In Psalm 13 the psalmist David cries out to God, “How long, O Lord? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?” I believe a lot of us can resonate with this question, “How long?” How long must we endure this pandemic and wear face masks? When can we be freed from the impersonal social distancing norms and greet our family and friends again with a hug, a handshake or a kiss?
As we begin our Advent journey together today, we ask God our persistent question, “How long, O Lord?” And we expectantly wait and long for Christ to come and help us. As we wait as a church, we will explore four gospels through Advent this year to see the magnificence of Jesus, the coming King. We have four gospels, because I believe, as John Scott said, Jesus Christ is too great and glorious a person to be captured by one author or described from one perspective. So we have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew by the Holy Spirit presents Christ as King, Mark as Servant, Luke as the Son of Man, and John as the Son of God. Today we will see the beauty and glory of Christ through the eyes of Matthew. Who then is Jesus according to Matthew? Jesus is King of the Jews, long-expected Messiah, promised Savior of Israel and all nations. So Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus, then announces King’s arrival first through the Magi. From this story, we can learn who Jesus is and how we should respond to King Jesus.
Look!
As we listen to the story of the Magi today, I would like to draw your attention to three particular verbs in verse 2. The Magi said to King Herod, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” – “look (see),” “come,” and “worship.” First, look. The star was not hidden. It was right there, shining and guiding. Anybody could see the star if they lifted up their eyes and looked. Charles Spurgeon was converted when he heard a preacher saying, “Look! Now looking don’t take a deal of pain. It’s not lifting your foot or your finger; it is just ‘Look.’ Well, a man needn’t go to college to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look. A man needn’t be worth a thousand pounds a year to look. Anyone can look; even a child can look…. Look to Jesus, and be saved!” In other words, God is always at work around us. God’s signs are all around us. That’s the first reality. That’s the first step to know who Jesus is. When the apostle Paul preaches in Athens, he said, “Indeed, he [God] is never far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:27 ISV). The Message version translates it this way: “He doesn’t hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near!” Yes, the Lord is near.
God’s sign is not hidden. But in the busyness of our life it is possible to so easily lose sight of God’s work in us and God’s sign around us. When Ahaz, king of Judah, heard news that Aram and Northern Israel went up to attack his kingdom, he and his people shook like trees in the wind. Then, the Lord said to Ahaz, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” Ahaz was a hypocrite. He was saying pious words, but deep in his heart he didn’t trust God. God said to Ahaz through Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the virgin will conceive and bear a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isa 7:14). So what God’s signs do you see? Surely this year will be one of the most memorable years for many of us. We have been through a lot together this year: Covid-19 pandemic and civil unrest, George Floyd death and second civil rights movement, presidential election and political unrest, and the list goes on. In all this what are signs that it is present? Where and how is God at work? How do you sense God nudging you in this situation? These are guiding questions to discern and see God’s signs.
Come!
Not only did the Magi see the star, but also they have come to Jerusalem. Many scholars assume that the Magi came from the environs of Babylon. If so, they would have traveled about nine hundred miles. It would have taken several months. When they saw the star, God’s sign, they spared no efforts to leave their country and come to Jerusalem. In today’s passage we see a clear contrast between the Magi and the Jewish religious leaders, who simply do nothing about Jesus. When asked where would Messiah be born, the priests and scribes had accurate scriptural knowledge, quoting from Micah 5:2, “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” But that was it. They went back to business as usual. Their biblical knowledge did not lead them to come with the Magi. In fact, they were not interested in the arrival of the Savior because they were already content with their present life. They did not need a Savior.
Like these religious leaders, there are many in the church who have scriptural knowledge and affirm its teaching. They regularly attend church and say the right prayer. But in reality, deep down in their hearts they feel indifferent towards Jesus. Pastor and theologian Michael Horton, in his book Christless Christianity, said, “In short, the spirituality of American is Christian in name only…We embrace preferences rather than truth. We seek comfort rather than growth…We have enthroned ourselves as the final arbiters of righteousness, the ultimate rulers of our own experience and destiny.” John Wesley called this kind of people “Almost Christians.” We see God’s sign, but we don’t want to go there. We hear God’s message, but we don’t want to change patterns of our lives because, then we need to give up our preferences and comfort. We find ourselves in religious leaders. The Magi stirs our hearts today. “Lift up and look up and see the sign! And come with us!”
Worship!
The Magi had a clear purpose to come: worship. They saw the star, and they have come to worship Jesus (v. 2). They didn’t come to Jesus empty-handed. Instead, they brought their precious and valuable gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They worshiped Jesus with sacrificial gifts. Each gift has a significant meaning. Gold is a symbol of royalty and divinity. Frankincense was consecrated as pure and holy and was the only incense permitted at the altar. Myrrh was used to prepare bodies for burial. By bringing these gifts, the Magi were prophesying and saying, “Jesus, you are King. Your life will be a pure and holy offering to God. And your death will bring salvation to all people.”
Have you given a sacrificial gift to someone? When we give such a gift to somebody, it’s a way of saying, “I love you.” When the Magi worshipped Jesus with their sacrificial gifts, it’s a way of saying, “Jesus, I have not come to you for your things, but for yourself. Lord, you are my treasure, not these things. I honor you. And I love you.”
The Gift of the Magi
Probably, many of you have read “The Gift of the Magi” a short story written by O. Henry. Jim and his wife, Della, are a couple living in a modest apartment. They have only two possessions between them in which they take pride: Della's beautiful long, flowing hair and Jim's shiny gold watch, which had belonged to his father and grandfather. On Christmas Eve Della was desperate to find a gift for Jim, but she had only $1.87 in hand. She decides to sell her hair for $20 to a wigmaker, and eventually she finds a gold watch chain for $21. She buys that chain with joy. Without knowing what she has done, Jim sells his cherished watch to buy expensive hair accessories for his wife. At 7 o’clock, Jim walks in and gives Della her present. Della then shows Jim the chain she bought for him. Both Jim and Della are now left with the gifts that neither one can use, but they realize what love is. The very act of sacrificial giving defines what it means to love each other.
God showed his sacrificial love by sending his own Son to die for us. The Bible says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God has entered our lives in Jesus, and we have never been the same. That is what Christmas is all about – first “Christ’s mass (service)” then “Christian’s mass (service).” “Christ’s love” and “our love.” By God’s sacrificial giving, we are transformed from the inside out, and now we give ourselves to King Jesus. The Magi saw the star, and they have come and worshipped Jesus. And now it’s our turn. What signs do you see? How do you respond to King Jesus? What gifts would you bring to him? May the Lord Jesus give us grace to see his signs. And may the Lord give us desire and courage to come and worship him with sacrificial gifts. Amen.
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