan. He toldus of how the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, although it was only a fewmiles, was notorious for thieves who preyed on travellers making the tripbetween those two towns. Also, this road between Jericho and Jerusalem goesthrough some of the roughest, most barren and desolate terrain on the face ofthis earth.

I am sure the wise men had to face numerous difficulties and dangers along theway. Furthermore, it must have cost them quite a bit to make that trip. I doubtif anyone was financing or even subsidising their travelling expenses. Yet theywent. They left the comforts of their homes to seek Christ. I wonder what theirfamilies and friends might have said to them as they prepared to set off onthis journey. “Where are you going? Do not you know that the journey is longand the way dangerous? And what if you cannot find Him? And even if you canfind Him, what benefit would you receive? Do not be foolish! You’re riskingyour lives and wasting your money in return for very little.” Perhaps they werethus persuaded and discouraged from going. Yet they went. None of these thingsmoved them. They had set themselves to seeing Him that was born King of theJews and they didn’t rest till they saw Him. They were committed to seekingafter Christ.

How about us? Are we just as fixed in our commitment and resolve in seekingHim, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords? Do we follow Christ for aseason and then stop for one reason or another? Are we willing to denyourselves in order to seek Christ, or are we more concerned about our ownenjoyment and comforts? And, when discouragements or difficulties come alongour way, do we give in and allow them to prevent us from seeking Him, or do wepress on all the more diligently? How committed are we? J.C. Ryle has someimportant questions for our serious consideration, “Where is our self-denial?What pains do we take about the means of grace? What diligence do we show aboutfollowing Christ? What does our religion cost us?”

Oh that we would be willing to follow in the example of the wise men!

Consider their Faith

Secondly, I’ll like us to observe the faith of these wise men. The moment theyreached Jerusalem, they started asking the people, “Where is he that is bornKing of the Jews?” At first, no one in Judea seemed to know. That probablysurprised them but it didn’t discourage them or cause them to doubt whethersuch a king had in fact been born. And even when the scribes and chief priests,who thought they knew where Christ would be born according to OT prophecy,didn’t show any interest at all in following them to Bethlehem to seek forChrist, still the faith of these wise men didn’t wavier. But that was not all.When the star stopped over what must have been a poor man’s house, and not oversome grand palace or castle, the wise men didn’t think that it was a mistakeand try to look around for another house. No, they went in, and when they sawthe young child with His mother Mary, they believed without doubting that thiswas the One whom they had been searching for.

Here was their great faith. They saw Christ as a helpless and weak child,utterly dependent upon His mother and father. He could perform no miracles forthem; neither could He give them any sign or wonder to authenticate His personand ministry. He neither preached a sermon to them nor spoke any words ofprophecy or wisdom. In all probability, Christ couldn’t even walk, let alonetalk. At most, He could only utter some sounds or syllables just like any youngchild before he learns to speak. Yet their faith didn’t falter or fail. Theybowed before Christ the King, not just any king, but the King of kings; andthey worshipped Him as God incarnate. Again J.C. Ryle has this to say aboutthem,

We read of no greater faith thanthis in the whole volume of the Bible. It is a faith that deserves to be placedside by side with that of the penitent thief. The thief saw one dying the deathof a malefactor, and yet prayed to Him and called Him Lord. The wise men saw anewborn babe on the lap of a poor woman and yet worshipped Him and confessedthat He was Christ. Blessed indeed are they that can believe in this fashion!

May the Lord strengthen our faith!

Consider their Devotion

Thirdly and finally, I’ll like us to observe the devotion and love that thesewise men had for Christ. When the wise men initially saw the star and knew thatChrist was born, they didn’t say to themselves, “If such a great King was trulyborn, then news of Him would spread far and wide and we shall eventually hearof Him in our own country. Then only will we make our way there to pay Himhomage.” Instead they set off in search for Him. They were eager, evenimpatient to see Him.

