Text: Isaiah 60:1-9: 1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD. 7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house. 8 Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? 9 For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.

Matthew 2:1-12: 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Introduction

The capital city sat on a knife. The tyrant’s paranoia knew no bounds; his obsession with power drove him to depravities including summary executions, unspeakable atrocities, and capricious laws. No one needed visitors — at least these visitors.

No, I’m not talking about Baghdad in 2003, just before the American invasion. I’m talking about Jerusalem in the closing years of the reign of Herod the Great. Herod had played the game well with the Romans; switching allegiances between Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Augustus Caesar. He had survived assassinations attempts real and perceived, executing at least one wife and 3 sons in his determination to hold his throne.

Now, just as he sensed the end of his life, Herod, the “king of the Jews” as chosen by the Romans, heard that the real King of the Jews had been born. He received the news from men who had sacrificed everything to travel roughly 1,200 miles to see the new king. This trip wasn’t a social call, nor was it merely a sightseeing occasion. These men had traveled to worship the king. These men had traveled to worship the King of the Jews: The King of Kings.

In a real sense, Jesus’ birth did more than upset Herod. The entire world rocked at the birth of this child. Look at the state of the world today; 2 billion people, a third of the human population, claim to be Christian. No other birth in history has literally split time.

Sermon

Jesus’ birth broke barriers in human relationships. vv. 1-2. The Jews had known for centuries of a Messiah who would come to restore their rightful place before God and humanity; numerous prophets from Jacob to Daniel had predicted His coming. The Jews expected God to act in history, they simply didn’t know how. Needless to say, few of them expected the Messiah to come in the form of a baby born in a backwater town like Bethlehem.

The Gentiles, on the other hand, had no idea a Messiah was coming; even worse, few of them realized the need for a Messiah. Gentile history held many examples of virtuous men trying to stem the tide of sin in their societies, but their lack of knowledge of their true Creator always stymied the efforts. Only in the century or so before Jesus’ birth did Gentiles in any number come to worship the Jewish God.

Yet, here come “wise men” from the East “to worship Him.” We know these wise men came from Persia, and the way we know is a story worth telling.

After Christianity was legalized in A.D. 313, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, Helena, traveled throughout the Holy Land building churches and shrines wherever important events in Jesus’ life had occurred. These churches stood until 614, when the Persians invaded the Byzantine Empire and ransacked the Holy Land. The Persians destroyed every church they found — until they entered the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. When the Persian soldiers entered the church to burn it, they saw a mosaic on the floor and left.

It turns out the mosaic showed men in Persian dress bowing down before a mother and her child. The Persians assumed the church was a Persian shrine and left the church intact.

Therefore, the picture of the wise men not only saved the church; it also confirmed the ethnicity of the wise men. The question, therefore, becomes, why did God send His sign to Persians instead of anyone else?

Frankly, we don’t know the answer to this question. Instead, we need to realize that in calling the wise men, God called all the Gentiles to come to worship His Son. Also, notice the words of the wise men: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” These men had abandoned their native religion to come to worship the king of the Jews. God’s calling went to Persians before the Jewish elite even knew about the birth!

Do you see something wonderful here? The Jews and Gentiles had been separated for millennia. Now, God’s Son had been born as a Jew, and He had told the Gentiles of the birth. All humanity were united in this Child.

You should know that this announcement goes to you as well. Regardless of what’s happening in your life, God has opened an avenue for you to have a relationship with Him. You’ll find that a relationship with God does more than bring peace to your heart; it also brings peace between you and other people as God joins you to the Church. St. Paul told the Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The alienation of sin was removed by the birth of Christ.

Jesus’ birth reminded the world of God’s victory over sin. vv. 3-6, 12. When Herod heard the news of the wise men, he was “troubled.” Actually, I’m not certain the English word “troubled” exactly catches the emotion here! Remember what I said earlier about Herod’s paranoia? If so, you’ll understand why all Jerusalem was “troubled” with him!

Jesus’ birth did more than cause Herod a sleepless night or 2. Jesus’ birth demonstrated the futility of his conniving and scheming to maintain his power. All the treachery in the world failed to prevent the fulfillment of God’s plan for the world.

However, notice a very important lesson: Sin never gives up easily. Old habits don’t simply die; often, they must be killed. When Herod heard of a rival claimant to the throne, his old conniving nature immediately went into overdrive. How devious can you get than to tell someone what Herod told the wise men? Likewise, sin does anything necessary to maintain its hold on us.

There’s another important lesson here, though: God always wins over sin. Regardless of Herod’s plans, God worked to preserve the Holy Family. When we learn of Herod’s cruelty to his own family, we can understand how he could heartlessly order the murder of the infants of Bethlehem. God knew Herod’s heart, and He knew what needed doing to preserve Jesus’ life. Herod could scheme, but God always won. Our adversary may do everything to wreck the Creation, but God will always win.

This reminds me of a saying I once heard that may help someone over the guilt of forgiven sin: “When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.” One day, the Baby born in Bethlehem will hear all creation proclaim Him Lord.

Jesus’ birth gives us hope worth our surrender. vv. 7-11. These men had gone 1,200 miles, overcome the trials of the way, and faced down Herod the Great. Was the trip worth it?

Read these verses again, and see that the wise men thought the trip was worth every minute, every penny.

Nothing is worth keeping when Jesus comes into our lives. The wise men brought gifts, but not to buy their way to worship the child. The gifts represented sacrifice. Everything they gave represented great wealth.

The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” When the wise men first saw the star, they faced a choice: Would they go, or would they disobey the sign God sent? The wise men sacrificed everything to follow the star. Jesus sacrificed the joys of heaven to come and dwell among us. Jesus has every right to demand our sacrifice.

Conclusion

Jesus’ birth changed lives: of Herod, of His family, of the wise men. The wise men surrendered everything to worship Him. After they saw Him, I believe they found the sacrifice worth it. If Jesus’ birth can accomplish all this, imagine what His death and resurrection can do for us. Every human born today will face death at some point. Jesus’ resurrection insures our hope of eternal life.

If you’re prepared to sacrifice everything as Jesus and the wise men did, you’ll experience a new life; in Jesus’ words, you’ll be “born again.” You’ll experience a relationship with God, and through Him, a relationship with other Christians. God will forgive your sins, giving you a new life and peace in your heart.

When God called, the wise men surrendered everything to worship Jesus. God is calling you now; come to Him, knowing the surrender is worth the joy of worshiping our Lord and King.