“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, 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.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘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.’ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 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.’ 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. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 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. And being warned win a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.” Matt. 2:1-12
Yesterday was the day in which many higher liturgical churches Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutherans, Methodists, and some Presbyterians…even some in the PCA that adhere to the Church calendar celebrate “Epiphany” which means “appearance” or “manifestation”. Tradition teaches that Christmas marked the coming of the God to His people and with the coming of the Magi, Epiphany celebrates His appearance to all mankind.
God was incarnate at His birth for the purpose of saving HIS PEOPLE from their sins. The Bible declares that His people are the “children of the promise”…those God has chosen…from every nation tongue and tribe…there is neither Jew nor Gentile…all God’s Elect are His children. He manifested Himself to all people on one hand in His coming…but salvation only comes through Him and was secured for only His own.
So, why did the Magi come according to the Bible? Listen to these words from Isaiah 60:7- “They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.”
1. Short answer: They came because God said they would come! God had designed the events in such a way that they knew they needed to come.
2. They came because God had prophesied that there would be a reason to come, Numbers 24:17- “…a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel…” They had been trained to see the “signs” and act accordingly.
3. They came because the Holy Spirit guided them with the star of Judah.
4. They came because they were among the people listed in Isaiah 60 …the every nation tongue and tribe people…God’s elect listed in that chapter and even specifically referred to in verse 7, if you will. Isaiah 60 defines what the Church will look like…who will make up the church…God’s elect from every nation, tongue and tribe…even people we would not expect.
5. They came to worship Him as their Savior and King…and that coming was with the best they had to give …and then worshiping from their hearts, before the toddler KING.
6. They came simply because it was all part of God’s plan from before the foundations of the world revealing God keeping His covenant promise that He had spoken of since the beginning.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t teach about their coming as part of the way God has revealed the outworking of His plan…but at His birth…Hs coming did it all, for He is Immanuel… God with Us…coming to save His people…His every nation tongue and tribe people… both believing Jews and Gentiles… from our sins. This celebration is NOT a biblically sanctioned feast day but can help illuminate further God’s plan of redemption that included the Gentles from the very beginning. (Think Gen. 12:1-3)
Fun fact: that most of you know…the Magi did not come to the manger the night of His birth, they came to a house a couple of years later. How do we know this? Well, there are a couple of indicators in the text itself… One Herod wanted to know when the star first appeared which indicates that it had been awhile in their coming. (Actually, much of the Church throughout time has understood this.) Also, on the off chance that they had come on that night…they brought expensive gifts, fit for a king…which He is…but those gifts would have made Joseph and Mary wildly wealthy and they would have had to sacrifice accordingly for Mary’s purification and before Jesus was circumcised according to the Law and the biblical record shows they gave the sacrifice of a pauper in Israel according to the Law. One last thing that is evident in the first part of the text; the Magi were part of a Gentile people not near in distance to Bethlehem so it would have naturally taken a long time to travel even by camel.
SOOO! All of this information is good (and I could have given you more! (LOL!) but it still begs the question… So what? For me there are at least 4 important take a ways:
1. God has always only had one plan that He has been unfolding since before the foundation of the earth.
2. God has one united people throughout time…from every nation, tongue and tribe.
3. God’s people ought to bring their best to God every day…not just on Sunday or other church holidays…
4. God delights in revealing His plan to us… His promise… from the beginning and for every prophesy there is at least one manifestation but for most there may be many throughout time pointing forward either to Christ’s First Coming and/or His Second.
These 4 and more enable me to trust God more and more for these four reveal also His steadfast love and faithfulness toward His own. (I guess that is another take away…!)
So on this week of “Epiphany” (official day is January 6th, but they change it in this country to be the first Sunday in January) remember the Magi who played an important role in the plan of redemption and do as they did, “They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.” Bring your best to the Lord today…leave it at His feet…and worship Him…glorify Him in all that you do…and give thanks to God that He continues to reveal Himself as a covenant keeping God…one more than worthy of our complete trust, obedience and love.
God bless y’all today.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
