Sermon: Practical Christmas #2
Bible Passage: Matthew 2:1-23
I. Verse 1a: “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod”
1. Though Jesus was addressed as “Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus was born in Bethlehem
2. Bethlehem is a messianically significant place whereas Nazareth was just a regular village
3. Bethlehem was the city of David
a. 1 Sam 17:12 David was the son of the Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah
b. Micah 5:1 As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah—from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past
c. John 7:42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant of David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
d. This statement affirms that Jesus was born in Bethlehem with the implication that Jesus is the King
4. “In the time of King Herod”
a. He is also known as “Herod the Great”
b. This is the only place we read about Herod the Great, but he is the most consequential person during this period
5. Herod had a palace called “Herodium” just opposite of Bethlehem
6. It looks like two kings are juxtaposed
II. Verse 1c: “wise men from the east came to Jerusalem”
1. The Greek word for “wise men” is magoi in plural and magos in singular
2. The translation “wise men” is probably misleading (some translations transliterate the word as “magi”)
3. The word could mean “sorcerers” or “magicians” cf. Acts 13:6, 8
4. “From the east” could mean any place east of Judea—we do not know how much they travelled to come to Jerusalem
5. They “came to Jerusalem” where Herod lived—reached the wrong place (sincerely ended up in a wrong place)
III. Verse 2a: “Where is the “born” king of the Jews?”
1. “born king” is a unique expression that points to Isa 7:14— (tikto vs gennao)
a. Herod the Great was an appointed king by Augustus Caesar
b. Jesus is the “born” King—it’s a special title; the one who is born without an emphasis for male agency
2. The magi introduce Jesus as “the born king of the Jews”
3. They said, “we have come to worship him”
4. Here “worship” refers to homage—these men were the first to acknowledge Jesus as “the King”
IV. Verse 3-9: “When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him”
1. Herod the Great and the leaders of Jerusalem rejected Jesus as their King (2:3-6)
2. The religious leaders knew the Scripture and truth, but they chose not to act on it; instead they sided with Herod to harm the Baby Jesus
3. Herod viewed Jesus as the usurper to his throne! (verses 7-9)
V. Verse 9-10: “Once again the star they [the magi] saw when it rose led them until it stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star they shouted joyfully”
1. For some time, they were at a wrong place
2. But, now they are on the right path
VI. Verses 11-12 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh
1. This appears to be the real Christmas where Jesus is the center of celebrations
2. The magi bowed down and worshipped Jesus
3. Their worship was both word and deed
a. Opened their treasure boxes
b. Gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh
4. Consider the following practical aspects during this Christmas
a. Just as the magi moved away from being at the wrong place, move away from wrong places towards Jesus
b. Worship the Triune God with word and deed
VII. The magi went away on a different route (verse 12)
VIII. Observations on this Passage
1. The titles of Jesus in this passage
a. The born king of the Jews?
b. The Messiah, the much-awaited King (verse 4)
c. A Ruler (verse 6)
d. A Shepherd (verse 6) (verb)
e. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem transformed the village into a Great City (prophecy fulfilled cf. Micah 5:2)
i. From insignificance to prominence (2:6)
ii. Once despised, but now honored (2:6)
f. Ironically, men of other nations “worship”/honor Jesus the King—(2:2)
i. They travelled a long distance
ii. They brought gifts befitting the King—gold, frankincense, and myrrh (cf. Isa 60:6 a reflection of Gentiles moving towards God)
iii. They had the desire to worship the King of Jews; God gave them direction!
iv. They leave Bethlehem on a different route defying Herod the Great
IX. Verses 13-23:
1. Joseph and Mary became busy serving God’s interest
a. They left for Egypt in the night (verse 13-15)
b. They returned to the land of Israel (verses 19-23)
c. To protect the child, they settled in Nazareth (verses 19-23)
2. Joseph and Mary found a new purpose in their family—serving God kept them busy
3. Joseph provided leadership at home based on directions from God (godly leadership)
4. Mary complied to Joseph’s leadership
5. They provide a model for how a family can serve God
6. Families need to be on the mission of God —families need to advance God’s interest
7. Jesus who was born in Bethlehem is now going to grow up in Nazareth
X. Principles
1. When you are convinced about truth, stay in the side of the truth
2. God’s initiative of salvation is often faced with resistance, threat, and violence
3. But God’s plan can never be stopped by any force—social, political, or religious!
4. A lot of believers stop advancing God’s mission when they were faced with challenges—they stop attempting!
5. God ordained-challenges are purposeful that need to be spiritually understood
6. Becoming busy with God’s purposes makes your life purposeful
Take Away:
Worship God in word and deed