And when they arrived in Judea, they were not afraid or ashamed to tell people,including king Herod, that they had come from the east to worship the newbornKing. Then when they saw the star once again, they “rejoiced with exceedinggreat joy.” Notice how Matthew piles up all these superlatives to emphasisethe extent of their joy and exhilaration, which they felt even before they sawChrist. I wonder how many of us are filled with as much joy when we come toworship and seek the Lord. Finally, when these wise men entered the house andsaw the child, they immediately fell down before Him and worshipped Him. Theyhad finally found the One whom they had been seeking and searching for allthese months. We do not read that they fell down before Herod the Great. But weread that they fell down before the One who was far greater than king Herod.The One who made heaven and earth, who made the stars, the hills and the seas,and who upholds and sustains the entire universe and all things therein by theword of His power. Yet in all His greatness and glory, He was also the One whohumbled Himself and took upon Himself the likeness of man to dwell with men—tobe our Immanuel, God with us!

I do not know if the wise men had the privilege of knowing Psalm 95, but I amsure they would have loved it. When I think of the wise men, I can almost feelthe words of our Psalter coming alive:

O come, let us sing to the Lord:
come, let us ev’ry one.
A joyful noise make to the Rock
of our salvation.

Let us before his presence come
With praise and thankful voice;
Let us sing psalms to him with grace,
And make a joyful noise

For God, a great God, and great King,
above all gods he is.
Depths of the earth are in his hand,
The strength of hills is his.

To him the spacious sea belongs,
for he the same did make;
The dry land also from his hands
its form at first did take.

O come and let us worship him,
let us bow down withal,
And on our knees before the Lord
our Maker let us fall.

Well, what did they do after falling before the Lord their Maker andworshipping Him? Verse 11 tells us that they opened their treasures andpresented unto Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. All these three itemswere precious commodities. As an aside, that’s the reason why I believe thatthe wise men only arrived after Jesus was presented at temple. If the wise menhad come before that and given them these precious gifts, Mary and Joseph wouldhave been able to use these items to buy a lamb for the offering instead justtwo pigeons.

What significance do these three gifts have? The first gift was gold. Gold hasalways been considered the most precious metal throughout history. It hasremained even till this day a symbol of wealth and material value. But not onlythat, it has also been used as a symbol of nobility and royalty. Next wasfrankincense. Frankincense was a costly and beautiful smelling incense usedonly for the most special occasions. Lastly, myrrh. Myrrh was also a perfumebut not as expensive as frankincense. Nevertheless it was valuable and it wasused together with other spices for embalming and preserving dead bodies.Commentators suggest that gold signified the Royalty and Kingship of Christ,frankincense signified His deity, and myrrh, His humanity. Well, whatever thesignificance of these gifts may have been, these three precious items were mostfitting gifts for the Lord Christ. And by presenting them to Him, theydemonstrated their great love and devotion to Him.

How long did the wise men spend with Jesus at the house? Not very long Isuppose. Maybe a few hours at most. In any case, they couldn’t stay long evenif they wanted to. King Herod was after the child’s life. They had travelled along time just to see the Lord Jesus for a very short while. To the world, thatwas foolishness. But to them, it was worth it all. Every danger they faced,every hardship they had to endure along the way, every cent they spent on theirtravels and on buying those precious gifts, and every moment of time expendedin travelling was worth it all. Why? Because Christ is worthy of everything. Healone is worthy of all our worship and praise.

Conclusion

Scripture records nothing more of these unusual visitors from the east. Butblessed be God for their example of commitment, of faith and of devotion toChrist! In the eyes of the world, they were known as wise men, probably becausethey were skilful and knowledgeable astronomers and scientists. But in the eyesof God, they were truly wise because they sought Christ above all things.

Dear brethren, we live in an age where we have so much more light and knowledgethan these wise men, and we enjoy so much more privileges than they did. Theyhad but a star in the east to guide them. We have the day star arisen in ourhearts, and the Sun of Righteousness who has risen with healing in His wings,to instruct and guide us. Surely we have no excuse for lagging behind thesewise men. In fact, we who have received so much, much more will be expected ofus.

And so as we begin a new year, may the account of the wise men be anencouragement to us to seek the Lord all the more fervently and diligently. Maythe Lord strengthen our faith and our resolve to follow hard after Christ, andmay He deepen our love for Him who is altogether lovely. Amen.

[Editor’s note:Thank God for this seasonable exhortation. Brother Linus has indicated hisdesire to serve the Lord in the fulltime capacity in the near future. He iscurrently under the care of the Session, and it is our prayer that the Lord mayconfirm His call both through the gracious provision of gifts for the ministryas well as the providential unfolding of His will.